Topic: Backing Up Arcade Games (Read 237 times)

flashfreak · « **on:** March 30, 2006, 03:17:00 PM »

I was wondering the same thing.

jwin767 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 30, 2006, 04:03:00 PM »

im putting predictions on some sort of key linked to the gamertag / 360 that DL'ed it, that would screw it really

celicagt1993 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 30, 2006, 09:47:00 PM »

i had the same thought, and here's what i found out... it's linked to the actual system. here's how i found this out.

1st test. the system knows what gamers tags were on the system... my mom has a silver account, so i recovered her account on my 360 and d/l a game under my gamerstag.... i was able to play the game on my xbox under my name or her's. i then moved my tag, her's, and the game to a mem card, took it to her house, and only my tag was able to play it, but i had to be signed into xbox to play it.

2nd test. this is when i got my 360. i have two gamer tags on my xbox, mine and my fiencee's. on my original 360, both of us can play any games (games that were bought under my profile and under her's). during some testing, i took the original HDD and put it on my new HDD. on the new 360 i could only play the games that i bought on my name only when i was signed into live. I could not play the ganmes she bought, and she couldn't play the ones i bought. one more thing, I formatted the HDD of the new 360, and it asks for the serial number of the xbox. so aparently when you format the drive, it links it to the 360 it's hooked to.

conclusion: arcade games are both linked to the serial number of the 360 that originally d/l it, AND it's linked to the gamer's tag. on my new 360, i can play the games she bought, but i have to sign in BOTH of our profiles for me to play the full games she's bought and so forth.

things i haven't tried: i haven't formatted the HDD of my original xbox. this system is the one that i do the most gaming on. it is unknown if the serial number of the xbox is also linked to your gamerstag on live at the time of download. if someone wants to do this, here's what to do... (there is no need in having 2 360's to do this) create another gamerstag, and make sure it can play the full game. if you have already d/led games this will work, if not, d/l one. then format the HDD. (if you do, you will loose hexic, so make a backup if you do). redownload the games and recover the gamertags. if both can play it again, then your s/n of your 360 is also linked to the gamestag when you d/l the game, otherwise the file on the HDD is linked to the s/n number.

it's also not known if you backup your HDD and restore it on another HDD what will happen. i'm a little to chicken to do so because my wife might get mad at me since she games also if i mess up one of mine....

NOTE: I don't know if this is for every original game, but i know that with the halo 2 downloads, if you remove the HDD from one, and put it on another 360, the maps become corrupt and you have to redownload them... this is for the 360 you are putting it on, and when you put it back on your original 360.

celicagt1993 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 30, 2006, 10:34:00 PM »

update: i'm going to attempt to backup my original 360's hdd and put it on the new one and hope it doesn't mess up....

PedrosPad · « **Reply #4 on:** March 31, 2006, 01:35:00 AM »

QUOTE(celicagt1993 @ Mar 31 2006, 05:54 AM)

I formatted the HDD of the new 360, and it asks for the serial number of the xbox. so aparently when you format the drive, it links it to the 360 it's hooked to.

The Dashboard already knows the X360's serial number! It displays it on the 'console info' blade. Asking you to enter it ahead of formatting the HDD is simply to prevent accidental erasure.

QUOTE(celicagt1993 @ Mar 31 2006, 05:54 AM)

my mom has a silver account
<snip />
took it to her house
<snip />
i have two gamer tags on my xbox, mine and my fiencee's
<snip />
i'm a little to chicken to do so because my wife might get mad at me since she games also

PS. UR the man m8:

Cool Mom who owns her own X360 (and who games)!
Your own pad!
Got a fiancée (who games)!
And a wife (who games)!

UR living my dream. Kudos!

celicagt1993 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 31, 2006, 01:40:00 AM »

QUOTE(PedrosPad @ Mar 31 2006, 09:42 AM)

The Dashboard already knows the X360's serial number! It displays it on the 'console info' blade. Asking you to enter it ahead of formatting the HDD is simply to prevent accidental erasure.
PS. UR the man m8:

Cool Mom who owns her own X360!
Your own pad!
Got a fiancée!
And a wife!

Kudos!

sorry typo there, fiancee and wife is same person... you might as well call her that.

anyway, when talking about the serial number being put in for formatting, if that's the case, what about core systems? how would you "link" the HDD if you bought one? I don't know the full details on the formating and such with the s/n number, but i would think the s/n would be written onto the drive during the format to link it for the games... as i'm typing this, i'm about 3/4 of the way done with copying all the info using explorer360 from one drive to the other, what i can try is IF that doesn't work (if it does, then i'm not touching it.) i will take the HDD from my 2nd system and put it on my original and format the drive on it and see if there is any difference in things.

ps, my mom isn't really a gamer (besides some live games) she got it more for the media center extender that's built in... besides, it was basically the same price as the stand alone extenders. bought the full system for my son to play every now and then when he comes over.

PedrosPad · « **Reply #6 on:** March 31, 2006, 02:31:00 AM »

QUOTE(celicagt1993 @ Mar 31 2006, 09:47 AM)

sorry typo there, fiancee and wife is same person...

Less exciting.

QUOTE(celicagt1993 @ Mar 31 2006, 09:47 AM)

anyway, when talking about the serial number being put in for formatting, if that's the case, what about core systems?

X360 HDDs can be swapped between consoles - they're not bound to units (See here). X360 HDDs purchased at retail can directly plug into Premium or Core X360 consoles. Doing so doesn't permanently lock them to those units.
Formatting the X360 HDD is simply a file delete operation on HDD Partition 3 - See here.

I can contribute those facts, which may help, but I'm reading with interest your research into how XBL Premium content is guarded. You're doing good work.

Ive not looked into this at all myself, but I've read that it's to do with the XBL Profile file.

celicagt1993 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 31, 2006, 02:38:00 AM »

QUOTE(PedrosPad @ Mar 31 2006, 10:38 AM)

Less exciting.

X360 HDDs can be swapped between X360 CPUs - they're not bound to units (See here). X360 HDDs purchased at retail can directly plug into Premium or Core X360 CPUs. Doing so doesn't permanently lock them to those units.
Formatting the X360 HDD is simply a file delete operation on HDD Partition 3 - See here.

I can contribute those facts, which may help, but I'm reading with interest your research into how XBL Premium content is guarded. You're doing good work.

Ive not looked into this at all myself, but I've read that it's to do with the XBL Profile file.

i'm not necessiarly saying that it "locks" the HDD to the system like the DVD drive is, but I do believe that there is something embeded on the drive with the "mother" console. like i said a little earlier, if you have halo 2 saved on your HDD and you move it to another console, te d/led maps become corrupt. this is was is leading me to believe that the drive is tied to it's original system in some aspects... mainly DRM.

part of the drm on arcade games are tied to the profile file, but part of it isn't. on my 2nd 360, i have donloaded all the games that i and her have bought, but, if i'm not signed into xbl, then it's only the demo, if i am signed in, then it's the full game, but only under my profile unless i add a second controller and sign her in, then she will have the full game. i've got about 10 min left on the restore process, i'll update when it's done.

PedrosPad · « **Reply #8 on:** March 31, 2006, 02:49:00 AM »

QUOTE(celicagt1993 @ Mar 31 2006, 10:45 AM)

i have donloaded all the games that i and her have bought, but, if i'm not signed into xbl, then it's only the demo, if i am signed in, then it's the full game

"Signed in", is simply a choice of the active profile isn't it? I've no experence, but surely you can play the full version of Arcade titles offline?

celicagt1993 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 31, 2006, 03:12:00 AM »

QUOTE(PedrosPad @ Mar 31 2006, 10:56 AM)

"Signed in", is simply a choice of the active profile isn't it? I've no experence, but surely you can play the full version of Arcade titles offline?

i mean signed into xbl. if i take geo wars for example, and put it on my mem card off my original xbox (the one i d/led it to, and move it into the other console, i have to be signed into xbl under my name to play it. if i go under her name to play it, it's the demo. if i'm not connected to xbl at all, it's only the demo.

UPDATE: NO ONE NEEDS TO MAKE A BACKUP OF THEIR HDD AND PUT IT ON ANOTHER HDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AS OF RIGHT NOW, THE HDD IS NOT RECOGNIZED ON EITHER BOXES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT DOESN'T EVEN GIVE ME THE OPTION TO FORMAT THE DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!! since it seems that i have made my HDD a brick for the hacking scene, and my fiencee will be pissed, can anyone help donate to the cause?

??

360's hdd is what i've done...

help, i'm dead in the morning.....

now it might be possible to poke a game into the HDD without doing a full restore, but now i can't tell.... if anyone can help, i'm in desperate need of help now as i don't need to get another HDD... this drive is still readable under xplorer360, but neither system see's it.

PedrosPad · « **Reply #10 on:** March 31, 2006, 04:11:00 AM »

QUOTE(celicagt1993 @ Mar 31 2006, 11:19 AM)

UPDATE: NO ONE NEEDS TO MAKE A BACKUP OF THEIR HDD AND PUT IT ON ANOTHER HDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AS OF RIGHT NOW, THE HDD IS NOT RECOGNIZED ON EITHER BOXES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT DOESN'T EVEN GIVE ME THE OPTION TO FORMAT THE DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!! since it seems that i have made my HDD a brick for the hacking scene

Each X360 HDD has its unique serial number that is encrypted by M$ at the factory and written to a sector near the beginning of the HDD. This must be preserved in order for the HDD to be recognised by the X360. If this is lost, currently there is no way to correct this.

You can move files between X360 HDDs without problem, but you mustn't move images of whole HDDs!

Angerwound · « **Reply #11 on:** March 31, 2006, 04:26:00 AM »

The only possible way of getting that 360 recognized on its original console now is by placing its backup back on to it. Since you backed up one hdd to another, the unique key is off and the 360 will refuse to see it. You NEED that unique key to be there for the 360 to want to access the drive.

celicagt1993 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 31, 2006, 04:29:00 AM »

QUOTE(Angerwound @ Mar 31 2006, 12:33 PM)

The only possible way of getting that 360 recognized on its original console now is by placing its backup back on to it. Since you backed up one hdd to another, the unique key is off and the 360 will refuse to see it. You NEED that unique key to be there for the 360 to want to access the drive.

i started the backup, but then i cancled it. if i'm able to find the deleted file with the original partial image, would that work?

Angerwound · « **Reply #13 on:** March 31, 2006, 04:31:00 AM »

Yes, it will. Open the partial and full backups in Hex. Place as much of the partial backup on to the full backup image as possible and then replace to the hdd. You could also attempt restoring the partial image to the 360 and it being enough for the 360 to validate and reformat for you. Please let me know any results. Very Intersted in helping you get back to working state.

celicagt1993 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 31, 2006, 04:32:00 AM »

are you on live? can you privet chat with me about this?

Author Topic: Backing Up Arcade Games (Read 237 times)