Gaming Modern Backup Tools

[PityOnU]

Just purchased a xk3y for my Xbox 360, and I'm trying to figure out how to make 1:1 backups of my disks. There are a few guides here on the forums, but they are all terrifically old (in internet time, at least).

Can somebody tell me what I need for ripping state-of-the-art 1:1 backups of my games using a PC?

 

[DinohScene]

You'll need a X360 USB pro v2 (this will let you connect your 360 DVD drive to your PC on both the power line and the SATA connection)
Don't use Kreon drives, they won't let you backup XGD3 + a original 360 drive is far more preffered.
And Xbox Backup Creator.

As for the guides.
They haven't changed that much.
XGD3 games (8.5 GB ones) are dumped pretty much the same way as XGD2 games (7.4 GB ones)
Always verify your rips with ABGX!!

edit: Just look up on a guide on how to correctly dump an XGD2 game with AP 2.5 and how to dump an XGD3 game.
Then you'll be fine ;]

 

[PityOnU]

You'll need a X360 USB pro v2 (this will let you connect your 360 DVD drive to your PC on both the power line and the SATA connection)
Don't use Kreon drives, they won't let you backup XGD3 + a original 360 drive is far more preffered.
And Xbox Backup Creator.

As for the guides.
They haven't changed that much.
XGD3 games (8.5 GB ones) are dumped pretty much the same way as XGD2 games (7.4 GB ones)
Always verify your rips with ABGX!!

edit: Just look up on a guide on how to correctly dump an XGD2 game with AP 2.5 and how to dump an XGD3 game.
Then you'll be fine ;]

Wow! Thanks for the fast response! Looks like I have some research to do regarding what all of that stuff means.

Quick question, though. After looking at ABGX, I'm not immediately certain how I should use the resources on that site to verify my rips. I usually use some sort of CRC checker (RomCenter) combined with a DATFile for the platform I am ripping from. I'm not seeing anything like that there.

 

[DinohScene]

Just ask what you want to know ;p


Just run your game through the ABGX program.
These are the settings which you can select to check your game (also tick Check/Fix Video padding and Check for AnyDVD style game data corruption)
Rerun the game through ABGX after patching, if ABGX comes up with all green then your rip is correct and safe to use on XBL.

 

[PityOnU]

Just ask what you want to know ;p


Just run your game through the ABGX program.
These are the settings which you can select to check your game (also tick Check/Fix Video padding and Check for AnyDVD style game data corruption)
Rerun the game through ABGX after patching, if ABGX comes up with all green then your rip is correct and safe to use on XBL.

Wow, excellent! This is helping me so much! Thanks!

More questions now, though. So from the sound of it, here's what I need to do to get started:

1. Disassemble Xbox 360 and remove the DVD drive
2. Connect the DVD drive to my PC via the X360 USB Pro v2 dongle
3. Use JungleFlasher to extract the firmware and security keys from the drive
4. Transfer the security keys into the xk3y on the little microSD card.
5. Install the xk3y into the Xbox 360 and reassemble everything

And then, if I want to rip games:

1. Take the original DVD drive from the Xbox (involves disassembling again)
2. Reconnect to PC via the X360 USB Pro v2 dongle
3. Use Xbox Backup Creator to rip an image from a game that is inserted into the original DVD drive
4. Use ABGX to verify that the image checks out as being correct (apparently it uses some sort of datfile, but various disks can have different checksums but still be correct so it's not necessarily incorrect if the checksum doesn't match what's in the database)
5. Load that onto an external USB drive from the xk3y to read off of

Whew... That's a lot of work. Worth the payoff at the end of the day though, I think (my Xbox has eaten disks in the past).

Here are my questions though:

1. The X360 USB Pro v2 is $100 online. That's a lot. If I have a desktop I can just slot the drive into (SATA and all), can I just use that? From what I read, that may or may not work depending on the SATA controller of my motherboard. Is it too finicky to even try?

2. Instead of having to disassemble my Xbox every time I want to rip a disc, can I just order a new Xbox 360 DVD drive off of eBay, flash the correct Xbox 360 OFW to it, and have that as a dedicated ripping drive for my desktop? Or are there some hoops I would have to jump through there (possibly involving the security keys)?

Thanks much in advance, I'm truly appreciating all of your guidance!

 

[FAST6191]

Yeah pulling apart a 360 and getting the drive into ripping condition for every new game you want to copy it a right pain and I would not suggest it.

1. If you can power it then sure. Powering it is a different game but power adapters are not much and if you really wanted it would probably not be that hard to make one (all the voltages are the same- it is not a standard sata power cable- http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa189/yaywoop/360/sch-1.jpg ). Not sure what, if any, sata incompatibilities there are for the ripping firmware though (the troubles come in getting the drive into a mode to dump keys and take ones and having sata compatible for that stage). Not sure what expansion cards that are compatible go for these days (traditionally they were some $15 or so*).

*edit Amazon US still lists them at around that.
2. Yeah, you can also get one from a RRoD machine if you know someone with one sitting in a cupboard.
"correct OFW"- you actually want a custom ripping firmware, no keys necessary if you only want to rip things.

 

[DinohScene]

Partially yes.
It depends on your 360 DVD drive what you'll need to do.
Newer slim drives need a RGH to extract the DVD key.
Phat Liteon need a Probe 3 (you can extract the DVD keys with the X360 USB pro v2)


Yes.
Well, ABGX checks the crc for the files on the disc.
So there are a few differences (regions and re-releases/bundles/platinums/whatever) but if it does check out okay then the ISO is clean.


No, just don't fiddle with that.
Unreliable and annoying.
Best to fork out some cash for proper hardware.

Yes yes, no problem.
Get a Ben-Q/Liteon for Phat or a Slim Liteon.
Depending on what's cheaper ;p
Just hook it up to the X360 USB pro v2 and select the drive in XBUC (no need to flash firmwares)
You can flash a 0800 firmware to it but it won't matter much to the Pro v2.


No problems ;]