Hacking Your XBOX360 Samsung DVD Drive!

Hacking Your XBOX360 Samsung DVD Drive

Disclamer: Opening your XBOX360 does void your warrenty. Also connect to XBOX LIVE at your own risk

Requirments: XBOX360 with a Samsung DVD Drive, desktop computer w/ dual layer burner capable of bitsetting, TORX 10 screwdriver, small flathead percision screwdriver, long but thin metal stick, sata cable, compatible SATA chipset, USB key drive and croc clips

PREPARATION:

Okay first off you need to find out if you have a Samsung DVD Drive. Open your XBOX360 DVD tray and refer to the picture below:



*** If your DVD Drive in your XBOX360 does not look exactly like the one in the picture labled Toshiba-Samsung stop. Chances are you are running a Hitachi DVD Drive so you will have to wait for my Hitachi tutorial. Also there is a slim chance that you may have a BenQ DVD Drive. If this is the case your firmware can't be hacked yet ***

Once you have confirmed your XBOX360 has a Samsung DVD Drive you need to find out if you have a compatible sata chipset. I recommend just buying a PCI SATA card from TekGems for 10.99US. Also this PCI SATA card comes with a sata cable.



Install your PCI SATA card with the latest drivers that can be found here. Also when running the installer, uncheck (don’t install) the VIA RAID Tool. You just want to install the drivers.

Now your going to have to download a couple of things. Dowload Xtreme Boot Maker v0.5.3 (RC1) here, Xtreme Boot Maker v0.5.3(RC1) Update here, Xtreme Boot Maker v0.5.3(RC2) Update here and Xtreme Firmware v5.3 here.

Once everything has been downloaded we need to take apart the XBOX360.

Remove the outer plastic shell that conceals the innards of the system. To do this, you must start by removing the face plate. Take a look at the front of the XBOX360 and insert your thumb into the door that covers the two USB ports on the right of the unit. With your other hand squeezing the upper and lower sides of the face plate, pull out the face plate with your thumb. With not much force, the face plate should pop right off. Refer to the picture below:



After the face plate has been pulled off you will see a silver Microsoft sticker covering a gap; remove this. You will also see four small clips locking the top half of the plastic shell to the bottom half. Do not attempt to wedge the clips out at this point.

With some care, gently bend outwards, the right gray ventilation shield on the right side of the unit so that you can see a bit inside. You will notice that the gray side piece attaches to both the bottom and top white chassis. Now look through the holes on top of the unit to locate the areas where the gray side pieces attaches to the white body. What you need to do is take the long but thin metal stick and push down, through the white holes (located on both the top and bottom of the XBOX360) where the clips of the gray side pieces connect. Slowly pull out the gray pieces away from the unit while unlocking the clips and eventually the gray piece will release itself. Refer to the picture below:



To remove the left gray piece, you must first remove the hard drive unit by pressing the button located on the unit itself. Then apply the same procedure used to remove the right gray ventilation piece except when you reach the bottom clip of the piece, you must remove the rubber feet located directly below, to reveal a hole where you can insert the metal stick. Refer to the picture below:



Once you have both side gray pieces removed, you have essentially removed the main locking mechanism that holds the top and bottom shells together. At this point, return to the front of the unit and turn the entire unit upside down. Using a flat head screw driver or wedge, gently pry up the 4 clips holding the top shell to the bottom. Once the clips are unlatched, slowly lift up the front of the bottom shell about an inch. Refer to the picture below:



The last step to removing the bottom shell cover is to insert a thin and small plastic stick into the thin rectangular holes on the rear. The reason the front of the bottom shell needs to be lifted is to prevent the rear latches from reattaching themselves. Slowly insert the stick into each rectangular opening. You should hear a click sound for each clamp you unlatch. Once complete, you may lift off the bottom shell covering. Refer to the picture below:



Looking inside the unit, you will have to remove 6 long screws using your TORX 10 screwdriver. Refer to the picture below:



Once you have all the screws removed, flip the XBOX360 right side up and lift up the top plastic shell. You should now be greeted with the internals of the XBOX360. Refer to the picture below:



Once the XBOX360 has been dissambled we need to find out which firmware it has.

There are currently two versions of the Samsung drive. The hardware is identical, but there are different firmware revisions. The MS25 is the easier drive to flash, but this firmware only appears on earlier systems. The MS28 can be flashed, but you will need a VIA SATA chipset (the one from TekGems will work perfectly). Once you have your XBOX360 opened, check the sticker to see if your drive’s firmware is a MS25 or MS28. Refer to the picture below:



Once you have found out which firmware your XBOX360 Samsung DVD Drive has we need to setup our USB key drive.

First install Xtreme Boot Maker v0.5.3(RC1). Once the installation has been completed extract the Xtreme Boot Maker v0.5.3(RC1) Update and the Xtreme Boot Maker v0.5.3(RC2) Update into the Xtreme Boot Maker installation directory.
(FOR EXAMPLE E:\Program Files\X-Projects\Xtreme Boot Maker)

After that's done open Xtreme Boot Maker v0.5.3(RC2). Navigate to the General Options tab. Open the firmware you downloaded. Apply Bokes Patch and set to Use a Custom SATA Controller. It should autodetect your SATA controller. If it does not, hit either of the “List” buttons and select your controller from the drop-down list. It should input the ID and IO values in the textboxes above.
Refer to the picture below:



Now navigate to the Create Basic Disk tab. Uncheck the box labeled I want to Flash Multiple Drives and enter your XBOX360 system serial number, found on the back of the XBOX360 case - near the Audio/Video port. Select the firmware version you want flashed to your drive.

For Xtreme 5.2A backup Read Speed is always same as original game disks 12x. Original discs unaffected For Xtreme 5.2B backup Read Speed is always quiet/slow. Original discs unaffected. For Xtreme 5.2C default backup Read Speed is same as original game disks 12x. When Original Game disk is booted, all subsequent backup loading will be at Quiet/Slow Read mode, Original Game disks are unaffected. Turn console off/on to reset back to Default backup read speed (12x). Quiet/Slow Read Speed is for quiet operation and/or cheap DVD+R DL media. For Xtreme 5.2D default backup Read Speed is Quiet/Slow 2-4x. When Original Game disk is booted, all subsequent backup loading will be at Fast Read mode 12x, Original Game disks are unaffected Turn console off/on to reset back to Default backup read speed for backups (2-4x). It's up to you which version of the firmware you want flashed but I personally use 5.2C.

Now report the firmware as whatever firmware version your drive is. Select your USB drive letter from the drop-down list. Check the box marked Format / Make Drive Bootable. And click Create Disk.
Refer to picture below:



If it was successful you will be prompted with Done box. Click OK.
Refer to the picture below:



READING/FLASHING FIRMWARE:

We're ready to flash the DVD Drive. Make sure your PC and XBOX360 are close together so the sata cable can reach. Now power off both your PC and XBOX360. Make sure the XBOX360 power cable and video cable are both plugged in. You do not need to hook up the video to a TV, but the cable does have to be plugged into the back of the XBOX360.
Refer to the picture below:



*** The XBOX360 uses a floating point ground. Your PC uses a “true earth” ground. This difference can cause excess voltage to travel through your SATA cable and potentially damage your XBOX360 DVD drive or PC Motherboard / SATA card. You can solve this problem by connecting the XBOX360’s ground to the PC’s ground. The easiest way to do this is by using a “croc clip wire” and connecting the XBOX360 metal casing to your PC’s metal case. You can use anything conductive to connect the XBOX360 case is connected to the PC case. You don’t have to use croc clips, you could just tape some bare/stripped wire to each, or even set the XBOX360 next to the PC so that they are touching. ***

*** For some reason, when using the external ports on the PCI SATA cards, or the “1” port if using internal it will not detect the XBOX360 DVD Drive. Use the primary “0” SATA port.This is an internal port. If there are multiple internal ports, use the port closest to the front of your PC. ***

Disconnect all other drives in your PC. You should disconnect all hard drives and DVD drives so they do not get accidentally flashed with the hacked firmware. Disabling these devices in your BIOS may not work, so physically unplugging them is the best solution.

*** If you have MS28 firmware on your XBOX360 Samsung DVD Drive skip ahead to the MS28 Instructions. ***

MS25 Instuctions:

Step One: Turn on your PC and XBOX360 at the same time, and boot your PC from the USB flash drive into DOS. When you reach the DOS command prompt, plug the SATA cable into the XBOX360 DVD drive, so that the drive is connected to your PC/SATA card.
Refer to the picture below:



Step Two: Type in the following command, using your XBOX360 serial number found on the back of the XBOX360 case. (I’ll use the serial number 1234567 12345 as an example) XRead 1234567 12345 [press enter]
Refer to picture below:



If you get any errors like “Directory already exists” or “MKDIR failed…” don’t worry. The batch file is trying to create a new folder but you already have it, so there’s no need to. MTKFlash should run and your drive should be listed. If you see an item in the list named “XTREME”, choose that. Xtreme Boot Maker renames your SATA controller to this when it creates the hexedited MTKFlash. Once "XTREME" has been selected it should make a backup of your original firmware.
Refer to the picture below:



Samtool will now check to make sure a valid key exists in both your original firmware, and your hacked firmware, and that they match.
Refer to the picture below:



Sometimes there are problems. If your firmware dump is not the correct size, Samtool will abort. If your firmware does not contain a valid key, Samtool will abort.
Refer to the pictures below:






If you get something like these pictures, DO NOT PROCEED PAST THIS POINT IN THE TUTORIAL! Doing so will brick your XBOX360, and leave you without a valid drive key. Something is wrong. Make sure you have unplugged all other drives in your PC and try starting this tutorial over again.

Okay, so if you got a screen similar to the one above that says “Correct”, then you can continue. Samtool will also check your firmware version strings to make sure they match. The firmware version strings must match or you could get error code 66 after flashing your drive. If Samtool asks if you want to copy the version string, type Y to use the ms25 version strings from your original firmware.
Refer to the picture below:



Unplug the SATA cable from the XBOX360 DVD drive, power-cycle the XBOX360, and reboot your PC.

Step Three: When you’re back into DOS, plug the SATA cable back into the XBOX360 DVD drive.
Refer to the picture below:



Step Four: Type in the following command, using your XBOX360 serial number that you used with the XRead command. Xflash 1234567 12345 [press enter] MTKFlash should run and your drive should be listed. If you see an item in the list named “XTREME”, choose that. Xtreme Boot Maker renames your SATA controller to this when it creates the hexedited MTKFlash. Select the drive from the list and it should flash your drive with the hacked firmware. It should flash 4 banks. The 4th bank may say something like Datasum, it is normal. When it is done flashing, unplug the SATA cable from the 360 DVD drive, power off the XBOX.
Refer to the picture below:



Step Five: Backup Your Original Firmware! Boot into Windows. Plug in your USB drive and find your orig.bin in the BACKUPS folder. This is your XBOX360 drive firmware and needs to be kept safe! Make a copy of the file. Then make another one on another drive. Then make another somewhere else. Email it to yourself. You get the drift.

MS28 Instuctions:

Step One: Turn on your PC and XBOX360 at the same time, and boot your PC from the USB flash drive into DOS. When you reach the DOS command prompt, plug the SATA cable into the XBOX360 DVD drive, so that the drive is connected to your PC/SATA card.
Refer to the picture below:



Step Two: Type in the following command, using your XBOX360 serial number found on the back of the XBOX360 case. (I’ll use the serial number 1234567 12345 as an example) XRead 1234567 12345 [press enter]
Refer to picture below:



If you get any errors like “Directory already exists” or “MKDIR failed…” don’t worry. The batch file is trying to create a new folder but you already have it, so there’s no need to. If you see an item in the list named “XTREME”, that is what you want, but don’t choose it yet. Xtreme Boot Maker renames your SATA controller to this when it creates the hexedited MTKFlash.

While at the menu, power off your XBOX360. To make sure your XBOX360 is completely powered off, check the light on the power brick to make sure it is orange.
Refer to the picture below:



Select the drive from the list and it should go to a port error. Count to ten, then power the XBOX360 back on, and it should dump the firmware. Your timing will vary based on the drive. Some work with waiting three seconds, some five, some ten, some more. Just keep at it, you’ll get it eventually.
Refer to the picture below:



Samtool will now check to make sure a valid key exists in both your original firmware, and your hacked firmware, and that they match.
Refer to the picture below:



Sometimes there are problems. If your firmware dump is not the correct size, Samtool will abort. If your firmware does not contain a valid key, Samtool will abort.
Refer to the pictures below:




If you get something like these pictures, DO NOT PROCEED PAST THIS POINT IN THE TUTORIAL! Doing so will brick your XBOX360, and leave you without a valid drive key. Something is wrong. Make sure you have unplugged all other drives in your PC and try starting this tutorial over again.

Okay, so if you got a screen similar to the one above that says “Correct”, then you can continue. Samtool will also check your firmware version strings to make sure they match. The firmware version strings must match or you could get error code 66 after flashing your drive. If Samtool asks if you want to copy the version string, type Y to use the ms25 version strings from your original firmware.
Refer to the picture below:



*** Note don't worry about this since you are flashing a MS28 drive with MS28 firmware. ***

Unplug the SATA cable from the 360 DVD drive, power-cycle the XBOX360, and reboot your PC.

Step Three: When you’re back into DOS, plug the SATA cable back into the XBOX360 DVD drive.
Refer to the picture below:



Step Four: Type in the following command, using your XBOX360 serial number that you used with the XRead command. Xflash 1234567 12345 [press enter] MTKFlash should run and your drive should be listed. If you see an item in the list named “XTREME”, that is what you want, but don’t choose it yet. Xtreme Boot Maker renames your SATA controller to this when it creates the hexedited MTKFlash. While at the menu, power off your XBOX360. To make sure your XBOX360 is completely powered off, check the light on the power brick to make sure it is orange.
Refer to the picture below:



Select the drive from the list and it should go to a port error. Count to ten, then power the XBOX360 back on, and it should dump the firmware. Your timing will vary based on the drive. Some work with waiting three seconds, some five, some ten, some more. Just keep at it, you’ll get it eventually. It should flash 4 banks. The 4th bank may say something like Datasum, it is normal. When it is done flashing, unplug the SATA cable from the 360 DVD drive, power off the XBOX360, and power off your PC. Reconnect the 360 DVD drive to the 360 motherboard and test it.
Refer to the picture below:




Step Five: Backup Your Original Firmware! Boot into Windows. Plug in your USB drive and find your orig.bin in the BACKUPS folder. This is your XBOX360 drive firmware and needs to be kept safe! Make a copy of the file. Then make another one on another drive. Then make another somewhere else. Email it to yourself. You get the drift.

Congratulations you have just flashed your XBOX360 Samsung DVD Drive.

 

hell it was worth it! Butta, you made it yourself?

 

Yes. I did.. Hoped you liked it.

 

n33b! Don't rip, and don't think I won't catch you outside of User Ed.

 

? What the heck is wrong with you ?

 

Hm... How about you check the RASpammer section....