Trying To Recover Eeprom Password After Softmod Options

[rebeltaz]

I successfully used the ndure softmod procedure, using the tutorial here as a guidem and I was wanting to backup the EEPROM data. As an electronic technician, I have numerous EEPROM readers that I have built and I am familiar with PonyProg (works great for restoring scrambled RCA television EEPROMS, BTW) but I would like to go the software route if I can.

I FTP'd into the Xbox, loaded ConfigMagic v1.6 in the E:/apps directory and ran it. I saved the information that it reported and then downloaded that to my PC's hard drive. I opened EEPROMbackup.bin with LiveInfo Beta 3 and compared that to EEPROMbackup.txt. The first thing I noticed is that the reported Xbox serial number is wrong. Then I look down and see the calculated password in LiveInfo doesn't match the reported password in the text file, nor does the hard drive serial number - but the hard drive key does match.

I wanted to install a larger hard drive in the system, but with that being the case, I really didn't want to try either password. Although I guess I could always lock the drive with one code and as long as I used that sane key, I could always unlock it again even if the Xbox couldn't, right? But I would like to know why the codes are different.

I' have seen in forums where the EEPROM data should have been backed up in the UDATA directory, but the expected eeprom.bin file is not there. I even did a complete drive search for 'eeprom' and the only results were the files that ConfigMagic created (or came with) itself. There is a directory in TDATA called 000000000000, but it is blank.

And help would be great. Thanks...

[obcd]

I wanted to install a larger hard drive in the system, but with that being the case, I really didn't want to try either password. Although I guess I could always lock the drive with one code and as long as I used that sane key, I could always unlock it again even if the Xbox couldn't, right? But I would like to know why the codes are different.

Right.

The hdd password is different from the hddkey in the eeprom chip. It is calculated from the eeprom hddkey and the harddisk model and serial number that are reported by the harddisk itself. So, the password will be different for every xbox and will also be different for every harddisk.

In the liveinfo program, you have an option to select the harddisk for which the harddisk needs to be calculated. The correct harddisk needs to be connected to the pc for that.

Xman954 wrote a small program to backup the xbox eeprom. You can use it to crosscheck the eeprom.bin file.

Also be carefull if you use the ndure softmod. It can create a virtual eeprom which is also an eeprom.bin file on the xbox harddisk. The firmware will use that one instead of the real eeprom once the softmod is running.

Make sure you turn your virtual eeprom off before you make the backup.

regards.

[rebeltaz]

Right.

The hdd password is different from the hddkey in the eeprom chip. It is calculated from the eeprom hddkey and the harddisk model and serial number that are reported by the harddisk itself. So, the password will be different for every xbox and will also be different for every harddisk.

In the liveinfo program, you have an option to select the harddisk for which the harddisk needs to be calculated. The correct harddisk needs to be connected to the pc for that.

Xman954 wrote a small program to backup the xbox eeprom. You can use it to crosscheck the eeprom.bin file.

Also be carefull if you use the ndure softmod. It can create a virtual eeprom which is also an eeprom.bin file on the xbox harddisk. The firmware will use that one instead of the real eeprom once the softmod is running.

Make sure you turn your virtual eeprom off before you make the backup.

regards.

I think you misunderstood me... I know that the password will be different form the key. I mean that the password that ConfigMagic reports does not match the password that LiveInfo calculates. And even if ConfigMagic is calculating its password from a virtual eeprom, I would still think that LiveInfo would calculate the password using an eeprom.bin file that ConfigMagic created.

You mention that the hard drive has to be plugged into the PC running LiveInfo, but I thought that by loading an eeoprom.bin into LiveInfo, that would bypass that need. Do I still need the hard drive plugged into the PC even when I load an eeprom.bin file created in COnfigMagic?

If Ndure is using a emulated eeprom, how do I disable that, even temporarily, and what effect does that have on the XBox?

Thanks....

[obcd]

The hdd password is different from the hddkey in the eeprom chip. It is calculated from the eeprom hddkey and the harddisk model and serial number that are reported by the harddisk itself. So, the password will be different for every xbox and will also be different for every harddisk.

How is liveinfo suposed to know the harddisk model and serial number, when it can't read those from the harddisk itself? If you look at it's screen, you will probably see that it uses the model and serial number of your pc harddisk with your OS. It will display some information about that disk.

If Ndure is using a emulated eeprom, how do I disable that, even temporarily, and what effect does that have on the XBox?

If you have a ndts folder, run the default.xbe from that folder.
It will turn the shadowc and virtual eeprom off. Another option is adding some dummy files to your E:\nkp11 folder or to the root of your E partition. (depending upon the fact you are using nkpatcher 11 or nkpatcher 10) After the next reboot, the nkpatcher won't use the virtual eeprom anymore. I believe the filename is EEPROM_off.bin

There shouldn't be any effect on the xbox. The purpose of the virtual eeprom is to have an easy way to prevent the xbox from going onto live in modded condition. It also helps against corrupted eeproms which would prevent the xbox from booting.

regards.

[rebeltaz]

How is liveinfo suposed to know the harddisk model and serial number, when it can't read those from the harddisk itself? If you look at it's screen, you will probably see that it uses the model and serial number of your pc harddisk with your OS. It will display some information about that disk.

I guess I just assumed that by loading the eeprom.bin file, LiveInfo was able to read that information from that file directly. So I need both the eeprom.bin file AND the hard drive connected to the PC?

If you have a ndts folder, run the default.xbe from that folder.
It will turn the shadowc and virtual eeprom off. Another option is adding some dummy files to your E:\nkp11 folder or to the root of your E partition. (depending upon the fact you are using nkpatcher 11 or nkpatcher 10) After the next reboot, the nkpatcher won't use the virtual eeprom anymore. I believe the filename is EEPROM_off.bin

I'll give that a try as soon as I get a chance... Thanks...

[obcd]

Yes, the drive model and serial number are not stored in the eeprom.bin file.

The Liveinfo program has an option to select for wich of the pc drives it should calculate the password.
On the win 2000 OS, it sometimes was a bit difficult to select the correct drive.

regards.

[rebeltaz]

I appreciate your help so far, but I am... concerned, I guess is the correct word.

I added EEPROM_off.bin to the main root directory of E (there was no NK11 directory, but I even tried creating that directory and adding that file there as well). After doing that, I re-ran ConfigMagic. It still reports the same HDD password that it did before the EEPROM_off file. So I tried running /ndts/default.xbe . From there, I ran both ConfigMagic and RemoteX from there and had it create a backup of the EEPROM. I compared that to the files created by ConfigMagic and they both report the same information - passwords, keys and all.

Now at this point, most people would assume that the passwords and .bin files were from the actual EEPROM and not a virtual EEPROM. And I would, too - except that the XBox' serial number that ConfigMagic is reporting does not match the serial number shown on the bottom of the XBox itself. And from I have read, that is a show-stopper.

I don't mind experimenting, but I don't really have hard drives laying around all over the place that I can brick in an attempt to figure out this oddity. I really wan to make sure that what I am doing is right before I do it.

If you (or anyone, really) can tell me why the serial numbers of the XBox do not match, I'd fell a whole lot better. Then I promise I will stop bothering everyone with such newbie questions on such a well-documented hack...

[obcd]

It's the correct attitude to be concerned if things aren't correct.
Most people just start asking questions when it's to late.

If you got the xbox second hand, and it has been opened before, I would say, the previous owner switched the cases of 2 of his xboxes.

It's also possible that he reprogrammed the eeprom because the original serial was banned on xbox live.

You could try to unlock the original xbox harddisk with xboxhdm on a pc using that eeprom. If it's wrong, it simply won't unlock, no harm done.

Even if you lock the new harddisk with a wrong eeprom and xboxhdm, it's not a problem. The harddisk will give you an error 6 in the xbox. It can be unlocked again with xboxhdm and the same eeprom.
There are known issues of mobo biosses that no longer accept a harddisk if it's locked, but that doesn't happen very often. The unlock test of the original harddisk might be safer. If that succeeds, locking a harddisk with the same eeprom should work as well.

regards.

[rebeltaz]

Well, I appreciate your help... I guess I could have built this Xbox from two and just not remember - I've had it for years! I went ahead and tried to lock the new hard drive with the EEPROM file that Evox created and the password generated with LiveInfo using XBoxHDM. Worked like a charm so I went ahead and ran the Ndure softmod on that drive as well.

I do have another question, though... When I did this, I created the new drive from scratch with a stock Dash and then ran the Ndure mod on that. I didn't copy C and E from the old drive to the hard drive first. I did copy TDATA and UDATA, though. Then after I finished with the softmod, I copied the directories from TDATA and UDATA to the new E drive. I only had one game save on the old hard drive anyway, so I figured that that would be cool. But when I went to try and load the save game data, I found that it wasn't there. Do I really have to copy the entire C and E drives to rescue that one game save or did I just not copy the correct paths? I looked around, but I didn't see anything else that looked like game data, but what do I know?

[obcd]

Xboxhdm can calculate the hdd password from the eeprom hddkey itself.
You don't need liveinfo to calculate the password and type it in manually.
You do need the eeprom.bin file (all lowercase letters) in the xboxhdm eeprom folder before you create the boot cd.

If you copied the TDATA and UDATA folders on the E partition, than you should have copied the gamesaves with it. I have never heard of a game using the C for saving data.

Maybe you could save a game, and see if you can find the information on the E. The creation date of files can be usefull to see what was created during the gamesave.

regards.

[rebeltaz]

Xboxhdm can calculate the hdd password from the eeprom hddkey itself.
You don't need liveinfo to calculate the password and type it in manually.
You do need the eeprom.bin file (all lowercase letters) in the xboxhdm eeprom folder before you create the boot cd.

Oh, I know, but since I already had a boot disc created with stock Dash files and another one for the Ndure mod, I didn't want to bother burning yet another CD just to add the eeprom.bin file to it. It was easy enough for me to type the password in on the command line. I like command line anyway

If you copied the TDATA and UDATA folders on the E partition, than you should have copied the gamesaves with it. I have never heard of a game using the C for saving data.

Maybe you could save a game, and see if you can find the information on the E. The creation date of files can be usefull to see what was created during the gamesave.

We think alike I did exactly that, but I guess I missed it. I looked at the UDATA files that I downloaded to my PC with Text Editor and I was able to find the directory that goes with the game I am looking for. I will try again tomorrow....

[obcd]

The problem with typing in the password manually is that you can make a typo.
In such a case, you have locked the harddisk with an incorrect password, and most people even can't reproduce that wrong password afterwards... (But I can read you don't work that way.)
Also, xboxhdm sets the master password of the harddisk and sets it's security level for that master password. (It's not used by the xbox)
The master password is a backdoor to unlock your harddisk. In case you can't reproduce the user password, you can use the master to gain access to the drive.

You can directly investigate the folder contents on your xbox drive with your dashboard file explorer. Unleashx and Xbmc have such an option.

regards.

[rebeltaz]

I went ahead and made another disc with the eeprom - the first hd had bad sectors and I didn't feel like keep typing passwords.

And I did find the game save.

I appreciate all of your help. Thanks....