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[A.Z.BEST]

Don't post any "new theories" here. We're working on THIS theory right now.
The thread is full of shit already and believe me; all of the theories have been heard already.

As you might have seen I have been pretty active in these forums lastly, and I have figured out a good method to get unbanned. First, I was thinking that some new games may be spying our consoles, but it seems that they don't. But we can not deffinately deny that they will ever do it. It still may be possible. Then I've got an idea that M$ is banning consoles which were banned in past months and that's true. All the people who got banned for the first time screwed up something by themselves. It wasn't M$' new security's fault. It seems like M$ is scanning the HDD's serial number and banning the all the consoles which have got this hard drive (and different EEPROMs). You have to change the HDD and the EEPROM to unban yourself now. What else; if you already play on XBL with your Xbox and you wanna change your hard drive, you also have to change the EEPROM or you will get banned... (possibly! but it's not so sure!) And so on... Here's some very useful info that one guy, who didn't want to show himself, has sent me. for him!! Thx dude . I gave one EEPROM to my guinea- pig; Optimus , who was recently banned few times and now he has been on XBL about 72 hours (till 10.25.04) with no ban. Last times he got banned in less than 24 hrs (just like my friends). Thank you all for your cooperation and the ideas.

Here's the info from my pm box.
BUT keep in mind, that it has been tested by less than 10 men. You can also join us if you have a 100% good, valid EEPROM and a new HDD and a will to do it.

QUOTE

[...] I have a packet sniffer running at all times when playing. I have my Xbox connected to My PC and my PC heading off to the router. (Using a XP network bridge for my XBL connection). I checked out some of the initial packets heading off to XBL and this is my theory on it. [Start Theroy] When you connect to XBL it is transmitting all the info pertaining to your Xbox. I have noticed more packets in the initial connections than I noticed before and that is what leads me to that. XBL is taking that information into the database and keeping it stored and connected. So whatever HD you were first using when this checking was started is the one linked to your xbox serial. What that means. If any hardware associated with that serial number is changed you will be banned. The search is reversible also. They can check HD serials and compare it to the EEPROM also. If at any time either the HD or the EEPROM do not match up to what is in the database it is a ban. Just changing the EEPROM or the HD will not work but changing the EEPROM and the HD at the same time will get you back online. [End Theroy] No game is spying on the hard drive. No game is making any unknown connection to XBL without consent of the user. Even the dashboard is clean from unknown connections. I do not know if this is true for games that have yet to be released publiclly. Every person whom has been banned so far actually was banned once before. That is coincedince. But the few that have never been banned before might not have realized they swapped out their HD at some point after the data was collected. I have noticed XBL will continue to try to connect back to the xbox after you log off XBL. But I have not yet seen my Xbox respond back so That is not a concern but could be in the future if games are told to respond back to acknowledge the log off.. One other thing is MS said something like. "and anyone using an illegal game to connect to tunneling software is just stupid". Does that carry any weight.. Yep it does. It came from someone with knowledge of the security protocols XBL uses. I'm just trying to figure out how/if MS can put a sniffer on someone elses network without consent. I won't be using tunneling software until I know XBC and Kia are no longer under pressure from MS [little cut]

And the second PM

QUOTE

[...] There are a couple other issues I am still researching. There is a big possibility that if you get banned for this infraction not once but twice it flags the Gamertag as a possible hacker and starts to impose stronger checking on the system. [cut] Althou my initial reaction to it is I would be 99.9% sure that it does not check the contents of the HD at all. The talk about how they are "flagging" the hard drive is all crap. MS is not stupid and knows their legal rights in doing something like that. We need to be careful in if someone does try swapping the EEPROM and HD out in one shot is that they have not been banned 2 or more times in a row.  [cut] I noticed the connection between the Gamertags getting banned and the Xbox bannings is almost 0.. The only connection relates to if the Gamertag has been flagged as a cheater XBL automatically links the serial number as modded at the same time. The people having their gamertag revoked have at one time actually been caught by Xbox undercover personel whom have witnessed the cheating. One other thing to keep in mind that scares the shit out of me.. When I connect into XBL I noticed at the same time a connection into the passport servers.. Now does that releate to the messenger alerts only? I hope so but why would it transmit your Xbox serial number to the passport unless they were tracking and linking the Xbox Serial number, Gamertag and Passport account. [You can have your XBL friend list on your MSN and receive invites to it, so it's nothing dangerous- A.Z.] Note all this is speculation. One other thing. Do not put your Gamertag Account on your Xbox. Keep it on a memory card and remove it when you are not on XBL or have the mod on. That way just in case the xbox makes an unknown connection to XBL it will not transit your gamertag. There is a lot more going on at Xbox than we are seeing.

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Things that will make you banned
- Logging onto XBL with any hacked (or just non retail)
- Changed structure of M$ dashboard files (for example any exploits)
- Trying to get on XBL with any game played of the HDD (even by using any exploit, though single player seems to be safe)
- Using game hacks (for example in Project Gotham Racing 2)

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Things that DO NOT cause bans
- Modchip on LPC
- TSOP flash with TSOP split (as long as you use retail bios on XBL)
- Changed hard drive (no problem at all)
- Upgraded RAM
- Gamesaves from all regions (NTSC saves on PAL console are not any problem)
- evoxdash.xbe and/or all the homebrew software on C or E partition - there is no hdd content scanning!

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Things that will most probably won't make you banned
- Playing and possesing THAT game
- Playing THAT game and other games on XBC/Xlink etc.
- changing the HDD after signing to XBL

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Things that are unclear:
- If gamer tag is flagged once you've been banned
- is it  necessary to get back the HDD to a stock, or can we just use a new, not "banned" hdd?
- Any other method to ban those who've been previously banned?

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And so on:

Modded xbox using XBL, never been banned:
You have no worries, as long as you're not logging to XBL with chip on.

Modded xbox not on XBL but thinking of signing up:
You have no worries. No problems at all. Just follow the first instruction.

Modded xbox on XBL, previously banned:
You'll have to change your hdd & eeprom for sure. You may also have to change your gamer tag. Change the hdd to the stock one if you still have it- it's giving the best results for now. This is unclear.

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Keep in mind that it is not 200% sure info!! It worked for few of us and it did not for some others. But I actually blame EEPROM resellers (same EEPROM used in few consoles) for these bans after changing the HDD. We appreciate your input into the research. Good Luck and have fun .

I'm editing this first post to keep the info fresh and clear .
Thx for changing the topic's name, shanafan. If you think that something's missing, just pm me. BUT: no new, genius ideas (if they're not proved).

[[D]J]

Well I keep thinking it's not that and that it can be solved also without changing the hard disk.

I strongly doubt that M$ can get hard disk serial number. Most likely, they recently updated their Live! system to do this time a *double check* for security reasons. So, before banning eeproms as they always did in the past, they now also write somewhere on your hard disk (in a file) your eeprom informations and unfortunately (for us) they can do this legally. In fact as we know they can force you to update xbox live *whenever* they want with software that we *DON'T KNOW* at all and, probably, in the last Live! update, they implemented a new feature to write stuff (i.e. system information) on your hard disk everytime you connect to their Live! system.

In this way everytime you go Live! they can easily do a check to see if the info written before on the hard disk match the info of the eeprom installed in your xbox. If they are different, they ban you because it's obvius that you changed eeprom! Pretty easy, don't you think? And probably that's why changing hard disk and eeprom seems to solve the problem, because you actually delete all the files!

What I'm trying to do now is a search for these informations on the HDD but M$ is all but stupid and they could have put the info in a crypted file so looks like a very hard task!

This post has been edited by [D]J: Oct 22 2004, 01:24 PM <

[A.Z.BEST]

So go and get banned, unlock your HDD, delete all the partitions, do a full format to something like NTFS (just to have only 00' on the HDD), delete partitions and put the HDD again to your Xbox, reformat it and try to go on XBL again with changed EEPROM and nulled and restored HDD. It might be a good method . But someone HAS to check it, and I don't want to take the risk to ban my 200GB HDD, neither one EEPROM, so... sorry... I have checked my own method and it seems to work. I don't have many EEPROMs and HDDs left .

[donmega]

Ok so I have a chipped 1.4 with 120gb, it has NEVER been on live, am I safe to try and get on now?  <

[A.Z.BEST]

Yes. But you will probably get banned if you will change your HDD without changing the EEPROM. BE CAREFUL !

[fruitbat04]

I was banned and last night I have changed my 120GB seagate to a 160GB maxtor and also put in a new eeprom. I'm back on at the moment, so I'll let you know i stay unbanned.

If this fails, I'm going to try swapping hard drive/eeprom again and also sign up for a new gamertag

I'm booting from a SmartXX to the original bios by the way.  <

[Hitcher]

What happens if you've sent your Xbox in for repair and they (M$) chnage the HD?  <

[A.Z.BEST]

QUOTE (Hitcher @ Oct 22 2004, 02:16 PM)

What happens if you've sent your Xbox in for repair and they (M$) chnage the HD?

Don't worry about M$. The've deffinately figured something out for this. Maybe they store data about every Xbox which has come to them and had changed HDD on warranty. Or maybe they also change Xbox' bottom sticker with s/n (cause they must open the case), HDD, reflash the EEPROM with new s/n and give it back to a customer? No problem with it.

fruitbat04: I'm holding my fingers crossed .

[fruitbat04]

Forgot to mention I was previously banned once about 3 months ago.

Hope this works as I've only got 2 eeproms left :S  <

[smack_blitz]

so people who's never been banned can breath easier than those who had replaced their eeproms??  

Also,  is there a connection between avalaunch rss feed and xbl??  (ms pinging xbox)(just like xbc and kai with backups)

 <

[Xbs1]

Everyone that swaps eeproms and hard drives should post the results in this thread. Can we get this post pinned, or stickied, so that everyone read's this thread first? I don't think those other threads are needed much now, seeing as a work in progress is under way..

 <

[GamezMan]

Good work A.Z.BEST® and  co.

I may try this week-end but if i do im scared to go on xlink\xbc, which i go on regularl latly as i have  freinds on there who dont have xbl.... so i may leave it a while, but got to be back online for Halo-2-day

Has any-1 heard from xlink\xbc teams about what they think   <

[Hinotori]

A.Z., good work... Lets hope this really is the case. I will check with the guys who have replaced the EEPROM in Brazil, if they have changed the HD after unbaning. I will tell you the results.     <

[A.Z.BEST]

WAIT A LITTLE BIT, PEOPLE

QUOTE

Test case from a close friend: 2 xboxes both never been banned before. Both had played and had a save game from a leaked game. Both had live accounts. Both used the 4981 Live blocking BIOS. Both use the Xenium chip. Different IP addresses. One played games on live with the mod off, and has not been banned. One purposely used a non live safe bios and attempted to log in to live. it was banned. Both were flashed with new eeproms, given new ip addresses. The non-banned xbox is still not banned. The banned one got on for a day after changing the eeprom, and then was promptly banned again. Switched hard drives between the two xboxes. Reflashed the eeproms again. The non-banned xbox is still not banned. The banned one got on for a day, then was banned again.

Can someone try to totally erase all the data on the hard drive and put it again the banned Xbox flashed with a new EEPROM? Please, unlock the HDD, use some program on pc to totally 00 the hdd, and then put it back the console... Restore the files and recover the GT and test. It would cost one EEPROM, but it's worth to try, even if with no succes.

At least one person, please. Thx in advance.

BTW, Hinotori: what Xboxes (region) do you have in South America ? I am very curious.

[ZildjianKX]

QUOTE (A.Z.BEST® @ Oct 22 2004, 04:08 AM)

Yes. But you will probably get banned if you will change your HDD without changing the EEPROM. BE CAREFUL !

So you're saying as long as you stay with the same hard drive as when you signed on XBL the first time, you should be fine (even if it is an upgraded drive)?