You noobs out there may have bought an XDK, you may even have a sidecar with it. Anyone aspiring to use an XDK properly may find utility in this guide. Without further ado, let's start the n00b's guide to an XDK! So you bought a dev kit to run unsigned code or retail games? Well, the code can't just be unsigned or retail signed, it needs to be dev kit signed, meaning that it must be encrypted to work on a dev kit. There is software out there that will allow you to resign games or other code to work on a dev kit, such as X360GameHack, but if you expect to be able to mod CoD or Halo out of the box, prepare to be disappointed. If you bought a dev kit to go online and be unbeatable on Xbox LIVE, not gonna work. By default, XDKs don't connect to Xbox LIVE (or ProductionNet). They connect to another Xbox LIVE service called PartnerNet. PartnerNet is essentially Xbox LIVE for dev kits. As of 2012, PartnerNet is IP Whitelisted, so unless you have Microsoft's tool to whitelist your IP for PartnerNet, any attempts to access PNET will most likely cause your dev kit's KV to be banned from PartnerNet. In extreme cases, Microsoft can brick your XDK by burning eFuses on Fuseline 02 and give a 0022 error on your XDK, making it a paperweight. No bricks have been reported since the massive brick wave of 2012, and it's mainly been bans from then. In either case, don't connect to PartnerNet. Ever. If you want to update an XDK, you don't just plop in a USB with an update on it and run it, you run what's called a "recovery." Recoveries come in 2 variants, ISO recoveries and Remote Recoveries. An ISO recovery is run by plopping a disc with the recovery burned on it into your dev kit's DVD Drive when the console boots up, whereas a remote recovery is run while the XDK is running. Either one reflashes the NAND. Downgrades ARE possible on XDKs, because Fuselines 02 and 07-11 are not burned at all during an XDK Update. Finally, once you are able to mod games, you need to find out if the XDK is a development kit or test kit. A Development Kit has kernel debugging turned on. The sidecar is not required on phat XDK units, but is required on XDK S units. A Sidecar is a HDD for dev kits + extra features meant to work with the SDK. A Development Kit can poke memory and hack games. A Test Kit is an XDK (with or without sidecar) that cannot kernel debug without a patch. Test Kits are what XDK S units are referred to without a sidecar. As for an XNA Kit sidecar, the only visible port is DVD EMU, but PIX is blocked off, and there is a space for the Gigabit Ethernet port seen on prototype XNA Sidecars. The types of Development Kits: XeDK Beta 1: Prototype Xbox 360 dev kit, 007 revision, always have Xenon motherboards, have Titan/Argon Boards, and sometimes have stress wires for connection to Lamprey boards. Beta 1's cannot update past 1839.2 meaning they'll only take XeX1 files. Note that to boot an XeDK Beta 1, you need to set the dip switches on the Titan Board to the correct configuration, otherwise the console will either refuse to boot or RRoD. XeDK Beta 2: Prototype Xbox 360 dev kit, are always Xenons, don't have Titan boards, but Lamprey stress wires are still there on occasion. XeDK Beta 2 units can update to hacked recoveries to support XeX2 files, but by default, are still bound to 1839.2. Support for XeDK Beta 2 units was cut around 4802.0. Development Kit: Grey case, Grey DVD Drive, headers for sidecars installed, able to kernel debug, Xenon-Jasper Test Kit: White case (essentially a retail case), has headers for sidecar, chrome DVD Drive, unable to kernel debug without patch, Xenon-Jasper. Stress Kit: White case, sidecar headers included, Xenon-Jasper, could kernel debug, and has wires for Lamprey.
Development kits don't always have a sidecar. There are some phat demo kits that use a full development board, they came with no sidecar. Stress kits are also development kits, they don't even have the 2-pin power header for a sidecar. Reviewer kits are also development kits as they have a full development board too they never got a sidecar. Final kits always got sidecars regardless of being a test or dev, is that what you meant to say? Edit: Also want to add the sidecar bypass for slims: 1. Creat .ini file called: recint.ini 2. Paste: [xbdm] drivemap internal=1 3. Transfer to flash of xdk 4. Reboot Console
No problem! got one more thing to clear up. For slims the sidecar isn't also HDD, on slims the sidecar acts like it does on a retail with the slot in the console. Phats have the HDD in the sidecar though. Phat development kits (007 dev(XeDK) to final) with sidecars(obviously) have access to both PIX and DVD emu. Phat development test kits, with sidecars (obviously), only have access to DVD emu (PIX is covered with a piece of plastic that can be removed). "Final" XNA kits (expo(tribal) and final) both dev/test have DVD emulation and the sidecar shell covers the PIX port permanently. XNA protos versions 2-4 are the same but they have a gigabit Ethernet port in addition. Slims sidecars only have DVD emulation. PIX can be done through Ethernet, that's why it was faded out.
the chassis for "final" xna sidecars also has the space for the gigabit board. They even have the risers for the gigabit board still.
@AS347 @Lehvak As lehvak stated, here is a final XNA sidecar with the cutout. Also you can see the risers for the GB board (thanks to lehvak for second pic)
the gigabit port is only on prototype versions 1-4. Expo is "final" relative to XNA history, which means they only have dvd emulation. http://assemblergames.com/l/threads/the-xna-kit-history.55872/ XeDK's are only 007, there are no known 006 kits. The idtification of "XeDK" was only given to 007 Devs, as that is what it said on the MFR. 007 internals do not get an MFR so we can't assume they were called XeDKs, so therefore they aren't. and I think they can go to 1839.2 008s devs are not identified as XeDK, they had no identification, such as an MFR that would say it. Also, 009s are their own "thing" separate from 008s. 008s also have argons, more specifically they got inverted argons.
Great guide, thanks. I got some XDK's @ 21256.0, they still contain untouched data. 360 Title "Homefront2". Boots to loading screen, get some debug output but then it blackscreen. When i click xbox guide button, the sound of the menu appears, so i guess resolution is wrong or something. 360 Title "Crysis Warface" Tech Beta 1.0.10983.57 and various other builds, some dont boot. Message: "System update required". All require live connection tho. Maybe because its a online game?! Interesting or cold stuff?
Okay, I'll need to be quick for this, there is a placeholder before loading at "homefront2", but it pass by very fast Edit: @dans87 https://imgur.com/a/OJY06
