Would like info on JTAG'ing

[Zipposlug]

I've been checking out the JTAG info and it seems really interesting, the kinda stuff you can do. I know I probably can't do it with my current box since it's got the latest LT+ 1.1 on it (1.9 just came out, but I don't have the latest dash yet).

How hard is it to do a JTAG? Would I most likely be able to do a hack if I were to buy an XBOX off the shelf (as long as it's a fat and not slim) or are the chances pretty slim? Would I have a better chance buying a compatible box online? Once done, is there much involved with getting it updated (like, if I can't find one online, maybe I could buy one already hacked)?

I'm not planning on doing any major serious stuff right away... Just looking for info for the long term investing. I got 2 consoles now, 1 legit and 1 modded for backups. A 3rd console would be used for JTAG. I'm really excited about the kinda things you can do with it once it's done.

Any info you guys can provide would be awesome!

 

[mosely]

You will be hard fought to find a fat xbox that is still a 7371 dashboard or lower on the shelf. Most likely, you'll have to resort to forums and ebay to find a exploitable or jtagged console. The aspect of difficulty of doing the jtag is relative to your skill in soldering and following directions. As long as you can solder wires to a motherboard without burning the motherboard or lifting pads, then most likely you will succeed. As for updating it, it's fairly easy though it might be a little difficult on the first try. Jtags are offline only consoles so don't expect any LIVE on these xboxes. I personally have a JTAG and I would not trade it for any other modded console. With a JTAG you are allowed to break many if not all of the restrictions that MS has put on the xbox 360.

On another note, sure you can buy jtagged one but expect to pay more for someone to do it. You can always buy a jtaggable console and get someone to do the jtag for you.

Lastly, if you get a jtag I'm pretty sure that your modded console would be pretty much useless if you don't play your backups on live since it offers no advantages compared to a JTAG, with expection to LIVE connectivity.

 

[Zipposlug]

Yeah, I kinda wish I knew about Jtag before. When I read the 360 can be modded to play backups, I ran out and bought 2 of them. 1 for online play, and 1 for offline (backups) use. The ones I bought were back in pre-NEX "blade" days, so they would have been jtaggable. I just didn't know about it, and was always quick to get the most recent dash so I could continue to play the most recent games. Now it seems the only chance I have is to find a used console. The problem with that, there's no garauntee it still has the older dash on it. I can get MS refurb'ed 360's for $99 at my local computer store. I just feel that if MS has had a hand on it, chances are gonna be pretty high it's got the new dash. UGH! I hate myself for not paying closer attention!

 

[mosely]

Just buy one on forums or Ebay. You can pretty much guarantee that the people will have a legit lower-dash console. Just make sure you buy from reputable sellers. There are also different revisions of the xbox motherboard which result in different price ranges. Xenons are usually the cheapest and oldest motherboards. Next are Zeyphrs which are a bit troublesome sometimes to jtag and are second oldest. Then the Falcon motherboards which are the second youngest and then jaspers which are the youngest and most expensive.

 

[Zipposlug]

What exactly is the the NAND-X thing from teamexecuter? It looks like a solderless clip to do what wiring would do.

 

[mosely]

The NAND-X is a kit that is a NAND reader and comes with little boards that you install that act as your jtag wiring. You still need to solder it. It's like the LT+ switches. Basically, its made to simplify the soldering of the jtag but I wouldn't trust it since I know that the LT+ switches were trash and always caused problems. It's better just to do your own wiring. It's not that hard.

 

[Zipposlug]

Is it easier to do than the MRA hack for LiteOn's? I was too scared to try that, and luckily they came out with the PMT method. In my modding history, I used to add modchips to the old "phat" playstation 1's. I bought 3 modchips for my first try, and ended up frying 4 playstations before I got my first good solder. I know how to solder, but I'm not really good at it. The iron I have is just a straight plug in model without a voltage/temperature control. So I tend to over heat the contact points on the motherboard and loose the pads. I would be willing to give it a try, but it's so hard now to find a compatible box to do it on. If I screw up, I'm out of luck.

Has anybody been trying to find a way to jtag the new slims? They must have some new vulnerability MS hasn't patched yet. It's a completely new motherboard.

 

[mosely]

Well you don't need to cut traces but you definitely need to do a lot more soldering than just in the MRA hack. You'll have a lot small pads to solder to. I use cheap Radioshack soldering irons. Just get a 15watt one so you don't burn anything unless you leave it on there too long. Overall, you can try it on your own but then again you'd need to either make yourself your LPT cable or buy one or buy a USB reader like the NAND-X and after you buy all that stuff and factor in the time, it'll just cost you more to do it yourself than handing it over to a professional to do it and have a guaranteed working box at the end.

 

[Zipposlug]

Yeah, I found a guy on Craigslist who says he knows how to do it, and does it often enough to know how to do it right. Trouble is, you really can't trust people nowadays. It's not like an ebay listing, where you can have a rating scale and see how trustworthy they really are. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though. I'll probably just end up having somebody do it for me. When it's all said and done, what all would I need to do to keep it updated to be able to play the most recent games with it? My primary reason for getting a jtag is to be able to store my bought games on a hard drive thats larger than the current limitations of legit consoles and be able to play them directly. I'd also like to do stuff like emulators and play with some homebrew stuff. The dlc stuff would be neat, but it's all illegitament and not really what I'm wanting to do. I'm not intersted in bootlegging, etc. Most people would get this kinda stuff for that purpose alone, but not me. I'd like to be able to participate in the "scene" and help build apps for people to use. I've done it before.

 

[mosely]

Just keep your dashboard updated to the latest one released for jtags. Also keep your dvd firmware up to date. Also, if you don't want to update your dashboard all the time you can always have dashlaunch on your console to remove the dashboard requirements from many games.

 

[tr0n]

culd you help me get a jaytag cuz i want to know how to host infectionz in cod 4 modern warfare my gamertag is mw3 killere and i have a mic

 

[mosely]

culd you help me get a jaytag cuz i want to know how to host infectionz in cod 4 modern warfare my gamertag is mw3 killere and i have a mic

No kid we wont help you do that cause you ruin LIVE for everyone and give jtags a bad name. If you want a jtaggable console just go on eBay and buy one then you gotta jtag it or pay someone to do it for you. Either way once you get it jtagged your console will get banned from live in a few hours if you go on live.

 

[ReMix]

No kid we wont help you do that cause you ruin LIVE for everyone and give jtags a bad name. If you want a jtaggable console just go on eBay and buy one then you gotta jtag it or pay someone to do it for you. Either way once you get it jtagged your console will get banned from live in a few hours if you go on live.

a good answer, i couldn't have said it better myself

 

[Zipposlug]

See what I mean? This guy hijacked my "information" thread to post an obvious request to do something I'm not wanting to do. People like that need to get a clue and stop being jerks. I hate playing online games with hackers/modders that ruin the game. I was so pissed at people doing it back in Half-Life 2 (counterstrike) days that I quit playing altogether. Now, I play Halo Reach and the same stuff is happening. I report every one of them, but MS doesn't seem too concerned about it.

 

[ReMix]

just keep reporting it

from my experience, Microsoft is pretty good at disciplining cheaters

and lets keep the flaming down, guys

this is a chill place

 

[mosely]

a good answer, i couldn't have said it better myself

Thanks Joesinger47!