360 Xbox 360 DVD flashing guide

[twelve]

Note: All links in this guide are to Rapidshare, if there is demand for alternative mirrors I will add them.

Contents:

1. Precautions
2. Indentifying your drive
3. Custom firmware releases
4. Disasembling your console
5. Hitachi-LG V46/47/59/78
6. Hitachi-LG V79
7. Samsung MS25
8. Samsung MS28
9. BenQ/Textbook.pdf

1. Precautions

• Flashing your drive can get you banned from Xbox Live if detected.
• Flashing your drive will void the console warranty. If you get a ring of death you will shit out of luck.
• Read the guide for your drive before touching your console.
• Make sure you understand the guide for your drive before touching your console.
• If you’re not 100% certain that you know what you’re doing then do not attempt to flash your console.

MforMature are not responsible for any damage caused to you or any of your equipment by using this guide.


2. Identifying your drive

This can be done before you open up your console. Therefore you can read the tutorial for your drive and decided whether you think you are able to flash the drive.

Identifying your drive is as easy as ejecting the tray and seeing which of these it matches:

Images courtesy of Llamma.com

There are different revisions of each drive. Some are easier to flash than others. Unfortunately it is not possible to know which revision you have until you dismantle your console. The version numbers will be printed on the label of the drive.


3. Custom Firmware releases

DO NOT ASK FOR DIRECT LINKS TO THE FIRMWARE

The firmware and all tools can be found on the XBINS IRC Channel. You will have to locate the files yourself as they are illegal to distribute.

The latest version for all drives is Commodore4Eva iXtreme v1.4


4. Disassembling and connecting your console

I am not going to go into depth on this as there are many tutorials available for dismantling your 360. Here are links to some of the better guides:

http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=2610&p=2
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=430626
http://www.xbox-accessories.com/instructions/disassemble360.html

You do not need to fully disassemble the console. Once the outer shell is off you will have access to everything you need (ie the back of the DVD Drive).


With the outer shell off the console can be connected to your PC as follows (this is the same for all DVD drives):

1. With your console and PC off
2. Unplug the black SATA cable from the back of your 360 DVD drive (leave the white connector as this supplies power to the DVD Drive)
3. Connect a regular PC SATA cable from the back of the 360 DVD drive to the first SATA port on your PC’s motherboard (any other SATA CD/DVD/Hard drives in your PC will need moving to other SATA ports).
4. Connect the power supply and AV cable to your 360 console (the AV cable is necessary as the console will power off without one attached).
5. Make sure your network cable/wifi adaptor is not plugged into the 360 during the flashing process.
6. Finally, link the chassis of your 360 to the chassis of your PC with any piece of wire (this is so that they are ground together in case of any static discharge).

 

[twelve]

5. Hitachi-LG V46/47/59/78

The Hitachi-LG was the first drive to be inside retail Xbox 360 consoles. It is in my view the easiest drive to flash, other people will have different opinions on this, it all depends on how your PC is setup.

The V46-78 drives all require being put into what is known as ModeB (debug mode) before reading and writing of the Firmware can be done. There are a number of methods to do this and this is my preferred method (Safest).


Entering ModeB using SLAX OS.

Download the SLAX live cd from here and burn onto a CD-R using whatever burning program you like.

Set your PC’s BIOS to boot from CD (this varies for each motherboard, refer to the manual if you’re unsure). When done insert the Slax Live CD and shutdown your PC.

Ensure that your PC and 360 are connected as mentioned above and power on the 360 followed by the PC.

Watch the Slax Live CD boot up. When you are greated with a logon prompt then your Hitachi Drive should be in ModeB. If the Slax bootup pauses at any point with a message saying “Spinning up disc….” then eject the Hitachi drive (this is a good sign as the drive has been picked up and is most likely already in ModeB.

Once Slax has booted to the logon prompt check that your Hitachi drive is in ModeB by checking that the Xbox 360 power LED (in the centre of the Ring) is flashing rapidly.


Boot into Windows

Now that your drive is in ModeB you can remove the Slax CD and turn off your PC. LEAVE THE 360 ON!

If you unplugged any Hard Drives or DVD Drives from your PC make sure that they are now plugged in (do not disconnect the 360 drive from your PC). Turn on your PC and make sure that the BIOS is set to boot into Windows from your Hard Drive.

When the Windows loading bar appears it is important to eject the Hitachi drive in and out a few times, otherwise windows may fail to boot or may detect the drive incorrectly leading to errors when flashing.

Once Windows has loaded make sure that the Drive is detected by opening My Computer and checking that you see a new DVD Drive listed (make a note of the drive letter). You can also right click the drive and select eject to make sure that it is properly detected.

Reading and Flashing the firmware

Now the drive should be in ModeB and detected in Windows.

Download and install the latest Maximus 360 Firmware Toolbox from XBINS. You will also need the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 for it to run properly (download from Windows Update or XBINS).

Insert an original Xbox 360 game or Video DVD into the Hitachi drive. (while in ModeB the drive will try to auto eject so you will need to press the button once and then push the tray in manually). Wait for Windows to recognise the disc and close any autorun boxes/programs that come up.

Open 360 Firmware Toolbox. Select Tools and then Direct Drive Dump (GDR Only).

Select your Hitachi LG Drive in the drop down list (note the picture below is not showing the correct drive). And then click RAW Dump Firmware As…

This will extract the firmware from your drive. Save it as ORIG.BIN and keep it somewhere safe in case you need it at a later date.

After dumping the firmware you will be asked if you want to open it, click Yes

Now we will patch this original Firmware. Select Tools and then Smart Hack Patcher. Read the warning and click OK.

Now you will need to enter a name and choose a location for the new firmware (I suggest putting it in the same directory as the ORIG.BIN and naming it XTREME.BIN). You will also need to choose one of the speeds from the drop down list (also make sure the Version matches the drive you have). 12x is the fastest and noisiest (this is the default 360 drive speed), the slower speeds are quieter and usually more reliable but the loading times will be significantly increased.

Click Generate File. It will now create the hacked firmware and then ask if you would like to open it. Click Yes

You are now at the stage for flashing the drive. Select Tools, then Direct Data Drive Flash (GDR Only) and then Differential Flash (PATCH)

Last few steps now. Click on Read and Detect Differences, when this is done click Start Flashing and wait for it to complete.

Once this has completed you can close down 360 Firmware Toolbox and shut down your PC. Once your PC is shutdown, turn off your Xbox 360. Now with both off you can remove the SATA cable linking the two and connect the 360 drive to the 360 motherboard again.

Before putting the case back on the 360 it would be worth checking that it is working. Connect it up to your TV/monitor and power it on. Try loading a regular Xbox 360 game, if it works eject it. If you have a backup already then try loading this. If the backup also loads then congratulations you have successfully flashed your Xbox 360 Hitachi drive, you can now put the case back on.

Last step is to email the ORIG.BIN and XTREME.BIN to yourself so that you have them backed up online.

 

[twelve]

6. Hitachi-LG v79

Unfortunately Microsoft did something right with this drive and made it very hard to flash. Previously there was no way to unlock this drive without Hardware modifications. I have since discovered that there is now a software unlock for the drive so I shall knock together a little guide for it.

Unlike the previous Hitachi-LG drives Slax2.0 does not put the drive into ModeB. It requires a newer version of SLAX and even then ModeB does not unlock the firmware for reading and writing.


79 Unlock preparation

Download the 79 Unlock archive here.

Extract the contents of the archive to the root of your C: drive (C:\79 Unlock) and burn the CD Image (use image.cue) to a blank CD.


Entering ModeB using SLAX 2.1

Download the SLAX 2.1 live cd from here and burn onto a CD-R using whatever burning program you like.

Set your PC’s BIOS to boot from CD (this varies for each motherboard, refer to the manual if you’re unsure). When done insert the Slax Live CD and shutdown your PC.

Ensure that your PC and 360 are connected as mentioned above and power on the 360 followed by the PC.

Watch the Slax Live CD boot up. When you are greated with a logon prompt then your Hitachi Drive should be in ModeB. If the Slax bootup pauses at any point with a message saying “Spinning up disc….” then eject the Hitachi drive (this is a good sign as the drive has been picked up and is most likely already in ModeB.

Once Slax has booted to the logon prompt check that your Hitachi drive is in ModeB by checking that the Xbox 360 power LED (in the centre of the Ring) is flashing rapidly.


Boot into Windows

Now that your drive is in ModeB you can remove the Slax CD and turn off your PC. LEAVE THE 360 ON!!

Make sure that disconnect any other DVD/CD drives from your PC, leaving only the 360 DVD drive connected. Turn on your PC and make sure that the BIOS is set to boot into Windows from your Hard Drive.

When the Windows loading bar appears it is important to eject the Hitachi drive in and out a few times, otherwise windows may fail to boot or may detect the drive incorrectly leading to errors when flashing.

Once Windows has loaded take the 79 Unlock CD you burnt earlier and place it in the Hitachi drive which should still be connected to the PC.
Close the tray using the button on the drive and play the track on the CD (using Windows Media Player), wait for it to finish completely.
Once the track has finished press play once again and pause it straight away.
Eject the disk using the button on the drive and remove the CD, leave the tray open.

Open My Computer and make a note of the DVD drive.

Now open a command prompt (Start > Run > Type CMD and press enter).
In the command prompt run the following command:

C:\79 Unlock\79Unlock.exe D
Notes: If you extracted the rar archive somewhere else earlier you will need change the path. If your Hitachi drive is labelled something other than D you will need to change this as well


Reading and Flashing the firmware

Now the drive should be in ModeB and detected in Windows.

Download and install the latest Maximus 360 Firmware Toolbox from XBINS. You will also need the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 for it to run properly (download from Windows Update or XBINS).

Insert an original Xbox 360 game or Video DVD into the Hitachi drive. (while in ModeB the drive will try to auto eject so you will need to press the button once and then push the tray in manually). Wait for Windows to recognise the disc and close any autorun boxes/programs that come up.

Open 360 Firmware Toolbox. Select Tools and then Direct Drive Dump (GDR Only).

Select your Hitachi LG Drive in the drop down list (note the picture below is not showing the correct drive). And then click RAW Dump Firmware As…

This will extract the firmware from your drive. Save it as ORIG.BIN and keep it somewhere safe in case you need it at a later date.

After dumping the firmware you will be asked if you want to open it, click Yes

Now we will patch this original Firmware. Select Tools and then Smart Hack Patcher. Read the warning and click OK.

Now you will need to enter a name and choose a location for the new firmware (I suggest putting it in the same directory as the ORIG.BIN and naming it XTREME.BIN). You will also need to choose one of the speeds from the drop down list (also make sure the Version matches the drive you have). 12x is the fastest and noisiest (this is the default 360 drive speed), the slower speeds are quieter and usually more reliable but the loading times will be significantly increased.

Click Generate File. It will now create the hacked firmware and then ask if you would like to open it. Click Yes

You are now at the stage for flashing the drive. Select Tools, then Direct Data Drive Flash (GDR Only) and then Differential Flash (PATCH)

Last few steps now. Click on Read and Detect Differences, when this is done click Start Flashing and wait for it to complete.

Once this has completed you can close down 360 Firmware Toolbox and shut down your PC. Once your PC is shutdown, turn off your Xbox 360. Now with both off you can remove the SATA cable linking the two and connect the 360 drive to the 360 motherboard again.

Before putting the case back on the 360 it would be worth checking that it is working. Connect it up to your TV/monitor and power it on. Try loading a regular Xbox 360 game, if it works eject it. If you have a backup already then try loading this. If the backup also loads then congratulations you have successfully flashed your Xbox 360 Hitachi drive, you can now put the case back on.

Last step is to email the ORIG.BIN and XTREME.BIN to yourself so that you have them backed up online.

 

[twelve]

7. Samsung MS25

Samsung were the second manufacturer of DVD drive for the Xbox 360. The MS25 was the first revision seen in retail consoles and is relatively easy to flash.

Unlike the Hitachi-LG drives there is no ModeB on these drives and they cannot be flashed within windows.

There are a number of different methods for flashing the MS25 drive, the method I choose to use requires a USB memory stick and the iPrep software.

Installing iPrep

You will require Microsoft .NET Framework v2 installed on your PC. This can be obtained from Windows Update or Xbins if your copy of Windows is not legitimate.

Once you have .NET Framework v2 installed download and install iPrep 101 from here.

Once iPrep is installed you will need to update the version of Firmtool inside the installation directry to 1.2

Download the updated version of Firmtool here. Copy this new firmtool.exe to the following location:
C:\Program Files\iPrep 101\Resources\Tools
Choose to overwrite the existing file.

Using iPrep

The first thing to do after starting iPrep is to check for updates. To do this click Tools and then Check for Updates

If there is a new definitions file click Yes to install it. Otherwise it will say there are no updates.

Now everything is up to date click Load Firmware next to the top box for Samsung iXtreme firmware. Locate the firmware which you should have downloaded earlier. There is no need to unpack the .rar file, just select it and load it.

You now have a choice between four read speeds, 2x, 5x, 8x and 12x. 12x is the normal read speed of the drive. Higher speeds are louder, and may have trouble reading backups if you have a poor quality laser, burner, or media. Lower speeds are much quieter, and may read better, but you will have slower load times. You will be asked in this order which speed to choose: 8x, 5x, 2x, 12x.

Now you will need to do the following:

1. Make sure Patch MTKFlash is checked
2. Select your SATA controller from the dropdown list. If your controller is not listed click the button below to switch between SCSI and IDE controllers/
3. Choose your USB Flash drive as the Target Drive and make sure Formate/Make Device Bootable is checked
4. Click Prepare Destination

Once you receive a Preparation Complete message you should shutdown your PC and connect the 360 up as mentioned in the first post.

The last thing to do before reading and flashing the drive is to make your PC boot from USB in the BIOS. If you are unsure how to do this please refer to your PC/Motherboard manual.


Reading the firmware

Turn on your PC (leave the 360 off) and boot from the USB into DOS.

You will be greeted with a disclaimer. Type Y to accept it.

Type in the following command (change the numbers to the Serial number of your console) but don’t press enter/return yet:

dsam 1234567 12345

Now turn on your 360 and press enter/return on your keyboard immediately after.

MTKFlash will now load and read your firmware.

After the firmware has been read Firmtool will load and copy the drive key from the original firmware to the custom firmware. Firmtool will then check that the firmware are the same revision. As this is for an MS25 drive it will detect and ask if you want to spoof the firmware, Choose Y and then continue.

If you receive any Red Error messages do not continue, restart the process and only continue when everything has worked successfully.

Once you have received a Green Success message you can power off your xbox 360.

With the Xbox 360 off reboot your PC (back into DOS again).


Flashing the firmware

You will be greeted with a disclaimer. Type Y to accept it.

Type in the following command (change the numbers to the Serial number of your console) but don’t press enter/return yet:

fsam 1234567 12345

Now turn on your 360 and press enter/return on your keyboard immediately after.

MTKFlash will now ask you to select your 360 drive (it should be listed as XTREME).

Once you have selected your drive MTKFlash will then proceed to flash the modified firmware onto your DVD drive.

When it has finished flashing you will see the following message:

>>> Please REBOOT your PC!

You may now power off your Xbox 360 and disconnect it from your PC. Reconnect the black SATA cable inside the Xbox 360.

Before putting the case back on the 360 it would be worth checking that it is working. Connect it up to your TV/monitor and power it on. Try loading a regular Xbox 360 game, if it works eject it. If you have a backup already then try loading this. If the backup also loads then congratulations you have successfully flashed your Xbox 360 Hitachi drive, you can now put the case back on.

Lastly Reboot your PC into windows and locate the files named Sam-OFW.bin and Sam-CFW.bin in the backups folder of your USB drive. Make a copy of these and email them to yourself for backup purposes.

 

[twelve]

8. Samsung MS28

The MS28 revision is a lot more difficult to flash than the MS25. The process is the same but after a few seconds of being powered on the flash chip is locked and cannot be read from or written to.

Installing iPrep

You will require Microsoft .NET Framework v2 installed on your PC. This can be obtained from Windows Update or Xbins if your copy of Windows is not legitimate.

Once you have .NET Framework v2 installed download and install iPrep 101 from here.

Once iPrep is installed you will need to update the version of Firmtool inside the installation directry to 1.2

Download the updated version of Firmtool here. Copy this new firmtool.exe to the following location:
C:\Program Files\iPrep 101\Resources\Tools
Choose to overwrite the existing file.

Using iPrep

The first thing to do after starting iPrep is to check for updates. To do this click Tools and then Check for Updates

If there is a new definitions file click Yes to install it. Otherwise it will say there are no updates.

Now everything is up to date click Load Firmware next to the top box for Samsung iXtreme firmware. Locate the firmware which you should have downloaded earlier. There is no need to unpack the .rar file, just select it and load it.

You now have a choice between four read speeds, 2x, 5x, 8x and 12x. 12x is the normal read speed of the drive. Higher speeds are louder, and may have trouble reading backups if you have a poor quality laser, burner, or media. Lower speeds are much quieter, and may read better, but you will have slower load times. You will be asked in this order which speed to choose: 8x, 5x, 2x, 12x.

Now you will need to do the following:

1. Make sure Patch MTKFlash is checked
2. Select your SATA controller from the dropdown list. If your controller is not listed click the button below to switch between SCSI and IDE controllers/
3. Choose your USB Flash drive as the Target Drive and make sure Formate/Make Device Bootable is checked
4. Click Prepare Destination

Once you receive a Preparation Complete message you should shutdown your PC and connect the 360 up as mentioned in the first post.

The last thing to do before reading and flashing the drive is to make your PC boot from USB in the BIOS. If you are unsure how to do this please refer to your PC/Motherboard manual.


Reading the firmware

Turn on your PC (leave the 360 off) and boot from the USB into DOS.

You will be greeted with a disclaimer. Type Y to accept it.

Type in the following command (change the numbers to the Serial number of your console) but don’t press enter/return yet:

dsam 1234567 12345

Now turn on your 360 and wait 5-10 seconds then press Enter on your keyboard.

When the message saying detecting drives appears power off the 360 immediately. This will cause the program to hang. Now turn the 360 back on and it should start reading the firmware.

After the firmware has been read Firmtool will load and copy the drive key from the original firmware to the custom firmware. Firmtool will then check that both of the firmwares are for the same drive version. As this is for an MS28 drive it should go through fine.

If you receive any Red Error messages do not continue, restart the process and only continue when everything has worked successfully.

Once you have received a Green Success message you can power off your xbox 360.

With the Xbox 360 off reboot your PC (back into DOS again).

Flashing the firmware

You will be greeted with a disclaimer. Type Y to accept it.

Type in the following command (change the numbers to the Serial number of your console) but don’t press enter/return yet:

fsam 1234567 12345

Now turn on your 360 and wait 5-10 seconds then press Enter on your keyboard.

When the message saying detecting drives appears power off the 360 immediately. This will cause the program to hang. Now turn the 360 back on and MTKFlash should start flashing the modified firmware.

When it has finished flashing you will see the following message:

>>> Please REBOOT your PC!

You may now power off your Xbox 360 and disconnect it from your PC. Reconnect the black SATA cable inside the Xbox 360.

Before putting the case back on the 360 it would be worth checking that it is working. Connect it up to your TV/monitor and power it on. Try loading a regular Xbox 360 game, if it works eject it. If you have a backup already then try loading this. If the backup also loads then congratulations you have successfully flashed your Xbox 360 Hitachi drive, you can now put the case back on.

Lastly Reboot your PC into windows and locate the files named Sam-OFW.bin and Sam-CFW.bin in the backups folder of your USB drive. Make a copy of these and email them to yourself for backup purposes.

 

[twelve]

As everyone seems to keep suggesting it I won't bother trying to write a guide. Instead have a link to textbook.pdf

Link

 

[Granite]

Ah, about time a guide like this was posted, i have been using my flashed BenQ drive for a good few months now and have had no issues just a flawless flash.

One thing that concerns me is the new update, just have a nasty feeling that Microsoft arent going to have Mercy on us Flashed Drive users. I might stay offline for the release and get the all clear from a few other drive users and just check around that a ban mass banwave hasnt occurd.

 

[Moose]

Awesome. I'm gonna be flashing my 360 as soon as you finish the MS28 guide. =D

 

[twelve]

Awesome. I'm gonna be flashing my 360 as soon as you finish the MS28 guide. =D

I havent forgotten, just been busy on my days off work. I'm aiming to get the rest of the guide up on Sunday.

 

[Moose]

Yeah, no worries.

I am gonna wait, like Granite, to see if the 'New Xbox Experience' affects hacked 360's. If so, I'll hold out until a fix is found.

 

[Granite]

Yeah, no worries.

I am gonna wait, like Granite, to see if the 'New Xbox Experience' affects hacked 360's. If so, I'll hold out until a fix is found.

Moose, you could do it and remain off live when the update comes and wait for the all clear?
Thats what im gona have to do on release.

 

[Moose]

Yeah, but I'd rather be able to play on Live if something does happen that prevents a hacked 360 to go online. Would suck if I hacked it and then found I couldn't go on Live.

 

[Granite]

Yeah, but I'd rather be able to play on Live if something does happen that prevents a hacked 360 to go online. Would suck if I hacked it and then found I couldn't go on Live.

There is always the restore option, just reflash the old firmware back onto the drive.

 

[Moose]

I'll wait...

 

[Granite]

I'll wait...

Yeah, might be safer for you when the new iXtreme 1.5 versions are out...
I mean Microsoft cant tell if drives are flashed at the moment due to them looking just like a genuine retail drive as it is, why would this change with the new Dashboard update?

 

[twelve]

Sammy guides are up. Eldiablov we have a Computer section for PC problems

 

[eldiablov]

Yeah, sorry Phil. But my thread on QJ has had 37 views and 1 reply from myself. So the odds dont look too good

Anyway, i'll use your guide for my benq when its all finished. The one I was using was slightly muddled and unorganised. Which isnt exactly good when you're doing something like this

 

[Moose]

Awesome, thanks twelve.

 

[Abe Froeman]

I don't know why this isn't stuck yet. Great guide and thanks for the effort.

 

[twelve]

I don't know why this isn't stuck yet. Great guide and thanks for the effort.

Was gonna stick it when I finished