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[Angerwound]

Well, there are a few things we need to know about the hard disk before we can go any further with attempting to hijack its use for homebrew.

1: Is She Locked?
*Of course each xbox hdd can be used on any console but that doesn't mean they can't be locked with a universal key this time. We need to hook up the hdd unit to a sata connection and see what we can read.

2: Can we update her contents without xbox360 bitching...
*Once step 1 has been overcome the next step is convincing the system we never removed the hdd in the first place! Content such as Demo's and gamesaves im sure is going to be heavily protected just as it was on xbox1. Be it contentmeta's hashing certain files to validate them or another new security feature.

Let's start with these first couple goals and work from here!

[DaBiscuit]

Firmware can be flashed. If someone can get access to the custom firmware, it's not even a problem. Anything can be hacked if you try hard enough.

[deadparrot]

I doubt the architecture of the processor makes a difference.  You can use a FAT32 iPod just fine on a Mac.  Macs use HFS/HFS+ instead of FAT/FAT32/NTFS.  I wouldn't be surprized if we see XBFS (XBOX File System - a name I have given to an Xbox variant of NTFS, like the way the current Xbox uses FATX instead of FAT32).  That way M$ could provide the games and stuff you can download from live in an encrypted disc image fomat.  If it is an NTFS based file system, this would allow for single files to be greater than 4gb, therefore making it easier to deliver game downloads.

[kast555]

I say give it a year or so, just think. People will be going to web site like System-mods.com to buy upgrade HDD that contains pre modded software (the legal stuff that is) After all the so call chip level security is no longer a threat, swapping HDD will be a new way to flash TSOP

Why do you think MS when with SATA instead of USB 2.0 for the Harddrive.

[BlueCELL]

Angerwound,

Did you ever get your 360's in?

BlueCELL

[Angerwound]

QUOTE(BlueCELL @ Nov 20 2005, 12:11 PM)

Angerwound,

[lordvader129]

ive been thinking about the fiulesysetm of the hard drive, and i personally dont see any reason for MS to shell out money to develope a new file system when FATx would do everything they need

i eman, us modders know and are annoyed by all of FATx's limitations, but what problem do they pose to MS?

character limits: easily avoided, all the saves and soundtracks worked fine on FATx
256gb partiton limit: like MS would ever give you a 300gb HD for the 360
4gb filesize limit: is MS really gonna have you downlaod 4gb of stuff to your 360 HD? even if they did they wouldnt make it all 1 file and risk it being corrupted

although encrypted files would be a plus, but if they get a decent locking system so PCs cant read it they wont need that


second, do we actually know HDs will work on any xbox? they could do something like have the HD lock itself to whatever xbox uses it first (but then again that would defeat the purpose of having it so conviently external) if it would ju7st be a master key it should be a simple matter to code that key into xhdm

[Casper1786]

well all this locking makes me think about how We Can only Read XBOX Discs inna XBOX, like how it requires the drive to have it's own special firmware, and the system containst the other part of the code to create a key to decrypt the data, I'm betting onna Special Firmware on the drive creating such problems like it saying that it only contains so much HDD room, so making the system think  it's using a 20GB even if you pop inna 40GB, but ofcourse there was talks about possibly being larger drives in the future snd shit, i'd be a little bit annoying if they came out within 6 months as i find 20Gb small, specially with all of downloads + i'll be stocking allot of tunes also

[GCDemos]

If any of you were around in the early PS2 Dev days you may have heard of 'NAPLink'... It was software that allowed you to connect to your PS2 via a PL203 (I can't remember if that's the right number) cable, also known as a dual ended USB cable, IE. two male connectors. Seeing as the Xbox 360 can read from USB keys, iPods and whatnot, surely someone could use said cable to connect to said USB ports. The Xbox may then see your PC hard drive, and you may see the Xbox's, although this may require a little bit of coding.

I have the cable, however, I live in London and am unable to test as my Xbox will not arrive till next friday! I think that the priority at the moment should be hard drive and connectivity testing as working with BIOs and disc media is much more complex...

Eh let me know if someone tries it.

[mushroomboy]

I don't really think the hdds have a key "per xbox" to say.  If you really think about it, remember how they made memory cards so you could move gamesaves?  Wouldn't a 20G hdd the size of a laptop hdd be easier?  Then instead of JUST game saves, you've got music, video clips, everything you've saved on it.... I think they chose a mini-hdd because they WANTED you to move it.  Look at how they did the psu, it's not tiny, I really don't think they were like "were going to make some uber psu so you can move the system wherever you want....".  I think there idea is that everyone will want the xbox360.... So why not just give people small hdd's so you can move them!  On the note of a FS, I would seem it feasable that they could have made an XBFS, that doesn't seem like a bad idea.  FAT32 had many problems, quite a few when it came to organizing data...

[Agent ME]

Even if it is locked, at teamxecuter.com they are showing there is a tool to unlock any ATA security locked hard drive.

[Dameon]

Can anyone confirm if a hard drive works in another console after it has already been used?

[MrCrazy1]

Oh come on, there has to be a linux version that will read the format. Becuase there probably is just a few files that it has to have to read which could be cloned onto other hard drives.

[Tharin2002]

I havn't seen alot of mention of this but here's some of the newest info from http://www.free60.org/wiki/Harddrive.  It looks like the file system is possibly some modified form of FATX... likely some kind of hybrid FATX - NTFS system.  Of interesting note is the 'XTAF' Header, again leading me to believe that it is a modified version of FATX.  They have also verified that the hard drive only needs to contain the proper headers and footers in order for the X360 to recognize it.  A small modification to the cable will also allow any retail hard drive to boot as the X360's power cable does not have the 12V power connected.  All of this information again was gleaned of the free60.org hard drive page, check it out and keep it in mind for future discussions.

Also, on the USB hard drive note... I did like the idea that once we can get a retail hard drive to be recognized by the X360 via a serial connection that we try it through a USB connection as well.  The limitation for picture and music files cannot be applied to memory cards which are also connected via the USB bus, so there must be some way for the X360 to recognize the type of storage device connected and apply the appropriate restrictions.

Tharin

[deadparrot]

QUOTE(Tharin2002 @ Nov 29 2005, 03:12 AM)

so there must be some way for the X360 to recognize the type of storage device connected and apply the appropriate restrictions.

Tharin

Perhaps it's not just restricted to music and pictures.  We don't have any save files to actually put on a usb stick to see if they are recognized.