Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 05:52:00 PM
(One of my posts on that page)
| QUOTE |
| The reasoning behind the latest bans/terminations is not because of the HALO2 leak. It's mostly because of a certain live 'exploit' you could say that allowed users to connect to the service with a backup... Since this flaw is now fixed with the latest security updates Let me explain. As most of you know there exists HDD-Flagged versions of game executables. These files are sent down by the MS service when a game engine needs updated or bugs need fixed. Users were taking these special XBE's and placing them on the hard drive as 'xboxdash.xbe' on the 'C' Partition. Now you might think to yourself, how is this going to allow them to run the game when only the XBE file is located on the drive. Well, turns out if you place a backup of the game in the dvd-rom and then place this XBE as 'xboxdash.xbe' the xbe will be launched due to the correct signatures and then the files willl be accessed from the DVD-Rom. In conclusion, what do you have? A backup running on live. I wouldn't advise anyone to attempt this because it will result in a ban and will not connect to the service any longer because of what is being checked. You can verify this was working at one time via the link in the first post of this thread. This brings me to my next point. In order for them to detect this they have to be checking the xboxdash.xbe file on the /c/ partition. That would be the only way of detecting this besides scannign what partition your running the XBE file from when you connect to the service. Furthermore, this could be what is *Mysteriously* causing these bans. People are leaving a modified xboxdash.xbe file on the drive and connecting to the service with what they thought to be a retail state. Anyhow, I hope this provides some people with a bit more info on what is happening and how to prevent it. |
Well, after much time spent fooling around and toying with things I have discovered that instead of banning the Serial Number/Mac Addy they are in fact banning the HDD Key that your HDD is locked with.
If you don't trust this info to be true, take your banned eeprom and place the HDD Key of a valid, unbanned eeprom in it's configuration. Don't forget to relock your hard drive of course. I have had my box unbanned and running live for almost a week now. That includes running Halo 2. If others could test this and give me some feedback on boxes other than mine it would be great.
I mainly shared this info to prove that they are in no way banning Hard Drives. I've been using the same hard drive since day one of XBL. Numerous Bans and account terminations yet I'm back on with a completely retail hard disk and new HDD Key(EEPROM).
Any questions/comments please direct them to this thread. I'd be more than happy to try and answer things here rather than by PM.
Anyhow, just as the news states...
| QUOTE |
| Angerwound sent us new information about the new Xbox LIVE banning system. Apparently MS is now only banning the HDD-Key and not the Serial Number/Mac Address of the EEprom as before. This means that you do not need a whole new EEprom to get unbanned, but only a valid and non-banned HDD-Key. So if your Xbox got banned you can unban it by unlocking your HD, change the HDD-Key in your EEprom (using configmagic or other EEprom tools) with a unbanned one from another EEprom (you can't just use a random key - it must be a valid one from a retail box), then just relock your HD and your Xbox will be unbanned. Even using an old banned EEprom and change it with an unbanned HDD-Key, will allow you to connect on LIVE. This has been tested for over a week and the xbox is still not banned. The box in question has been banned several times before as well as had it's live account terminated. Angerwound even tested it by putting random information on all other paramaters except the HDD-Key and it connected fine on LIVE. This could have a great deal to do with why people are randomly getting banned now. They had previously been using a valid serial number/Mac address but now the authentication servers do not want to validate their HDD Key. The above information tells you how to get unbanned, but if you don't change anything to your setup it's likely you'll get banned again of course. At this moment we don't know yet what MS is all checking to ban an Xbox... However, they are probably checking several things on the HD. So best thing you can do is to use your MS retail and unotuched (no homebrew/hacked files) HD (don't forget to also unlock/relock it with the new key) to connect on LIVE. |
This post has been edited by Angerwound: Dec 15 2004, 05:21 AM
Post by: Ces2k3 on November 17, 2004, 06:05:00 PM
Post by: stan on November 17, 2004, 06:13:00 PM
Post by: Inuyasha152 on November 17, 2004, 06:29:00 PM
I have a 1.1 Xbox with an X-Chip and an 80 gig hard drive. The night I got back from getting Halo 2 I got banned, sucks doesn't it
? Anyway my friend is going to send me an unmodded stock retail Xbox hard drive, can I just swith it to that hard drive and im unbanned? Or do I have to change something in the Eeprom? If so, can you possibly give some steps on how to do this, I seriosuly don't wanna mess something up.Thanks and really good work on finding this out!
Vic
Post by: cromat44 on November 17, 2004, 06:31:00 PM
Post by: inVinCiBleGaMa on November 17, 2004, 06:37:00 PM
This post has been edited by inVinCiBleGaMa: Nov 28 2004, 04:12 PM
Post by: inVinCiBleGaMa on November 17, 2004, 06:39:00 PM
| QUOTE (Inuyasha152 @ Nov 18 2004, 03:32 AM) |
| The night I got back from getting Halo 2 I got banned, sucks doesn't it ? Anyway my friend is going to send me an unmodded stock retail Xbox hard drive, can I just swith it to that hard drive and im unbanned? Or do I have to change something in the Eeprom? |
Hey he doesnt mean HDD Serial!! He means HDD KEY which is in the EEPRom.
Post by: Puckster069 on November 17, 2004, 06:50:00 PM
This post has been edited by Puckster069: Nov 18 2004, 02:52 AM
Post by: soulz4u on November 17, 2004, 06:50:00 PM
soul
Post by: stan on November 17, 2004, 06:57:00 PM
So I'm back to square one. But I'm not giving up damnit.
Post by: pane2k on November 17, 2004, 07:00:00 PM
Your says get the hdd key from an unbanned eeprom and insert it into your existing banned eeprom using a program like config magic, correct?
Ok, thats fine, but then when the hdd locked why wouldnt you get banned again? Your saying they have flags on certain hdd keys? And if they do, why wouldnt they flag this one and the whole process just starts over?
I am willing to test this for you, just pm me if you'd like so we can talk on aim so i can get all the information i need. I just want to make sure im understanding this 100% before i waste another eeprom.
Thanks
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 07:21:00 PM
replace it's HDD Key, with that of a virgin unbanned eeprom. You should no longer recieve this Communication Error.
Secondly, if you do recieve a connection error please specify what type of error you have recieved. I myself usually recieved 'Network Error", "Configuration Error", or "Modified XBOX" if I was banned. Replacing the HDD Key solved each of these problems.
Post by: mastiha on November 17, 2004, 07:21:00 PM
Thanks in advance
Post by: bLiZZaRd1284 on November 17, 2004, 07:30:00 PM
Post by: dannymak on November 17, 2004, 07:31:00 PM
since using different harddisks have a same HDKEY on the same eeprom.
Thanks for great treasure
Regards,
Danny
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 07:32:00 PM
As for changing the serial number of your 250 gb.
This is not needed, just be sure that the HDD Key is in fact that of a virgin xbox and you should be fine.
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 07:33:00 PM
| QUOTE (stan @ Nov 17 2004, 10:00 PM) |
| I'd love to be able to confirm this, but after replacing my new eeprom with my old eeprom and changing the HDD key to a clean one, I'm still having the "Communication Error" problem that I had after I put in the new eeprom. So I'm back to square one. But I'm not giving up damnit. |
The 'NEW/Clean' eeprom you speak of must not be unused. Did you purchase this on the forums or back it up yourself? Please be sure these eeproms are clean before testing.
Post by: stan on November 17, 2004, 07:41:00 PM
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 07:42:00 PM
Post by: nfs911 on November 17, 2004, 07:43:00 PM
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 07:45:00 PM
| QUOTE (ydgmms @ Nov 17 2004, 10:45 PM) |
| if this is the case.. why cant we just flash entirely new eeproms and be good to go? why are some people getting rebanned after doing that? |
I have a feeling because they are leaving what ever banned them in the first place on the drive. PEOPLE ERASE YOUR /E/ PARTITIONS COMPLETELY AS WELL AS WIPE EVERYTHING FROM /C/ THAT DOESN'T BELONG.
Post by: Maverick0984 on November 17, 2004, 07:48:00 PM
Post by: mbratton on November 17, 2004, 07:48:00 PM
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 07:50:00 PM
| QUOTE (sicrecords @ Nov 17 2004, 10:52 PM) |
| I thought we established that they aren't doing HD scans? So are you playing with a modchip in the off position AND a custom harddrive? Or are you playing with a stock harddrive now that you are no longer banned. |
upgraded HDD
Post by: mbratton on November 17, 2004, 07:50:00 PM
Post by: bLiZZaRd1284 on November 17, 2004, 07:51:00 PM
Post by: mbratton on November 17, 2004, 07:52:00 PM
| QUOTE (bLiZZaRd1284 @ Nov 18 2004, 04:54 AM) |
| how do u get xbmc to not save a file in the gamesaves on: ?? |
wrong forum. ask in the xbmc forums.
Post by: mbratton on November 17, 2004, 07:54:00 PM
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 07:55:00 PM
I'm not saying that this will solve all your problems. You need to find out what banned you in teh first place and rid yourself of this. As for making youself look 'new' to the servers. This is all that is needed.
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 07:59:00 PM
other than that I wouldn't think they'd NEED to verify any other files
do you have these files changed as well?
Post by: sicrecords on November 17, 2004, 08:00:00 PM
| QUOTE (Angerwound @ Nov 18 2004, 05:02 AM) |
| checks will involve c:\xboxdash.xbe, and d:\default.xbe other than that I wouldn't think they'd NEED to verify any other files do you have these files changed as well? |
I didn't.. just had my xbmc save on E and c:\xbmc.xbe
but i had played live before i modded my xbox and upgraded my HDD.
So it's most likely the LPC scan.
Post by: threefromthekey on November 17, 2004, 08:09:00 PM
"your xbox console cannot communicate with xbox live because of technical configuration issues."
so just to get this straight, i need to take my original, banned eeprom (or any banned eeprom) and put in the hdd key of any unbanned eeprom??
why not just totally replace the eeprom then if youre gonna have to buy a new one then.
Post by: stan on November 17, 2004, 08:16:00 PM
| QUOTE |
| I'd say you got screwed. Grab an eeprom from another seller, or back one up yourself. |
I'm not sure because I loaded the original eeprom (the one that I was banned with) and still got the same Communication Error. In the past, even after I was banned, I never got this error. Could something from the new eeprom have changed a setting on my box that is causing this?
Also, after I loaded the new eeprom I found that the language on the dashboard had been changed to portugese, though the region settings were the same as under my old eeprom(I'm not sure what region Portugal or Brazil are in, if this did in fact come from a portugese or brazilian box).
Post by: Heykrop on November 17, 2004, 08:18:00 PM
M$ IS scanning E:
How do I know? I have only played 4 games on my box in the last month. 1 is sega NFL 2005. 2 is RB6 3. 3 is Crimson Skies and 4 is PGR2. I have only connected to LIVE with PGR2 in the last 2 months. Other than that I have connected to LIVE via the dash nightly to check my status and as of yet have not been banned. Strange thing is that if I look at the content of TDATA and UDATA in E: I see that there are at least 25 save game folders with files that have been modified in the last month. At least one of these I can identify as the HULK which I have not played in at least 6 - 8 months. Yet it was modified only a few nights ago. Hmmmm???? Strange how something I have not used has been modified. OH and NO one but me uses this box. SO no it was not a family member or friend that may have done it.
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 08:19:00 PM
| QUOTE (threefromthekey @ Nov 17 2004, 11:12 PM) |
| i changed it (using my same banned eeprom and an old banned eeprom's key just for the hell of it) and got the message "your xbox console cannot communicate with xbox live because of technical configuration issues." so just to get this straight, i need to take my original, banned eeprom (or any banned eeprom) and put in the hdd key of any unbanned eeprom?? why not just totally replace the eeprom then if youre gonna have to buy a new one then. |
Yes, you can just replace the entire eeprom. The point of this post was to point out the exact bit of data they are banning from their servers. Not a "WONDER FIX" of some kind. The HDD Key is the bit of data they are banning from their servers rather than the Serial #/Mac Addy theory.
Post by: NeoEraser on November 17, 2004, 08:23:00 PM
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 08:24:00 PM
Post by: SnowJam on November 17, 2004, 08:38:00 PM
Post by: luther349 on November 17, 2004, 08:40:00 PM
as for my system thers stuff on e like xbmc and emulators and thers never been a problem. the lpc bus scan cant be true couse it would have banned my frends system aruldy. also his hd was installed by me befor he ever used live on it. of course i locked that hd with the same key as his retail system using slayers.
my thery is all these bans your seeing are from halo2 leaks and people who where banned befor from live and changed eproms there buy the hd key doesent match the one from the one they sighned up with. and if thats the case they can change keys and eproms all they like they will just be banned again. it makes alot of sence couse we all knoe they have been collicting hd info for some time now maybe they whent threw the info and serched out the mismatches.
also from people who made the mastake of playing halo2 with chip on being it checks it offline probly got banned to. they only way i see around this problem isnt no easy task. you litterly need to find a way around the banning system by spoffing info to live. or find the flage they leave on eproms and change them back to normal befor ever using live preventing baning from the games checks alll together.
or find a way to remove the checks out of the game for those who whant to make a backup. and being its in the xbe its very possable. but being its only halo 2 right now and everyone loves to mod halo it will probly be done by some smart hacker.
Post by: mrjkwik on November 17, 2004, 08:42:00 PM
upgraded harddrive after being on live with the stock harddrive is the standard.
now, some questions i have that maybe others share...
1. i'm assuming that when we upgraded the hdd, the hdd key changed?
2. will changing JUST the eeprom with an hdd key that comes with it, fix the problem now?
3. can we use the same upgraded drive, or must we revert to a fully stock drive?
4. if no, do we have to have a set up where EVERYTHING is on f:/?
thats all i can think of for now.
if you answer these Angerwound, thanks for taking the time.
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 08:46:00 PM
| QUOTE (SnowJam @ Nov 17 2004, 11:41 PM) |
| I'm having little luck finding that ltools post... I'll keep looking but if someone finds it, please post it here, I'm sure there are plenty of people with a banned 1.6. |
http://forums.xbox-s...howtopic=277574
Took me 20 minutes to find without search.
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 08:50:00 PM
| QUOTE (mrjkwik @ Nov 17 2004, 11:45 PM) |
| man, all of this can get confusing. i know i'm confused. let me see if i can break it down. at least for the "usual case". we all know there are several different situations on peoples banning "setups". but i think we can all agree that having an upgraded harddrive after being on live with the stock harddrive is the standard. now, some questions i have that maybe others share... 1. i'm assuming that when we upgraded the hdd, the hdd key changed? 2. will changing JUST the eeprom with an hdd key that comes with it, fix the problem now? 3. can we use the same upgraded drive, or must we revert to a fully stock drive? 4. if no, do we have to have a set up where EVERYTHING is on f:/? thats all i can think of for now. if you answer these Angerwound, thanks for taking the time. |
1) Yes and No. Some people calculated HDD Key's with Live Info when upgrading HDD without a chip. While some with chips just locked the Hard Drive with their current key.
So answer could really go both ways.
2) Yes, it really should as long as the eeprom is TRULY valid. But be sure to have nothing on C and E that shouldn't be there.
3) My tests suggest an upgraded HDD is possible to keep. I currently am running one with no bans.
Post by: Gandalfawizard on November 17, 2004, 09:12:00 PM
Post by: mrjkwik on November 17, 2004, 09:12:00 PM
i have a xenium ice and used the xenium os for the hdd swap. is that one that just reuses the key to your knowledge?
and if a virgin xbox is upgraded, your saying to take the hdd key off the virgin box, upgrade it with the new hdd, input the "old virgin" key, and all should be good as far as preventing a ban. (some people want me to mod their boxes, but are now scared because of all of this, thats why i'm asking so many questions. sorry)
Post by: CoRP5e on November 17, 2004, 09:19:00 PM
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 09:19:00 PM
| QUOTE (Gandalfawizard @ Nov 18 2004, 12:15 AM) |
| Hmm...I have an upgradded HDD and decieded to change back to my stock HDD before I go on live. I have never signed up for live so I think if I go back to the stock HDD everything should be ok. But since I switched HDD does this mean the HDD key is wrong and now I have to use my upgradded HDD? Which HDD key is being used? I think I will continue to switch HDDs, will I be ok? I also just used slayers 2.6 to format my factory drive and make it look like a factory one(I used to use this and it had many apps on it). Does this do anything that could potential ban me from live? I also noticed a save that said something about "unknown save" in dashboard I'm not sure what that means, but hopefully these questions could get answered. Thanks. |
You are welcome to use your upgraded hard drive. I am currently using one without problems. Just be sure to follow the rest of the things I've posted through out the thread.
| QUOTE |
| has the upgraded drive your using been banned before? |
Many Times.
| QUOTE |
| i have a xenium ice and used the xenium os for the hdd swap. is that one that just reuses the key to your knowledge? |
Your HDD Key should not have changed.
| QUOTE |
| and if a virgin xbox is upgraded, your saying to take the hdd key off the virgin box, upgrade it with the new hdd, input the "old virgin" key, and all should be good as far as preventing a ban. (some people want me to mod their boxes, but are now scared because of all of this, thats why i'm asking so many questions. sorry) |
Yes, you SHOULD be fine as long as nothing is on the 'scannable' partitions
Post by: mrjkwik on November 17, 2004, 09:22:00 PM
thanks again.
Post by: warbeast on November 17, 2004, 09:24:00 PM
are you saying use any non banned eeprom but if the eeprom might have been used on live before change the unique hdd key to one that has never been on live?
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 09:24:00 PM
| QUOTE (bbanka @ Nov 18 2004, 12:24 AM) |
| Angerwound, I read your post. then what you are trying to say is I can just change entire EEPROM except for changing only Hdd-key? If you are saying that I think that is not true. usual EEPROM has Hdd-key information as well as Online key information. So changing entire EEPROM for banned Xbox was traditional method can fix being banend. but the people in this fourm know that it has been useless anymore since M$ change their XBL procedure. I want you to answer me about what is different between changing entire EEPROM and only Hdd-key. |
I've answered this many times over.
I shared this info to show the exact piece of data that was being 'marked' 'banned' whatever you wish to call it.. From live.
This is not supposed to be a 'Miracle Fix" from getting banned. If you got banned once before changing your eeprom WILL unban you for the time being however your more than likely to get rebanned unless you fix the 'ORIGINAL' problem that got you banned.
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 09:26:00 PM
| QUOTE (warbeast @ Nov 18 2004, 12:27 AM) |
| i have a banned xbox with a 250g maxtor so i've used a new eeprom from a new xbox and got the hdd key from it then flashed the new eeprom as the old one is banned but the unique hdd key changed anyway because i flashed a new eeprom so i dont understand what you mean are you saying use any non banned eeprom but if the eeprom might have been used on live before change the unique hdd key to one that has never been on live? |
If you box is banned.... Reflash the entire eeprom with a 'VIRGIN' eeprom. OR just copy the HDD Key from the VIRGIN eeprom and place it into your eeprom's data. Either way will work.
EDIT: I'm off to bed for the night, hopefully this thread won't get too Crazy by the time I wake up in the morning. Please be patient and I will answer asap
Post by: Angerwound on November 17, 2004, 09:42:00 PM
Here is the link to why the security updates were implemented. Maybe if you read this you will understand why they HAVE to be checking at least 'c:\xboxdash.xbe' and 'd:\default.xbe". Therefore, in essence proves they are scanning.
http://forums.xbox-s...=292191&st=285#
(My post on that page..)
Post by: warbeast on November 17, 2004, 09:49:00 PM
| QUOTE |
| how about the OnlineKey ? MS wont ban the onlinekey?? since the old eeprom is banned, by just changing the HDKEY is ok? ms will know that the onlinkey is banned before, why it can pass this time.. Or ms just only looking for HDKEY not OnlinekeY? |
with the time it takes to edit the key you might aswell just change the eeprom
Post by: airviper127 on November 17, 2004, 09:57:00 PM
now to just find a fresh hd key
Post by: elpool on November 17, 2004, 10:05:00 PM
Post by: airviper127 on November 17, 2004, 10:11:00 PM
my turn for a question.
Angerwound do you still have the modchip installed?
i ask because some ppl say that they scan the lpc points.
Post by: too2buff on November 17, 2004, 11:08:00 PM
| QUOTE |
| M$ IS scanning E: How do I know? I have only played 4 games on my box in the last month. 1 is sega NFL 2005. 2 is RB6 3. 3 is Crimson Skies and 4 is PGR2. I have only connected to LIVE with PGR2 in the last 2 months. Other than that I have connected to LIVE via the dash nightly to check my status and as of yet have not been banned. Strange thing is that if I look at the content of TDATA and UDATA in E: I see that there are at least 25 save game folders with files that have been modified in the last month. At least one of these I can identify as the HULK which I have not played in at least 6 - 8 months. Yet it was modified only a few nights ago. Hmmmm???? Strange how something I have not used has been modified. OH and NO one but me uses this box. SO no it was not a family member or friend that may have done it. |
I'm gonna go out and say that they are checking saved game files especially because of the halo2 leak. Either that or anything funny on the E drive
Upgraded my HD w/ Xenium Os which KEPT the same HDDkey as my original hard drive
My original HDD was never banned nor was my eeprom
I'm assuming if I used Slayers i would have had a different HDDKey than my stock hard drive ?
btw only thing i had on my E drive (besides saved games) was my dashboard folder avalaunch
now if I was never banned before my c drive is completely clean and had the same HDDkey as my original stock HD so that must mean they are either checking saved game files or any folders that don't belong on the c or e drive.
Its kinda easy for them to find saves that do not belong there
for example all of my emulator information still on my E drive along a/ XBMC , a dongle free dvd player , and SF anniversary collection which caused a problem w/ xbox live because MS found out a bunch of people w/ different region XBox consoles were all logging online to play the game (Pulse - g4techtv)
is there any way to move those saves to a different partition of the hard drive and save there by default (when not using a retail bios and dashboard) ?
Post by: VegasFool on November 17, 2004, 11:19:00 PM
Post by: warbeast on November 17, 2004, 11:20:00 PM
Post by: neo_nick on November 17, 2004, 11:32:00 PM
Post by: Ces2k3 on November 17, 2004, 11:40:00 PM
this thread grew so fast i did even know there was more pages till i posted
Post by: dannymak on November 18, 2004, 12:15:00 AM
| QUOTE (neo_nick @ Nov 18 2004, 08:35 AM) |
| Anyone know how to edit a 1.6 eeprom? Iv gotten the bin file of it and a virgin hddlock key but have no way of putting it in since no tool i know of supprots it. |
For 1.6here here !!
Post by: sicrecords on November 18, 2004, 01:06:00 AM
Post by: Gumba on November 18, 2004, 01:17:00 AM
| QUOTE (ydgmms @ Nov 18 2004, 04:45 AM) |
| if this is the case.. why cant we just flash entirely new eeproms and be good to go? why are some people getting rebanned after doing that? |
I agree.
I would love this to be true, but there are many many people who have tried using new XBL virgin eeproms and have been rebanned within 24hrs
Post by: stan on November 18, 2004, 01:53:00 AM
But that is neither here nor there.
Post by: SteveNZ on November 18, 2004, 01:59:00 AM
This strikes me as a pretty reliable way for them to scan for alien files if they are in fact doing so.
Regardless, I've got an Xbox here to mod, so before I do so I'll perk the EEPROM out of it and flash it into mine and see if it'll unban me. Gives me an excuse to use the X3's EEPROM backup feature...
Post by: Gumba on November 18, 2004, 02:22:00 AM
| QUOTE (SteveNZ @ Nov 18 2004, 11:02 AM) |
| Even with a "stock" HDD, would it be safe to assume that MS could just look for save (UDATA/TDATA) directories that correspond to a few popular applications (EvoX, Avalaunch, XBMP, XBMC etc.) and ban if such a directory is found? Unless they all start storing their config information purely in separate files, preferably on the "hidden" F: drive, then as soon as you run ANY 3rd party app in their list, even from DVD-ROM, it'll re-generate its directory, next time you fire up XBL, you get rebanned. This strikes me as a pretty reliable way for them to scan for alien files if they are in fact doing so. Regardless, I've got an Xbox here to mod, so before I do so I'll perk the EEPROM out of it and flash it into mine and see if it'll unban me. Gives me an excuse to use the X3's EEPROM backup feature... |
Course the problem with that is you can quite easily ban an unmodified stock box by simply loading one of those save games onto the stock box from a memory card
not saying that's a reason they wouldn't do it, but it is something to think about
Post by: Gumba on November 18, 2004, 02:23:00 AM
| QUOTE (SteveNZ @ Nov 18 2004, 11:02 AM) |
| Even with a "stock" HDD, would it be safe to assume that MS could just look for save (UDATA/TDATA) directories that correspond to a few popular applications (EvoX, Avalaunch, XBMP, XBMC etc.) and ban if such a directory is found? Unless they all start storing their config information purely in separate files, preferably on the "hidden" F: drive, then as soon as you run ANY 3rd party app in their list, even from DVD-ROM, it'll re-generate its directory, next time you fire up XBL, you get rebanned. This strikes me as a pretty reliable way for them to scan for alien files if they are in fact doing so. Regardless, I've got an Xbox here to mod, so before I do so I'll perk the EEPROM out of it and flash it into mine and see if it'll unban me. Gives me an excuse to use the X3's EEPROM backup feature... |
Judging from LOTS of previous posts, it will unban you for 24 hrs, then you will get rebanned.
Post by: xionanx on November 18, 2004, 04:35:00 AM
Now, if what you say is correct, I should be able to put my upgraded HDD back into my XBOX as long as I:
1. lock it using my unbanned eeprom and hdd key (which it already is and has been since the day I put it in)
2. make sure everything on C: and E: is stock (once again, I never modified anything on C:, E: on the other hand does have saves from emulators and dashboards on it)
3. be 100% the chip is completely off (I use an X2 Pro with the the 4 toggles switches, I have always turned it off before logging onto live)
So, I should be just as good with a upgraded HDD as I am with stock for the following reasons:
1. If they are scanning the LPC for a modchip, they would have gotten me regardless.
2. If they are scanning E: for files that shouldn't be there, they would have noticed the copy of XBMC I have installed there. (yes, I installed it on my stock HDD)
This leads me to believe there is more to the bannings then meets the eye. Someone needs to survey the people who have been banned, and the banned people need to be 100% honest so we can get to bottom of this.
1. Did you lock your upgraded/original HDD before logging onto live?
2. Was you modchip actually turned off?
3. Did you D/L and play the french leak?
3a. If so did you keep the save?
3b. Is the game still on your HDD?
4. What generation modchip are you using? (I ask this becuase it seems people with older modchips haven't been affected at all just from the posts that I've read. Could it be the inclusion of a physical on/off switch is what saved us?)
Post by: mbratton on November 18, 2004, 05:24:00 AM
I remember i accidentally booted into h2 while running my m8 bios the day before I got banned....
Post by: ICEchrono on November 18, 2004, 05:33:00 AM
| QUOTE (elpool @ Nov 18 2004, 07:08 AM) |
| So to successfuly log in to xbox Live, you just need to have an unbanned HDD key? Does MS have a database of all the HDD keys from the xboxes they sell? What stops someone from just entering random data into the HDD key? Also, does the mairage theory still hold true? |
Won't Work.
the eeprom works like a cdkey..
cdkey run on a certin patren. if only some one made a Keygen.
my qestion is.. if i Format the "E:" and changed the config wile of my Emulators and XBMC, i don't need to worry any more?
Allso.. where is the XBL account saved?.. i nuked E.. and it is still there O_o
Post by: BuBBeR on November 18, 2004, 05:35:00 AM
And, if you are using other apps like unleash, hdd loader, or others (on F: i belive)
They have folders on E: and this will not ban you again??
Thanks for the help!
Ah, i can change the eepron and hdd key right?
Post by: Slrpgeit on November 18, 2004, 05:37:00 AM
Could it be that if the halo 2 default.xbe is altered in any way (patched) it starts a scaning program of some sort?
Post by: Slrpgeit on November 18, 2004, 05:45:00 AM
Post by: feet14 on November 18, 2004, 05:57:00 AM
| QUOTE (ICEchrono @ Nov 18 2004, 01:53 PM) |
| those apps save files on "E" will get you ban. right now i'm trying to change the file root from E to F so it wont save notting on E |
I've seen some savegames in the MS dashboard that say "Unknown Title". I'm guessing that these might be for the apps.
I'm almost certain that they are scanning HD's. I always connect to live with modchip off, leave MS files untouched and never use backups but I got banned. The only thing they could have found were EvoX on C and apps on E.
Post by: solid7x2 on November 18, 2004, 06:10:00 AM
| QUOTE (Ces2k3 @ Nov 18 2004, 08:43 AM) |
| ok so by following all the steps above, i would be able to take my banned/xbox live not found eeprom and still use my 250 gb hd by just chainging the hd key? edit* nevermind i got my answer already this thread grew so fast i did even know there was more pages till i posted |
This is also my question, but cannot decipher through all the BS in this thread.
The answer is yes correct?
(Seems we still need the virgin eeproms for this method, but not the whole file just the HD key from it)
This is so wierd, and hopefully this will stick for a while...
I feel another update comng soon...
Post by: BuBBeR on November 18, 2004, 06:19:00 AM
| QUOTE (ICEchrono @ Nov 18 2004, 02:53 PM) |
| those apps save files on "E" will get you ban. right now i'm trying to change the file root from E to F so it wont save notting on E |
My friend have all kinds of aps on C: and E:
Never been banned!
Post by: feet14 on November 18, 2004, 06:23:00 AM
| QUOTE (ICEchrono @ Nov 18 2004, 02:05 PM) |
| move "EvoX" to "F" and Reflash your chip. so it loads from "F" and remove the "Apps" folders on "E" u sould only have 3 folders in there. "CACHE" "UDATA" "tdata" Edit* I'm so sleepy I forgot to look over what I typed. |
I was planning to put all my stuff on F as at the moment I've removed all my apps. My concern is that the apps may still use the E:\UDATA folder which MS could detect.
Post by: BinaryMod on November 18, 2004, 06:26:00 AM
Post by: revengeismyfury on November 18, 2004, 06:36:00 AM
Now how can we switch hardrives without changing the initial key that is used to lock it with cause each hardrive has a special decoded key or whatever I believe.
How can we get rid of teamassembly, too that should be a big issue here guys but everyone wants to ignore it. just like people ignored this until MS stepped up a notch and its only a matter of time where they step up again.
How do you know that there not gonna check for an illegal bios file and then nock on our door steps and sue us or warn us?
Post by: jacobesterque on November 18, 2004, 06:49:00 AM
2. what if i upgraded my harddrive before ever touching live? do i have to worry about anything about getting onlive (minus foreign xbox files)?
Post by: Larrimus on November 18, 2004, 07:04:00 AM
| QUOTE (BuBBeR @ Nov 18 2004, 03:22 PM) |
| My friend have all kinds of aps on C: and E: Never been banned! |
Same for me....I'm not banned yet either (knock on wood).
Post by: Nick1472 on November 18, 2004, 08:15:00 AM
| QUOTE (dzv @ Nov 18 2004, 11:59 AM) |
| OK, I've tested this theory out (am I the only one besides Angerwound to test it?)... My Xbox was banned on the 9th. Haven't got around to getting unbanned until tonight. I decided to try out this HDD key theory. I used a backup of an EEPROM from one of my other (XBL virgin) Xboxes to get a new HDD key. I followed the steps exactly as Angerwound posted: I did not change my HDD, or anything else on the Xbox. My results: When trying to connect to Live I get the "Technical Configuration" error. My XYZ codes are posted below. So, this HDD key unbanning technique did nothing for me, except get from the "Moddified hardware" error to "Technical Configuration" error. X: 0000 - 000D Y: 00C2 - 0184 Z: AFFF - 0018 |
From what i have read in this post, if you were unbanned you wouldnt have known it because you didnt change what got you banned in the first place. You were probaly re-banned with the new HDD key because you didnt change what they banned you for in the first place. This is only a fix to get unbanned, not a solution to get on xbl according the angerwound.
Nick
Post by: dzv on November 18, 2004, 08:34:00 AM
| QUOTE (Nick1472 @ Nov 19 2004, 03:18 AM) |
| This is only a fix to get unbanned, not a solution to get on xbl according the angerwound. Nick |
What's the difference between "getting unbanned" and "getting back on XBL"? It's the same thing, and changing the HDD key didn't do it. To be honest, I didn't expect it to work.
By the way, when I went ahead flashed my EEPROM with the virgin EEPROM image (the one I was getting the HDD key from), I was immediately able to get back onto Live.
Post by: Nick1472 on November 18, 2004, 08:44:00 AM
Getting unbanned - you are unbanned, but when the servers see your xbox is modded you are banned again with the new HDD key.
getting on XBL - Figuring out why you being banned.....LPC scan, stuff on E, modifed xboxdash, etc......fixing that problem, then replacing you HDD key with a virgin and getting on xbox live.
How i understand what angerwound is saying(i may be wrong) is that this will only get back on xbox live if what you got banned for before is changed(which is unknown at the time). This is not why your getting banned, but what is getting banned when they ban you.
Correct me if im wrong, Nick
Post by: solid7x2 on November 18, 2004, 08:53:00 AM
Has anyone else besides Angerwound gotten this goin?
Post by: gerzand on November 18, 2004, 08:59:00 AM
| QUOTE (solid7x2 @ Nov 18 2004, 04:56 PM) |
| At work now, going to put my banned hard drive and flash my banned eeprom back to the box, then Im going to use a fresh eeprom's HD key and see what happens. Im with DZV on this one, and don't see how this could possibly work, but if it does? Has anyone else besides Angerwound gotten this goin? |
ive gotten it working on 1 xbox so far by jsut typing in a HDD key from en eeprom thats been sitting around for 2 years. works great
Post by: ampedXR on November 18, 2004, 09:05:00 AM
Post by: solid7x2 on November 18, 2004, 09:07:00 AM
| QUOTE (gerzand @ Nov 18 2004, 06:02 PM) |
| ive gotten it working on 1 xbox so far by jsut typing in a HDD key from en eeprom thats been sitting around for 2 years. works great |
you did this using a previously anned large hard drive?
Post by: zoomer777 on November 18, 2004, 09:28:00 AM
Couple of things: first, moderators should make a sticky for your procedure that doesn't allow replies (except by you!) - this crap is getting messed up with everyone freaking out coming on and saying "OMG! OMFG! Help me, my xbox is banned, oh no!!!!!!!". And then people throwing in random stuff like "I think M$ is scanning your brains for bad thoughts and banning you." Opinions are like elbows, everyone's got em.
We need control here people, and a thorough investigation of particular setups and solutions!
First off, Angerwound, I have flashed my EEPROM before to become unbanned, and it worked, so I know that procedure, but I am not sure what you mean by your step 4:
4. Place new HDD Key within the correct box
Is this something typed in manually, or read from a good EEPROM bin file? Sorry, I'm not anywhere near my Xbox at the moment to see how to use ConfigMagic to do this.
Second, you talk about "scannable partitions" - would you care to share what your C: drive looks like (listing the files)? I need to make mine match it. And what have you done to your E: drive to make sure nothing on there is suspicious? Did you just reformat it? I notice that when in no-hacked mode (hard switch with my X2 lite chip), you can see certain files when you go to manage your memory from the xboxdash that are associate with mod-software (XBMC, Pxx HDDLoader). Can we just delete all this from that list, saving regular savegames to solve the issue of partition scans finding anything suspicious?
Thanks so stinking much for your time!
Post by: solid7x2 on November 18, 2004, 09:34:00 AM
| QUOTE (zoomer777 @ Nov 18 2004, 06:31 PM) |
| Second, you talk about "scannable partitions" - would you care to share what your C: drive looks like (listing the files)? I need to make mine match it. And what have you done to your E: drive to make sure nothing on there is suspicious? |
if you are trying to make ur hard drive appear stock
1)run slayer 2.6
2)ftp to your xbox
3)deleate EVERYTHING under C
4)goto the apps installation part and choose the restore MS dash (at the bottom, i forget exactly what its called)
5)ftp to your xbox and deleate everything under E except cache, udata, and tdata
6)open cache folder and deleate everything
7)restart xbox without disk(should boot to m$ dashboard)
8)goto memory section and deleate every save file that is unknown or an app you once ran
ur hard drive now appears stock
Post by: sicrecords on November 18, 2004, 09:46:00 AM
If I was MS. I'd ban half of you too.
Post by: zoomer777 on November 18, 2004, 10:01:00 AM
| QUOTE (sicrecords @ Nov 18 2004, 06:49 PM) |
| Wow.. there's some rampant stupidity in these forums. If I was MS. I'd ban half of you too. |
Wow...that was a useless reply in this already confusing topic.
Post by: solid7x2 on November 18, 2004, 10:23:00 AM
| QUOTE (zoomer777 @ Nov 18 2004, 06:41 PM) |
| I guess in doing this, I need to somehow put evoxdash on F: so that I can still run that when in modded mode? Can this be done without any additional files being placed on the C: partition? Oh yeah, thanks for the quick tutorial. Would you happen to know how to enter the new HDDKey as well? |
you can either put evolution onto a cdrw or dvd, or get a bios that lets u boot to F. I havent bothered with doing this because I swap my drives. Oh, and if you boot off the cd drive, you cant change your avalaunch.xml file on the fly, so I would recommend the f drive bios.
I think u gotta go into config magic, and do an on the fly edit of the HD sn.
Post by: 2K2CamaroSS on November 18, 2004, 10:28:00 AM
Post by: Angerwound on November 18, 2004, 10:28:00 AM
| QUOTE (dzv @ Nov 18 2004, 10:59 AM) |
| OK, I've tested this theory out (am I the only one besides Angerwound to test it?)... My Xbox was banned on the 9th. Haven't got around to getting unbanned until tonight. I decided to try out this HDD key theory. I used a backup of an EEPROM from one of my other (XBL virgin) Xboxes to get a new HDD key. I followed the steps exactly as Angerwound posted: I did not change my HDD, or anything else on the Xbox. My results: When trying to connect to Live I get the "Technical Configuration" error. My XYZ codes are posted below. So, this HDD key unbanning technique did nothing for me, except get from the "Moddified hardware" error to "Technical Configuration" error. X: 0000 - 000D Y: 00C2 - 0184 Z: AFFF - 0018 |
Hrm.. This is very strange.. The only time I received the technical error was when I had a HDD Key they didn't like.
I took the HDD Key of my unbanned box and combined it with almost 10 different eeproms that had been banned previously in the past. Each and every one would login to the service. However, if I placed a hdd Key that was made up within this field it would report the Technical Error.
Thanks for testing BTW.
EDIT: I'm also behind a router, therefore they can't exactly ban my Mac Address of the router. Which means if you aren't behind one they could still ban your Mac Address from connecting.
DZV@ Try moving the mac addy and hdd key to the old eeprom and post those results.
Post by: prplehz on November 18, 2004, 10:43:00 AM
| QUOTE (2K2CamaroSS @ Nov 18 2004, 10:31 AM) |
| Even if you did clean the E: drive that isn't going to prevent game/app saves in the future. So what do you do about that? Most programs you can't specify where it saves to. |
That is why you leave it for just stock ms programs after you clean it. Which is a bummer if you only have 1hd..
Post by: xionanx on November 18, 2004, 11:16:00 AM
XBOX V1.0
X2 Pro
X2 4981 BIOS (boots XBMC from F:\DASH)
Thomson DVD
Maxtor 120GB HDD
Everything on C: is stock
Everything on E: is stock (barring any files that may sneak on there from apps that I'm not aware of)
I have been playing Halo 2 from my HDD for campaign mode and system link, from the DVD for XBOX Live.
****************************
On a side note, I think the marriage theory is completely bogus for one reason, and its a damn good one.
IF your EEPROM and HDD S/N is matched up when you sign up for live, then some point down the road your XBOX is sent in for repairs and they replace your HDD, that means your EEPROM and HDD S/N will no longer match up, which according to the marriage theory equals ban.
Any LOGICAL human being would see that.
Personally I think there should be a more in-depth investigation into it.. I'm leaning towards:
1: MS has secretly flashed the TSOP with an updated version of thier BIOS, allowing them to scan for F: and G: drives.
2: MS is exploiting 3rd and 4th gen modchips that allow themselves to be turned on and off using "soft" methods (holding the power button in for a set time, certain button combos, that kind of thing). This would lend credence to the LPC theory, which I think is the most valid. (has anyone even bothered to find out what modchips these people were using?)
3: Alot of people got banned for "noob" mistakes and are too damn stubborn to admit it. (people who forgot to or didn't know how to lock thier HDD, people who forgot to turn off thier modchip, people who tried to play on live using a copy, or some other error on thier part)
Post by: STICKY_BUD on November 18, 2004, 11:31:00 AM
| QUOTE (ampedXR @ Nov 18 2004, 09:00 AM) |
| Guys. One word. MARRIAGE *UPDATE* Since I'm not banned, I tend to disagree with the Marriage theory. HOWEVER, there is somthing that SURVEY didnt cover. "WHEN THIS TOOK AFFECT". I have been on XBL a long time, and my current upgraded hdd was installed BEFORE version 2 of xbl was released. If this MARRIAGE theory is correct, it very well could mean people that did this hdd swap before a certain point in time could actually of gotten away with it. Maybe other people can verify this. |
my own test supports the marriage theory, and your suspicions about it ampedxr - the start date was at the live 2.0 dash update OR later...
however, another likely reason for why users are getting banned is simple. there are just that many new users coming into the scene and they dont know about the proper precautions for xbox live gaming.
edit: spelling
Post by: fizzLe on November 18, 2004, 11:46:00 AM
since angerwound says its the hdd key, i think my problem completely makes his statement false BUT I COULD BE WRONG. when i first upgraded my hdd, i backed up everything and also copied the key from my old hard drive onto my new one so it copied everything so basically my new hdd was EXACTLY LIKE my old one and i still got banned. i think its more than this. most likely what you got on your drive. xbmc, you know other shit. oh well. looks like im just gonna buy a new one
Post by: Stryker112 on November 18, 2004, 12:09:00 PM
Ok i have an xectutor chip. I have never ever been banned from live. I did go on live before modding my system and I have since then upgraded my hd to a maxtor 120 gig and used to play quite often on the upgraded HD online. I am curious as to if I log onto live or try to play halo 2 will i receive a ban. I have been reading through the forums trying to make sense of this but I have been out of the loop for a month or so now. Will I get banned if I try to log on? Has my EEProm been married with my original HD that came with my xbox and if so would getting a new eeprom allow me to go online fine with my upgraded HD. I have not been online in at least a month.
Post by: Samiad on November 18, 2004, 12:18:00 PM
For some reason, the HDDkey in the EEPROM doesn't relate to the HDD in your system, because if you change the HDD and keep the EEPROM, the HDDkey stays the same, right?
Can I do anything useful with the HDD keys that Evolution produces? It produces a unique one for every hard drive you run it on (tested).
Post by: DaBeast77 on November 18, 2004, 12:20:00 PM
Post by: SpydaL on November 18, 2004, 01:21:00 PM
Post by: clouzot on November 18, 2004, 02:06:00 PM
| QUOTE (Samiad @ Nov 18 2004, 09:21 PM) |
| When you run the BACKUP command in Evolution dashboard, you get a file called hddinfo.txt, and in here it lists your HDD serial number and your HDDkey. Now, the HDDkey it gives you is NOT the same hddkey that's in the EEPROM - it is unique to that particular hard drive. For some reason, the HDDkey in the EEPROM doesn't relate to the HDD in your system, because if you change the HDD and keep the EEPROM, the HDDkey stays the same, right? Can I do anything useful with the HDD keys that Evolution produces? It produces a unique one for every hard drive you run it on (tested). |
I was wondering the exact same thing.
I have upgraded my HDD and I made a back-up from evox right after the update
My hddinfo.txt has the following entries :
Disk Serial Number
Disk Model Number
HDD Key
HDDLockDisablePassword (with same data as HDDkey)
XboxHDKey
That last key is totally different from the HDDkey. I wonder if it is the original key from the original M$ hdd
Any idea ?
Edit:
Just opened mu current EEprom and it lists the XboxHDKey (same # as in my hddinfo file) under HDDkey field.
Post by: clouzot on November 18, 2004, 02:10:00 PM
| QUOTE (fizzLe @ Nov 18 2004, 08:49 PM) |
| ok mother f-ers, first i dont get any reply and im not a f'in noob. im trying to get my box back on live, without buying a new one but im about to. what the f is the deal here? mods should delete posts that have are double posts or posts about stupid shit so people who dont know anything can find the information they need. now here i go with my question, since angerwound says its the hdd key, i think my problem completely makes his statement false BUT I COULD BE WRONG. when i first upgraded my hdd, i backed up everything and also copied the key from my old hard drive onto my new one so it copied everything so basically my new hdd was EXACTLY LIKE my old one and i still got banned. i think its more than this. most likely what you got on your drive. xbmc, you know other shit. oh well. looks like im just gonna buy a new one |
here is your answer !
Post by: solid7x2 on November 18, 2004, 02:25:00 PM
Also This method is definately going to confuse n00bs, so i would just stick to the methods that work: stock HD new eeprom, until maybe there is more testing by others or something
Post by: ICEchrono on November 18, 2004, 02:49:00 PM
| QUOTE (solid7x2 @ Nov 18 2004, 11:28 PM) |
| people who keep asking if they are going to get banned, youll only know one way, and just do like weve been saying for the past week, keep C and E clean, grab your nuts, and sign in. Also This method is definately going to confuse n00bs, so i would just stick to the methods that work: stock HD new eeprom, until maybe there is more testing by others or something |
alot of users get ban becuse they don't know some Apps save there data in E drive.
Post by: airviper127 on November 18, 2004, 02:57:00 PM
| QUOTE (VampireJesus @ Nov 18 2004, 08:44 PM) |
| Now, some questions. 1. Is it possible to use the same HD key for a HD on a different Xbox, or would this get me flagged? 2. If I use the same eeprom on two different boxes on live at the same time, will I face a ban? I assume this answer is yes. |
I would like to know this same info so that i can attempt to get back on live. thanks for all and any help.
Post by: Gumba on November 18, 2004, 03:09:00 PM
| QUOTE (xionanx @ Nov 18 2004, 08:19 PM) |
| On a side note, I think the marriage theory is completely bogus for one reason, and its a damn good one. IF your EEPROM and HDD S/N is matched up when you sign up for live, then some point down the road your XBOX is sent in for repairs and they replace your HDD, that means your EEPROM and HDD S/N will no longer match up, which according to the marriage theory equals ban. Any LOGICAL human being would see that. |
That's a stupid reason for thinking the Marriage Theory is bogus.
When MS gets an xbox in for repair the first thing they would do would be to enter the Serial Number (from the back of the box) into a job logging system.
If you think the world's most powerful software company couldn't tie the serial number from the back of the box to the serial number in the marriage database, and thus revert the marriage... when ever they perform an HD swap on an xbox, then I dunno what to say.
...
The fact is, the Marriage Theory is still the most important theory in regards to these bans, this new information just covers the nuts and bolts of *how* the marriage is actually done.
Post by: solid7x2 on November 18, 2004, 03:37:00 PM
| QUOTE (zoomer777 @ Nov 18 2004, 11:43 PM) |
| 4) Once C: and E: are cleaned up, I will then use ConfigMagic to go in and follow Angerwound's procedure to write a new HDDKey using a virgin EEPROM I just purchased. I will also load the entire EEPROM.bin file as well just for insurance, even though it may be unncecessary. |
Not quite sure on this, wouldnt writing a new eeprom undo the changes you manually put in while running config magic? unless i just dont understand what the hell is goin on here (im not 100% sure on how the eeprom/updating works, cause I used the new eeprom/gt/hd theory last week)
edit: and about MS getting their own xbox's banned LMAO! They dont have a monopoly in computers because they have idiots working for them!
Post by: hybridstorm on November 18, 2004, 03:42:00 PM
Post by: solid7x2 on November 18, 2004, 04:02:00 PM
Post by: ororick on November 18, 2004, 04:31:00 PM
i am also banned from live and everytime i try to log on it says "software or hardware has been modified" i have config magic installed so you are saying if i was to ask a unbanned friend with a modded xbox and a 200gb hdd what his hdd key was and was to use config magic to make my Hdd key the same as his, i would be able to log on without even swapping my epprom?
Also after getting his Hdd key if when i booted up my xbox and make it so the modchip was turned off would i just get banned again?
Post by: Angerwound on November 18, 2004, 04:35:00 PM
As long as your 100% positive that his eeprom is unbanned. Post back your results.
Post by: mjimi420 on November 18, 2004, 05:54:00 PM
Post by: dzv on November 18, 2004, 06:19:00 PM
| QUOTE (Angerwound @ Nov 19 2004, 05:31 AM) |
| EDIT: I'm also behind a router, therefore they can't exactly ban my Mac Address of the router. Which means if you aren't behind one they could still ban your Mac Address from connecting. DZV@ Try moving the mac addy and hdd key to the old eeprom and post those results. |
Alright, I tested this and also moved the MAC Addy over. First, I re-flashed my EEPROM back to how it was originally (banned state). Then I just changed the HDD Key and Mac Addy (from my unbanned EEPROM). This worked, and I am now able to connect. Funnily, I am also behind a router.
So, changing the HDD Key and Mac Addy got me back onto Live. However, I don't know how long this will last. We'll see what happens over the next few days.
Post by: ororick on November 18, 2004, 06:22:00 PM
THanks
Post by: SwordMasterLink on November 18, 2004, 06:57:00 PM
I had been playing live (including halo 2) without my modchip on a virgin xbox.
a few days later I installed the x3 chip in my xbox and then after making sure it was working I installed a maxtor 250 gb hd. I then locked the hd and left the main settings for partitions (with F taking all of the space instead of putting some on g).
I have Halo 2 and was playing on live (of course with the modchip turned off) until November 14th. I tried going on live and got the "modified system" error message.
I am getting this message not just on halo 2 but trying to log onto live at all.
Now- at that point I had NOT played halo 2 offline at all.
I guess my main questions would be:
1. What are considered questionable files? Is it not ok to have any game saves on c: or e: that have been saved by a ripped game?
2. Do I need to get my stock hd's eeprom and copy it over? This will take care of the hdd key... right? (that's what I've understood from the earlier posts)
3. Is there anything else I need to do?
Post by: STICKY_BUD on November 18, 2004, 06:59:00 PM
| QUOTE (ICEchrono @ Nov 18 2004, 02:52 PM) |
| alot of users get ban becuse they don't know some Apps save there data in E drive. |
this is simply untrue
Post by: hybridstorm on November 18, 2004, 07:18:00 PM
It seems like xbox live times out after a few min of no activity. Im not sure if its live or my setup. Before I was banned I had no issues but now im getting droped left and right. Have to run through my router settings again.
Post by: Angerwound on November 18, 2004, 07:38:00 PM
| QUOTE (dzv @ Nov 18 2004, 09:22 PM) |
| Alright, I tested this and also moved the MAC Addy over. First, I re-flashed my EEPROM back to how it was originally (banned state). Then I just changed the HDD Key and Mac Addy (from my unbanned EEPROM). This worked, and I am now able to connect. Funnily, I am also behind a router. So, changing the HDD Key and Mac Addy got me back onto Live. However, I don't know how long this will last. We'll see what happens over the next few days. |
Try just changing the Mac Addy and see if your eeprom will work. I'm almost positive it will report a technical error.
Post by: mc_365 on November 18, 2004, 08:34:00 PM
How is a HDDKey generated? or should I say when? at the factory or when they make the eeprom?
And I see a lot of people saying they tried it with their stock HDDKey, but if you got chiped swapped HD and then locked new HD is'nt that key the same?
And why would MS use that to bann vs. another id in the eeprom like serial#?
Post by: ssj4android on November 18, 2004, 08:38:00 PM
Post by: dfunked on November 18, 2004, 08:48:00 PM
| QUOTE (Slrpgeit @ Nov 19 2004, 12:48 AM) |
| you havn't played live much have you? spammer... |
Actually have a 2 year subscription on it, been on there about 5 times in total. If 12 year old racists with the 'robot' voicemask is your idea of entertainment, each to his own..
Post by: xionanx on November 18, 2004, 10:25:00 PM
| QUOTE (Gumba @ Nov 19 2004, 12:12 AM) |
| That's a stupid reason for thinking the Marriage Theory is bogus. When MS gets an xbox in for repair the first thing they would do would be to enter the Serial Number (from the back of the box) into a job logging system. If you think the world's most powerful software company couldn't tie the serial number from the back of the box to the serial number in the marriage database, and thus revert the marriage... when ever they perform an HD swap on an xbox, then I dunno what to say. ... The fact is, the Marriage Theory is still the most important theory in regards to these bans, this new information just covers the nuts and bolts of *how* the marriage is actually done. |
Actually, since I just switched back to my upgraded HDD yesterday, and I have yet to be banned, I think that completely blows the marriage theory out of the water.
IE. I signed up for live using a one drive (not even sure it was my original), put my stock in when I heard about the bannings of the non-stock drives, and have since put a completely new drive in (upgraded from the 80GB I had installed to a 120GB I had left over from a PC).
The bans "usually" happen within 24 hours, so if I'm not banned come monday, I say screw that lame ass marriage theory.
Post by: xionanx on November 18, 2004, 10:39:00 PM
| QUOTE (Cjeheth @ Nov 18 2004, 08:33 PM) |
| actually, the marriage theory is still probable, even with the repair issue. Its not hard for MS to change the eeprom to a new one along with the hdd, it could explain why its so easy for people to do anyway. flashing the tsop is IMPOSSIBLE - they aren't flash writable, at least not from the start, as theres hardware measures in place to stop it (but, can be removed to allow tsop flashing). |
Hmm.. Since I've never attempted to flash the TSOP myself, I wasn't aware of the hardware measures. Upon further review, it seems you are right.
I just wondering though, we have programs that will load different BIOS (PBL), would it be possible for M$ to write one that does effectively the same thing, allowing them to insert a new BIOS in while booting without actually flashing anything..
(granted, I still think the LPC theory + proliferation of people who do/did not fully understand how to safely use thier mod is what is really going on)
Post by: dzv on November 19, 2004, 02:25:00 AM
| QUOTE (r1mick @ Nov 19 2004, 08:45 PM) |
| Can someone please help.. I've got Slayer's v2.6, My 120GB HDD that worked on LIVE until it got booted with the chip on. I've still got my old retail HDD that I have reinstalled to get its HDD-Key but when I plug the large HDD back in, in Configmagic it is still showing the exact same HDD Key. How do I find the original HDD HDD-Key so I can put that in place with my large 120GB HDD re-installed? |
The HDD Key doesn't change when you change HDDs. It is stored in the EEPROM on your Xbox. You need to get a HDD Key from another EEPROM (Xbox).
Post by: manualucardo on November 19, 2004, 03:03:00 AM
.in english translation:
I find your idea not fun because you take a new hdd key and if you fall on somedy who get this key in live,he will be banished.I find this
.If you want to play live:get xbconnect,you must stop this,you are not alone in xbox live in the world.In short the guy made attention that one nothing required>>> put has their place. sorry for my bad english
Post by: feet14 on November 19, 2004, 03:58:00 AM
| QUOTE (dfunked @ Nov 19 2004, 04:51 AM) |
| Actually have a 2 year subscription on it, been on there about 5 times in total. If 12 year old racists with the 'robot' voicemask is your idea of entertainment, each to his own.. |
Not everyone on live is like that. I kick people who are racist and/or use voicemasks. Once you've found some decent people, add them to your friends list and play with them.
Post by: clouzot on November 19, 2004, 07:04:00 AM
| QUOTE (mjimi420 @ Nov 19 2004, 02:57 AM) |
| I replaced my hdd key with the stock hdd key that came with my xbox and updated the eeprom. I still can't sign into xbox live because now when xblive tries to connect i now get a communication error. Anyone else experience this problem? |
Regarding communication errors you might want to try the following.
I just modded a brand new xbox with Xenium ice and 120GB HDD.
Uploaded evox, XBMC and a few more apps and homebrew games.
Booted in evox and tested some of the apps/games.
Booted to M$ dash every thing was OK.
Tried to setup a new xbl account using a 2months free trial.
Connected to XBL just fine, started to download upgrade files, system rebooted after download. When back to M$ dash and tried to finish seting up account.
everytime i tried to connect to XBL my box locked up !!!.
Restored M$dash from previous back-up, started set-up process again, connect download upfdate files, reboot and ... locked-up again !!! Tried one more time just to be sure, same result !
I had all my apps on F: so C was"virgin", but e: was not !
Some of the homebrew apps/ games had created folders and files on E: . In particular I had a game folder on E (created by xbmc, in think)
Compared current content of E to backed-up content (prior to installing/running any new apps) removed what did not belong. Booted in M$ dash launched XBL and "VOILA" connected right away, completed my account set-up and went into live and I am still in it after 2 weeks (I do not have Halo2). Note that this box had never been connected to live before I did the mod and HDD upgrade.
To recap, i could connect just fine to XBL to download the XBL/M$ dash update files.
After Update files were downloaded, and the box rebooted as needed, I could not connect.After Cleaning my C: and E: from any "foreign" content I was able to connect just fine.
So i think that the new updated XBL/Xbdash files try to verify and convert the content of your C and E to the new version of XBL, if a file is found not "signed" by M$ or not supposed to be there the system hangs; and this happens even before you are connect to XBL, it is an internal check of C and E files.
Just my experience! Maybe worth trying to clean your C and E if you cant connect.
Post by: ricjax99 on November 19, 2004, 07:09:00 AM
Cheers
Post by: clouzot on November 19, 2004, 07:42:00 AM
| QUOTE (ricjax99 @ Nov 19 2004, 04:12 PM) |
| Is it possible to take a screen dump of your C:\ and E:\ drives (thru flash FXP or whatever)? I have no idea what state a "virgin" drive would look like. Cheers |
Here is the listing of my C and E files and folders prior to upgrade, mod, and XBL connection:
C:
folders:
Audio
fonts
xboxdashdat.1012A700
Xodash
Files:
XBox Book.xtf
Xbox.xtf
xboxdash.xbe
E:
Folders:
Tdata
Udata
Post by: nahmean on November 19, 2004, 08:09:00 AM
Post by: mc_365 on November 19, 2004, 08:14:00 AM
Post by: clouzot on November 19, 2004, 08:25:00 AM
| QUOTE (specs78 @ Nov 19 2004, 05:21 PM) |
| Does this mean if you have any backup games or emulators on these drives you will be kicked? |
I did not say that ! I dont know.
What I said was, keeping my C and E clean helped me connect and set-up my XBL account.
Post by: clouzot on November 19, 2004, 08:26:00 AM
| QUOTE (mc_365 @ Nov 19 2004, 05:17 PM) |
| What about E:/Cache/ ? |
I deleted the cache folder and it was recreated by M$ after booting the box.
Post by: warbeast on November 19, 2004, 08:45:00 AM
| QUOTE (xionanx @ Nov 19 2004, 06:28 AM) |
| Actually, since I just switched back to my upgraded HDD yesterday, and I have yet to be banned, I think that completely blows the marriage theory out of the water. IE. I signed up for live using a one drive (not even sure it was my original), put my stock in when I heard about the bannings of the non-stock drives, and have since put a completely new drive in (upgraded from the 80GB I had installed to a 120GB I had left over from a PC). The bans "usually" happen within 24 hours, so if I'm not banned come monday, I say screw that lame ass marriage theory. |
i've tryed loads of eeproms which didnt work and made me think the hdd was banned with the marriage theory but i've got a fresh young virgin eeprom and went back to the very frist dashboard which did the trick
its been 3 days and i'm not banned yet my setup is
1. virgin eeprom
2. 250g maxtor that was in the box when i got banned!
3. old c drive but i've let it update again
4. all my saves are still on the slag like boxplore etc
3. all my apps and dashboards are on f:/
i would recommend using a very old ms dashboard and letting it update again when changing your eeprom
edit: i only got banned in the frist place when i changed my 160g for the 250g maxtor so for the marriage theory i think they keep note of what hdd you use with your eeprom then if you change the hdd they know but do not ban the hdd from live as you can still use a virgin eeprom with that drive!
some people say the hdd is banned and will ban any eeprom used with it but i believe these people are trying eeproms not banned but have been used on live so are matched with another drive so to speak which will cause a ban
Post by: Gumba on November 19, 2004, 09:03:00 AM
| QUOTE (feet14 @ Nov 19 2004, 01:01 PM) |
| Not everyone on live is like that. I kick people who are racist and/or use voicemasks. Once you've found some decent people, add them to your friends list and play with them. |
and report them.. they'll pretty much be getting a cancellation letter pretty soon
mute, kick and report
Post by: mc_365 on November 19, 2004, 09:24:00 AM
Xbox V1.0
X2.2pro
X2 bios 4981.06 with live blocker
200Gig Maxtor swapped in July Played live up until october before first bannig wave
Stayed off Live october - november 16 alltogether.
Original HD was on live on and off with Different GamerTags for 2+ years.
Original HD had stuff all over.
Never Been Banned with either HD.
Ugraded HD Has all apps and dashes on F:/
Before trying Halo 2 live I formated C: and E:.
Extracted Slayers 2.5 on PC and FTP'd Retail C: and E: files to Xbox.
Turned Chip off, Put memory card with live account save.
Put Halo 2 in go to live tab put password in and took live update.
Played Halo 2 on live.
Never Played Halo 2 with chip on.
3 Days later.
Deleted all saves of game that where played with chip on (no new Live games played from backups).
Restarted Xbox With chip off.
Put memory card with live account in.
Go to live tab.
Recieve network error message.
Go to trouble shoot .
Get Modified Xbox Message.
No Live Account Found.
What did I do wrong? What theory does this lean towards?
Anyone want to donate a HDDKey to me?
If I know someone that dosent play live can I use a soft mod to get their HDDKey?
Post by: Larrimus on November 19, 2004, 10:33:00 AM
Post by: Stank007 on November 19, 2004, 11:20:00 AM
Stank
Post by: warbeast on November 19, 2004, 11:55:00 AM
| QUOTE (dzv @ Nov 19 2004, 06:51 PM) |
| OK, I'm banned again. So, this theory of just changing the HDD Key (and in my case the MAC Address) was not a valid solution to getting back onto Xbox Live. Why was Xbox Scene so quick to put this onto the front page news, without anybody even doing any testing (aside from Angerwound)? There is so much more evidence to support the 'Marriage Theory'. |
| QUOTE |
| More Information About New Xbox LIVE Ban System |
Angerwound was just giving Information on how they now ban not why they ban or any fix to stop it
if you want to have a go at anyone have a go at the cunts that didnt want to pay cash for live games and used special XBE's from xbox live to play backups on live and cheat
Post by: Angerwound on November 19, 2004, 12:06:00 PM
| QUOTE (warbeast @ Nov 19 2004, 02:58 PM) |
| Angerwound was just giving Information on how they now ban not why they ban or any fix to stop it if you want to have a go at anyone have a go at the cunts that didnt want to pay cash for live games and used special XBE's from xbox live to play backups on live and cheat |
Yup, exactly what he said.
Post by: warbeast on November 19, 2004, 12:43:00 PM
Post by: EthanX on November 19, 2004, 01:52:00 PM
Post by: dalime on November 19, 2004, 04:45:00 PM
V1.3
X3 w/ 1959 build
120GB WD (using stocker for Live)
All apps, games, etc. on F nothing on C & E
xboxdash.xbe unmodified
Never banned
Going to do what Angerwound said in 1st post in 30-60 min. Keep you guys posted. Seems pretty simple but if there's anything you think I should know, please speak up.
Post by: dalime on November 19, 2004, 08:00:00 PM
I must add that I haven't done the dreaded Halo 2 update yet. Anyone know what exactly is updated when the dash is updated? xboxdash.xbe? If so, couldn't you throw in your stocker, update the dash, let it scan whatever it needs to, then FTP the updated dash into your large HDD.
Post by: mat82284 on November 19, 2004, 09:17:00 PM
Post by: mc_365 on November 19, 2004, 09:54:00 PM
From what Anger said I take it that the HDDKey is the unique number that is used to identify a banned xbox. It just so Happens that you can change that identifier if you have a legit unbanned HDDKey. But that does not me you will not get re-banned. Just as in the past you could have just swapped eeproms and get back on live, if you go on live with your chip on you would have been banned again. Now there are higher levels of security that trigger banns. This thread is not try to address the bann triggers. It is simply stating that if you do discover what the bann trigger is and avoid activating it you may resume playing live with a new HDDKey and not have to get a new HD and eeprom.
Post by: mc_365 on November 19, 2004, 09:55:00 PM
| QUOTE (mat82284 @ Nov 20 2004, 06:20 AM) |
| just to let everyone know i was banned and i used a different hard drive key and loaded my dash the way it was the first day i bought it and i put all files on F drive including evox and all. i have my tsop flashed and have half retail and half executer 2 and have been up on xbox live for a wile now no ban. i think haveing it appear original is perfect also i deleted all hacked saves and the save files from media players and apps and so on. this Does work and i would suggest doing it but before connect put it back to stock format. and when running the chip put it all on F drive. i think the tsop flash is the safest way as the switch blocks it from seeing more as for the chips i think MS makes them now and sells them and people who buy them and try to connect end up getting banned because microsft made them to do that at least in my appionion. which if they did they it would be smart why because not only do they make money on chips but they make you buy a chip thinking you can get on live but then it makes it where it doesnt work and makes you buy a new system which equals more money to MS. MS IS SMART BUT I THINK THERES PEOPLE WHO ARE SMARTER. but without MS there wouldnt even be an xbox so i thank them. and if i get banned again im just going to buy another xbox and support them. |
What do you think about my banning. Check a page or to back.
Post by: DcMaStAh on November 19, 2004, 10:02:00 PM
Post by: Angerwound on November 19, 2004, 10:29:00 PM
| QUOTE (dzv @ Nov 20 2004, 12:06 AM) |
| Well actually, his post definitely does imply that changing the HDD Key was a solution: I'm not having a go at anybody at all. I was simply wondering why Angerwound's post was given so much merit, with so little supporting evidence. While the Marriage Theory already has so much supporting evidence, and provides a working solution to get back onto Live permanently. I guess I can see that Angerwound was simply trying to point out that MS seems to be banning HDD Keys, and not Serial Numbers. Apparently, that was the main reason for his post. However, I think the post (and the front page article) definitely leads people to believe that changing the HDD Key is actually a solution to getting unbanned, which it is not. |
I believe the reason XanTium wished to place the info on the front page was because of how strange it is to actually be using the HDD Key as the identifier to ban an xbox from the live authentication servers. Seeing as how this was not how things were being done before he thought it might be worth giving attention to... possibly leading into more discoveries..
Post by: xionanx on November 20, 2004, 05:11:00 AM
Ohh well, looks like I'll be buying a new XBOX for Live.
Granted, since I didn't unlock my stock drive, or change its key in any way, I could try putting it back in, unless I'm failing to undertand something about what angerwound has written here, it should work.
Post by: -Gadget- on November 20, 2004, 05:41:00 AM
before or after you 'upgrades (of chip and HDD)
if it was AFTER then that is why ya have'nt been banned... and if thats so
you wont get banned as long as ya stick with what ya have, and dont be naughty !
Mick ...
Post by: WildWalker on November 20, 2004, 05:55:00 AM
| QUOTE (-Gadget- @ Nov 20 2004, 02:44 PM) |
| WildWalker when did u go thought the XBv2 update .. before or after you 'upgrades (of chip and HDD) if it was AFTER then that is why ya have'nt been banned... and if thats so you wont get banned as long as ya stick with what ya have, and dont be naughty ! Mick ... |
The XBv2 update was done after I chipped the box and changed the drive.
So, if I was to change the HDD now, would I get banned?
Wild
Post by: warbeast on November 20, 2004, 05:58:00 AM
| QUOTE |
| Have any conclusions been made if the "Xbl not found" message is a ban? If so, would this simple switch of hdd keys fix it? |
well i'm also banned again but its the frist time i got the you have a mod error
out of 5 spare eeproms i had 4 gave the xbl not found and 1 worked for 3 days before getting the modchip error
all eeproms where taken from tsops flashed xbox's i've done with replaced fake eeproms so i have the only copys of these
i'm not sure if all eeproms where totaly virgins from live but i know for a fact the 1 that worked for 3 days was...
Post by: -Gadget- on November 20, 2004, 06:05:00 AM
| QUOTE (WildWalker @ Nov 20 2004, 02:58 PM) |
| The XBv2 update was done after I chipped the box and changed the drive. So, if I was to change the HDD now, would I get banned? Wild |
in a word yes ...
(the way i see it from what ive read/picked up and you are LIVING PROOF !)
you see its the XBL v2 that gather's the info on ya HDD/eeprom etc and gets it to MS so they form the 'marriage' of ya HDD to ya xbox (eeprom)
once this has been done, they are then are married, and if this is broken.
thats a condition to ban ya the first time .
so for u, stick with how ya got it !!
(the people who have been banned previously go though many more checks some of which are unconfirmed/maybe not known etc)
so again the marrage theory is proven with out a doubt, also the date of which it happerned !
is when ever you did the XBLv2 update !
wahoo .. so this now 100% confirmed !
Mick ...
Post by: WildWalker on November 20, 2004, 06:32:00 AM
I know what you are saying, but. What if my Xbox hard disk died, and I got a new one (say from MS) Then what?
Wild.
Post by: Gumba on November 20, 2004, 06:51:00 AM
| QUOTE (Angerwound @ Nov 20 2004, 07:32 AM) |
| I believe the reason XanTium wished to place the info on the front page was because of how strange it is to actually be using the HDD Key as the identifier to ban an xbox from the live authentication servers. Seeing as how this was not how things were being done before he thought it might be worth giving attention to... possibly leading into more discoveries.. |
Oh, you reminded me,
I had a thought about that.
If you think about it the HD key is the only thing they can use as I'm guessing its some sortof cryptographic hash, where as the SN is a patterned number which is easy to predict (and thus build fake ones), and the MAC address is also a fixed range which you could even lookup with the relevant numbers authority and is probably monotonically increasing.
The Online Key is I assume generated when you sign up.
So, the only key which is hard to predict which comes in the eeprom from the factory is the HD key, and I think MS has probably *always* been banning via the HD key.
But, at the end of the day what particular number they're monitoring in your eeprom and using as an xbox's unique identifier in order to ban is irrelevant, you can say they're banning the eeprom, because that number is in the eeprom.
...
So, the HD key is how they keep track of a banned box... thus changing it will get you unbanned... for a little bit, until *a* ban trigger gets triggered again (and I think the trigger would normally be the marriage theory's trigger of using a different drive with a given eeprom (or HD Key if you will).
What's interesting is there has been a bit of proof recently that if you take an unbanned HD from one box you can actually use it in another box without getting banned, ie, they're not cross-referencing HDs.
Post by: Gumba on November 20, 2004, 06:53:00 AM
| QUOTE (xionanx @ Nov 20 2004, 02:14 PM) |
| Well, looks like I will have to eat my words, I have been banned! Funny thing is after I switched back to my larger HDD I was fine for a day, so I can't really say what changed between then and now. You'd think if the HDD marriage theory were correct, then it would have detected a different HDD serial number right away and instantly refuse to allow connection. Ohh well, looks like I'll be buying a new XBOX for Live. Granted, since I didn't unlock my stock drive, or change its key in any way, I could try putting it back in, unless I'm failing to undertand something about what angerwound has written here, it should work. |
It takes up to 24hrs to get banned because of an HD swap and up to 72hrs because of a flagged gamertag
You are experiencing the exact same results as simply changing your EEPROM would've given you.
Post by: Gumba on November 20, 2004, 06:57:00 AM
| QUOTE (WildWalker @ Nov 20 2004, 03:35 PM) |
| Hi Gadget, I know what you are saying, but. What if my Xbox hard disk died, and I got a new one (say from MS) Then what? Wild. |
MS uses their Wizard powers to make it so you don't get banned for an HD swap they do.
Post by: -Gadget- on November 20, 2004, 07:46:00 AM
as in does it re-calculate th key using the hdd serial etc etc ... ?
as if this is so, then it explains the marrage theory and so on ..
if it doesnt... then really does cast a shadow on this theory !!
i still think the master HDD password plays a part in all this ..
i think once someone has been banned (and has a flagged GT)
and gets back online (like WildWalker has done)
what needs to be done is unlock and then relock th original HDD
just to test this theory out !!
if you do then get banned (making sure u wait for 72 hours or so before doing this test to make sure ya system is clean to them etc)
then would prove positive that this thoery is right..
and then a app would need to be made to REMOVE or change the master password (risky for the n00bs i know but )
PLUS .. it would make sense for them to use this .. and at present there is no app to actually fix this !!
Mick ..
Post by: WildWalker on November 20, 2004, 08:59:00 AM
| QUOTE (-Gadget- @ Nov 20 2004, 04:49 PM) |
| hmmm does the HDD key actually change when you upgrade ya HDD (and lock it with config ? as in does it re-calculate th key using the hdd serial etc etc ... ? as if this is so, then it explains the marrage theory and so on .. if it doesnt... then really does cast a shadow on this theory !! i still think the master HDD password plays a part in all this .. i think once someone has been banned (and has a flagged GT) and gets back online (like WildWalker has done) what needs to be done is unlock and then relock th original HDD just to test this theory out !! if you do then get banned (making sure u wait for 72 hours or so before doing this test to make sure ya system is clean to them etc) then would prove positive that this thoery is right.. and then a app would need to be made to REMOVE or change the master password (risky for the n00bs i know but ) PLUS .. it would make sense for them to use this .. and at present there is no app to actually fix this !! Mick .. |
Sorry dude,
I have not been banned, that was my original point
I personally, after reading most of these posts, think that newer games have something in them to report back to MS.
As I said earlier, this may be legal in some countries, but not others.
Wild....
Post by: Ces2k3 on November 20, 2004, 10:20:00 AM
Post by: spearfree on November 20, 2004, 10:26:00 AM
| QUOTE (stan @ Nov 18 2004, 03:16 AM) |
| How do you change your HDD key? I've got a clean key, but I don't know how to update the HDD key from configmagic. |
EDIT: Instructions for editing HDD Key under Config Magic.
1. Launch Config Magic on you xbox any way you please.
2. Choose, Unlock HDD.
3. Select Edit EEPROM on the FLY.
4. Place new HDD Key within the correct box.
5. Select 'Update XBOX EEPROM'
6. Select 'Load XBOX EEPROM'
7. Choose, Lock HDD.
READ PLZ!!
Post by: dalime on November 20, 2004, 10:57:00 AM
Updated EEPROM with original HDD key on 120gb WD. Worked for less than 24hrs.
Post by: ssj4android on November 20, 2004, 01:38:00 PM
Post by: Angerwound on November 20, 2004, 02:24:00 PM
| QUOTE (dzv @ Nov 20 2004, 01:52 PM) | ||
| I think you are probably spot on here. It did occur to me, also, that it would be so easy to simply change 1 digit in your serial number to create a new (valid) serial number. The HDD Key definitely seems to be the most useful unique identifier. Furthermore, if you look at the contents of an Xbox EEPROM (below), you will see that the first line of code ('data_hash') is a hash of 'crypted_confounder' and the 'crypted_hddkey'. Theoretically, MS could simply be using this hash as the unique identifier, couldn't they? I'm not too experienced with hashes etc, so I don't know what the chances would be of getting duplicates, though it looks like the chances would be pretty small. I tried to test out this theory of tracking based on 'data_hash' by changing just the confounder, without changing anything else in the EEPROM. This would, of course, result in a different hash, whilst keeping the same HDD Key. In my case, this resulted in a generic 'connection problem' type of error, instead of the ban error. Not too conclusive, but it's now 5AM for me and I don't feel like going further into it right now However, perhaps somebody else would like to look into this more.The next thing I would want to try is to change just the 'data_hash' without changing anything else in the EEPROM (don't change HDD Key or Confounder). This would probably require some hex-editing, as I don't see the hash field in either the EEPROMBackup.bin or EEPROMBackup.cfg files that ConfigMagic creates. EEPROM Contents:
|
You can enter all '00's for your confounder and it will still connect to the service. At least this is my experience when playing with the eeproms contents. I basically changed anything I desired to either valid or made up values and it would connect each and every time as long as the HDD Key remained the same. Let me know how the rest of your 'experiments' go.
Post by: swifferman on November 20, 2004, 03:15:00 PM
Signed up for live with a 2 month card. Hopefully they don't just see me with the 2 month card and not ban me until I enter in my 12 month card subscript.
Been only 12 hours though...
And no Halo 2.
Post by: ydgmms on November 20, 2004, 04:02:00 PM
| QUOTE (swifferman @ Nov 21 2004, 12:18 AM) |
| I've got a version 1.0 and a 2.0 xecuter lite with switch. Signed up for live with a 2 month card. Hopefully they don't just see me with the 2 month card and not ban me until I enter in my 12 month card subscript. Been only 12 hours though... And no Halo 2. |
take it from a guy that got a 1yr subscription to be banned a month later.
Set it to month-by-month subscription. JUST in case. Yeah, it'll cost a lil more, but it beats paying $50 for one month and be banned.
Post by: Gumba on November 20, 2004, 05:14:00 PM
| QUOTE (dzv @ Nov 20 2004, 07:52 PM) |
| I think you are probably spot on here. It did occur to me, also, that it would be so easy to simply change 1 digit in your serial number to create a new (valid) serial number. |
| QUOTE |
The HDD Key definitely seems to be the most useful unique identifier. Furthermore, if you look at the contents of an Xbox EEPROM (below), you will see that the first line of code ('data_hash') is a hash of 'crypted_confounder' and the 'crypted_hddkey'. Theoretically, MS could simply be using this hash as the unique identifier, couldn't they? I'm not too experienced with hashes etc, so I don't know what the chances would be of getting duplicates, though it looks like the chances would be pretty small. |
I've done a fair bit of work with hashes, the chances of a duplicate with 128bit hashes is incredibly remote, where as 32bit hash duplicates have been known to happen (CRC Checksum).
| QUOTE |
| I tried to test out this theory of tracking based on 'data_hash' by changing just the confounder, without changing anything else in the EEPROM. This would, of course, result in a different hash, whilst keeping the same HDD Key. In my case, this resulted in a generic 'connection problem' type of error, instead of the ban error. Not too conclusive, but it's now 5AM for me and I don't feel like going further into it right now However, perhaps somebody else would like to look into this more. The next thing I would want to try is to change just the 'data_hash' without changing anything else in the EEPROM (don't change HDD Key or Confounder). This would probably require some hex-editing, as I don't see the hash field in either the EEPROMBackup.bin or EEPROMBackup.cfg files that ConfigMagic creates. |
If they were checking only the dash hash, and the data hash was an XOR or something of the confounder and hddkey that'd be bad... as if the confounder can be anything then you could craft the data hash to be whatever you want, simply by changing the confounder. So, it'd be really good if you proved they *were* tracking the datahash, because we can create any datahash we want
Post by: mc_365 on November 20, 2004, 08:07:00 PM
Post by: ydgmms on November 20, 2004, 08:50:00 PM
Post by: EthanX on November 20, 2004, 10:16:00 PM
Post by: bengu on November 20, 2004, 10:48:00 PM
Post by: Duff Man on November 21, 2004, 12:08:00 AM
Post by: tch2003 on November 21, 2004, 01:54:00 AM
If I swap my banned HDD Key with one thats never been on live (but its been used with an upgraded HD), and delete all my modded saves, will I be able to connect fine and not have to worry about getting banned? I already have a new HDD Key (same as I said above). Please reply.
Post by: Versitile on November 21, 2004, 03:15:00 AM
Post by: WildWalker on November 21, 2004, 04:44:00 AM
| QUOTE (Duff Man @ Nov 21 2004, 09:11 AM) |
| hi im a bit of a noob on all this xbox live and hdd stuff, so i was just wondering i bought my xbox live starter kit 3 days ago (before i knew any of this) i have created my gamertag yet. i have a 120Gb hdd and an xecuter2 chip i have files everywhere. now if i was to create my gamretag and sign up to xbox live with my mod off wots the chance i well be banned. coz im worried ill get banned and all if u want more info on my xbox like its version and dat just email me |
Duff Man,
It would seem, after talking to a couple of the guys here. That if you have already modded your xbox, and have a bigger drive, before you use XBL, you will probably be alright.
The problem seems to be if you join live, do the updates, then change the hard disk.
But, like everything else, that is only a theory...
WildWalker...
Post by: WildWalker on November 21, 2004, 04:45:00 AM
| QUOTE (Versitile @ Nov 21 2004, 12:18 PM) |
| Been on xbox live for a long time with a xecuter 2.3 pro never been banned. just keep it off and you will never have a problem. |
Did you do the v2 live update after you modded your box?
Have you played Halo2 on live?
Post by: heru on November 21, 2004, 08:03:00 AM
Do I have to replace the keys?
Post by: Gumba on November 21, 2004, 11:41:00 AM
| QUOTE (EthanX @ Nov 21 2004, 05:42 AM) |
| Went into xbox live and .. whalah. |
its spelt "voilà "
Post by: Angerwound on November 21, 2004, 12:39:00 PM
| QUOTE (Hiram @ Nov 20 2004, 07:43 PM) |
| So Angerwound...you're still going strong on LIVE? No ban yet? |
Yup, still not banned. Been playing Halo 2 like crazy too, mod on and off.
Post by: EthanX on November 21, 2004, 01:13:00 PM
Post by: EthanX on November 21, 2004, 02:06:00 PM
Still getting Modded Hardware or software message. I'll try some other things later. Any ideas?
Post by: BraveBen on November 21, 2004, 02:53:00 PM
So angerwound, according to your method, could I attach my old stock hd to my Xbox, install slayer's auto-install 2.6 onto the stock hd, get the HD Key from it using configmagic, attach my bigger HD back, and then put the key on it, then I will be able to play on live?
Post by: Angerwound on November 21, 2004, 03:23:00 PM
| QUOTE (BraveBen @ Nov 21 2004, 05:56 PM) |
| When I first signed up for xbox live, my system wasn't modified and I still had the stock hd. Later on I decided to mod my system and I got a bigger hd. I've been playing on XBL from the bigger HD ever since, but I haven't been on XBL since June 2004. So angerwound, according to your method, could I attach my old stock hd to my Xbox, install slayer's auto-install 2.6 onto the stock hd, get the HD Key from it using configmagic, attach my bigger HD back, and then put the key on it, then I will be able to play on live? |
Replied to your PM.
| QUOTE |
| Okay, I cleaned my E from what I can tell, only 3 folders, Cache, TDATA, and UDATA. Still getting Modded Hardware or software message. I'll try some other things later. Any ideas? |
First of all, flash a new eeprom or change the HDD Key. Erase the 'E' partition competely and make sure only the dashboard files are on 'C'. (The MS Dash will create the /tdata/ and /udata/ DIRS) Then, create a new gamertag and I'd say you will be covering all your bases.
Post by: Strud1512 on November 21, 2004, 03:51:00 PM
| QUOTE (Angerwound @ Nov 21 2004, 09:42 PM) |
| Yup, still not banned. Been playing Halo 2 like crazy too, mod on and off. |
So, when you play with the mod on (not on XBLive of course), are you running a backup copy of Halo2 from the HD?
I assume using the same profile/savegames offline with modchip on (from the HD), and online with modchip off, is safe to do?
Post by: Angerwound on November 21, 2004, 04:02:00 PM
However, when I want to go live, I remove it from the HDD of course.
Post by: BraveBen on November 21, 2004, 05:27:00 PM
| QUOTE (BraveBen @ Nov 21 2004, 05:56 PM) |
| When I first signed up for xbox live, my system wasn't modified and I still had the stock hd. Later on I decided to mod my system and I got a bigger hd. I've been playing on XBL from the bigger HD ever since, but I haven't been on XBL since June 2004. So angerwound, according to your method, could I attach my old stock hd to my Xbox, install slayer's auto-install 2.6 onto the stock hd, get the HD Key from it using configmagic, attach my bigger HD back, and then put the key on it, then I will be able to play on live? |
This is in reply to my post-
What are the files that I SHOULD NOT remove from C and E? I think that my dashboards (MXM and EVOX) are located on C. Where can I move them to and how would I get them working again? Also, do i have to get a new gamertag?
Post by: Angerwound on November 21, 2004, 05:54:00 PM
| QUOTE (tch2003 @ Nov 21 2004, 07:43 PM) |
| So, Angerwound, your saying you got a retail HDD Key, swaped it out with your banned one, still have a mod chip, still have an upgraded HDD with modded files and saves on it, and you still havent been banned? |
I do have an upgraded hard drive, however I do not have any files on the drive that shouldn't be there. After changing the HDD Key(EEPROM), I created a new gamertag and have been playing since. I just keep the mod off. However, if I do use the chip, I am sure to erase whatever I placed on the drive while using it.
| QUOTE |
| What are the files that I SHOULD NOT remove from C and E? I think that my dashboards (MXM and EVOX) are located on C. Where can I move them to and how would I get them working again? Also, do i have to get a new gamertag? |
If I were you, I would find a copy of slayers and replace everything on your /c/ partition. If you can't find slayers then this is the average setups.
/media/*.*
/fonts/*.*
/xboxdashdata.*****/*.*
/xodash/*.*
/xboxdash.xbe
As for your /e/ partition, you can entirely erase it. The /udata/ and /tdata/ DIRS will be created by the MS Dash.
If you have an upgraded HDD you could place your homebrew stuff on /f/, the /f/ partition is not available while running a retail kernel.
I would suggest getting a new gamertag, I am unsure of how the new 'banning' system works entirely; they could very well be flagging gamertags. I would suggest to go ahead and create a new one so you won't have any problems in the future.
Post by: EthanX on November 21, 2004, 07:38:00 PM
Post by: sheik124 on November 21, 2004, 09:17:00 PM
so let me get this straight
i have a Halo LE XBOX that *had* an X2.3B Lite+ that i recently plucked out and installed for a friend, in anticipation of the release of the Xapt3r and the X3 control panel. i will have his xbox for a while as the plastic was soft and now the mobo standoff is unthreaded, and the screw will not go in, wait for replacement, bla bla bla. he told me he has ZERO intention of going on XBL EVER, so i have his entire EEPROM at my disposal. in the red corner, i have a seagate 120 gb that was supposed to go into my box a week ago, but then the whole mystery hd ban thing came up. now my hard drive..... is a total mess. unsigned code all over the place. i have evoxdash.xbe on C:/, god knows what is on E:/, and i have a backup of a game i own, and lil sis scratched up on E:/...... i think, i have to check. oh yeah, and there is certain PAL gamesaves on there too
, i was gonna remove them, but i was really far into the game, so i left them, and lucky for me, my X2 liked to set the date to something ridiculous like 11/02/8907, so M$ has no clue . i play H2 on live just fine, play motogp, PGR2, all that. so if i install the new HD, in theory, all i have to do is snag my friends HD key only using configmagic, no need to take his whole eeprom, and just replace it with mine, pop the seagate in, copy all my old files back, and shazoom, thats it? oh yeah, i have that one DVDX2 thingy on there somewhere.
Post by: X2Gamer on November 21, 2004, 09:24:00 PM
Post by: Nawty1 on November 22, 2004, 11:09:00 AM
Post by: g0tr3wt23 on November 22, 2004, 11:24:00 AM
| QUOTE (idc @ Nov 18 2004, 10:22 AM) |
| Some interesting information in this thread... Of course, we have known all along that it was the EEPROM that was actually banned (either by serial number, HDD key, whatever). We have yet to find the actual cause of the banning; I suspect that there is more than one cause, so any number of the current theories could be correct. It would appear that the only means MS have of banning consoles from Xbox Live is by the EEPROM, unless anyone hear thinks differently. So I was thinking: Would it be possible to 'keygen' HDD keys, online keys, etc? Then, if/when the EEPROM becomes banned, we could just generate another key, reflash, then reconnect. |
all you would need are between 10 and 20 valid eeproms to work out an algorithm by which to program a keygen. The more eeproms you have the easier it would be.
Post by: Gumba on November 22, 2004, 11:34:00 AM
| QUOTE (g0tr3wt23 @ Nov 22 2004, 08:27 PM) |
| all you would need are between 10 and 20 valid eeproms to work out an algorithm by which to program a keygen. The more eeproms you have the easier it would be. |
Why would you need valid eeproms?
You don't need to validate the eeproms to know the HDD key is a valid HDD key.
So, if what you want is just a large sampling of HDD keys just get a bunch of eeproms, valid or not and look at them.
personally I don't know how you plan to generate an algorithm to generate HDD keys...
Post by: beerman831 on November 22, 2004, 11:45:00 AM
It seems to me (and I am not an expert) that the scan is of the hard disk looking for "unusual" files. So what we need is a way to hide them, but how?
Please forgive me if this is already been discussed already, I only briefly scanned this thread.
Post by: Gumba on November 22, 2004, 11:49:00 AM
| QUOTE (too2buff @ Nov 22 2004, 08:39 PM) |
| WHy is my upgraded HDD key the same as my Stock HDD key ? , I have an original back up of my HDD key stored on my computer and I compared to the upgraded one and they were exactly the same what gives ? |
The HDD key comes with your xbox and is stored in the eeprom. It does not change when you upgrade the HD.
It is simply the key that the xbox uses to lock/unlock your HD. Since its unique to your xbox, once and HD is locked with a given key it can't be used on a different xbox unless it is first unlocked on the xbox that locked it.
Post by: Duff Man on November 23, 2004, 03:43:00 AM
Post by: Az! on November 23, 2004, 10:37:00 AM
So what would be the step by step process for me to make sure my upgraded HD has the key of my original HD. Do I put the original HD in, backup the eeprom to my chip, put in the new hd, and load the eeprom and lock the HD?
I'm slightly confused about what information is held where, so a simple 1, 2, 3, step process would help me greatly.
Thanks
Post by: newatmods on November 23, 2004, 11:25:00 AM
Post by: newatmods on November 23, 2004, 11:40:00 AM
One more thing don't know if it matters? When I'm not playing xbl and using my xbox with the modchip on I do not have my box connected to my network. When i'm ftp to my box i have the outside line to the internet disconnect to make sure the box can't get to xbl for any reason.....Don't think this is a factor but it might be.
Post by: trickdogg on November 23, 2004, 01:31:00 PM
So, there's no way for me to upgrade my HDD now that I've signed onto LIVE (with X3 mod + stock HDD)?
Is there no way to make the upgraded HDD look identical to the stock HDD?
Post by: Stryker112 on November 23, 2004, 06:27:00 PM
Post by: X2Gamer on November 23, 2004, 07:54:00 PM
Post by: FreewayX327 on November 23, 2004, 08:13:00 PM
and also should i keep the eeprom he currently has on there since the hd key could be useful.
as for getting a new xbox it is an option. but if this theory works it could save about $150+.
Post by: BraveBen on November 24, 2004, 06:55:00 AM
| QUOTE (Duff Man @ Nov 24 2004, 06:50 AM) |
| I was just getting an update. u can still go on xbl if ur hdd was intalled before u regiesting for xbl as long as ur mod is off yes or no |
Are you completely sure about this? My situation is that I signed up for my first gamertag BEFORE i had my 200 gb hd put in. But then, MS screwed up my gamertag on accident so I had to make a new gamertag, which was AFTER I got my hd put in. If I take this new gamertag on live, I'm safe?
Post by: Samiad on November 24, 2004, 07:25:00 AM
I have an Xbox with 120GB drive and had a Live account (after I installed my 120GB installed). My housemate got my Xbox banned by signing in with the modchip on. I understand the EEPROM and hard drive were banned.
I replaced the EEPROM and kept the same hard drive and was banned the next day again. I believe this is because I have used a (now) banned hard drive.
Therefore I assume that once banned, you CANNOT use the same hard drive on ANY Xbox for Xbox Live - is this correct? Has anyone been able to put a banned hard drive back on Xbox Live? I doubt it.
Post by: warbeast on November 24, 2004, 08:04:00 AM
| QUOTE |
| I replaced the EEPROM and kept the same hard drive and was banned the next day |
was the new eeprom taken from a virgin xbox or has it been used on live?
Post by: Angerwound on November 24, 2004, 08:23:00 AM
| QUOTE (Samiad @ Nov 24 2004, 10:28 AM) |
| Recently, this happened to me : I have an Xbox with 120GB drive and had a Live account (after I installed my 120GB installed). My housemate got my Xbox banned by signing in with the modchip on. I understand the EEPROM and hard drive were banned. I replaced the EEPROM and kept the same hard drive and was banned the next day again. I believe this is because I have used a (now) banned hard drive. Therefore I assume that once banned, you CANNOT use the same hard drive on ANY Xbox for Xbox Live - is this correct? Has anyone been able to put a banned hard drive back on Xbox Live? I doubt it. |
They are not marking the HDD. I have been banned around 26 times on this hard drive as well as had two accounts terminated. All I did was clean the hard drive, replace the eeprom, and sign up for a new XBL account and I've been playing Halo 2 for almost 2 weeks now on live(Mod's on and Off).
BTW, if they are in fact scanning anything on the drive, they are not scanning the gamesave DIR's. I have a couple gamesave exploits installed while I use H2 on live, no bans.
Post by: mc_365 on November 24, 2004, 08:52:00 AM
Post by: mc_365 on November 24, 2004, 08:58:00 AM
Could it be a fake slayers disk or something in the HD table that dosent get formated?
Post by: newatmods on November 24, 2004, 10:07:00 AM
Post by: BuBBeR on November 24, 2004, 03:14:00 PM
How can i see the hddkey of the unbaned eeprom?
I did the steps in page 1 anda the hdd key is the same....
is there a program that can do it??
please felas!
Thanks for the attention!
Post by: Hiram on November 24, 2004, 03:35:00 PM
| QUOTE (BuBBeR @ Nov 25 2004, 12:17 AM) |
| One question! How can i see the hddkey of the unbaned eeprom? I did the steps in page 1 anda the hdd key is the same.... is there a program that can do it?? please felas! Thanks for the attention! |
You can use LiveInfo to see the info on your PC.
Though, for me, just changing the HD key didn't work. I had to load the whole eeprom.
Post by: dalime on November 24, 2004, 04:10:00 PM
I had the exact same thing happen. Angerwound suggested changing the HDD key and the mac address, but that didn't work either. No mod error but got the connection error again. I wound up replacing the whole eeprom and was banned again in less than 24 hrs. I ran a low level format last night and am going to try again with my last eeprom. Will let you guys know if it works.
Post by: Duff Man on November 25, 2004, 03:52:00 AM
thanks
Post by: Hiram on November 25, 2004, 10:35:00 AM
| QUOTE (dalime @ Nov 25 2004, 01:13 AM) |
| Hiram, I had the exact same thing happen. Angerwound suggested changing the HDD key and the mac address, but that didn't work either. No mod error but got the connection error again. I wound up replacing the whole eeprom and was banned again in less than 24 hrs. I ran a low level format last night and am going to try again with my last eeprom. Will let you guys know if it works. |
Well, I followed all of Angerwound's instructions and have been banned again, in less than 48 hours.
I had C and E completely clean and have been running only the retail bios and MS dash since I got back on with a new GamerTag.
So now I am completely stumped!
Post by: gerzand on November 25, 2004, 10:40:00 AM
| QUOTE (Hiram @ Nov 25 2004, 06:38 PM) |
| Well, I followed all of Angerwound's instructions and have been banned again, in less than 48 hours. I had C and E completely clean and have been running only the retail bios and MS dash since I got back on with a new GamerTag. So now I am completely stumped! |
Thats where this strategy comes into play. MS cant track your xbox if the partition table is clean and you have a new eeprom and POSSIBLY only a recovered gamertag (testing in progress)
Check out this newest research that works. End of story.
http://forums.xbox-s...ic=310240&st=15
Post by: -Gadget- on November 25, 2004, 12:45:00 PM
| QUOTE (rallycobra @ Nov 25 2004, 09:44 PM) |
| Once a physical hard drive is banned, MS records the serial number most likely, and marries it to an eeprom. |
did u not even read what gerzand wrote !!!
or even bother going to the link
! no wunder people are still getting banned ..
and what they keep on posting on the front page does NOT help! ..
Mick ..
Post by: gerzand on November 25, 2004, 01:55:00 PM
| QUOTE (rallycobra @ Nov 25 2004, 08:44 PM) |
| Angerwound instructions do not work, and this thread should be locked or erased. I used a new eeprom, went back to a previously banned stock hard drive that was erased and returned to original state, and was rebanned within 24 hours. Once a physical hard drive is banned, MS records the serial number most likely, and marries it to an eeprom. To get unbanned, you need a new eeprom, and a new physical drive. End of Story. Additionally, if you use a large hard drive, there is good evidence that a previously banned gamertag gets extra hard drive scanning. When they do that, it's probably not hard for them to figure out that you are using a big drive, and you will get banned. See the above post. |
You are obviosly confused.
Hard drives that are clean on the C & E partitions are fine, even if they are over stock size.
This is why you configure your bios to boot from F if you have a larger than the stock 8gb Western Digital hard drive (Seagate stock 10gb and others can have an F only readable by Evox and other homebrew software), and for people that want to put software on their C & E Western Digital 8gb hard drives, there is no guarentee if you will get your HDD-Key banned. (BTW, whole eeproms only get banned if you go online with the chip turned on)
Post by: FPS on November 25, 2004, 02:43:00 PM
I have a 160g locked hdd on a v1.0 xbox using my orginal gt.
Using my x-ecuter 2.3 pro using custom 4981.67 custom bios booting from f drive.
Drive C & E are clean just in case.
I was previusly using bios 4983.67 booting from c drive. But I wanted to use a bios that booted from f drive.
I'm still on xbox live playing halo 2 for about 2 weeks even after removing files from my c and e drives.
I wanted to rent the game instead of buying it cause I wanted to test it to see if I get banned. Marriage theory seems about right to me.
I haven't been on live for quite some time, been months.
Now I'm playing halo2 and have yet to be banned *knock on wood*.
Halo 2 is fun!!
Post by: OUberLord on November 25, 2004, 02:49:00 PM
120Gb HD, (The bios on the chip is whatever X2 one was the first to block XB Live connections), Xecuter 2 Pro
C Partition: Stock xboxdash.xbe, UnleashX named as evoxdash.xbe, Skins folder in root of C for UnleashX, SDK Software (For which yes, I am a valid user)
E Partition: Additional SDK Software, Homebrew Apps, Folders used by Emulators
F Partition: (Movies, Games, ROMs, stand F drive usage stuff)
I have played on Xbox Live nearly daily with Halo 2 and have yet to be banned. this leads me to believe (and this is probably already discussed) that:
A ) Non-stock HD isn't causing the bans.
B ) Having non-stock files on the HD isn't causing the bans either (Unless these non-stock files overwrite stock ones, as someone suggested before)
C ) LPC scans are not being performed.
Post by: gerzand on November 25, 2004, 02:54:00 PM
THE DISK.BIN METHOD
MS knows if you have ever changed eeproms, or changed a hard drive that you thought was banned because the hard drive has HIDDEN data in the Partition Table if your xbox has ever logged onto Live - And when this data is swapped out/mismatched (HD is switched, or new EEPROM flashed), they know you have messed with their intellectual property which = BANNED HDD-Key (you might as well buy a new eeprom though, because where else are you going to get an unbanned Key?)
THE ACCIDENTAL MOD-CHIP ON
This is when you try to sign onto live and they scan ur bios and find that its not legal which = BAN of your WHOLE eeprom - NOT hard drive Key or Serial #
DETECTBLE NON STOCK LARGER HARD DRIVE
MS can see that a hard drive is larger than stock if you forget to format your hard drive so that ONLY the F partition is larger than stock. ALL applications must go on the F, including the lauchable XBE
THE MODIFIED XBOXDASH.XBE
Some dumasses found a way to edit the xboxdash.xbe file that comes on every xbox to be able to launch unsigned MS code to play xbox games online witht the mod-chip ON. ***This is theoretically my MS starting banning based on HD size/DISK.BIN Data***
Look at my Posts to see how to fix all of these BANNING reasons by using a Low Level Formatting utility to erase the Partition Table, buying a new NON-FLAGGED/ NEVER SEEN XBOX LIVE EEPROM, and creating a new gamertag and NEVER using a flagged one!
Peace all.
Post by: mrjkwik on November 25, 2004, 06:22:00 PM
everything non m$ on f
got eeprom from zodiak
changed the hdd key.
no go. cant connect to live. not a "modified" error, just wont connect to live.
??
Post by: gerzand on November 25, 2004, 07:32:00 PM
| QUOTE (mrjkwik @ Nov 26 2004, 02:25 AM) |
| cleaned up c and e. everything non m$ on f got eeprom from zodiak changed the hdd key. no go. cant connect to live. not a "modified" error, just wont connect to live. ?? |
Please guys, start reading the post before yours. You need to ZERO your hard drive and get a new eeprom, and gamertag. The key alone wont work in this case!
Post by: gerzand on November 25, 2004, 08:02:00 PM
| QUOTE (greedyfly @ Nov 26 2004, 04:01 AM) |
| why do we need a new GT if we low level format ,new eeprom ,and never have any more non MS code? |
Because its possible that even though all of this has been done, it is believed Flagged gamertags (regardless if restored or transfered via memory card) are liable to cause heavier searches of hardware/software content in your xbox. Ur probably safe if you have zeroed out ur stock hard drive, but if its larger, ur taking a risk.
Post by: greedyfly on November 25, 2004, 08:11:00 PM
Post by: damadman on November 25, 2004, 08:16:00 PM
Post by: greedyfly on November 25, 2004, 08:20:00 PM
Post by: gerzand on November 25, 2004, 08:26:00 PM
| QUOTE (greedyfly @ Nov 26 2004, 04:23 AM) |
| how am i brave? i bought a new box 2 weeks ago so i could play online ,what can MS do to me? |
I think he didnt realize you bought a new unmodded xbox
Post by: damadman on November 25, 2004, 08:27:00 PM
Post by: rallycobra on November 25, 2004, 08:42:00 PM
Post by: greedyfly on November 25, 2004, 08:43:00 PM
Post by: mrjkwik on November 25, 2004, 08:59:00 PM
just tell me real quick, what do you mean by zero out. completely reformat c and e? i have a completely stock box, that i installed a wireless adapter on so i could slap my ice in there and copy my c and e drive out of that. so if i reformat c and e, can i just transfer the stock files that i copied to my pc onto that drive.
again, sorry for no being completely read up. generally i try to.
thanks.
Post by: Gumba on November 26, 2004, 03:34:00 AM
| QUOTE (greedyfly @ Nov 26 2004, 05:14 AM) |
| I'm up on a new box with my "flagged" GT,I'm safe so..If I reformatted my banned drive in my modded box and got a new eeprom and had absolutely no unsigned code anywhere they shouldn't ban me unles there is something to the lpc theory or hdd password theory.If there is a flag on banned drives a new GT is only delaying the inevitable |
Why is it so hard to believe that they can tell the difference between a stock drive an an upgraded HD?
ALL INFORMATION AT THIS POINT IN TIME SUGGESTS THAT YOU WILL BE BANNED IF YOU GO ON XBL WITH A FLAGGED GT AND A NON-STOCK HD!
A non-stock HD is an HD which was not sold by MS inside an Xbox.
Post by: xionanx on November 26, 2004, 03:55:00 AM
| QUOTE (greedyfly @ Nov 26 2004, 05:46 AM) |
| one of us should put the new factory hdd in the modded box and connect to live and since MS "loses" money on new console sales the estimated 100,00 + mod users should buy new boxes remember you get a 30 day warranty for testing purposes |
I'm getting so tired of hearing this crap! MS Looses money with every XBOX BUILT!!!! NOT SOLD!!
In other words, if its on a store shelf, then they have already lost all the money they are going to loose from it. All you will be doing is making the console sales figures go up, which makes the system look more popular, which makes them MORE MONEY from the sale of licenses to third party devolopers..
Post by: mc_365 on November 28, 2004, 02:28:00 PM
Post by: Angerwound on November 28, 2004, 06:30:00 PM
| QUOTE (rallycobra @ Nov 25 2004, 03:44 PM) |
| Angerwound instructions do not work, and this thread should be locked or erased. I used a new eeprom, went back to a previously banned stock hard drive that was erased and returned to original state, and was rebanned within 24 hours. Once a physical hard drive is banned, MS records the serial number most likely, and marries it to an eeprom. To get unbanned, you need a new eeprom, and a new physical drive. End of Story. Additionally, if you use a large hard drive, there is good evidence that a previously banned gamertag gets extra hard drive scanning. When they do that, it's probably not hard for them to figure out that you are using a big drive, and you will get banned. See the above post. |
Obviously you haven't read the entire thread...
This thread's original purpose was to explain that they are using the HDD Key as the piece of data that is being banned from the servers. Not a miracle to stay unbanned. I merely stated that to get unbanned; one would need a new eeprom or HDD Key. However, I did not state that this would KEEP you unbanned. You must first fix whatever got you banned in the first place. (The numerous 'theories' flying around).
This is the last time I reply to such a question since I have answered it numerous times throughout the thread.
| QUOTE |
| Angerwound, Whats the lattest? |
I'm still remaining strong on this box. It's getting close to a full month of not getting rebanned and I have never done a full format of the drive. Just wiped the 'C' and 'E' partitions and registered a new gamertag. Therefore, I see no truth in this 'disk.bin' theory. However, I will not bad mouth it since I have done no research in the area.
One more thing, it is okay to keep whatever you like on the 'E' partition. At the moment my 'E' is filled with random junk as well as hacked gamesaves. They are definately not scanning this files/folders. However, I do believe that /c/xboxdash.xbe and /d/default.xbe are being checked at authentication.
Post by: mc_365 on November 28, 2004, 07:30:00 PM
Post by: Leafz on November 28, 2004, 08:32:00 PM
Post by: mc_365 on November 29, 2004, 01:55:00 PM
The bios you have requires a special rc4 key to edit the boot sequence. Unfortunately I have no idea where you would get that. You could down grade to (you have 4983) 4981.
Post by: smokeingit on November 29, 2004, 03:12:00 PM
So check it out... i have been reading all this shit about xbox live, and i have been trying to help out as much as i can... then i ran some expensive test's.
i can confirm now the following...
1. game tags are not "tagged thats bullshit and people should get over it." will tell you why at the end.
2. people with 1.0's and 1.1's will only be able to do testing on what i found. sorry others...
3. xbox's that have never been online can only do this? why of course most of you already know the answer.
4. DO NOT USE SLAYER 2.6 TO DO THE INSTALL DAMN IT!
this was what i tested with
1. got 2 old xbox's that never been online.
a. the one that never has been online got the HD removed and replaced with a maxtor 300gb 16meg drive. then installed the dashboard that came with the old drive. the 4034 bios on it with the old dash that has no live option.
b. 2nd i installed a 120 gig 8meg HD and installed it with slayers software that has the new live software....
on both box's i let them go online for updates... played halo 2 went to sleep.
2. what happend in 24 hours....
(removed the chips on both system's the day before.)
a. so i wake up and i play some halo 2 before i go to work and i think cool they are not banning yet...
b. turn on 2nd xbox and BANNED... WTF.
Thats it... the key to all this shit is the dashboard. the dash is marring this shit by force.
and to top it off... i am using what some people call tagged Gamertag. i have been banned so many times under my name its not even half funny.
to help out, i want 1.0 test dummies that has unbanned HD's to post on the thread so i can send you a none banned eprom to help me on the quest... and please... i can only give 3 eproms...
so you get anything from my post... there is no such thing as tagged GT
and if you get the 2nd... will you guys know that once you go on live with the HD and the xbox... your stuck with those 2 fuckers togther. and dont go stright to the newest dash when you go online with the 2.
Message to you other fucking modders... dont leech off the scene, help the fuck out. i have seen to many modders that can do my research but would rather wait for someone else to do it then they even lift a finger... most modders are only active in the modders fourm... you bastards have to do some work sometimes too, i am most active in the TSOP flashing area so i never crap thread my own thread.
Post by: mc_365 on November 29, 2004, 05:53:00 PM
Post by: Cyrus_The_Great on December 03, 2004, 10:53:00 AM
Thanks in advance.
Post by: ombouwweert on December 03, 2004, 11:16:00 PM
i'm playing halo 2 on Live when booted original, with the mod turned offf, for over 3 weeks now and everything still works like it suppossed to work, i ain't got banned, and updated everytime when Live needed to....
must say after reading all this, evox dash on C is bothering me, and SOME1 posted in this thread, if you put the complete package of the dash on F and offcourse remove it from C and then reflash your chip, with the same? bios (m8 for 1.6 / m7 for 1.0-15 or 4983.06 for 1.0-1.5) witch are all supporting F drives you could, reboot your box and it would load the dash from F, i don't know if this true but i sure as hell gonna try it on a next xbox i'm gonna mod....
i can understand the bios on a modchip looks for particular files when booting a dash (e.g. evoxdash.xbe)....so maybe the bios needs to be editted to find those files on F rather then C, and tommorrow i will gonna try to find some to tools for doing that.....
i guess the bios coders like Team Evolution, and Team Excecuter, could easily change this and help ppl in preventing them from getting banned....and i hope they soon are gonne involve in this problem!!
like i said, the dash is bothering me, and if i remove this last bit off non proper files off C to F, where the original bios of M$ can't find em, i stilll believe that i won't get banned!!
grtz Me, a happy modder!!
Post by: PAYBAK on December 04, 2004, 02:02:00 AM
My network port got fried on my PAL XBOX so I changed my MB but all I could get was a NTSC board, anyway I swopped the board and just put my old original HD back in. Problem I had was all my games are Original PAL so I could'nt go LIVE without the chip on (go figure) so what I did was take my old EPROM from my PAL MB and flashed it to NTSC board with configmagic this was about 4 weeks ago Pre-HALO2 and everything was working great.
Anyway to cut a long story short my XBOX has been working fine until 4 weeks back and I've have been busy and not tried to go LIVE since. Now with HALO2 released and all the bannings going on I'm a bit scared to go online.....
To re-cap
Xecuter lite 2.something
XBOX 1.5 NTSC board flashed with old PAL EPROM (1.4 I think)
Standard locked hard drive
Used Slayers 2.5 to get Evox on (E: has my Apps on)
Was on LIVE 4 weeks back everything worked great.
Post by: Angerwound on December 04, 2004, 02:38:00 AM
| QUOTE (mc_365 @ Nov 28 2004, 10:33 PM) |
| Angerwound, on the drive that you are going strong on can you tell us what got that drive banned in the past? Just so the people will know what you have recovered from. Date of banns would be nice too. |
There is no way I could tell dates and times but I have been banned almost 50 times on this xbox - The reasons for most of these bans were connecting to live with a modified bios. I also had 2 account terminations for violation the terms of use. Restoring the drive to retail, new eeprom, and new gamertag fixed all my problems.
Post by: Michelin__Man on December 04, 2004, 11:15:00 AM
Post by: IceCoolUk on December 13, 2004, 07:39:00 AM
Post by: xman954 on December 13, 2004, 09:15:00 AM
| QUOTE (IceCoolUk @ Dec 13 2004, 09:42 AM) |
| was just wondering how I can grab the HDD Key for my retail HDD so I can put in my new HDD without being banned from XBL and would this work using the key from my retail HDD? |
The HDD KEY is stored in the EEPROM on the MB...
if you have been on XBL with that KEY then the HDD serial# was recorded
by M$ so do NOT use that KEY with a new HDD or you will get baned.
you must use a KEY that has never been used on XBL with a NEW HDD or
a HDD that has never been on XBL.
once you have been on XBL the HDD and KEY are locked together forever,
do NOT use one without the other on XBL..............
Post by: mc_365 on December 13, 2004, 07:52:00 PM
| QUOTE (xman954 @ Dec 13 2004, 06:18 PM) |
| The HDD KEY is stored in the EEPROM on the MB... if you have been on XBL with that KEY then the HDD serial# was recorded by M$ so do NOT use that KEY with a new HDD or you will get baned. you must use a KEY that has never been used on XBL with a NEW HDD or a HDD that has never been on XBL. once you have been on XBL the HDD and KEY are locked together forever, do NOT use one without the other on XBL.............. |
This entire thread contracts everything you are telling this dude. You should qualify you reply by saying, "I believe this is whats being done" cuase there is evidence from trusted members that says there is no marriage happening.
Post by: mc_365 on December 13, 2004, 08:36:00 PM
| QUOTE (pmpr13 @ Dec 14 2004, 05:13 AM) |
| do we know when exactly MS started tracking hard drives and marying them to specific hard drive keys because I have a box that has nto been on live for over a year and is unmoded i was looking to mod it and put a new hardrive in it shoudl i use the eeprom i have now with its hard drive key or should i try to get one off a brand new box since my box has been on live. What i am ultiamtly askign is it safe to upgrade my hardrive using my present hd key and eeprom if my box hasnt been on live in over a year? |
This is the "No marrige theory thread"
Post by: solid7x2 on December 14, 2004, 08:18:00 AM
What this thread is basically saying is that although the above DEFINATELY works, it may be overkill, and you dont need to do all that to get back on live.
by all means change all 3 and it is guaranteed to work, although maybe overkill. This is what I did, and it works great, regardless if marriage is true or not.
Post by: Angerwound on December 14, 2004, 09:50:00 AM
Once again, no matter what live problem/ban I've come acrossed. A fresh eeprom and new gamertag always fixed the problem. I myself don't replace the hdd to unban, just keep whatever is already in the box (Be it upgraded or stock).
I've been previously stating that certain files may be checked on the hard drive, however I have bravely been placing files all over my drive and logging into live. I have games, gamesave exploits, dashboards, apps etc... on /c/ and /e/ - Everything seems fine still. I haven't replaced the xboxdash.xbe file and logged in yet. This is the main file I suspected of a check.
Post by: Angerwound on December 14, 2004, 10:47:00 AM
| QUOTE (fruitbat04 @ Dec 14 2004, 01:08 PM) |
| c:\ and e:\ were definatly clean. I modified the 4981 bios to boot off f:\. The hdd/eeprom were both changed at the same time, then the GT was created straight away. The eeprom was purchased off Zodiak. |
Sent you a PM
Post by: fruitbat04 on December 14, 2004, 02:14:00 PM
Post by: DerangedPrometheus on December 14, 2004, 05:51:00 PM
Has anyone tried replacing any stock XBox files yet, or just adding other files (dashes, apps, etc)? For example, the c:\xodash\xonlinedash.xbe or ST.db as used in the double dash and audio exploits.
Post by: Angerwound on December 14, 2004, 06:52:00 PM
| QUOTE (DerangedPrometheus @ Dec 14 2004, 08:54 PM) |
| To start with: thank you Angerwound for having the balls to try this stuff out. Has anyone tried replacing any stock XBox files yet, or just adding other files (dashes, apps, etc)? For example, the c:\xodash\xonlinedash.xbe or ST.db as used in the double dash and audio exploits. |
Audio hacks don't seem to be triggering anything as I have them on my box as well.
As for swapping out the xonlinedash.xbe file - if you intend on booting up to the actual MS dashboard and it is in fact the latest version (5960) - any change or removal of xonlinedash.xbe will report in an error 21 upon boot. This is a checksum that was added into the dashboard's code beginning with D: 5960. It is checksumming the entire xbe, so any modifications at all will cause it to error out. The main intentions of this 'security update' were to prevent the Double-Dashboard Exploit that I outlined many months ago.
(This security update was sent out a few months before the current one we are all battling. Info in link)
Post by: IceCoolUk on December 15, 2004, 01:47:00 AM
have a good xmas peeps n keep up the good work
Post by: sheik124 on December 18, 2004, 02:48:00 PM
my 120 GB is collecting dust, but from what i understand, i need to get a new HDD key in order to use the new hard drive, correct? also, is there any alternatives to slayer's for formatting a drive? i think craxtion can do it, not sure. never been banned *knock on wood* but i guess its because i haven't done anything wrong.
EDIT: also, i know alot of people hack DVD burner firmwares (running a hacked FW on my 108D right now) but is it possible to hack HDD firmware and literally replace the serial numbers?
Post by: Kazaki on December 20, 2004, 08:38:00 AM
Can someone please explain this entire changing HDD key thing in detail to me that doesn't involve changing the EEPROM? I am rather perplexed by this idea.
Post by: pixeljunky on December 20, 2004, 08:43:00 AM
Post by: inVinCiBleGaMa on December 28, 2004, 09:32:00 AM
QUOTE(Angerwound)
1) Yes and No. Some people calculated HDD Key's with Live Info when upgrading HDD without a chip. While some with chips just locked the Hard Drive with their current key.
So answer could really go both ways.
So answer could really go both ways.
Ok Sorry about it but I gotta ask this. If I try to calculate a new key using LiveInfo I will not be banned?
Does LiveInfo produce valid Keys, which I can use to replace my HDD key in the EEPRom?
And if so, can some1 give me the steps? Help would be much appreciated.
Edit: I tried calculating the Key w/ LiveInfo and Im stuck on how.
Post by: TheMasGaster on January 05, 2005, 08:48:00 PM
Post by: TheMasGaster on January 05, 2005, 09:11:00 PM
Post by: aqmlswnk on January 16, 2005, 06:07:00 PM
QUOTE
I just updated the eeprom and locked the virgin drive and booted it w/ the modchip off. I went into the memory menu and it still shows +50000 blocks free. Does this mean that I need to update the HDD key before accessing live? Sorry to be a post hog but I want to check with others before getting banned again.
NO
Post by: xman954 on January 17, 2005, 10:18:00 AM
let me start by saying this xbox has a modchip with a push button switch
on the back and is only used for recovery, 250 gig HDD.
it has been softmodded for over 1 year using MA hack..
uninstalled every time to play XBL no problem for months.
account ran out in sept of 04 not been on XBL from then on.
bought ghost 2 came with 2 month card said, ok let me try this
after reading all the banning stuff, deleted all of C:\ restored from a backup
the only thing on E:\ was CACHE TDATA UDATA, cleared cache and X Y Z
deleted MA gamesave and all the other non ligit gamesaves (mxm,unknown,ect)
that was last week..
but i did forget to delete Halo2 gamesave that was played from the HDD
loged on yesterday and BANNED...
did halo2 do it or is it somthing else ????
File dates ?? (FTP uses current date)
Post by: Gumba on January 24, 2005, 05:23:00 PM
QUOTE(draven301 @ Jan 24 2005, 11:27 PM)
Got banned during lunch today. Figured it had to happen sometime. I got home last week and I turned on the box and saw the green "modchip on" light and heard a disc spinning and saw the headset plugged into the controller! He claimed he didn't play online tho. I've played on it since then - I wouldn't think it'd take that long for bannination.
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Title: Ban Info
Post by: uk_dan2k on September 15, 2005, 06:40:00 PM
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i got banned months ago and never bothered getting back on again, banned for having modchip on while going on xbl. Old matrix modchip was screwed never switched off when it was supposed too.
I got a new hd and eeprom ages ago to replace it but never tested it, im getting a newer modchip xecuter 2. somethin with the on/off switch for outside the case (much easier).
that new harddrive was wipped and reloaded stock, its a normal 8gig hd, i loaded slayer disc to load the works on there, most stuff on e, no f partition, and evoxdash.xbe on c.
i'm gonna get new gametag when new modchip comes, should this work alright on xbl? or they gonna screw me for the stuff of E:? i'll try it anyway and buy new eeprom and hd if it buggers up.
if the drive has too be complety original i wont be able to put evox anywhere because theres no f drive.
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Title: Ban Info
Post by: lordvader129 on September 15, 2005, 07:33:00 PM
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Post by: uk_dan2k on September 15, 2005, 06:40:00 PM
I got a new hd and eeprom ages ago to replace it but never tested it, im getting a newer modchip xecuter 2. somethin with the on/off switch for outside the case (much easier).
that new harddrive was wipped and reloaded stock, its a normal 8gig hd, i loaded slayer disc to load the works on there, most stuff on e, no f partition, and evoxdash.xbe on c.
i'm gonna get new gametag when new modchip comes, should this work alright on xbl? or they gonna screw me for the stuff of E:? i'll try it anyway and buy new eeprom and hd if it buggers up.
if the drive has too be complety original i wont be able to put evox anywhere because theres no f drive.
Post by: lordvader129 on September 15, 2005, 07:33:00 PM
QUOTE(natedogg386 @ Sep 15 2005, 07:48 PM)
Ok, this is probably a really dumb question i am just reading over or something but here goes. I have a banned modded xbox, and an unbanned, "virgin" xbox that is my friends but he doesnt play online. I have ConfigMagic on my modded xbox, but how do i get the HDD-Key from the virgin xbox?
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Title: Ban Info
Post by: lordvader129 on September 16, 2005, 05:16:00 PM
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Post by: lordvader129 on September 16, 2005, 05:16:00 PM
QUOTE(natedogg386 @ Sep 16 2005, 07:06 PM)
Thanks, and which softmod should i use if all i wanna do is see the HDD-key to be able to put it on my modded xbox with ConfigMagic? a Link to the tutorial would be much appreciated, thx again
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Title: Ban Info
Post by: preachingsun on September 20, 2005, 06:00:00 AM
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Ps My origianl gamertag/account has never been banned.
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Title: Ban Info
Post by: lordvader129 on September 20, 2005, 08:06:00 AM
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get a new eeprom from zodiiak in b/s/t, then follow these steps
1: install/setup 80gb HD
2: flash new eeprom with config magic
3: lock HD with config magic
you are now all set for Live, no need for a new GT since you have never been banned
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Title: Ban Info
Post by: preachingsun on September 20, 2005, 09:06:00 AM
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Post by: preachingsun on September 20, 2005, 06:00:00 AM
Ps My origianl gamertag/account has never been banned.
Post by: lordvader129 on September 20, 2005, 08:06:00 AM
1: install/setup 80gb HD
2: flash new eeprom with config magic
3: lock HD with config magic
you are now all set for Live, no need for a new GT since you have never been banned
Post by: preachingsun on September 20, 2005, 09:06:00 AM