Print

[opjose]

Someone posted ths on xboxhacker.net

QUOTE

One of my modded xboxs was getting the infamous Xbox live not found error. After numerous calls to the very unhelpful desk with no fix. I decided to try a few things to get my box on live again. What eventually fixed it was snagging the serial number/online key/mac address from one of my virgin systems and placing it on the "banned" xbox. After which it hopped right on. After my success I was wondering what would happen if I dumped the old eeprom back on there and I bet you can guess what happened. Xbox live not found. Perhaps someone smarter then me will come up with a better solution then snagging another eeprom from a non-banned box but for now that is what is working for me.

This is exactly as I surmised.

Note the machines are NOT being banned per-se, rather the servers are NOT replying to certain seemingly random serial numbers.

[Satan00]

wow so they are blocking xboxes, those assholes! i'm surprised your xbox isnt anned yet opjose, maybe they know you're "special"

[pike-old]

Swings and roundabouts...Live not found error on a MODDED box. Not found because he was 'banned', or just random?. If random, why?? and surely if he uses another serial/mac etc, on another box, he then has your 'random' 20% chance that that one is stuffed too!

[pike-old]

OP - OK, Ill play

I have 2 machines here


1. xecutor with switch  - Live not found
2. Xtender 1.1 no switch  - live found, but no connection to games (no switch, you see)

If you can tell me the procedure, I'll happily test this theory for the benefit of all....

[opjose]

QUOTE (Satan00 @ Nov 16 2002, 01:46 PM)

wow so they are blocking xboxes, those assholes! i'm surprised your xbox isnt anned yet opjose, maybe they know you're "special"

                                    No this guy is using the term BANNING wrong.

It's an authentication issue as I've stated.

For some reason or another the servers are not replying to certain serial numbers and/or not recognizing their initial handshake packets as being "valid".

Since this applies to old and new systems, modded and unmodded, it indicates a bug, error, or overzealous setting problem on the authentication servers.

Hopefully it will be fixed. If not I'll bet we will see a utility to circumvent the problem soon based upon the "identity switch" working properly!

I'm convinced that MS DID NOT intend for the connectivity problem to happen as it did.


I'm also fully convinced that the mod chip detection "fix" was their real line of defense. It's also a pretty good solution all around for them. It doesn't block "valid" machines playing retail games. It also permits modded machines to work with a slight wink on their part, to the whole mod chip issue.


The Kerberos issue is a nightmare for them on the other hand. It's blocking both valid and non-valid, modded and non-modded systems. Someone ROYALLY screwed up.

[Satan00]

i doubt if even thoes assholes are doing anything about this problem, it sure is taking a WHILE

[opjose]

QUOTE (pike @ Nov 16 2002, 01:55 PM)

OP - OK, Ill play I have 2 machines here 1. xecutor with switch  - Live not found 2. Xtender 1.1 no switch  - live found, but no connection to games (no switch, you see) If you can tell me the procedure, I'll happily test this theory for the benefit of all....

                                    Ok if the machines are IDENTICAL...

E.G. both are NTSC
Both have the SAME kernel REV.

BACKUP the eeprom by hitting the BACKUP command in EVOLUTION-X.

FTP the C:\BACKUP files down and COPY THEM into proper directories so you know which is which. DO NOT CONFUSE THEM!

Copy the EEPROM.BIN from the working machine to the non-working one's C:\ drive as C:\eeprom.bin

For safety have an Evolution-X boot disk handy to undo changes if you need to...

Now grab EEPROMagic V0.01.rar from the net.

Load the XBE to the C:\ drive and run it using boXplorer or Evolution-X itself.

It will again back up the current EEPROM as C:\BACKUPEEPROM.BIN and then burn the C:\eeprom.bin file. It will shut the machine down when done.

DO NOT turn it back on yet!

Remove the power and open the unit.

Take the drive from the OTHER machine and install it on the non-working one.

Remember since the non-working one assumes the "identity" of the working one, your LOCKED hard drive from the working one will now work on your non-working machine with the mod chip disabled!

Your old hard drive is locked for the old EEPROM contents so it will no longer work until you either unlock & relock it (after figuring out it's NEW password as per the tutorial) or you revert back to the original EEPROM.

However as a test, and to avoid a lot of hassles, moving the drive from the other machine will suffice.

Keep the old working machine OFF the network or cable modem.

Power up the "new" now working machine.

Voila it's FIXED!

Now you can either leave it this way or unlock the old drive and put it back into your other previously working unit.

Note: you will now be unable to have BOTH of these Xboxes connected to ANY network, LAN, or CABLE MODEM -AT THE SAME TIME!-

Of course you could reburn the non-working eeprom code into your switchless machine... heh.

This works.

[opjose]

QUOTE (silkweed @ Nov 16 2002, 01:56 PM)

My god!!! Please learn to read for understanding!!!!!!

                                    Who are you talking to?

[opjose]

QUOTE (pike @ Nov 16 2002, 02:14 PM)

Op - therein lies the problem. I have the mods fitted, but no evos etc. Fitted by a tech guy and left to their own devices. Suppose I could go through the procedure though, but it looks like a lot of work.. I'm sure, in the fullness of time a solution will be found. Mind you, there is a REAL IRONY here. Through trying to stop modders, MS have shot themselves in the foot. Folk locked out on a unmodded box are gonna have to open it up in order to get it to work. They'll be 'borrowing' identities from other machines and causing chaos, when those other machines try to go online... Mess, Disaster, CHAOS

                                    Re: IRONY

Yet another reason why this is a nightmare for them!
I really do not believe that this was intended.

They WANT to cut down on the number of returned machines if anything...

The mod chip detection code which is downloaded is another matter which was definitely intended.

Re: problem

What's the problem?

Create a bootable DVD with Evolution-X on it.

Use this to create the "backups" and FTP to, to make the changes.

Put boXplorer and EEPROMagic on the same disk with entries in the evox.ini file, and you are all set both to perform the "test" and undo the damage later.

[ICEFuZiOn]

Great Info...

You said this doesnt fix the connectivity problem in the Xbl settings though.
There is currently no fix for that as its on MS's Side. I still think my xbox is blocked, The last day I played was tuesday (note that was on the Beta).

Could someone answer me on this one?
People with the Beta....Did you recive a update when logging on to the retail games?I never logged into a retail game, does this matter?

So it all comes down to this, I need to wait till that Kurbose error is fixed and the xbl see's my machine bfor I should do any of this EPROM switching?
Like you said Opjose, a Blocked or non-Blocked from XBL machine should still see all Green in the Connection test?

[teetu]

[clifface]

The way I see it is if you want to play on live anytime soon, get another xbox.  Everybody on here has been great and every few hours there is a new breakthrough but in the end we are still leaving up to MS to fix this on their servers.  Might be hours/days/weeks, who knows.  I myself am really starting to think getting another xbox would be quickest and easiest way to play online.

[Cybersage]

QUOTE ([AD] @ Nov 16 2002, 04:53 PM)

Is there no way of editing the Eprom? Like checking whats different in both Eproms and trying to match it on the none connecting one? or is it a serial number problem??

                                    Someone was/is working on the issue in IRC. I think soon well see some fixes. The problem is that people are going to go to wal-mart and get the serial # off that machine and take it back, just adding to MS's problem. Opjose said it best...MS shot themselves in the foot.


Cheers
Cybersage

[pike-old]

Well, I bit the bullet and bought another box. Live was on my memeory card. I plugged inthe machine, inserted the retail disk and bosh, connected, without having to setup or recover an account or ANYTHING. Weird.

BUT, I can tell you this. Looking at MOTOGP theres a lot changed on the front end from when i was in beta (adverts and stuff). Makes me think that blocked users are flagging up to the wrong/dead server as a result of changing from beta to retail (perhaps BEFORE the required 15th?)

Anyway, i now have 1 x box in an arcade cabinet playing dedicated MAME. One for homebrew applications, and one dedicated to online play....

[Zander]

QUOTE

BUT, I can tell you this. Looking at MOTOGP theres a lot changed on the front end from when i was in beta (adverts and stuff). Makes me think that blocked users are flagging up to the wrong/dead server as a result of changing from beta to retail (perhaps BEFORE the required 15th?)

This is the running theory, with one difference. I know I have the connection problem, "Xbox Live not found". I also know I tried to use the retail disc on the 14th, but I'm not 100% sure that has something to do with it. There are new xbox live users that are getting the same problem that never put in the retail disc before the beta.

I'm starting to lean more toward a server issue, like database corruption, or just plain data loss. Perhaps some serials were wiped from the database holding serials that are authorized to be used?

How about doing this...

Do a sniff with a known, non-working serial.

Do a sniff with a made-up, fake serial.

Do a sniff with a known working serial.

Find the differences. If a non-working and a completely made up serial (like say 000000000000) generate roughly the same packet sniff (broken down kerberos handshark) are the same, we MIGHT have something. Maybe nothing, but I'm running out of things to try.

It may be there is nothing we can do short of getting a new xbox or serial at this point without some sort of inkling from MS.

Thoughts opjose?

Z