Swapping Hard Drive Questions.

[alfredo2]

I am in the process of modding my multiple xbox consoles so that they all have the same files and also hdd keys so that I can mix and match the hard drives across all systems. 

Hdd keys seem simple enough but I have a few questions about the config sector of the hdd. The config sector is I think the first sector of the hdd and stores certain configuration settings. These settings are unable to be changed as far as I am aware.

https://xboxdevwiki.net/Config_Sector. 

I will be using configmagic to match the different settings accros the many eeproms and ftping over my gamesaves. I have a concern that if I swap over a hdd that these settings in the config sector may come into conflict with the new xbox it is placed in. 

Most of those settings are not a worry.

Host name is something I am not so sure about, I can't find any info relating to the original xbox hostname or how to change it. I would hate to switch a hard drive and because host name on said hdd doesn't match with rest of the system something bad happens. 

I would like some help with this issue of mine, regarding hostname and if there is anything else in the config sector I should be concerned about with what I am trying to do. (Mix and match hard drives accross multiple consoles, I won't be cloning or full eeprom flashing).

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by alfredo2

[SS_Dave]

In my opinion it would be better to Hardmod(TSOP Flash,Modchip) all the xbox's then make one hard drive the way you want it and the use a external stand alone hard drive cloner and clone that drive for each Xbox .  

As each Xbox is hard modded you don't need to lock the HDD for it to work.

 

I use a cloner like this and a 2tb HDD copies in around 4 hours if the drives are 7200 rpm and it does not need a connection to a PC to clone

 

 

Cheers

SS Dave

Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

 

[alfredo2]

Thats quite an interesting machine, I don't think I have seen one before. 

I could clone but its the data on the hdd conflicting with the different eeproms I am concerned about. Different versions but same hard disk key. I would like to keep them locked for personal reasons I guess.

Edited June 25, 2020 by alfredo2

[SS_Dave]

It makes a 1 to 1 copy of the drive 

You could change the HDD  key in the EEprom to the same for all Xbox's so basically null the key and then you could swap the drives between the Xbox's

I my opinion there in no need to lock the hard drive as when a Xbox is hard modded all programs including the MS dash and original game disks will work, Also the new version of the Xbox live will work with a unlocked hard drive  and with a locked hard drive as long as the HDD Key is not NUlled with zero's.

If you are not going to clone a hard drive it will take days to FTP 2tb to a Xbox and the only other way would be FATXplorer to copy the files to the hard drive but you still need to make the base HDD in the Xbox.

 

Cheers

SS Dave

Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

[alfredo2]

Its the hostname im concerned about, I could clone a drive so all the drives have the same hostname but if I mix and match the hard drives the host name might be different from the the hostname that is stored in the eeprom (if it is stored in the eeprom, I am not sure if it is or not, can't find any info) and if that would cause a conflict.

[SS_Dave]

The MAC address is coded is the EEProm and not on the hard drive as long as the setting on the hard drive are not set to static IP each Xbox will get a different IP

You could change it so all the Xbox's have the same MAC address as well if you wanted.

 

 

Cheers

SS Dave

Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

 

[alfredo2]

So the the mac address and hostname are the same? 

[SS_Dave]

The host name is the IP like 192.168.2.123 sort of thing the MAC address is more like a serial number for the network card something like A1-12-23-AA-AB-00 that sort of thing

That's how I see  it with a Xbox any way 

If you are concerned about each xbox having a different address on your network that will not happen unless you set a static IP on each hard drive to the same and for that reason I would recommend you set the IP to DHCP in any apps/programs the need to connect to your home network.

 

Cheers

SS Dave

Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

 

 

 

Cheers

SS Dave

Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

 

[alfredo2]

Thanks alot for your help. Just concerned about a hard drive having a different hostname from the eeprom. It seems everything in that link I shared is dictated by the Internet service providers or the router or they are things I can change myself. Only hostname is the one thing I have no control over. 

So its the same as the ip address and shouldn't be an issue? 

Sorry if I keep going on lol I just want to get everything right.

[SS_Dave]

I have a SD card to IDE adapter and 4 different SD cards (Basically 4 small hard drives) along with 2 X 2tb hard drives I swap around in the same Xbox and I can always login using Filezilla on the same IP address and users/password.

 

I would suggest you you try it in a hard modded Xbox using 2 or 3 small hard drives(200 - 300 gig) for yourself just to assure yourself it will work for you that way the clone time is not to long and you could use HDD Raw  program to clone the drive as using HDD Raw will take about 8 to 12 hours for a 2tb 7200 rpm drive.

By cloning the drive is like having 2 or more Xbox's the same but you can connect to each one separately on your home network.

 

Cheers

SS Dave

Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.