Xbox Live Ban Updates

[lilrevuk]

The logs there (x-bins) show they are checking the discs that are played, rather than the system...

[sadalius]

Right. Thats where those logs came from. They have a 360 setup that has a particular firmware flashed to the drive that logs all the queries to the DVD drive. It has no idea whether queries to other system components are being made.

[NeoRio]

Though there was one report of a user being told by a MS representative that their console had been banned from Live because of a fan mod. (There was some speculation however that the fan mod may not have been the only thing he was banned for.) Some people are speculating that the power supply/voltage is being read by MS to determine a "tampered with" system.

[sadalius]

Yeah. I read about the so called "fan mod" ban. I actually don't put much stock into this one though. I mean it's easy enough to tell by the numbers that somethings not quite right, but to go so far as to say, yes, this 360 has a fan thats running at a full 12 volts, lets ban them would be kinda iffy if you ask me. That would mean that they could ban you for any differential reporting. IE: stock fan versus talismoon fan. There is a 400 RPM difference between the stock fan and the talismoon fan. Are they going to ban people for swapping out their fans?

There is also a third part power supply available for purchase, one that has a built in cooling fan. So you know there are going to be differentials between the stock and 3rd party one. Are they going to ban us for that too??

[CoFree]

if they could get away with it,i bet they would.
the thing is the outcry from the people would be unreal

[Jman 31]

Man, nobody is going to give you a fool proof answer, because we just don't know for sure. Playing on Live with a properly backed up game gives you as good a chance as any of not being banned, but if you are looking for someone to tell you that you won't be banned playing backups on Live than you are barking up the wrong tree. There is always a chance that you will be banned, you have to roll the dice and hope that the people doing the modified fw are the best there is to offer. Playing your backups on line will always be a risky proposition because you can be sure that MS has their best people on it.

[NeoRio]

I realize that information keeps changing every day and even right now nobody knows exactly what criteria MS uses to ban consoles, but I think I may have just found my own peace and come to my personal conclusion...of what route I will take in my Xbox 360 journey. My 14 year old son has spent so much time playing COD 4 and Halo 3 on Live (amongst other games), I don't think the 360 would mean much at all to him without Live.

I'm heavily leaning towards following in Cofree's footsteps; mod my 360, play my own backups (even on Live) to preserve the originals which cost me around $400...so far. And if all goes well (as it has for you)...hopefully not get banned. That way I won't need 2 boxes!-yay!

My next questions will be:
1) Should I mod the fan, or change out the fan to a Tallismoon?
2) ...or should I use an external fan like the Nyko Intercooler or the other one that sits under the unit
3) Should I try to get a 360 with the BenQ drive?--is that the best one?

[sadalius]

With the newer 360's, the fans are really a matter of if you want a LED fan in a color you like or not. The talismoon fans do a great job of moving air out of the 360 though, so I would recommend one to anyone. As for whether you should mod it to 12 volts or not. I dunno. I've never switched one to 12 v., not because I can't, I just don't see the need to. I've only lost one 360 to a RROD, but I fixed that with an x-clamp replacement. Ended up selling that one, and a week later, buying a new one. One thing that I wouldn't use is the old style nyko cooler, the one that uses the power port. If you get one of those, make sure it gets it's power from USB and not the AC power plug.

Benq drives seems to be the latest rage. Seems people like 1. Benq 2. Samsung and then last but not least, 3. Hitachi in that order. I actually like a samsung MS-28 better than a benq, but I guess it's all in what you get used to

[CoFree]

all the drives are fine.
the hit v78 can be a bit tricky sometime to get in modeB for flashing.
the v79 hit is a big pain in the ass.
at this time i think you are only going to find a benq or a v79 hit(stay away from it)
it can only be flash after installing a passkey chip.it is very small. i would not use a nyko cooler at all
if you want to mess with the fans put in one that got the lights works good and looks cool

yep
the v28 samsung is the drive i like the best also.
for know other reason than that was my first flash
you know you never forget your first time.

[NeoRio]

So how do I use this DVD Drive Database (http://360drives.com/list/page1) to aide me in buying a 360 with a BenQ drive?--I'll probably be buying on eBay--brand new---but on eBay.

The next thing I'll be needing to do is figure out a wireless solution for connecting to Live. The $99 adapter from MS is a bit pricey, so after reading tons of threads on the forums about alternative options, I found this tutorial (http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2007/10/02/ ... -xbox-360/) which seems like the best. I use a Linksys WRT54G, so I'm leaning towards getting another one of the same and flashing it with DD-WRT FW. (Unless that's not a good idea for some reason? Someone told me on one of the forums a couple weeks ago that the best wireless connection is still 1 tenth of the quality you get by plugging directly into the router.)

As for fan mods/solutions...I guess you're saying I should stay away from the Nyko or the Pelican style coolers? (http://console.hardocp.com/article.html ... 9uc29sZQ==) Will I be fine without any additional fans at all?--or will the machine last longer with some additional cooling? If I get an internal fan with LEDs...would those replace the current/scock CPU fan...and can they run at normal voltage (not at 12v) to avoid MS detecting?

[sadalius]

The database works by putting in the information regarding the 360. Whether it's a core, premium, elite or arcade version, what region it's from, and the manufacture date and any other information that you might have. Then you click on search and it comes back with any similar entries so you can see what drive they had and based off that, the drive that you may have in your 360.

As far as the router goes, the wrt-54g is ok, but the later revisions doesn't have as much RAM as the version 2 or older, plus they can be a pain to install dd-wrt. I would get a buffalo WHR-G125. It's easy to install the full version of DD-WRT onto, unlike the wrt-54g from Linksys that will only accept the micro version and costs about the same, and I've found it cheaper on some sites.

As for the fan mod, you can use any of the external fans that you want as long as it connects by the USB port and not through the power connector. And yes, if you get an internal fan with LED's, it would replace your current/stock fan. They are pretty simple to install though.

[CoFree]

i dont like the ebay thing.
well i get stuff there all the time
what i dont like is if you get a v79 you could have a hard time returning it.i would return a v79 and try for a benq.
also buying on ebay you could end up with a 360 that has been banned from live.there are a lot of people doing that.

i would get it from a super store.
walmart then if you dont get a benq just return it.then try a different model(sku)
have a look at this.


ive been so bad i took a power inverter (converts DC power to AC power) in the car with me and checked the 360 in the parking lot before i left.

[CoFree]

yep

so far ive always got the benq
so the only time ive done a return is for the gut swap

jman was trashed last night
i drink very little my one bad habit is my cigars.

[Jman 31]

yep

so far ive always got the benq
so the only time ive done a return is for the guy sway

jman was trashed last night
i drink very little my one bad habit is my cigars.

How the hell did I get drug into this conversation? And I wasn't trashed, I had a nicely tuned buzz for the entire evening thank you!

[NeoRio]

...Then you click on search and it comes back with any similar entries so you can see what drive they had and based off that, the drive that you may have in your 360.

So, if I were to buy a new (sealed) 360 on eBay...and I asked the seller to look on the box for an MFR date...that would be the only criteria to go by in getting a guesstimate on what drive it might have? I can see how for the extra $30-$60, buying it in a store is a little more reassuring being that you can take it back in case you get a V79.

As far as the router goes, the wrt-54g is ok, but the later revisions doesn't have as much RAM as the version 2 or older, plus they can be a pain to install dd-wrt. I would get a buffalo WHR-G125. It's easy to install the full version of DD-WRT onto, unlike the wrt-54g from Linksys that will only accept the micro version and costs about the same, and I've found it cheaper on some sites.

I did some searching, the Buffalo router is nearly $100 at most places I found, while the Linksys is around $40. Being that I have a Linksys WRT54G already, is it not recommended to stick with Linksys...or would the Buffalo integrate just fine? Can you send me a link of where you found the WHR-G125 at a reasonably cheap price? (Also, just curious to hear your take on wireless connectivity not being nearly as good as plugging directly in to the main router with a CAT5 cable.)

As for the fan mod, you can use any of the external fans that you want as long as it connects by the USB port and not through the power connector. And yes, if you get an internal fan with LED's, it would replace your current/stock fan. They are pretty simple to install though.

But will these fans (whether external 3rd party, or internarl CPU replacement fans) make the 360 last longer? (Do some people put the X-Clamp on a new system to keep it from ever RROD'ing?)

i dont like the ebay thing. well i get stuff there all the time

I think I'll probably buy a Samsung sh-d162c on eBay (cuz that's the only place I can find them)...but I'd rather spend a mere $20 on one and flash it myself rather than buying it with Kreon FW already and spending $50-$60. You have several sh-d162c's...don't you?--where did you buy them?--and can you find them without the Kreon FW on them already so you can flash them yourself and save a little extra money?