OK, first off, I would like to emphasize this is Marriage Theory, no one can say for sure this is whats going on, its simply the explanation for current bannings I find to have the most evidence to support it.

Preface: When Did All This Start?


What this means if you have not been on Live since July 2004 you can upgrade your HD now and get back on Live without worry.

It also means that if you have been using the same HD since July 2004 (IE you upgraded before that time) you are also safe from ban.

Chapter 1: What Is Marriage Theory?

Marriage Theory is simple, when you first log in to XBOX Live your Eeprom and Hard Drive serial number are "married" or linked together in whatever files MS has on their servers.

Chapter 2: OK, So What Does That Mean?

Well it means that instead of just banning the Eeprom, as in the past, you Hard Drive is also banned.

Additionally, it means that if either Eeprom or Hard Drive are changed without the other (IE: HD upgrade after using Live or Eeprom replacement after banning) you will get banned.

**UPDATE** It seems that while eeproms are married to HDs the Hard Drives can be polygamists, an unbanned (yet not "virgin") HD can be married to multiple Eeproms. So moving an unbanned Hard Drive to a new xbox will not result in a ban, even if the HD has been on Live with another Xbox.

Chapter 3: Whatever, Just Tell Me How Do I Get Around It?

Well, obvious solution, don't change HDs after using Live. However, if you must, you can do 1 of 2 things...

Option 1: Set up a switch to use your old Hard Drive on Live.

Option 2: Obtain and flash a new Eeprom at the same time you upgrade your Hard Drive.

And as always, never, EVER connect to Live with your modchip enabled.

Chapter 4: What If I Am Already Banned? What Do I Do Now?

As before you will need to obtain an unbanned Eeprom, however now you will also need to obtain an unbanned Hard Drive (you can still keep your old one if it is an upgraded HD using Option 1 from Chapter 3)

**UPDATE** See Chapter 5 below

Chapter 5: Flagged GamerTags

Guess I was wrong on this one folks, it seems MS is indeed flagging GamerTags, if you have been banned under a particular GamerTag it seems to be scrutinized more closely, and will get you banned again if you have any upgraded Hard Drive (even if you comply with Marriage Theory and have the chip off)

Obvious solution: get a new GamerTag.

However you can still use a flagged GamerTag provided you only sign on with a stock Hard Drive (see Chapter 3, Option 1)

I do not believe they are actually banning GamerTags, if you receive a messege saying your account has been suspended for 1-3 months this is not due to a modified Xbox, this is due to complaints and negative feedback from other players. This is generally a direct result of your actions during games, these negative actions include rudeness, swearing, racial and ethnic slurs, cheating, teamkilling and generally being a buttnugget. Take your suspension, do your time and when you come back just grow up.


Once again I would like to stress this is merely the working theory for whats going on with the recent bannings, I do not claim to know for certain what is going on at MS headquarters or in Billy G's head.

Appendix A: What About LPC Scanning?

I have only seen one person with any evidence to to show MS is scanning the LPC bus for modchips, this was posted about 2 months ago and no new concrete evidence has surfaced, I feel this theory is pretty much dead.

**UPDATE** I have seen alot more mention of this, but still no EVIDENCE, just more and more people worried about it. From what i have seen MS is NOT scanning the LPC bus for a modchip.

Appendix B: What About HD Scanning?

Section 1: Upgraded HDs

I personally have been on Live for about 5 or 6 months with a Maxtor 250gb HD, I have complied with the Marriage Theory and as of this post I am not banned. Many other people are using Live with upgraded HDs as well (and complying with Marriage Theory) and are also not banned.

Section 2: File Scanning

On C: Not sure about this one, I personally have a clean C drive, but i have heard other people with custom dashboards on C:/ using Live with no troubles, I don't feel this is an issue.

On E: I have demoed just about every homebrew app, dashboard, game and emulator available at the usual places, and most of which save settings and profile info in E:/Udata, i also have an exploited gamesave for 007: Agent Under Fire containing several hacked bios and unsigned xbes. I reiterate: I have not been banned.

On F: MS couldn't scan this drive if they wanted to, at least not on the bios currently used on stock Xboxes (kernels 5838 and lower) the F partition is not enabled nor mounted, and cannot be accessed by either MS or homebrew code.

Appendix C: What About <<Insert New Theory Here>>?

Bannings that people attribute to the above theories and likely any new theories can most likely be explained by the basic Marriage Theory I have outlined, if any new concrete evidence surfaces I will certainly update this post.

Appendix D: Combinations of EEPROMS, HDs, and GTs and Results

Read This Thread


**UPDATE**
I Replaced My EEPROM And/Or HDD But Now getting Live Not Found...What Gives?

Well from what I have been reading lately it seems you are unfortunately banned again, and this error is a precursor to the actual Modified Hardware error. I guess MS can detect broken marriages as soon as you log in and prevent you from even accessing Live until they add you to the banned list.

My Theory as to why this is happening like this:

I believe MS has instated a sort of Live password as part of the Marriage security measures. Live prompts your xbox for a login of sorts, this login is the same as your EEPROM serial number. It then asks for a password, this password is your HDs lock code or HD serial number. If they do not match what MS has on file on their servers you cannot connect to Live (Live Not Found) and it adds your EEPROM serial to the list of pending bans (same as folks who log in with a hacked bios) If it is a EEPROM they do not have on file they put it on file with the HD code and thus the marriage takes place.

This explains why people who change HDs without changing eeprom cannot access Live at all (since the "password" isnt correct they cant log in) and then only later get the modified hardware error (after the "classic" ban has been processed)

This also explains the odd scenario of HDs being able to be used with multiple Eeproms, MS checks for duplicate "logins" (Eeproms) not duplicate "passwords" (HD serials)

great post LordVader!

this should get pinned. Great post

This current thread deals with only the basics of Marriage Theory. For those who are interested in the nitty gritty details you can check out the original in-depth Marriage Theory thread which has full references and expanded info on broad range of Marriage Theory and related topics.

http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=304652 <-- GO HERE

Also, check the section on "Flagged Gamertags" which explains why people get their xboxes rebanned if they use a gamertag which has already been banned.

What happens if i copy my live account from one original XBox to another original XBOX?
I mean if i have two XBOX i can only use my gamertag on one XBOX and not on the other cause of the marriage theory.
Bit confused because that would mean if one of my XBOX breaks down i can't use the account on another XBOX because they have different EEprom & HDD or am i wrong?

Bingo: you're wrong. Read the post, open your mind!

And think: why would M$ prevent you from moving your gamertag from one original xbox to another original xbox?

im not sure GTs get flagged at all, if they do its not part of a the normal "ban procedure" sinc ei know a few people who have been banned multiple times with a single GT and still use it just fine

Mentioned in the pinned topic just now

LordVader,

Not sure if this contradicts the marriage theory or what you would classify it as.

Here are my Xboxs:

Red Xbox:
* 1.0 with Xecuter 2.6 Lite and 160GB Hard Drive
* I upgraded the drive BEFORE going onto Xbox LIVE. Played on LIVE everyday for about 3 weeks and was never banned.

Crystal Xbox:
* 1.6 with Xecuter 3 and Stock Hard drive.
* Never used it on LIVE until I upgraded the Hard Drive.

I took my 160GB Hard Drive out of my Red Xbox and installed it into my Crystal Xbox. I added my LIVE account to the Xbox using the Account Recovery option. I've been using this Xbox since November 9th to play on LIVE everyday and I haven't been banned. It is in my livingroom and gets used ALOT, people even try to sign in with the modchip on too since I have two guest accounts.

this is a great thread. good thinking lordvader129

hmm, when was the last time you used the red xbox on Live? the marriage bannings started around the same time as halo 2s release (maybe a bit before, possibly as early as the french leak)

as for attmepting to sign in with chip on, you are usin an x3 bios, correct? that blocks access to Live to prevent banning

i was going to say...
if you signed in with teh chip on, ud be out of live for sure.
so i think lordvader129's right, its not actually goign on live. it wouldnt let you on with the chip on.
and i think all of this started a bit before the french leak of h2.

The Marriage Theory post says this

Drive Cross-Referencing
You can use an unbanned but not virgin HD with a virgin EEPROM but you can't use a non-virgin EEPROM with a different HD (without copying the drive 'disk.bin' info from one to the other)

Which basically means, you won't get banned for doing what you've done

Are they using large HDs?

what post in this from? id like to add it to my guide

The initial post was linked from the marriage theory post

http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?sho...0&#entry2049500

There have been others, at this point, feet14 has now been on live after swapping his old drive back, with a new eeprom, for 7 weeks.

Vader... I play on LIVE with the RED XBOX about 3 weeks everyday before halo 2 came out. After reading about the marriage theory, I just decided to see if I'd be banned.... so i swapped the non-virgin HDD into my virgin crystal.

And?

just wondering, id b pointless saying soemthing liek this, unless you know the results of your expirement.

well b a waiting for em

And I've been fine since...I play on the crystal everyday.

good to see that you answered

I have JUST bought XBOX live, and after reading all this I am hesitant to use it.
I have no idea how to tell what kind of chip I have, someone else installed it for me, is there any way to tell? Other than that I have a 120GB Maxtor HD with all my games backed up on it and I play them off the HD. I am also using EvoX as my Dash. Now the question is, how do I go about turning off the modchip and still playing my games. Keeping in mind I have the original copies in a safety deposit box to keep them fresh until my grandkids sell them on ebay. I could made backed up burned disc copies, but disabling the chip would not allow me to play those either right?
Help, is there any hope for me to play Live, or should I just give up and stick with XBConnect?

well if you want to use Live youll have to go get those originals

if you want to know what chip you have open the xbox and look at it, post pics ehre and someone can tell you what it is

I've given up trying to find the torx bit to open it up again.. but I can tell you this, if I just push the power button quickly, the disc eject button flashes red and green and the "your xbox needs servicing screen displays, instead I have to HOLD the power button for about 2 seconds to load the EvoX Dashboard/disc in tray. Even if that doesn't help you figure out what my modchip is, how do I get around that xbox needs servicing screen, I assume that not holding the power button is disabling the modchip, but that does me no good.. I am I missing a file in my C: ?

sounds liek an aladdin

is there a number in the upper left corner of the error screen? its possible your HD isnt lcoked

sorry to change the subject but i am a little confused with the situation that i have. I started a xbl account, then modded my xbox (unfortunately with the x-chip) and upgraded to a 200gb wd hd. to make a long story short i got banned after 1 day of play. I tried switching back the stock hd but i couldnt connect to xbl so i did the troubleshooter and it listed 3 reasons it wasn't able to connect, none being about modified hardware/software. I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions. thanks

Yes, theres the # 05 in upper left corner and then it says your xbox requires servicing contact customer service.. and then the same in a bunch of languages..
It is quite possible my HD isn't locked, I hadn't thought of that, is that done through the evo-x dash? also once the HD is locked I won't be able to run games from the HD until I unlock it, is that right?
That in mind all I would have to do is lock the HD, run an original disc without holding the power button (todisable my chip I assume) and I should be able to run xbox live??

05 is definately HD not locked

once the HD is locked the only difference will be error 05 will go away 9and you will be fine on Live) you will still be able to read and write to the HD like normal

locking teh drive will get you to be able to boot your xbox up with the stock bios, to get you on Live. But to play a gam, you need an original disc. so its either you get teh games out of the safe deposit box, or you dont go xbox live.
just remember that if you dont want to go live, you can allways use tunneling software to play other people by the internet.

Thx guys,
yeah I have been using xbconnect for awhile now, but some friends are trying to get me to pay for live.. I'll prolly just stick with the tunneling sotware for now. I may pull some games outta the lockbox later.
Other than being able to boot the original Bios, is there any other dif. if I lock the HD? Ie, will I still be able to access the HD through FTP for file transfers..
Basically once I lock the HD is there ANY downside I might see? Also will I be able to "unlock" it again or is there any need? I believe the xbox unlocks it upon boot on its own and then locks it upon shutdown, is that right? Or is it only the original bios that does that and I'll need to unlock it again to run the xbox with the chip turned on?
I know this thread was about something else.. so I'm sorry to polute it with my questions, but I searched the forums for awhile and couldn't find any answers so I feel it's relevant. Thanks again.

well a locked drive is just a stupid thing thst ms does. some of teh new drives that they make cant even be locked any more. its like a very outdated security method. the drive will still function teh dsme, wheter it is lcoked or unlocked. if you want to go live, just get a copy of configmagic (from the usual places), and lock your drive. then run a backup in evox, and copy all of the files that it makes to your computer.
that way, if your xbox decided to shit itself, you can recover the hard drive (coz its locked, itll only work on the xbox)

That sounds like a good plan, I have config magic already, I just didn't know what to expect when I ran it.. will it tell me what files it has creatd? I assume it creats a log of the password to unlock, but where do I find that file..?

the master password that it will create for teh drive will be: TEAMASSEMBLY.

i dont think it creates backup files (but then again its been like 6months since ive used it, so i may be wrong).
best best is to try it, can see how things go. just use ur common sense so you dont do somethign to completley fuck up your xbox

Thx for the help guys.. I've been playing LIVE for the last two days with my 120GB HD and no probs.. but someone posted earlier to make a backup through the EvoX dash, which I did, and then they said to copy the backup files to your comp incase the HD goes nutty or whatev.. anyone know what files contain the backup info?? (And where they are?)

if you do the backup with evox, then they should be in the e:\ partition. there are like 5 files that it makes. might be in a folder called backup.

i got a hhdkey.bin and an EEprom.bin file from me frend can i jus put them in the backup folder and flash the eeprom?

yes you could do that, but that wouldnt do anythign positive for you. just make teh backup, then copy the fiels that it makes to your computer, for safeguarding.

hey i'm not shure if anybody is going to reply to this because this is an older post but anyways basically what this says is that if i take my stock hard drive( i plan on just swapping hdd's when i play xbl) so if i use my stock hdd when i set up and play xbl i won't get banned regardless of the files i have on my xbox ...the basic question is if i have files that wouldn't normally be on a xbox on my hard drie will i get banned? thanks for the help

no, i dont think they scann the hard drives, so no, you shouldnt get banned

I have a v1.6b xbox and when i boot to the xbox dash and check my memory i can see all the programs on my F:\ drive and i says that I have 50,000+ blocks of memory free. Does this mean that the new xboxes can scan the whole HD?


xecuter 3 chip
X3 bios\evox dash
segate 160mb HD locked

No.

It means they can see the saved games which are on the e: drive

Okay, so let me get this straight....

The marriage theory, when someone mentioned the information stored on the MS servers, do you think this is created at the time you first log on to Live or is this information created at the time the XBox is made int he factory.
If it's the first, would I be okay with my situation?

I have a 1.6 Xbox, with a SpiderChip (I know I know) and EvoXM8_16plus bios installed.
I also have a 120Gb Maxtor HDD. I have not used or signed up to Live yet.

Would I get banned if I signed up or is it only if you sign up play, THEN change the HDD from the MS one.

I hope this is the case, as I'd love to try Live.
Thanks all

Thanks Vader, I've been looking for this post.

Quick question, you said that eeproms can be polygamist, what does polygamist mean... lol, only joking.

What about the drives? I have a banned xbox for which I have ordered a new faulty mobo and drive (matched) to get it unbanned. However, I got banned just over a year ago cause I no one told me I couldn't go live with the mod chip on. Since then I have periodically tried to access live just to see if M$ 'forgot' about me but it hasn't (boooo). However, I would prefer not to go through the hassle of swapping drives and eeproms unless I have to (the faulty mobo is for backup parts) so I was wondering if I flash my eeprom and then unlock and relock my hd will I be able to go live?

Let me guess your answer...

I don't know, I guess you need to try it and find out.

[/QUOTE]QUOTE(dkilp @ Jan 21 2005, 12:57 AM)
I have a v1.6b xbox and when i boot to the xbox dash and check my memory i can see all the programs on my F:\ drive and i says that I have 50,000+ blocks of memory free. Does this mean that the new xboxes can scan the whole HD?
xecuter 3 chip
X3 bios\evox dash
segate 160mb HD locked






No.

It means they can see the saved games which are on the e: drive[QUOTE]

It is seeing more than saved games it's seeing Surreal64 which is on my F drive and i've never used it, and it's seeing DVD2XBOX and MAMEoX Launcher both also installed on the F drive. Are all these programs leaving footprints on the E drive?

A quick question...

I have an executor 3 and have been banned as I had signed up for Live before the modding. When I set up my new HDD I made sure to back up the eeprom and hdkey from my old machine and HDD. They are all in a backup folder.

How do I revert to those files so I can get back on?? Do any files need to be copied or do I just flash the bios with the old eeprom?

Thanks for the help...

NooNaN

Its created when you first connect to XBL. Yes, I think you'll get banned for signing up (but not playing) and then swapping drives.

youll get banned if you swap teh drives, then go on xblive. so in otehr words, you can only use teh same hard drive that was in teh xbox when you first go xbox live (eg sign up for it).

updated with some old/new information

I like the new updates on this. Keep up the good work.

Filtering that LONG-ASS thread is something that needed to be done.

my kudos to you lordvader129