contents
Contents
Introduction
Where
to buy
What
you need and where to get it
Taking
it out
Rigging
it up
The
flash process
Putting
it back together
Restoring
your drive
Burning
a backup
FAQ
Other
info and thanks
introduction
So what's this all about? The X360USB is
a small kit created by Team
Xecuter which allows you to modify your firmware to
enable the ODD (Optical Disk Drive) inside your 360 to play
backups of games. So why not just keep your money and buy
a cheap SATA PCI card to begin the firmware modification
process? Because they're unreliable in terms of compatibility
and what if you have no more PCI slots, or you just want
to do it the quick, easy and safe way? The X360USB solves
all these problems.
After much confusion being displayed on many forums, I felt
it is only right I create a guide for all you lot wondering
what to do with this new kit.
The current X360USB only supports the Hitachi-LG
GDR-3120L and does not work with Toshiba-Samsung or Phillips
drives. The new Hitachi drive with rom version 78FK is also
not supported, because of the new protection methods implemented
by Microsoft on this drive. A modified firmware has been
released but it requires desoldering the chip after scraping
the black glue away and then using an external programmer
- the X360USB can't be used, for the time being at least.
To find out what drive you have, you have to go to the What
you need and where to get it section.
As you may know, the kit comes with a Hard Disk Drive adapter
as well as the USB converter unit and power adapter. This
guide will not document this, and will only explain the
process of modifying the firmware using this kit.
It should be also made very clear, that I am in know way
affiliated with Team Xecuter or Microsoft and Team Xecuter
did not write any part of this guide. I take no repsonsibility
for any damage you may incur on your console by following
this guide and I am not responsible for any errors that
may be contained within it.
This guide does not show you how or where you can download
the modified firmware. This is for you to find and I will
not answer any questions regarding this.
The firmware enables the following features:
Boots all Xtreme Xbox 360 backups
Boots all Xtreme Xbox 1 backups supported by emulator
Boots all Xbox 360 originals
Boots all Xbox 1 originals supported by emulator
The kit includes:
1 x Sata cable
1 x Small power cable (NOT MOLEX, IT IS TO CONNECT ODD ADAPTER
TO THE DRIVE)
1 x X360USB converter
1 x ODD adapter (connectivity kit)
1 x HDD adapter (connecticity kit)
*THIS PROCESS VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY!*
You must understand that upon opening your Xbox 360 console,
you will void its warranty and will no longer be able to
take it back to Microsoft for repair and the remaining time
on your warranty will be invalid. This process could be
illegal in some states/countries so please check up on the
law before carrying on. Remember, making copies of games
you dont own is illegal! support the developers
and buy the game!
Also remember that on the first
batch of the kits, the power and activity LED's are the
wrong way round, this will be fixed on later batches.
*READ THE FAQ BEFORE CONTINUING*
where to buy
|
Country
|
Shops
|
Price
|
|
WORLD WIDE
|
|
$49.99
|
The above table may be out
of date and I strongly recommend visiting the site yourself
to make sure the price is right. There will be more shops
than this selling the product (I myself bought mine from
ShopNeo - great service). I take no responsibility for all
of the above websites.
Also remember that although I have picked up the prices
with tax already added on, there is still delivery charges.
what
you need and where to get it
This first thing you need is the correct
drive. You can find out what drive you have by just looking
at its tray. Here is an image from Xbox-scene to help you:
If your disc drive tray looks like the
one on the right, you have the correct drive which should
work with the X360USB adapter. However, one version of the
Hitachi, the 78FK, has no physical features that make it
different to the other Hitachi's (except for the "Rom ver:"
on the drive sticker, but to see that the Xbox needs to
be taken apart). Unfortunately, the 78FK is not modifiable
at the moment, so you must make sure you DON'T have this
drive. A modified firmware for the 78FK has in fact been
released but it can't be used with the X360USB because it
requires scraping away the glue, desoldering the chip and
using an external programmer. It is not yet known if this
drive will EVER be able to be modified with the X360USB.
Most of these drives are found in the UK and Australia but
it is likely they will be everywhere in weeks. If you check
the sticker on the back of the console,and the manufacturing
date is before Late July/Early Aug 2006 you should be fine
and shouldn't end up with the dreaded 78FK. If it's after,
you'd best open it up and take a look - but prepare to be
dissapointed. Any other rom version is fine. To help you
check which rom version you have, check this image (also
from Xbox-scene):
The above is simply the sticker on top of the drive itself. Again,
anything other than 78FK is fine.
You will also need a Torx t10 screwdriver. This is needed
to open the case - you can get one at most tool shops, usually
in sets. They can also be purchased on lots of modchip sites
(you may consider the "Team Xecuter Unlock Kit" which makes
opening the Xbox a whole lot easier, and comes with the
screwdriver).
You will also need the latest copy of the suitable firmware.
At the moment, the best firmware (and latest) to use is
"Maximus-Garyopa_XTRM-HITACHI_v2_3_Stealth Revision 2."
Again, I will not document where to find
this firmware at any point. This is for you to research.
This firmware is 8in1 so it supports all rom versions (except
for the 78FK).
You should also have one free standard size USB socket on
your computer and one free molex power connector inside
your PC (wire that comes out of the power supply). If you
dont have a free molex, search on google for "molex splitter"
to purchase a small cable (or you could temporarily unplug
an extra disc drive or hard drive that doesn't have the
operating system on it). Here
is an image of a molex splitter.
If your going to use the X360USB with a laptop you will
need an external molex power supply like this
one. This can also be used if for some reason you dont
want to open your PC.
taking
it out
Due to the fact that there are many,
many guides out there telling you how to open the Xbox 360
and get the DVD drive out, this section will not go into
great detail.
First, follow this guide to get started:
Anandtech
Xbox 360 Stripping Guide
When it comes to opening up the metal
case, only undo the screws circled in red on this image
(make sure your looking at the Xbox 360 the right way round
in relation to this picture!):
The guide on Anandtech only needs to be followed up to (this is on
second page):
"To continue further, you
will need to first remove the DVD drive. Simply hold the drive and lift
up. You will notice that the Xbox 360's DVD drive uses a Serial ATA interface which keeps things very
tidy compared to the original Xbox. At this point, remove
both the power supply cable and Serial ATA cable from the
DVD drive"
Do not remove the DVD drive cables from the motherboard, it is not
needed.
For the rest of the guide, I will assume
you have removed the DVD drive.
NOTE: If you have trouble opening the
clamps at the back of the 360, follow this guide.
rigging it
up
This is the bit where
most people have been getting confused. I will use a diagrams
and images to help (thanks to Team Xecuter for some of the
pictures!). I will take it step by step. I will assume you
have a PC and not a laptop. If you want to use the X360USB
with a laptop, you need to buy and external molex power
supply like this
one. This external power supply can also be used if
you dont want to open your PC.
1. Switch everything off, including the PC.
2. Plug the included SATA cable into the X360USB converter
and put the other end into the Xbox 360 drive.
3. Plug the included USB cable in the X360USB converter
and put the other end into your PC.
4. Plug the small power cable (with lots
of black wires) into the DVD drive and put the other (smaller)
end into the power adapter.
5. Open your PC. If you don't know how to do so, contact
its manufacturer. It's usually easy.
6. Get a free molex
connector from the power supply inside your PC and plug
it into the power adapter. If you have an external molex
power supply use this instead. Your setup should be like
this so far:
NOTE: Lights wont be on like
they are on the picture
(power should still be off)!
7. Now make sure the switch on the power
adapter is set to the on position.
8. Make sure the eject button is up (off) and the modeb
button is down (on).
9. Switch your PC on. The light should come on as red.
the flash process
RECOMENDATION: If you have flashed your drive in the past
use RESTORE
first. If it is a brand new drive use directly the Flash
command you
like. If you dont plan to use your drive to dump games use
the
FLASH16S.BAT
MAKE SURE THERE IS NO DISC IN THE DRIVE
BEFORE FLASHING!
This section documents how to flash your
drive. I am assuming you already have the firmware package
(this documents the earlier mentioned "Maximus-Garyopa_XTRM-HITACHI_v2_3_Stealth
Revision 2"). It is also assuming you have Windows XP (the
process will be similiar if not identical on other operating
systems). If you are told to type something, ignore the
quotes. Please read the readme
that comes with the firmware package!
1. Make sure the LED's on the power adapter are red, if
not - make sure the modeb button is down (on).
2. Double-click "My Computer."
3. Make sure your Xbox 360 drive is showing up as a new
drive letter here. If not, see the FAQ later on in this
guide for troubleshooting.
4. Now extract the firmware package from its archive. They
are usually in "rar" format. To open these you must download
WinRar or any other archiving
program that supports rar (winzip does not).
5. Once you have extracted the firmware, you should enter
the folder, and you should see something like this:
6. Click start and then run on the system
tray. In the run box type "cmd" and click OK.
7. Now type "CD\" and press enter.
8. Now you must type "CD EXTRACTEDFOLDERLOCATIONHERE"
and press enter. You must replace EXTRACTEDFOLDERLOCATIONHERE
with the full path of the extracted folder. E.g. My command
could be "CD C:\extractedfolder" but yours is the FULL path
the folder you extracted the files too.
NOTE: If your extracted folder is on anything other than
C: you need to type "CD /D DRIVELETTEROFEXTRACTEDFOLDER"
after typing "CD\". YOU CAN THEN CONTINUE TO USE "CD EXTRACTEDFOLDERLOCATIONHERE".
E.G If my extracted folder was on D: I would type "CD\"
then "CD /D D:" and then "CD EXTRACTEDFOLDERLOCATIONHERE".
9. You must now decide which firmware you want to flash.
If you don't plan on extracting security sectors with your
drive do the following:
Type
"FLASH16S.BAT DRIVELETTER UNIQUENUMBER" where DRIVELETTER
is the letter that has been assigned to your Xbox 360 drive
and UNIQUENUMBER is any 4 digit number you can think off.
E.g. My command could be "FLASH16S.BAT N 7456" but yours
will be different. Press enter, and wait for the pass/done
line - you now have a flashed drive.
If you do want to extract security sectors with your drive
do the following:
Type "FLASH23S.BAT DRIVELETTER
UNIQUENUMBER" where DRIVELETTER is the
letter that has been assigned to your Xbox 360 drive and
UNIQUENUMBER is any 4 digit number you can think off. E.g.
My command could be "FLASH23S.BAT N 7456" but yours will
be different. Press enter, and wait for the pass/done line
- you now have a flashed drive.
If you don't know which one to pick. Do the "FLASH23S.BAT"
one which is for if you want to extract security sectors
- it does no harm whether you want to or not.
If you get "find is not reconized as an internal command,
operable program or batch file" and/or "hitachi drive build
not reconized" see the relevant question in the FAQ.
10. Wait for the PASS / DONE line. You have now
flashed your drive! In the extracted folder, there will
now be another folder with your backup files in - MAKE
SURE YOU COPY THIS DIRECTORY TO AT LEAST 3 PLACES FOR SAFETY!
11. Shut down your machine. It is now safe to unplug
everything.
putting it back together
I would suggest putting the drive back in but not the case
back on to test if the flash has worked. Once you have confirmed
it is, just work backwards through the steps of taking it
apart and it all clips back together easily.
I will not provide a step by step tutorial for putting it
back together, as it really is easy. Make sure you plug
all the cables back in the drive and they are firmly in
place.
restoring your drive
ONLY CARRY OUT THIS PROCESS IF YOU WANT TO PUT YOUR DRIVE BACK TO
HOW IT WAS, E.G BACK TO ORIGINAL FIRMWARE OR IF YOUR REVERTING
BACK ONLY TO FLASH WITH A NEWER FIRMWARE!
The new RESTORE does not need any backup, it will
100% restore your drive back to "ORIGINAL" state as long
as it is visible in Windows!
1. Follow "taking it out" and "rigging
it up" again. Carry out steps 1-8 in the "the flash process."
2. Type "RESTORE.BAT DRIVELETTERHERE" where
DRIVELETTER is the letter that has been assigned to your
Xbox 360 drive.
3. Wait for the PASS / DONE line and shutdown your system!
burning a backup
IF YOU DON'T OWN THE ORIGINAL GAME YOUR ABOUT TO BURN, YOU
ARE MOST LIKELY BREAKING THE LAW. PLEASE SUPPORT DEVELOPERS
BY PURCHASING THEIR GAMES!
THE GUIDE DOES NOT DOCUMENT HOW TO RIP A GAME AS OF YET
- I WILL ASSUME YOU ALREADY HAVE THE "IMAGE.000 or IMAGE.ISO"
AND "IMAGE.DVD" FILES WHICH ARE PATCHED WITH THE CORRECT
SECURITY SECTOR AND **OPTIONAL DMI AND PFI** (SEE FAQ)!
MAKE SURE YOU USE GOOD MEDIA AND A COMPATIBLE BURNER. THE
BEST MEDIA IS VERBATIM DVD+R DL AND THE BEST BURNER IS THE
DVR-111D
Pioneer! OTHER BURNERS WORK, TRY TO FIND OUT! SET THE
BOOKTYPE TO DVD-ROM (SEARCH GOOGLE FOR BOOKTYPE OR BITSETTING.
YOU CAN USE DVD DECRYPTOR TO CHANGE BOOKTYPE).
This part of the guide tells you how to
burn your game. You must make sure the image is SS patched.
This means security sector. If it is not, your backup wont
boot. You can also have it PFI and DMI patched so in future,
when new firmware is released which takes advantage of this,
you will be more hidden from checks that Microsoft could
implement in the future. However, DMI
and PFI is not 100% necessary, but I still recommend you
patch it for future use. If you've already got the game,
SS, PFI and DMI (again, PFI and DMI being optional) all
seperate then you want to merge them into one image. To
do this you should download SS
Merger. It is pretty self-explanatory, but an addition
to this guide might be added in the future explaining this
process along with extraction details. If you are looking
for a tool to extract this kind of information from your
gamedisc you should download Xbox
Backup Creator. This program has the ability to create
an image by you simply popping in the game you want to backup,
plugging your Hitachi into your PC via the X360USB, and
clicking start. This creates an SS, PFI and DMI patched
game image ready to be burned as shown below!
1. Download the latest version of CloneCD here.
You must buy the full product to continue using it after
a set period. Make sure it is the latest version!
If you already have a version of CloneCD, you should try
downloading it again to make sure you have the new one.
2. Save the file and then open it.
3. Follow the intructions to install the program. You will
be prompted for a restart - I recommend you do at this stage,
It's better to be burning on a fresh PC with no extra processes
getting tangled up.
4. Open CloneCD (Should be on Start --> All Programs
--> SlySoft --> CloneCD --> CloneCD).
5. You should be greeted with a screen like this:
6. Click the "pencil on disk" image (Write from ImageFile)
as shown on the above image.
7. On the new window, click the browse button.
8. Now you have to browse to the "IMAGE.DVD" file and click
open (your image file may be called differently). IT
IS NOT THE "IMAGE.000 or IMAGE.ISO " FILE!
9. Make sure "Delete after a successful write"
is unticked unless you know what your doing.
10. Click "Next >"
11. Now select your burner you want to use to burn
the disk. It has to be a dual layer burner. Insert an empty
dual layer disc now into the selected drive (Verbatim DVD+R
DL is highly recommended).
12. Click "Next >" and you will be asked to
set a write speed.
13. Set 2x-2.4x as the speed (it is the best speed - if
you can go faster don't).
14. Go onto the next screen - your burn will start!
15. Wait until its done and pop the disc in your 360!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. My drive is not being recognized by Windows.
A. This is a common problem. The best thing to
do is right click My Computer, click Manage, goto Disk Management
under Storage, right click the drive and assign it a letter
e.g E:. If this does not work, and the LED's on the power
adapter are definetly red (modeb button is on), the best
thing to do is to ask for help on Xbox-scene
or team-xecuter forums.
Q. Does the X360USB work with the Toshiba-Samsung
or Phillips drives?
A. No, Hitachi only! For
the time being at least...
Q. My drive's rom version is 78FK, how do I flash
it?
A. You can't at this time. The firmware is now
available, but it requires scraping the glue away, desoldering
the chip and using an external programmer. For this reason
the X360USB can't be used with this rom version. It is not
yet known if it ever will be.
Q. Where do I get the firmware?
A. This is not documented in this guide. Look for
it yourself.
Q. Is there any way to avoid voiding my warranty?
A. No.
Q. Can I burn games on normal DVD+R's?
A. No.
Q. Can I burn dual layer discs on any old burner?
A. No. You need a Dual Layer burner. Even certain
dual layer burners create incompatible discs. The most highly
commended drive is by far the DVR-111D
Pioneer because it creates perfect disks on the correct
(Verbatim) media. The burner must also support bitsetting
(sometimes called booktype) of DVD+R DL media to DVD-ROM.
I burn my discs on the Lite-On SOHW-1693S and it creates
perfect backups (you have to download the companies booktype
program to change the booktype, for lite-on's). Both Lite-On
and Pioneer have good reputations.
Q. Why does my flashed drive not play any backup
games, why do I get the "open tray" error or "dirty disk"
error?
A. Check all of these things:
- Make sure you are using good media. Verbatim
DVD+R Double Layer is by far the best media out there
for the Xbox 360. Cheap media rarely works.
- Make sure you flashed your drive with the
latest version.
- Make sure you burnt the game with the booktype
of your drive set to "DVD-ROM."
- Burn the game using a different burning
program (CloneCD is
the best).
- If you still have problems, it is your
burner. Purchase a new burner (the DVR-111D
Pioneer is known to be the best).
- If worst comes to worst, you may want to
try the open
tray fix or tweaking
the pot. This is very dangerous.
Q. Can I play Xbox 1 backups on my
modified drive?
A. The Xbox 1 game must be supported by the emulator
(list
is here) and must also be burnt along with the security
sector on a dual layer disc. You can't pop in an "old type"
Xbox backup, burnt on single layer discs.
Q. What is stealth firmware?
A. Stealth firmware has been included since the
"Maximus-Garyopa_XTRM-HITACHI_v2_2_Stealth" firmware. What
this basically does, is protect us somewhat from future
checks Microsoft may implement against the firmware modification
in the future. If Microsoft release an update for our 360's
to check if you have modified firmware, the drive will report
it back as unmodified (even though it is).
Q. What is stealth media?
A. This
forum post has some great information on this topic.
At the moment, the latest firmware for the Hitachi does
not include stealth media. However, it is top priority to
integrate this in the next package. I recommend patching
your game images with the DMI and PFI information before
burning them. This will ensure if you ever come to upgrade
your drive with stealth media, it will take advantage of
this and you will be more safe from checks that might be
imposed later by Microsoft. It does not matter if you patch
your disc with the PFI and DMI but dont have the stealth
media enabled firmware (which again, doesn't exist yet)
- your game will still work but you will not have stealth
media (again, you will when a new firmware is released,
which takes advantage of PFI and DMI patched images).
Q. What is FirmGuard?
A. This is not included in the latest Hitachi firmware.
It is only currently included on the Toshiba-Samsung drives.
It is generally proposed that this will never be included
in the Hitachi firmware because stealth firmware is included
and this means that FirmGuard isn't really needed. FirmGuard
prevents Microsoft from reading/writing to the firmware.
Q. So does all this mean I can play on Xbox Live
safely? Can I play on Xbox Live?
A. You can play on Xbox Live after you have modified
your firmware - with originals AND backups. Nothing stops
you. However, when it comes to is it safe, we really don't
know. Microsoft are not banning people for having a modified
firmware or playing backup games...yet. It may be possible
for Microsoft to release a dashboard update which checks
for modified firmware and if you have it - you could be
permanently banned off Xbox Live. Previously, we could unban
ourselves on the Xbox 1 - but it is doubtful this will be
possible on the Xbox 360 for a long time. The above 'stealth'
implementations in the firmware do offer us a vertain amount
of protection. As soon as media stealth is included in a
new firmware package it seems to us that is technically
impossible for Microsoft to check anything. However, we
are unaware as to what the Xbox 360 hardware can check for.
Q. I can see my drive in Windows, but get "find
is not reconized as an internal command , operable program
or batch file", "hitachi drive build not reconized"
A. It's possible that the find.exe command is missing from
your PC. Try to search the system drive (normally C:) for
find.exe. For Windows XP it should be found in C:\windows\system32.
Another way to test if "find" is the problem is to go to
start, run, type cmd and press enter. You will get a black
screen. Type "find /?". If it shows the find.exe options
then the problem is somewhere else. If it shows an error,
try to copy the find.exe from another PC with the same operating
system and put it in C:\windows\system32. You can then try
the flashing procedure again. CLICK
HERE to download find.exe taken from my Windows XP Home
Edition Service Pack 2 system. If you have another operating
system, it is worth trying anyway, as it will do no harm.
Q. Can I use the X360USB with a laptop?
A. Yes but you must purchase an external molex
power supply like this
one.
Q. I've just downloaded an auto-update on my Xbox
360 and now I get an E66 error. What to do?
A. See this
post on Xbox-scene. This is unlikely (or impossible)
to happen on a Hitachi so I doubt anyone on this page should
be reading this question.
Q. How do I burn a backup of a backup?
A. This is breaking the law and so will not be
explained at any point in this guide.
other info
and thanks
CHANGELOG (UK DATES - DD-MM-YY):
v1.21 - 31/10/06:
*Now updated for latest Hitachi firmware - 2.3 Rev 2
*Updated FAQ
v1.2 - 23/10/06:
*FAQ updated majorly!
*Made it clearer what to do if you have a laptop
*A lot more potential errors solved - clearer what to do
in the event of an error
*Mistake involving image types .000 and .iso fixed
*Explantion of flashing process if files are on a different
drive to C:
*Updated restore instructions
*Information on molex splitters and images of molex cables
linked to
*Information on what exactly is included in the kit
*Typos and errors fixed
v1.1 - 14/10/06:
*Guide now explains how to burn a backup!
Not ripping...yet
*Details restoring the drive
*Updated regarding 78FK firmware
*Updated FAQ
*Fixed some errors
v1.01 - 09/10/06:
*Fixed a few mistakes
*Made step 8 clearer by modifying image
v1.0 - 08/10/06:
*Inital release
THANKS:
*Team Xecuter for the
fantastic product
*Xbox-scene for being such a great
community with lots of information
*All those down at Xbox-hacker that first came up with the
idea
*Anandtech for the "Opening the Xbox 360" guide
*Hydra for the "Spindle Key" guide
*xyz195 from Xbox-scene for the solution to the "find is
not recognized..." problem.
*GaryOpa, Maximus, Geremia, Birdy, C4EVA and The Specialist
who have been working non stop on the firmware.
*Microsoft, for giving us the Xbox 360!
AUTHOR AND OTHER NOTES:
My name is...wait...my online name is "adamscybot"
and I am the creator of this guide. I can't thank all of
the sites/people above enough for all there work - it has
been great fun making this!
If you see something of yours on this guide that you object
to, or you have a question, leave me a PM on Xbox-scene
- my username is "adamscybot". Im not giving out my email,
as it is spammed enough.
If you want to take something from here please
use the same contact method as above and kindly ask me.
Thanks, I hope you enjoyed it!
