Possible Faulty X3 ?

[phoenixuk]

Hi Modders,

Here's an interesting one, and i'm "so glad" i found it .... not !!!

Flashed (hot swap) X3 with latest (59) plus bios for 16b, as have done so many times .... flashed ok, turned itself off, booted up ok, nice little logo at the bottom, and ......

OH, nice, the MS XBL Dash with a "Cannot connect to Xbox Live" error.

And in a blink of an eye, i'm banned. Spoke to my X3 supplier, and he said he's had a couple of these that don't load the X3 Config Live Screen.

Just my luck that my MS Dash XBL was next in line.

I appreciate that mass production will generate the occasional error, and to be honest, i've done LOADS of these without a problem, but a 'heads up' on the fact that this CAN happen would have been nice.

I have returned the X3, but a donation of a 'clean' EEPROM would be lovely !!

On another note, i have only had cause to use these forums recently, but on the whole, it has been really usefull and well moderated, just please let us know the 'worst case scenario' too !!

I do appreciate that I was a pratt for not renaming my MS Dash so it couldn't load accidentally, but i read on these forums that it wasn't a good idea. Swings and roundabouts maybe ??!!

Anyway, on the whole, keep up the good work guys !! about that EEPROM .... !!!!!!

Dave.

 

[Martin C]

"I do appreciate that I was a pratt for not renaming my MS Dash so it couldn't load accidentally, but i read on these forums that it wasn't a good idea. Swings and roundabouts maybe ??!!"

Actually, what you should have done is disable the auto XBL sign-on the moment you knew you were going to chip it.

Not only that, but I would have removed the network cable too!

You mention that you get the "cannot connect to Xbox Live" - did this follow with a message saying that a modified Xbox/ BIOS was detected??

The reason I ask is that the X3 1959 should prevent you from connecting to Xbox live.

Martin

 

[phoenixuk]

i flash using http, hot swapping, so removing the network cable is not an option. and auto sign-in IS disabled ! This is what has confused me !

the message i got was that modified hardware/software was detected.

i then reset / reformatted my retail hdd and now the error message i'm getting the the MTU message, is this normal or can i work around it. i spoke to XBL support (obviously not saying that it was modded) and they just said send it back as the MS bios seems corrupted. is there a way that i can reflash the MS Bios ?

any help appreciated as always.

Dave.

 

[Martin C]

i flash using http, hot swapping, so removing the network cable is not an option

Well to be fair, you can remove the network cable once the Xbox shuts down, or just keep the internet away from the Xbox connection...

I do sympathise with you though - the X3 1959 BIOS should be blocking Xbox live connections and there's no way that the dashboard should be trying to login to XBL unless you tell it to.

I'll see if I can help you out on the EEPROM front..

Martin

 

[phoenixuk]

thank you for your help !

as i say, i've done many of these without a hitch, thats probably what has frustrated me most !!

i was doing 3 today, and this was the last one.. typical !!

would REALLY appreciate any EEPROM help !!

Regards,

Dave.

 

[phoenixuk]

just one quick thing, well, 2 actually ....

as long as i have a backup of my current eeprom, is there anything that can go drastically wrong when i config magic, like, if it all goes pear shaped, can i put my original back on or will my box be dead, it's got an x3 1959 in it.

and if i flash a 1.6b eeprom with a 1.6 eeprom, would you all laugh at me abd call me names when it goes wrong ??!!!

Regards,

Dave.

 

[phoenixuk]

ok ...

The story so far ...

I've managed to obtain a 'virgin' EEPROM, and have flashed it up.

Locked my retail HDD again, and signed into XBLive OK !! Hurrah !!!

Now then, the XBOX serial number has changed, the HDD Keys have changed, but the HDD SERIAL Number is still the same.

Is it advisable for me to change the actual serial number of the hdd too, just to be on the safe side, or is the fact that i have logged into xbl already going to make things complicated, and probably best left as is.

Unless, it's a definate that the serial number MUST be changed.

Please help!

P.S. Martin C Is A Legend, and I am going to recommend a knighthood !!

 

[Martin C]

Is it advisable for me to change the actual serial number of the hdd too, just to be on the safe side, or is the fact that i have logged into xbl already going to make things complicated, and probably best left as is.

Absolutely leave as is. Now you've reconnected to Live, any changes to your HDD will render you banned again!!

If you're disconnecting and reconnecting to live with no issues, we can safely say that the EEPROM update you did was valid.

Martin

PS - glad to have helped!! :wink:

 

[phoenixuk]

Cheers again Martin !!

My only worry is that the HDD serial number / xbox serial number and or the hdd serial and keys wont be 'married' ?

But i guess, if it ain't broke yet, don't try to fix it !!

Thanks again for all your help. :wink:

D

 

[Martin C]

Cheers again Martin !!

My only worry is that the HDD serial number / xbox serial number and or the hdd serial and keys wont be 'married' ?

But i guess, if it ain't broke yet, don't try to fix it !!

Thanks again for all your help. :wink:

D

As far as the reports on banned Xboxes went, as long as the HDD you had installed once you connected to Live for the first time doesn't change, you won't get banned.

You've updated the EEPROM - in essence, it's a new Xbox. MS don't keep a log of ALL EEPROM details, otherwise people couldn't use a larger drive at ALL with Xbox Live.

Martin

 

[phoenixuk]

Thankx again Martin .....

D

 

[phoenixuk]

Bad news, i'm banned again.

Tried to login for the first time since i tested it last night, and it says that i'm modified.

Chip was DEFINATELY disabled, and DEFINATELY no attempt has been made between then and now to connect, other than the deliberate one tonight.

Chip disabled, original game disc, C: drive intact and default as is E:

My only thought is that the marriage theory messed me up

Any ideas ? If i change my HDD Serial number will it fix it? I've heard reports that they are banning ONLY on HDD serial numbers now.??

Is it worth moving this thread, or continuing it elsewhere ???

Let me know,

Dave.

 

[Martin C]

Dave

Just a thought - how confident are you that the chip is disabled when you ask it to? Have you tried running a backup etc from it??

Martin

PS Sorry to hear about being banned again

 

[phoenixuk]

no, but the light on the external switches is red, so i'm guessing it's disabled, i'll try it ...

and it tells me that it can't recognise the disc then i put in a backup.

how can i change the serial number of my hdd, to the same one as the new EEPROM, i've look absolutely everywhere for how to do it.

and will this get me un-banned if i marry the two ?

HELP !! Grrr !! More coffee !!!!

D

 

[Martin C]

I don't know if it will - I can't understand with the chip enabled, you managed to connect to Xbox live at all using X3 1959.

The only place I'd edit EEPROM details is ConfigMagic - I can't even guarantee that it will get you out of this hole.

Martin

 

[phoenixuk]

I don't think it's possible to edit the actual serial number of the hdd in ConfigMagic is it ?

I know you can have a go at the keys and stuff, but not the serial number.

Although i have read that it is possible, i've not seen anywhere, how to !!

Worth giving it a bash if i can, nothing to lose really, apart from screwing up my hdd aswell !! lol

Anyone know how i can do this ?

D

 

[WesRatcliff]

Having helped a friend out with pretty much the same problem, here's what I've discovered. To get back on Live, first make sure you've got a virgin EEPROM and a freshly partitioned harddrive (to remove any cookies in the MBR of the harddrive - not sure what the cookies affect if at all - haven't tested it - its easier to rebuild the drive to stock than mess experimenting)

*** If your xbox is banned and you want to keep the same (black-listed) Gamertag and also use a large non-stock HD... there is no way at present to do it.

The thought is that having a black-listed Gamertag subjects you to various additional checks (like a harddrive size check) that normal un-blacklisted Gamertags are not subjected to.

If you absolutely must have your same Gamertag on Live, then your only option (to my knowledge) is to use a stock-sized (8gig or 10gig) harddrive when playing on live.

Otherwise, until Microsoft does additional checks on non-blacklisted Gamertags, if you are willing to get a new Gamertag, new EEPROM and a freshly partitioned harddrive, you can use whatever sized harddrive you wish and play on Live.

I believe the marriage theory to be true - every since sometime in the summer Microsoft has somehow been tying harddrive serial numbers to EEPROMs. If the harddrive serial that is bound to an EEPROM changes then your EEPROM gets banned and your Gamertag gets the blacklisted status.

This is just what I've learned from experience and also reading around on xbox-scene forums... take it for what it's worth... maybe nothing.

See you on live...

 

[phoenixuk]

thank you for your advice !

I'm still using my stock HDD, but have aquired a new eeprom and need to change the inbuilt serial number in the HDD to keep the 'marriage' between the xbox serial and HDD serial.

Any ideas how i can change the HDD serial?

D

 

[WesRatcliff]

If you've got a new EEPROM that has never been on Live and you are marrying it to a stock, formatted harddrive then you will be OK.

If you want to be double sure that you will be ok you can get a new gamertag.

Wes

 

[dalewoodian]

new here

well i been trying to find whats the best way to backup games, a friend of mine took my xbox to mod it for me to play burnt games and just trying to wonder how he backsup the games. i would like to do the same as well. if any one knows i would appreciate this. i did a bit of searching about how i need a DL cd and burner, i do have a memorix dL burner, just wondering if i need a program, or have to connect the xbox dvd drive to copy the games, i also bought a sata card about 2 years ago, when i was flashing one of the drives that i have done to a broken xbox.

thanks