First of all, this was made because it seems there is a lot of mixed info regarding this.
Is it possible to use XBOX Live with a softmodded XBOX?Yes, it is very possible. However, this does not mean you can sign on to XBOX Live after the softmod has been enabled.
I heard XBOX Live is scanning the hard drive, is this true?While we can't prove what they WERE doing, we can say that they are not scanning the partitions for certain files at the moment. Therefore, you can have whatever you want on either partition. Gamesave Exploits/UXE/UEEE... etc...
Then why are so many people being banned?Many 'Theories' have been developed within the
'XBOX Live Forum'. They all seem to lead to that same conclusion. If you are banned and a simple eeprom swap does not resolve the problem; place your original HDD in the console (If Upgraded), update your eeprom with a fresh one, and sign-up for a new gamertag. This will cover all theories at once.
So how do I access XBOX Live after installing UXE?Well, first of all you will need your Live Account. If you don't have your account saved to a memory card or already on your console then you will need to copy back the original 'xboxdash.xbe' and RETAIL fonts back to the 'C' partition.
Boot the console to the RETAIL dashboard and do an Account Recovery to get access to your Gamertag. Once this has been completed, use your 'Gamesave Exploit' or
'XBOXHDM' disk to copy back the UXE files, (xboxdash.xbe and fonts). Now, when you wish to sign-on to xbox live with a certain game, place the disk inside the dvdrom of your console. Reboot, and the console will launch the disk in the tray before executing UXE.This has been nicknamed 'Cold-Booting' the game. From here you can go ahead and sign-in to Live.
Are any other exploits/softmods able to be used along side a Live Enabled Console?Yes, the soon to be released
UEEE, a revamped version of the old
'Live 2.0 Exploit', as well as a simple
'Gamesave Exploit' can be used. Each of these modifications involve an exploit that is manually executed after the RETAIL dashboard has been reached. Thus, allowing one to use XBOX Live and then when they wish to launch their Homebrew Dashboard they perform the necessary steps to do so. If you are unsure about how these work please read the pinned thread entitled
'Dashboard Exploits'.
The game I wish to play is asking me to update, what should I do?Any game that has an update sent out for it, (Bug Fixes, Game Engine Changes), will ask you to update the title before signing into the service. This is basically what happens. The game will attempt to execute 'update.xbe', from the game disk. When this occurs, the fonts will be accessed. Therefore, if you attempt to update with the UXE fonts in place your xbox will crash.
What you need to do to resolve this situation, is basically the same steps outlined in the above question to do an account recovery of your gamertag. You will need to copy back the RETAIL 'xboxdash.xbe' and 'Fonts'. Reboot, and load up the game which needs updating and allow it to do so. Once finished, use your 'Gamesave Exploit' or 'XBOXHDM Disk' to reinstall the UXE files.
Can I still download content from my Live-Enabled games?Yes, downloading content and recieving game updates is completely different. The game updates use the update.xbe on the disk. Download Content is recieved with an execution of downloader.xbe. This file has no calls to the 'Fonts', therefore will not cause any problems during execution.
What should I do to prevent getting banned in the future?With the latest and greatest
NKPatcher release by RMENHAL. Many great features have been added to prevent a softmod user from communicating with the live service. Shadow EEPROM and Shadow 'C' as well as the Live Bloacking feature of the X2 bioses has been implemented. This should insure your console does not get you banned while you enjoy your homebrew applications.
Suggestions/Comments/EDITS are welcome...
This post has been edited by Angerwound: Jan 26 2005, 07:11 PM
Author
Topic: Softmods And Xbox Live (Read 254 times)