Xbox 360 fat region-free mod suggestions? (screw online)

Hey guys,
Looking to pick up a local Japanese 360, I'm gonna go for the original fat models so I can get a cool faceplace for it and because I already have a S model. Looking to get one with a Jasper motherboard so it doesn't keel over suddenly.

I'm mostly getting this console to collect and to play Japanese 360 games. But I was thinking I could mod it as well, this would let me play US region games and also install XBLA games which may end up disappearing forever soon when MS shuts down the 360 servers.

I already have a 360 I go online with, so I don't really care about this one getting banned. Do you have any suggestions? Main requirement is it can play original pressed disks from all regions. I'd like to be able to use a stock dash (it'd be pretty cool if I could get the old blades one back!). As I said before, it'd be nice to be able to install XBLA games, so some way of accessing the HDD to do that would be cool. Any suggestions? JTAG?

 

JTAG is only possible if you have kernal 2.0.7371.0 or lower. Most Xbox 360 games are region free, but for those few who are not, the only real possibility is JTAG.
If you have a console with an incompatible firmware ( Most likely the case), you can RGH it.
RGH works very well with fat consoles and it does all the same things as JTAG.

Good luck mate.

 

+1 for RGH

 

I like the new CR4 XL chip by tx. You can get some other cheaper clone chips, but I've had some clones come doa.

 

RGH still requires you to install some hardware right? Between it and something more mod chip-like (CR4 XL?) which would be better?

 

That chip is used for the RGH, RGH is really the only choice so I would suggest reading up on it.
As for getting the Blades dash back you can run a custom skin for FreeStyle Dash 3 tho that won't bring back the blades mini guide

Anywhoo other than RGH you have disk drive flashing to let it play burned games but that's just boring and horribly limiting.

 

I never understood that, why is it that a hack that allows you to load burned games but not original out-of-region disks usually so simple? You'd think that MS/Sony etc would really lock down the consoles so if anything, the easiest mod would be to get the system to play original out-of-region games.

Anyway, I've acquired a Jasper Japanese 360! One of the ones that still has the chrome parts, these seem to be a little harder to find compared to the ones with the white trims. It's got a 60GB HDD, is this big enough for game saves and some XBLA games? I know you can install a 500GB drive, but you need a very specific model drive. Is there some modded-only feature I might want that would require a lot of HDD space? I won't be installing disks images or anything like that.

Anyway, It's all working, so I guess it's time to open it up (which appears to need a special tool, dammit Microsoft!), clean it and get the bits I need to RGH it.

Is this a good tutorial for what I need to do?


Do you have any recommendations on where I should get the hardware? And as a general usage question, I've heard that modding a 360 can really increase the boot time. What can be done to prevent this? Change some settings? Use different software? And is it possible to keep the system looking pretty stock?

 

There is soo much info on hacking the xbox 360, it can be mind numbing. I am a member on Team Xecuter forums so I would suggest reading up all the info on there. Not sure how available CR4XL chips are now depending on where u are located. Maybe Modsupplier.com have some, they are based in Oz. The reason behind no one mod chip to region unlock and play burnt discs is the security being split between the DVD firmware and mobo firmware. The DVD drive checks for pressed official discs and the security in the mobo makes sure only region specific or region free games are executed. I always flash Lt3.0 firmware to the dvd drive whenever I do a Jtag or RGH mod as it takes little extra time and allows full freedom in the console. Also standard mod chip attacks dont work on xbox because of the 'handshake' process between cpu and bios chip during boot, hence why a Jtag (smc) hack makes use of a loop hole in this sequence to insert homebrew code to reboot to a hacked dash. When this was patched by M$, Hackers developed a 'timed' reset attack (RGH) to acheive a similar situation (with same result). It really depends on your xbox dash board. If u are lucky enough to find a jasper with a dash pre 7371, then standard Jtag (2 diodes and a jumper + xell). This is the quickest booting (1 cycle everytime). If it is post 7371 but pre 14699 then RGH1 is the quickest after jtag (instant if tuned correctly) but will need a cr3 chip (official ones are less available). After 14699 u will need RGH2, I would recommend a CR4 chip as these are so easy to install and can be instant (my installs were 1-2 cycles when testing).

 

Thanks for the explanation on how the security on the 360 works! It seems like a massive oversight on MS' behalf to have the DVD drive doing the check for a pressed disk, I'd wager than the ability for the user to be able to boot burned games is far worse than the ability for the user to run an imported title.

The version of this console's dashboard is 2.0.16202.0, does that help in some way?

 

16202 is definately in RGH2 territory. I forgot to mention, if you can acquire a CR4 chip ($39 AUD from OzModchips) then u can perform the R-jtag hack, which is sort of a 'reset jtag'. This is for phat xboxs like your jasper and has the best boot times for CR4. Don't be fooled by shops getting u to buy 'quick solder boards' with it. These make for a nice solid install but aren't necessary. Most of my installs have been wired. If u need any help with u'r Jtag/RGH just PM me.

 

Cool, thanks! I also saw alibaba had CR4 XLs too, they have free shipping so they might be a better choice for me being Japan based (Australia post is just terrible). In addition to the CR4 itself, I also need some kind of "programmer" device too don't I?

Is the "R-jtag hack" you mentioned a slightly different process from the "RGH" hack which was shown in the video I linked to? Are there any settings I should tweak when doing the install to:
A: Try and keep boot times as fast as possible.
B: Try and keep the system looking stock

 

The cr4 should instant boot any fat console. My Jasper BB always booted instantly with RGH2. Here is the the TX install for RGH2 on fats: http://team-xecuter.com/forums/threads/147878-Xecuter-CR4-XL-Magic-SMC-Files-for-RGH2

You will need something to read the NAND. I have a clone JR Programmer that I got from alliexpress.

I also recommend the QSB. You don't need them but they make the install look alot cleaner.


The Mod gist is:

Read Xbox Nand
Create ECC with xbox nand
Write new ecc to xbox
Install CR4
Xbox Boots Xell - You can now get the CPU Key
With CPU key you can create XEBuild Image
Write nand/XEBuild Image back to xbox

Now you can run unsigned code on the xbox.

 

Okay, it seems like the CR4 XLs on aliexpress might be fake. Probably best to get one from a proper online store. Now that I think about it, Ozmodchips would be ideal, since the yen is strong to the AUD but weak to the USD. But they currently only have the chip itself and a programmer in stock. The programmer is also more expensive than what's on aliexpress. Should I get the CR4 XL from Ozmodchips, get the programmer from aliexpress or get both from ozmodchips? I've heard that beyond tidiness, the QSBs also help with boot times, any truth to that? Otherwise, I'll probably forget about using them.

With regards to 360 hacking, I've heard it's now possible to use any WD 2.5" HDD. However, you need some data from an original 360 HDD, which limits you to the size this original drive was, regardless of what size the replacement drive is. Is that the case?

 

I didn't think it was possible to clone the CR4 (One of the reasons why I think TX produced the chip in the first place) but IDK. If it was me I get the CR4 from Ozmodchips. Now the jr programmer shouldn't really matter, get it where ever you want to.

The QSB's might help with boot times if the soldering is crappy. Some of these signals going over these wires can be picky. To me the QSB's are cheap so why not?

With RGH/RGH2 etc you can run any 2.5" hard drive. Well the housing only supports 9.5mm thick hard drive. You can modify the housing to fit a thicker drive in. I say just stay with the 9.5mm thick drive. I used this 2tb Samsung drive http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I8O6OQ4

You do not need any files from the other hard drive. Just install the new drive and format inside the default dash.

 

Well, it's more availability that's the issue. It looks like aliexpress have QSBs (http://www.aliexpress.com/af/qsb.ht...n&initiative_id=QRW_20150909053724&isViewCP=y) so I could get the programmer from there as well as the QSBs, but I have no idea which one I need! One that mentions NAND?

Oh, I didn't know RGH can do that! Once you install a new drive and format it, can you use the drive on an un-modified xbox, or are you stuck using it only on modified ones?

 

Be prepared that your first RGH might be very frustrating. It requires perfect soldering and a perfect placement of the chip.
If you place the chip in the wrong spot, It will increase your boot cycles.
If you route the wire incorrectly, it will also make the boot process slower.

http://teamx360.co.uk/ I think this is the best forum for Xbox 360 stuff. Much nicer people than in TX.

And no, you cannot use a RGH HDD on a retail Xbox.
Only WD drives with a specific firmware are compatible.

 

Do not get the cloned QSB's from ali. They are junk and most points are shorted together (I know from experience). Get legit QSB's from like OZModchips

 

Well, if the answer is keeping wires short, I've already got experience with doing that on PS2s. But it sounds like using QSBs gives the best results.

Hmmm, probably best to use a supported drive. Just in case I need to use it on an un-modded system or something. In which case, what are my options?

Gonna have to see if they're getting more stock, they're totally out at the moment.

*EDIT* Uh, they said the QSBs aren't being made anymore.

 

This place says they have them, they are an official re-seller for tx.

http://www.shop01media.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=178

 

It's not just about keeping the wires short. It's mainly about the route of the CPU_RST cable, it gives the best results when it's correctly placed. The forum I mentioned earlier gives great knowledge on this subject.

I would still try Aliexpress. A lot of QSB's and chips from there are DOA, but you will still get a refund and if you receive a working one, you'll have no problems.