Gaming Trying to flash for the first time

[Sportsmaniac1322]

I have my computer and Xbox opened and I'm attempting to flash for the 1st time. I'm using my onboard motherboard, so since my 1st SATA slot is taken up by my hard drive, I plugged the disc drive into the 2nd slot. My problem is that when I turn on my 360 and open Jungleflasher, it only detects what I assume is my hard drive. One of the columns says "Channel: Primary" which I assume is the 1st SATA slot. I don't want to unplug my hard drive, because then Jungleflasher can't read anything off it. What should I do?

 

[Sefi]

Have you tried booting your PC with an Iprep formated memory stick? I tried using jungle flasher for the first time to flash a friends 360 a few days ago and couldn't get it to recognize the 360 drive. However when I went back to what I've always done (Iprep) it worked fine.

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

Have you tried booting your PC with an Iprep formated memory stick? I tried using jungle flasher for the first time to flash a friends 360 a few days ago and couldn't get it to recognize the 360 drive. However when I went back to what I've always done (Iprep) it worked fine.

That's actually what I'm trying to do as we speak. Do you have any good tutorials to link me to? It could help me a lot!

EDIT: After trying iPrep, the minute I turn the 360 on it says "An internal stacks overflow has caused this system to be halted". Now what's going on?

 

[Sefi]

First find and download iPrep v008.8 and the newest ixDef.xml for 1.51 firmwares (probably will be together in the download, but should be 918 bytes in size). Install Iprep, then put that ixdef.xml file in the installed iprep folder to replace the old one.

Now run Iprep, and load your firmware file in the section that's for your type of 360 drive. In the bottom right corner is where you select the drive to format (your memory stick drive, make sure to select it so you don't format your pc!). Hit start and in a few moments your memory stick is good to go. I find it easiest for later on to then explore your memory stick after this, and copy the custom firmware file on the stick to the main directory on the stick instead of in the iprep folder.

Turn off your pc, unplug all your drives, hook up the 360 to the sata, and plug in your memory stick. Also it's a fairly good idea to take a piece of wire and connect the 360's case to your PC case to ground it better, but that's up to you. I always do it to be safe. Turn on your pc when everything is hooked up. Power cord plugged in 360, A/V cable in 360 plugged in (not in tv though). When your PC starts up, make it boot the memory stick. It might do it automatically, you might have to enter boot options for your pc. Whatever you have to do to make it boot the memory stick. Power on the 360.

It will now load Iprep. It's fairly straight forward. The trickiest part is getting the pc to recognize your 360 drive. There's different tricks for different drives, benq for example has a trick where you open the dvd tray halfway. The prompt on screen will guide you best it can for different things you can do. Keep in mind that you only are running off of the memory stick and not changing anything on the 360 yet, so you won't hurt anything to try things. When you finally get it to recognize your drive, you're practically homefree.

You want to backup your old firmware first before anything else. This is the read command. Follow the instructions on the screen and you're fine. Name it to something easy to remember. Now you use firmtool. When I flash I type "firmtool benold.bin bencfw.bin". benold.bin is the name of the backup firmware I used, replace it with whatever you used. bencfw.bin is the name of my custom firmware from when I used Iprep, replace it with whatever yours is. So "firmtool (old) (new)" is basically the format without the (). Finally you get to flash the firmware. Run dosflash if it's not currently running already (dosflash.exe) and select write. Follow the on screen instructions if any and when it is done you're finished.

I myself have a Benq drive so I can only speak for flashing that drive when I say it was easy to do. I had to do the half open dvd drive trick to get it to recognize the drive, but it was easy to do. I wish you luck!

Edit: I'm afraid I don't know what that error is or what's going on. Anybody else out there know?

 

[Sefi]

Did a quick google search, came up with this:

http://www.360mods.net/index.php?name=Foru...p;view=previous

Let me know how it goes.

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

Ok now I'm freaking out! I tried flashing before you posted your post, and I thought it went well, but it turns out I accidentally just flashed the custom firmware without reading my official firmware first. Now when I place a disc in my 360 it says to put the disc in a 360 to play. Am I screwed?

 

[Armadillo]

If you didn't get a dump of your original firmware, then yes, you are screwed.

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

I do remember telling it to read the drive, so I hope to god it created a backup of my original firmware. I'm going to check now...

EDIT: I actually think I made a backup. There's a folder inside my USB stick that's titled "BACKUPS". Then it says the serial number of my Xbox and then gives me a "BenCFW.bin" file. I think I may have named it that when I backed it up. Please tell me that I'm right!!

 

[Sefi]

That..... sucks >

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

@Sefi: Can you read my post 2 above this that I edited? Thanks.

 

[Sefi]

If you did name it that, then you should be able to flash that firmware file back onto the 360. I would do that and then test the 360 to see if it's back to the way it was before proceeding to flash the custom firmware onto it. It's worth a shot either way, not like you can get worse at this point right?

Edit: You can just skip the read and firmtool parts this time since there's no point in backing up the non-working firmware. Just write the firmware you think is the backup to the 360. You might as well try any firmware file on the 360 you find if that first one does'nt work.

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

RIP Xbox. Turns out that file was just a copy of the hacked firmware, so re-flashing it did nothing to save it. At least I learned a lesson from this: when dealing with expensive equipment, never rush to get something done. Not my finest hour...

Now I need suggestions on how to get another Xbox back in my hands. Sefi's suggestion to turn it back into a store and play dumb may work, but since I bought it over a year ago the receipt is long gone. Do I need a receipt for things like that?

Another thing I've thought of is to sell this Xbox here (someone may want it for parts), sell my hacked PSP Slim and 4GB memory stick which I never play anymore, and whatever else I can find worth selling and buy the $170 Gamestop refurbished 360 for $170. I could get the money if I really wanted to, but I'd rather get a 360 some other way and save my money for other things. Any other suggestions would be great.


And in case you're wondering, I will attempt another flash when I get a new 360 because I'm that cool

. Hopefully next time I'll know what's going on!

 

[Commadore64]

You can try ebay -
But if you are determined to get one in a sneaky way you are going to need to get a used one
...make sure it is identical (has HDMA or not)
Of course be very careful opening the case. You dont scratches all over it


You will need to gut the machines and swap motherboards and DVD drives
*probably just the chassis itself

Now when you go to "return" it - you will most likely need an excuse for not getting a replacement

 

[stayingarmed]

just remember next time....DO NOT FLASH WITHOUT A GOOD DUMP OF ORIGINAL FIRMWARE!!!!!

As for your problems flashing and reading the drive, it may be because it is not the right chipset. If you are just using an onboard SATA port, you will most likely not have the right chipset and need to buy a new SATA card. I think I picked one up that is perfect for around $12 with shipping. You need a VIA VT6421A card and use PortIO to run it.

If you need help flashing it, PM me and I can try helping you out or depending on where you live I could flash it for you.

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

You can try ebay -
But if you are determined to get one in a sneaky way you are going to need to get a used one
...make sure it is identical (has HDMA or not)
Of course be very careful opening the case. You dont scratches all over it

You will need to gut the machines and swap motherboards and DVD drives
*probably just the chassis itself

Now when you go to "return" it - you will most likely need an excuse for not getting a replacement
I'm not quite sure what you're saying. If I understood it right, you want me to get a working Xbox on eBay, open it, swap the cases, and send the bad one back to the seller saying it doesn't work. If so, I don't think I'd ever do that. I don't like screwing innocent people over

.

I also want to be careful on eBay. I want to get a relatively new model so I don't get a RROD. Plus if I do get RROD, I want some kind of warranty to fix it, and buying it off eBay won't give me a warranty of any kind. Do you guys think I'm worrying too much about that?
QUOTE(syst3merror @ Mar 31 2009, 11:43 AM) just remember next time....DO NOT FLASH WITHOUT A GOOD DUMP OF ORIGINAL FIRMWARE!!!!!

As for your problems flashing and reading the drive, it may be because it is not the right chipset. If you are just using an onboard SATA port, you will most likely not have the right chipset and need to buy a new SATA card. I think I picked one up that is perfect for around $12 with shipping. You need a VIA VT6421A card and use PortIO to run it.

If you need help flashing it, PM me and I can try helping you out or depending on where you live I could flash it for you.

The problem with flashing and reading the drive was that it needed to be connected to the 1st SATA port on my drive, and my hard drive was connected there. Since Windows reads off my hard drive, I couldn't have them both connected at once. But with using iPrep, I could unplug my hard drive since it was reading off a flash drive. My Xbox connected fine with iPrep.

I don't need a SATA card at all. My motherboard has a VIA chipset and it connected and flashed the firmware just fine. My only problem was that I flashed the custom firmware without making a backup of my original firmware first. I didn't forget to dump the original firmware; I just read the directions wrong. I know exactly what I did wrong though, and I also know exactly what to do, so it (hopefully) won't happen again. Now I just need a new Xbox...

 

[velocity37]

I want to get a relatively new model so I don't get a RROD. Plus if I do get RROD, I want some kind of warranty to fix it, and buying it off eBay won't give me a warranty of any kind. Do you guys think I'm worrying too much about that?

I don't think your fears of getting a RROD are unfounded, but if you're going to be flashing your drive then your warranty is going to be non-existant. If you get the newest model (Jasper) you're going to get a liteon drive. The "fun" thing about those is that you'll need some additional hardware to dump the drive key, and you can't just dump the original firmware off of it. So even if you did really carefully pull back the warranty sticker and leave it intact, you'll end up having iXtreme on it.

If your ethics are a bit more flexible, you can what another person suggested and get another 360 that is the same hardware revision as yours. Just check the amp rating for 12v to verify. With a Torx T10 you can swap the shell with the serial number on it. You'll also need to get the silver tape off of your replacement xbox and put it on your old one if you broke it to flash your drive. If memory serves there is a sticker on the metal chassis as well with the 360 serial number. You'll need a Torx T8 if you want to completely remove the motherboard and front daughterboard. If you think you can do the transplant while leaving the warranty sticker and silver tape intact, then that's always an option. If you were going to do this, I'd recommend buying it from somewhere like a pawn shop rather than a Gamestop.

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

I don't think your fears of getting a RROD are unfounded, but if you're going to be flashing your drive then your warranty is going to be non-existant. If you get the newest model (Jasper) you're going to get a liteon drive. The "fun" thing about those is that you'll need some additional hardware to dump the drive key, and you can't just dump the original firmware off of it. So even if you did really carefully pull back the warranty sticker and leave it intact, you'll end up having iXtreme on it.

If your ethics are a bit more flexible, you can what another person suggested and get another 360 that is the same hardware revision as yours. Just check the amp rating for 12v to verify. With a Torx T10 you can swap the shell with the serial number on it. You'll also need to get the silver tape off of your replacement xbox and put it on your old one if you broke it to flash your drive. If memory serves there is a sticker on the metal chassis as well with the 360 serial number. You'll need a Torx T8 if you want to completely remove the motherboard and front daughterboard. If you think you can do the transplant while leaving the warranty sticker and silver tape intact, then that's always an option. If you were going to do this, I'd recommend buying it from somewhere like a pawn shop rather than a Gamestop.

I definitely don't want to deal with a lite-on drive. Since my soldering skills are terrible, I'd have to spend another $40 to extract the key from it, which is definitely something I want to avoid. That's why I want to get a refurbished Xbox at Gamestop. Hopefully it'll be fixed enough to not give me a RROD, but not new enough to have a Lite-on. I'm shooting for a BenQ.

I don't have any pawn shops in my area, so Gamestop is about my only option. If I got a refurbished Xbox, would the warranty sticker be intact? If not, then that might save me a huge hassle of trying to keep that looking nice. So basically all I would have to do is swap the shells that have the serial number on it, right? Then I would be able to take it back saying it doesn't work. That's actually pretty smart. Do you guys think the Gamestop employees would be dumb enough to fall for it?

 

[velocity37]

If I got a refurbished Xbox, would the warranty sticker be intact?
Good point, I never thought of this. They might have their own sort of tamper-proof sticker though.

QUOTE(Sportsmaniac1322 @ Apr 1 2009, 07:11 AM) So basically all I would have to do is swap the shells that have the serial number on it, right? Then I would be able to take it back saying it doesn't work. That's actually pretty smart. Do you guys think the Gamestop employees would be dumb enough to fall for it?

If you kept the M$ warranty sticker and silver disc drive tape intact, then there would be no indicator of tampering without removing the plastic shell. My older arcade (2006) had one of the silver ones which are kind of a pain (see here) though they can be bought on eBay. My Jasper has the newer style stickers (see here) that should be easier to remove. The new seal on my Jasper was applied too far to the right, so I was able to separate the shell without damaging it effortlessly. As I said earlier, there's a sticker on the metal chassis with the serial number (see here under right X). So even if you did just swap the plastic shell, it would be apparent to someone who disassembles it afterward that they've been had. If you want to be thorough, you'd have to ensure that it was the same hardware revision and you'd have to swap the motherboards. You would also have to swap the disc drives without damaging the silver tape. If you wanted to be extremely thorough you could dump the OFW from your new 360 and flash it to your bad drive so it doesn't have iXtreme on it. It isn't possible to read drive keys from a motherboard, so only Microsoft could recover it. This post would have me believe that Gamestop handles all the refurbishing themselves, so you might have luck there.

Mind you, this is fraud. This is why I recommended a pawn shop over anything. If you told a pawn shop that it just stopped reading discs within the return period, they'd just refund your money and sell it AS-IS. Gamestop will probably try to repair yours, so if it's your only option then you should think things over.

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

Yeah after thinking it over a little more, I don't think I want to screw Gamestop over that badly. Plus the fact that they'd probably figure it out eventually anyway. I think I might just have to buy a refurbished Xbox from them and just sell my old one to someone who wants it for parts.

That brings up another question. If I buy a refurbished Xbox, is it safe from RROD, or will it just quit on me randomly like if I bought one off eBay? Also, if it does RROD and I have it flashed, will I still be able to flash my official firmware back on it with a broken Xbox so I can take it back un-tampered with? Thanks in advance.

 

[velocity37]

If I buy a refurbished Xbox, is it safe from RROD, or will it just quit on me randomly like if I bought one off eBay? Also, if it does RROD and I have it flashed, will I still be able to flash my official firmware back on it with a broken Xbox so I can take it back un-tampered with? Thanks in advance.

I'd hope that Gamestop's refurbishing process is better than the 'ol x-clamp fix and bake process that everyone else does. That said, the xbox 360 isn't a reliable gaming console in general. Considering you get no real warranty ("Note GameStop refurbished systems are not covered by a manufacturer warranty. Normal GameStop return policy applies.") I would say that you probably have the same odds of getting the RROD as any other 360 owner. Now, if the 360 was manufactured less than three years ago, you can probably get Microsoft to take it if you get the RROD specifically. To my knowledge the Liteon is the only drive at the moment that you can't dump the original firmware off of, so with any other drive you can just reflash your original firmware backup.