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[Xbox-Scene]

Xbox DVD Firmware Hacked *Updated*-- Posted by XanTium on January 31 00:36 EST
From TheSpecialist on xboxhacker.net:

Yes! I've just played a backup DVD on a XBOX 1 without any modchip/softmod, just a hacked firmware :-) This completes our work on the XBOX 1. The drive I modded was a 8050L. The good news is that the firmware in this drive is very similar to the firmware in the GDR3120, used in the XBOX 360. I think it's time for me to buy one now :-)
Thanks to all the contributors in the firmware hacking thread!

This hacked firmware will fake the disc detection (will trick drive to detect disc as DVDXBOX media), the xbe must still be signed though (for DVDXBOX media), so this hack will not allow to run homebrew/linux stuff, atleast not directly (if there are possible font or other exploits in retail games, this could be used as alternative to gamesave exploits to install a dashboard exploit for example).
The finished hacked firmware (for the H-L 8050L drive) should be able to boot any MS-signed xbox executables (xbe) with DVDXBOX mediaflag and with regionflag matching your console's region (in case it's region locked - and no you can't change regionflag of the xbe as that would break the signature) from any recordable media.
The 8050L is the Hitachi-LG DVD drive found in newer Xboxes (see here).

*UPDATE* A new update from TheSpecialist and SiliconIce on xboxhacker.net:

TheSpecialist: I now completely understand how he[bunnie when he extracted the RC4] felt :-) It was also 4 AM for me yesterday, when I inserted the patched drive into my xbox and inserting a backup for the first time, to see if it worked. I too felt great euphoria when it did Smiley However, after the 'come down' you start to realise that your work could have major impact...
I like hacking. I always liked it. I like the process. Till now, nobody 'profited' from what I did. I'd like to keep it that way :-) People are, very kindly, already offering me hardware and even money to get a hack done for the 360. I really appreciate it, but I don't want to prosper financially in any way from my work.
I understand that releasing this hack would have major impact. Althought I serioulsy doubt that releasing a 'firmware *patcher* is illegal, I don't want to take my chances on it :-) I think anybody who wants to do something like that should ask himself if it's worth all the trouble he might get into. I feel it's not. That's why I'm not releasing anything. I hope everybody understands :-)"

SiliconIce: TheSpecialist has done some great work, and I understand and support his position. As always, we are working on a very slippery slope.

Download: n/a (not released)
News-Source: xboxhacker.net(1) and xboxhacker.net(2)

[Palmtree]

This is great news indeed!

[Heet]

Wow.  NEXT!    

[JustinT9669]

SWEET!!

[phrozenfeonix]

kudos to xboxhacker.net (esp. TheSpecialist?)

what i'd like to know, is how do we go about reflashing out dvd drives now? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

This post has been edited by phrozenfeonix: Jan 31 2006, 06:50 AM

[zikronix]

wow neato...but arent all xbox 1 disc xbe disc signed and when you brun them they dont work becuase they are not signed?

[JonTheChron]

sounds too good to be true!

[semajturtle]

QUOTE(zikronix @ Jan 30 2006, 09:56 PM)

wow neato...but arent all xbox 1 disc xbe disc signed and when you brun them they dont work becuase they are not signed?

Yeah you can run backups which means the xbe's are still signed just that the disc itself is not signed. What the hack does is fake the xbox into thinking burnt discs are the same as factory pressed discs.

[JonTheChron]

sounds too good to be true!

[psyko_chewbacca3]

So if I understand well, with the firmware patched the Xbox doesn't do any difference between a backuped game and a retail one?

Does this means that it will be possible to use backups on Xbox Live? if yes that sucks because I'm scared it will open way to a new way of cheating on xbox live by hacking game files on the dvd itself.

[XanTium]

QUOTE(zikronix @ Jan 31 2006, 06:56 AM)

wow neato...but arent all xbox 1 disc xbe disc signed and when you brun them they dont work becuase they are not signed?

The xbox xbe files contain in the header from which media it is allowed boot.
Games have a DVDXBOX mediaflag, meaning it'll only boot from DVDXBOX media.

If you burn a game, the xbe is still signed ... but as your media will be DVD-R +R or CD-R, so it will not boot.
If you change the mediaflag ... well then your signature fails.
What happens here is that the DVD drive will report the disc as DVDXBOX even if it's really one.

So Xbox thinks it's a DVDXBOX, nothing changed to xbe so signature matches, mediaflag check passes too as it says it can boot from DVDXBOX only and disc was reported by hacked firmware as DVDXBOX.

[dom0012]

can we confirm this?
truly amasing if its true...

[dg945]

This is amazing news. Fantastic job! I hope we can expect the same kind of thing on the 360! :-)


~dg945~

[Crackmonger]

Not too suprising, considering we had some reports of development going on in this area.

But anyway, it reamains to be seen if this is at all possible on the 360.  We already know that DVD drives can't be swapped due to some type of signiture.  It might be true that the same system also protects the firmware...

[nwo504]

if i can get on live thats great