The New System Update Faq, The facts. 1314x beta and 13146 retail versions Options

[Defosho]

The New System Update FAQ by Defosho - Last updated June 15 2011
previously known as the System Update Preview FAQ
Short link to this page - http://bit.ly/dashupdate

Note 1: If you want to post this on other sites, please keep it updated, untouched and acknowledge the original sources. Of course Xbox-Scene.com are welcome to do whatever they want with it :)

Note 2: This FAQ is based on reports from trusted sources and my own testing. Please do not post speculation here, there are other threads where you can do that. If you have solid verifiable information please PM me.

What is System Update 13146?
This is a new update released to beta testers on May 9th and retail users on May 19th. It was released over XBL in several stages over the course of 11 days to May 30th. Microsoft rolled the update out to unique groups of consoles over the course of the rollout. If a manual update (disc/USB) was performed on a console that had not yet been offered the update through XBL, XBL access was blocked for that console ID until it was officially enabled.

What is new in this update?
The most notable changes that affect the CFW scene are: (1) a DVD drive firmware flash update and (2) a new AP25 challenge table.

1) The physical DVD drive is flashed with new firmware

Some drives are flashed during the update process. This is overwriting current drive firmware, whether it is custom or original. This is the reason why all backups are failing to boot for some people after the update, because the drive no longer has CFW. Re-flashing back to CFW (detectable if older than 1.9) will allow existing backups to start working again, except for the 6 known AP25-active titles which have a new challenge set in 13140-6. Read on for more details.

Which drives are being flashed?
Slim Lite-On: PLDS DG-16D4S 9504 -> 0272 ($flash_oddupd1.xex)
Phat BenQ: PBDS VAD6038 62430C/64930C -> 04421C ($flash_oddupd2.xex)
Phat Lite-On: PLDS DG-16D2S 74850C/83850C/93450C -> 02510C ($flash_oddupd3.xex)
Phat Samsung: TSSTcorp DVD-ROM TS-H943A ms25 -> ms25p---
Phat Samsung: TSSTcorp DVD-ROM TS-H943A ms28 -> ms28p2f9

Slim Lite-On 0225 and 0401 and all Hitachi drives are not being flashed.

Where can I get the new OFW flash files?
The new full 256 KB OFW flash files for Slim Lite-On 9504, Phat BenQ and Phat Lite-On drives can be found in the official 13146 System Update. Open the su20076000_00000000 file and extract the appropriate $flash_oddupd<x>.xex file for your drive with wxPirs (mirror). Then extract the FIRMWARE.bin file with XeXtractor or XexTool.

Samsung drives are updated with files from $install_extender.xex which contains 4 smaller patches rather than full fw files: ms25p1f9, ms25p2f9, ms28p1f9, ms28p2f9. Each patch is 48.4 KB and makes some changes in parts of the firmware. Therefore you must obtain the new OFW dumped from an actual Samsung drive. It appears that 13146 patches ms28 drives with ms28p2f9.

I've updated to 1314x and my drive has been flashed to new OFW, can I flash my drive back to pre-1.9 CFW to play backups?
Yes, but only if you're not concerned about being flagged or XBL banned.

So flashing back to pre-1.9 LT/LT+ CFW is detectable?
Yes. Custom firmware is designed to imitate OFW as close as possible so the console cannot detect it. Pre-1.9 LT and LT+ are based on old stock OFW so they imitate old stock OFW. Updated 1314x consoles are expecting to be communicating with a drive with new OFW. This is the first time in the console's history that drives are being officially flashed so when a drive is flashed to new OFW you should treat it like a "brand new drive model". And typically when a new drive model appears it often requires a new custom firmware version.

So how should I play backups with my newly updated console?
Flash LT/LT+ 1.9 which is based on new OFW. This is available for phat model drives currently.

Can I install the update with the drive disconnected?
No.

Is the drive key in the keyvault/drive changed or zeroed during the update?
No.

I have updated to the new OFW. How can I obtain and inject my drive key?
Older versions of JF do not recognise the new OFW fw versions. Use JF 0.1.83 or later. You can also try Electon^-'s e-Tool.

I have a non-JTAGable console with no drive key. Can I install this update so that maybe the drive key in the keyvault will be inserted back into the drive during the flashing process?
No. The update will start to run but you'll get an error message code like 3151-3355-1600-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx and the entire update will fail. If you flash one of the full new OFWs (any or no key) to the drive first then run the System Update the dash will be updated leaving the drive alone and the key won't be inserted. This way you can update consoles without known drive keys to 13140 and later.

My drive is flashed with CFW and the new System Update is failing to install. How can I install it?
Regardless of what drive you have, you should flash to old stock OFW before updating. If you have CFW the update will fail for some drives:

If you have retail dash 12625 or earlier:
For some CFW drives (Samsung, slim Lite-On), the new update will fail to install. You need to flash the drive to stock OFW before the update can proceed.

If you're already on 13140 or later:
Any subsequent System Update will fail to install if you don't have an updated drive. If you're on CFW or old OFW, you need to flash to the new OFW before the update can proceed. As mentioned earlier, the update will proceed even if your drive key is not inserted however I'd highly recommend that you do insert it before flashing. If you're not concerned about being flagged/XBL banned then you can temporarily install a drive from a different console that has already been updated to the new OFW (any key) and then install the System Update.


2) A new AP25 challenge table

The six games that were AP25-active in 12625 are still active in 13140-6 - all known language versions of AC:B, Fable III, NFS:HP, Halo Reach, CoD:MW2, CoD:BO. However current genuine AP25-patched backups of these games do not boot with LT+ because the challenges have changed. These six games will need to be (re-)burned with new replay sectors to play on 1314x. Read my AP25 FAQ for more information.

Xbox Game Disc 3 (XGD3)

The Microsoft document sourced by Joystiq states that it will "introduce support for a Xbox Game Disc format (XGD3) that will be used in future game titles releasing later in 2011". Since Major Nelson's original post on March 29 this is the first official mention of Xbox Game Disc 3.

It also corroborates previous reports - "XGD3 allows for additional storage space on a game disc, and provides additional layers of copy protection".

Since early April several people have reported that the Halo Reach beta XGD3 disc can be 'played' on any drive firmware version. I wouldn't draw any conclusions from this, the disc is beta.


The System Update Preview Program

What is the System Update Preview program?
Announced on March 29 2011, this was a public beta program for US Xbox Live members that ran from early April to mid May 2011. According to Major Nelson, its purpose was to help prepare for an updated disc format, which we now know is called XGD3 (Xbox Game Disc 3).

How was the program run?
All participants received an XGD3 version of Halo Reach. The program was split into two groups chosen by Microsoft. One group ("LIVE") received the initial dashboard update through Xbox Live, the other group was expected to update with the Halo Reach disc ("DISC").

On April 6th the members in the "LIVE" update group started to receive the beta dashboard 13141 through XBL. The Halo Reach discs started to arrive in the mail on April 11. Some are green topped ("DISC"), others silver ("LIVE"). At least one of the disc types have system update 13140 on the disc. Dashboards have since been updated to 13142, 13145 and 13146 through XBL. The 13146 update issued to the beta testers on May 9th is identical to the final retail 13146 which started to appear on retail consoles on May 19th.

The new drive firmwares and AP25 table are identical in all versions from 13140-13146.

Thanks/Credits
dragoscojan and kuiponok for the Samsung drive dumps and helpful info
elmsnapesta for the JF 0.1.67 drive key information
kryno 696 for the OFW drive swap method to allow updates and 13146 info
Electon^- for the e-Tool
And those who shall remain anonymous, you know who you are :)

This post has been edited by Defosho: Jun 16 2011, 12:40 AM