Hacking External drive?

[natkoden]

Hello everyone, I was wondering if I should choose an external HDD to load games (jtag'd Jasper elite) over the original drive included with the console.

Which one is faster or more reliable? From what I know, you have to hack the external drive for the 360 to recognize it, and the maximum capacity allowed nowadays is 320 GB.

Basically that, what should I buy?

 

[Devin]

I would grab a external, and HDD launch games off XeX Menu, or FreeStyle Dash. As for limits, on retail consoles you can grab a Wester Digital Scorpio(?), flash it for use (Only up to 320 GBs is supported, and insert it into a Xbox HDD casing for using it on your 360. As for JTAG's this limit is bypassed.

Overall, get a external HDD.

 

[DinohScene]

Internal HDD is faster since that is Sata 3 iirc.

No you don't have to hack one since you can plonk in ANY sized laptop HDD and format it.
Be sure to run hddx fixer and install the hacked xbox emulator after you upgraded your HDD.

 

[natkoden]

So if I connect a 500 GB HDD I could use it all?

What about brands and that? I mean, should I grab something nice like a WD My Passport Essentials or a common HDD would do the job just the same?

Thanks guys.

 

[DinohScene]

Internal or external?

On a jTAG/RGH there is no HDDSS.bin aka Harddisk drive security sector.
Wich means that you can plonk in a 500 GB 2.5 inch drive in the internal HDD casing and it would still run perfectly fine.

For external.
Any 3.5/2.5 will suffice.
Altough it takes up space near the console and imho. it just looks neater when it is internal.

In fact I also got a 500 GB Seagate wich replaced the original 60 GB in my RGH Falcon.
Restored the hddx partition + the compability and installed the hacked xbox1 emulator.
It works exactly like a stock HDD would.

 

[natkoden]

Sweet. So I guess I would be buying and external HDD so I can later use it with my PC and maybe future PS3.

Thanks again.

 

[DinohScene]

You're welcome ;]

You will have to format the external drive to FAT32 tho.

 

[natkoden]

Just wondering, what if I connect a SATA HDD to the 360 using a SATA-TO-USB cable?

 

[DinohScene]

That is the same as having an external HDD.
It won't make a difference as long as you format your drive to FAT32.

 

[TriForce_3]

Internal HDD is faster since that is Sata 3 iirc.

No you don't have to hack one since you can plonk in ANY sized laptop HDD and format it.
Be sure to run hddx fixer and install the hacked xbox emulator after you upgraded your HDD.

So if I had a LapTop HDD that is not being used, that would be a perfect setup for the X360? Will that work on all X360 versions regardless of factory HDD that it included new? Is there a step by step tutorial on how to do this?

Very interested in doing my X360 this way. Any info you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DinohScene]

It will work (any 2.5 inch sized drive)
But you will require a jTAG or RGH console.

Any size would do.
I currently have a 500 GB in it and I extract my games in xex format (removes padding etc)
Some have a 1TB in it and it still works perfectly fine.

HOWEVER.
If you have a "virgin" 360, you CANNOT upgrade the HDD besides using a hacked 320/250/120 GB WD Scorpio blue harddrive.

For jTAG/RGH, the tut is >>here>here

 

[TriForce_3]

It will work (any 2.5 inch sized drive)
But you will require a jTAG or RGH console.

Any size would do.
I currently have a 500 GB in it and I extract my games in xex format (removes padding etc)
Some have a 1TB in it and it still works perfectly fine.

HOWEVER.
If you have a "virgin" 360, you CANNOT upgrade the HDD besides using a hacked 320/250/120 GB WD Scorpio blue harddrive.

For jTAG/RGH, the tut is >>here>here

 

[TriForce_3]

It will work (any 2.5 inch sized drive)
But you will require a jTAG or RGH console.

Any size would do.
I currently have a 500 GB in it and I extract my games in xex format (removes padding etc)
Some have a 1TB in it and it still works perfectly fine.

HOWEVER.
If you have a "virgin" 360, you CANNOT upgrade the HDD besides using a hacked 320/250/120 GB WD Scorpio blue harddrive.

For jTAG/RGH, the tut is >>here>here

 

[DinohScene]

Your 360 doesn't have to be flashed in order to use hddhackr.
hddhackr only supports a limited amount of WD Scorpio drives, and can only be the size of legit 360 HDD's

with jTAG/RGH's this is bypassed, you can fit any sized HDD in the console.
However with that you'll loose XBLive for good!

In short:
jTAG/RGH is a hardware hacked machine capable of anything, just like a modded Wii (NO XBLive ever!)
Flashed 360's are 360's wich have their DVD drive flashed in order to play backups. (XBLive safe, if you patch your backups)
Virgin 360's are unmodded 360's (XBLive safe)

 

[TriForce_3]

Your 360 doesn't have to be flashed in order to use hddhackr.
hddhackr only supports a limited amount of WD Scorpio drives, and can only be the size of legit 360 HDD's

with jTAG/RGH's this is bypassed, you can fit any sized HDD in the console.
However with that you'll loose XBLive for good!

In short:
jTAG/RGH is a hardware hacked machine capable of anything, just like a modded Wii (NO XBLive ever!)
Flashed 360's are 360's wich have their DVD drive flashed in order to play backups. (XBLive safe, if you patch your backups)
Virgin 360's are unmodded 360's (XBLive safe)

Hmmmmm.... That makes it more interesting. I'd like the ability to play XboxLive if I want, though I may not play it often. I guess that kinda changes things a little.

 

[DinohScene]

For RGH/jTAG's you got Xlink Kai.
Only Syslink enabled games can be played "online"

It's not XBLive but it comes close (be prepared for massive amounts of cheaters)

For normal people, flashing the drive is enough.
Games can be installed on the HDD (still need the backup to be present in the drive for verification)

 

[hundshamer]

If he is confident in his soldering skills he can install a dual NAND (like the cygnos or the XD card mod). That would give him a hacked 360 when the switch is one way and a live enabled box when it's the other. As far as Jtag/RGH HDD's you can get an e-SATA external HDD and make an adapter out of the 360's HDD shell like this one:

Note that the biggest size HDD a 360 can recognize is 2.5TB. Anything bigger requires drivers that aren't available for the 360 because of the way they work. This goes for all HDD's (internal/external, USB/SATA).

 

[DinohScene]

I'd rather go for hooking the HDD up "internally"
Faster then USB.

Even tho it is a quite nice mod.

 

[hundshamer]

That is an e-SATA connection not USB. I opened the shell, removed the HDD, and put an SATA to e-SATA in it's place. In essence I have an e-SATA HDD recognized as a SATA internal HDD. It's just as fast as internalizing the HDD. Besides with the cooling mods I've done to that 360, I don't have enough room for it internally.

For my slim I made a custom adapter with a 4pdt micro switch so I can switch from my 2TB jtag HDD for the hacked dash to the 250GB internal for my live enabled dash.

The custom adapter:

Installed:

The slider switch with the USB port in front of the bat switch is part of the Cygnos dual NAND setup.

On an unrelated side note, the ordinary dust in the picture of the e-sata adapter looks illegal LOL!

 

[DinohScene]

Ahh I see.

Nice mod.

I tought that the pic above was an SATA - USB adapter hooked up to the back of the console (360 phat)