The Firmware Page

Xbox

The current discussion on this subject takes place on an Xbox forum. These members are not familiar with the workings of firmware (much like myself,) I believe that this project is more appropriately suited for this forum. http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=325005 I believe that relevant information exists throughout but specifically the current progress lies on 47-49.

Glad to see this has been posted in a forum that is dedicated to making firmware releases! I have poked around with this code but it's time to call in the professionals.

If anyone has any questions about what is trying to be achieved here - please feel free to ask and I'm sure there are many people in the scene that will be willing to help.

I think another novel drive function to have would be to take an 8163B drive and modify it's firmware to function in a PC to read the Xbox DVD's so that you can do your backups right from there - basiclly patch in the code that is specific to the Hitachi-LG GDR-8050L Xbox drive to the 8163B drive. It is surprising how much of the code is the same between the two drives (simple hex compare).

Skyhi Thanks for the response. Your right the applications to this firmware patching could be ubiquitous. Even a PC drive for the xbox would be a leap in this field. Often some trivial exercise in a trans-disciple field is a remarkable leap in technology, hence most recent scientific achievements (if you read any current scientific journals.) Sorry I

Actually - the more I think about it - all we really need to do is to patch the 8163B to read the Xbox originals as per the 8050L code. The 8163B does the rest already i.e. CDR, DVD+/-R, 16x, ...

Hopefully we can recruit some help with this project

Actually, if you read the forum that I linked to, you will see that this project is almost done. The 8163B has been flashed and all the hardware (or most) has been modded to comply with the Xbox standard. The problem is that as soon as you flash an 8163B with the 8050 firmware you lose the ability to read CD-r, hence we believe that this is a firmware problem. Reading Xbox DVDs in a pc, although not useful in my mind, is almost an issue of formats used. Xbox uses a custom partition called fat x, I think. Anyway for the same reason long ago a Mac couldn

Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? Anyone?

It has come to my attention that some believe that this projects goal it to enable people to pirate games, or software or something. This is just not the case. A typical Xbox game is filled with flashy annoying animation that quite successfully fills a dvd-5 and often a dvd-9 (as well as replace strategy, depth and all those other qualities a video game no longer needs.) This project is simple a way to enable an Xbox to do all the things that most stand alone DVD players can do now, play compilation music cds play low bitrate home movies etc. Anyone who actually wanted to pirate Xbox games would most likely use DVDs and wouldn