Topic: My Phone Call To Ms About Live (Read 219 times)

shanafan · « **on:** July 09, 2003, 08:44:00 PM »

I was a Xbox Live beta tester before Live was launched. Of course not knowing that what we know today, I played away my NFL Fever with the modchip on. Two days before November 15, ban. But, I eventually got an unbanned EEPROM and was back on Live.

So I get monthly Live surveys that I take to tell MS how I feel about Live. However, the last one I got, the page didn't load correctly, and then it did, but it said I already took the survery. So I called MS to ask about it.

MS said I was outta luck with the survery.

But, more importantly, MS will charge your Live account $50 on the date a year from when you activated the kit. Like for me, I will get charged $49.99 on November 15, 2003 for the next year of Live.

If I want to change to a monthly basis, I think it was $4.99, I would have to call them and tell them (what the hell?) Live will not ask "Do you wish to contine the service?" It will just re-charge your account.

MS then asked for my ISP. I told him Comcast. Then, I asked him about when I first activated Live to inquire about my billing date, and he asked what is my gamertag. I said "shanafan" and he said, under his breathe, "this is interesting". (What?)

He started to type away fast and I asked him about the new Xbox Live Aware (automatically connects to Live when your Xbox boots) and he gave a very short answer saying its coming but wouldn't really tell me how it works. Even though I knew anyways

Finally, I asked him about the new MS dash coming this Fall that is Live-fitted and he basically said you will recieve a Live update sometime this Fall which is the new dash. Again, not really enough information to satisfy me.

Anyways, that was my call. I still wonder what the "this is interesting..." comment was about.

erexx · « **Reply #1 on:** July 09, 2003, 08:56:00 PM »

you think they can see your history?
that you were banned and then... "unbanned" with same gamer tag
how could they tell you changed your eeprom... wouldnt it just look like a totally diff. xbox?

shanafan · « **Reply #2 on:** July 09, 2003, 09:04:00 PM »

QUOTE (erexx @ Jul 10 2003, 12:56 AM)

you think they can see your history?
that you were banned and then... "unbanned" with same gamer tag
how could they tell you changed your eeprom... wouldnt it just look like a totally diff. xbox?

Yeah, it would just say (probably) that my account is being used from like 4 different Xboxes

Achtung · « **Reply #3 on:** July 10, 2003, 07:06:00 AM »

If you use two HD one for back ups, and the original untouched for live and swap back and forth there isnt anything to worry about. However if you dont I could see it causing some trouble at first but being solved very shortly after it launches if it even becomes any type of a problem.

mrRobinson · « **Reply #4 on:** July 10, 2003, 07:46:00 AM »

yea I forsee people not only switching mod chip on or off but also needing to switch from orig hdd to modded one.

TacoBalls · « **Reply #5 on:** July 10, 2003, 08:02:00 AM »

I think one day I'm just going to buy a clean XBOX for going on live. I don't want to deal with it.

shanafan · « **Reply #6 on:** July 10, 2003, 12:41:00 PM »

QUOTE (Achtung @ Jul 10 2003, 11:06 AM)

If you use two HD one for back ups, and the original untouched for live and swap back and forth there isnt anything to worry about. However if you dont I could see it causing some trouble at first but being solved very shortly after it launches if it even becomes any type of a problem.

There is still the modchip issue. Some people may forget to turn it off

PerfectModifications · « **Reply #7 on:** July 10, 2003, 01:19:00 PM »

Wait, are you saying that if I have, say a 120gb WD Hard Drive in my xbox, i probably will get screwed over by this new "Xbox live aware" stuff? And how is this supposed to be corrected "so fast", like Atchung says it will be?

??

shanafan · « **Reply #8 on:** July 10, 2003, 01:25:00 PM »

QUOTE (PerfectModifications @ Jul 10 2003, 05:19 PM)

Wait, are you saying that if I have, say a 120gb WD Hard Drive in my xbox, i probably will get screwed over by this new "Xbox live aware" stuff? And how is this supposed to be corrected "so fast", like Atchung says it will be?

??

There is not a way yet to disable Live Aware as its not out yet.

MeNaCe911 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 10, 2003, 03:30:00 PM »

yea i knew about that auto charge...pissed me off to find out...although im not payin...gonna mooch a year off my mom...but still wtf they dont ask u they just charge...thats fucked up...i didnt read shit about that....

echto · « **Reply #10 on:** July 10, 2003, 05:08:00 PM »

If an xbox live account doesn't exist on the HD I wonder if Live aware games will still connect. People could store their Live accounts on a memory cartridge and delete them from the harddrive.

But then again the Live Aware games could connect using some sort of generic login just for the hell of it. If a generic login is used I'm sure a network analyser could be used to find the login and password info. Wouldn't it be fun to send bogus info to the servers!

As for Live Aware I can't see why something like this wouldn't stir up a watch dog group or something. This easily could be considered an invasion of privacy. Will there be some sort of EULA printed out when you purchase a Live Aware game that states "By purchasing this game you agree to let MS know exactly when you play it.". I think for the consumers there should be an option to enable or disable Live Aware. We all remember the stink about the CPU serial numbers and how that was considered an invasion of privacy. An option was inserted in bioses to enable or disable the CPU serial number.

Loranga · « **Reply #11 on:** July 11, 2003, 01:49:00 AM »

QUOTE (shanafan @ Jul 10 2003, 05:44 AM)

I said "shanafan" and he said, under his breathe, "this is interesting". (What?)

Now we got proof that MS visit this forum

Nathan561 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 11, 2003, 05:34:00 AM »

QUOTE (Achtung @ Jul 11 2003, 02:28 PM)

QUOTE (PerfectModifications @ Jul 10 2003, 10:19 PM)

Wait, are you saying that if I have, say a 120gb WD Hard Drive in my xbox, i probably will get screwed over by this new "Xbox live aware" stuff? And how is this supposed to be corrected "so fast", like Atchung says it will be?

??

Here is my prediction on how to dissable live aware on start up:

Keep your network cable unpluged.

was that fast enough?

Yea that sounds all well and good.... unless it includes OFFLINE modchip detection, like the current live dashboard is rumoured to have..
Then we really are all screwed, if you have the modchip on and the cable unplugged, live aware will see the modchip no matter what you do. As shanafan says, its as soon as you turn the xbox on, then as soon as you connect to live.. you're banned.
Man this would suck.. I guess I'd have to go and buy a xbox for live like other people

Achtung · « **Reply #13 on:** July 11, 2003, 05:37:00 AM »

QUOTE (Nathan561 @ Jul 11 2003, 02:34 PM)

QUOTE (Achtung @ Jul 11 2003, 02:28 PM)

QUOTE (PerfectModifications @ Jul 10 2003, 10:19 PM)

Wait, are you saying that if I have, say a 120gb WD Hard Drive in my xbox, i probably will get screwed over by this new "Xbox live aware" stuff? And how is this supposed to be corrected "so fast", like Atchung says it will be?

??

Here is my prediction on how to dissable live aware on start up:

Keep your network cable unpluged.

was that fast enough?

Yea that sounds all well and good.... unless it includes OFFLINE modchip detection, like the current live dashboard is rumoured to have..
Then we really are all screwed, if you have the modchip on and the cable unplugged, live aware will see the modchip no matter what you do. As shanafan says, its as soon as you turn the xbox on, then as soon as you connect to live.. you're banned.
Man this would suck.. I guess I'd have to go and buy a xbox for live like other people

Not if you use two HD, your upgraded one for backup and original for live. Your modded HD will have no Live accounts or live info so there isnt anyway to get banned. The only risk you have is remembering to shut off your Mod chip with the original HD, and that is a risk you run now nothing new.

as for offline modchip protection, thats BS how is live aware going to see your modcip offline, without even sending and recieving data with your xbox to tell it what your running or even detecting a connection. The only way (My opinion) live can ever ban you is recieving data from your xbox that you are running a modded bios which can only ever be seen if you actually connect to live and it is written to check and recieves that info just as it checks to see what version of live you are using, thus prompting you with updates to newer versions. Live doesnt know before connecting that it needs a update, the network tells it that it does its the sameway with modchips. And I believe shanafan ment when he said that as soon as you turn the xbox on, that it is going to connect to live so if you are running a modchip and its on you will be banned because it is sending that info, not because live aware checks for it offline.

bebrewer1 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 11, 2003, 08:10:00 AM »

I think that the new 'aware' dashboard update could be defeated by using a bios setup to boot from the 'F' partition. If your modchip is turned off and the MS bios boots up, the 'F' partition is invisible (based on knowledge I've gotten from these forums).

Think it would be possible for the 'aware' dash to see what the current MS bios can not see?

Author Topic: My Phone Call To Ms About Live (Read 219 times)