How To Verify If Hdd Key Is Nulled?

[junkman77]

I picked up a v1.6 XBOX today and did a Rocky5 1.1.5 softmod (a bit behind; but whatever).

When I went to null the HDD key it says it completed and everything looked good.

However when I check the System > Settings > System > Xbox info > the HDD still had a non-null HDD key.

I then loaded Config magic 1.6.1 application and it reported a Null HDD.

What do I trust?  I could probably swap in a Nulled HDD, but this is weird.  I checked a different XBOX and in the Xbox Info screen it is all zeros.

Any idea why the Xbox Info is reporting a value for the key while Config Magic is reporting zeros?  which do I trust?

Thanks!

[KaosEngineer]

The HDDKey is NULL (0x00); however, the locking password is NOT.  (Here's where the name of these values gets confusing.)

The Xbox's HDDKey is 16 bytes - 128-bits long.  The computed unlocking password is 20 bytes - 160-bits long.  It is not stored anywhere on the Xbox.  The value is computed by the BIOS each time the console boots.

From the factory, every Xbox had a unique HDDKey stored encrypted in the configuration EEPROM, (see: https://xboxdevwiki.net/EEPROM for information about the contents of the configuration EEPROM).  The decrypted HDDKey value is one of three parameters passed to the routine that computes the unlocking password. The hard drive's model number and serial number are the other two parameters passed to compute the unlocking password sent to the hard drive via an ATA security command to gain access to the hard drive's content.  Until the correct unlocking password is sent to the hard drive, the hard drive cannot be accessed.

There are two passwords for the hard drive. A MASTER password and a USER password.  The MASTER password can be used to unlock the drive or the USER password.  The Xbox's algorithm computes the USER password.

I believe the statements made above are correct.  If not, let me know.

 

[KaosEngineer]

6 hours ago, junkman77 said:

I then loaded Config magic 1.6.1 application and it reported a Null HDD.

Once NULLed, Config Magic 1.6.1's Unique HDD Key value is the the 16-byte key that should be shown as 32 zeros.

Near the bottom of the page, the CURRENT HDD UNLOCK PASSWORD with the current lock status of either LOCKED or NOT LOCKED is displayed. This value is the 20-byte long unlocking password sent via an ATA security command to the drive to gain access to the drive. It is not zero. 

For a softmodded console, the lock status has to show LOCKED.  It is a requirement of the stock BIOS that the hard drive be locked. A hard modded console does not require the hard drive to be locked but it can be.  For the console to boot to the stock dashboard with the modchip disabled, the hard drive has to be locked.  When the modchip is disabled, the stock BIOS is being used to boot the Xbox.  Thus, the hard drive must be locked. The same as required by a softmodded console.  However, the Xbox can only run the stock dashboard and signed applications as the console has no exploit breaking the security features of the console's firmware.

[KaosEngineer]

7 hours ago, junkman77 said:

Any idea why the Xbox Info is reporting a value for the key while Config Magic is reporting zeros?  which do I trust?

Hmm, Rocky5 just mentioned something about the HDDKey value showing incorrectly for a 1.6 console.  I need find that post.  I believe it was in the his Bugs forum here at ogXbox.com.

 

Update: It was on reddit.com not ogxbox.com where he posted that statement:  (Bright light ahead)

 

There's a typo - it should read E:\backups\eeprom\ instead of E:\backups\eeporm\.  I think the file he is talking about is named hddinfo.txt.  There is only one dot txt file stored there.

[junkman77]

Thanks for hunting that down, I figured it is actually nulled based on the txt file, config magic and that it boots fine.

It can be a bit overwhelming finding some of that information depending on the search phrase used.

Thanks!