Page 1 of 1

Configmagic and eeprom.

Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 5:29 am
by alfredo2
I am aware that you can update an xbox 1.6 eeprom with configmagic. My question is how does it work? I always thought that the xbox 1.6 eeprom was unchangable due to it not having a tsop, making it essentially frozen in time.

A few years ago, I wanted to change my xbox 1.6b hard disc key (which is stored in the eeprom), to match the one in my 1.6. So that all my saves from the 1.6 would work with the 1.6b (some saves are signed by the hard disc key). So I took my xbox's to a modder, he did all the work, cloned the hard drives, copied the keys etc. Both xbox's now had identical hard drives, and hdd keys, and most importantly, all the saves worked. Now both xbox's 1.6 and 1.6b and are unmodded (as far as I know), so how did he achieve this if the eeproms are supposed to be unchangeable? Configmagic from what I have read, can do it, but if the eeprom is supposed to be unchangeable, then how does it work? Is there a softmod or something on the hard drive that has a separete eeprom that overrides the main one?

This has always baffled me, I must admit I do not know very much about modding and I may have my facts wrong. I am also unable to contact this modder to ask him what he did, I just told him what I wanted and he did it. I do remember him saying something about an algorithm he used, but thats about it. I guess I should have inquired more at the time.

Re: Configmagic and eeprom.

Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:31 am
by Rocky5
The eeprom is on a small writable chip near the clock capacitor on a v1.6+ Xbox and it's just above the TSOP chip on all other versions.
( it's near the LPC )

Configmagic allows you to edit the eeprom on the Xbox and change certain things, but it's advised not to change anything if you aren't sure what you're doing.

Also the person done one of two things.

Softmodded the Xboxs and used the dumped eeprom.bin from your main Xbox to flash to the new one.
( since they were both v1.6 it's straightforward as they use the same eeprom key )

Used a modchip and done above.
( solderless or they soldered an LPC header )

There is also a third way, eeprom reader.

Re: Configmagic and eeprom.

Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:32 am
by GoTeamScotch
Modifying your eeprom does not require any soldering or modifications beyond modding it. It can be done from a softmodded Xbox or one with a custom bios (modchip or TSOP flash). The outcome is the same. If you know the HDD key you want to use, you can enter it in manually using configmagic. You can also backup and restore eeproms but I haven't ever needed to do that and cannot attest to the compatibility between console revisions. Rocky says it's fine and he'd know as well as anyone whether that's a good idea or not.

To put it simply, run configmagic on both Xboxes. Back up both eeproms and move the backups to a computer for safety. On the Xbox you're copying your HDD key TO (not from), run configmagic and press the Start button on your controller and select "unlock hdd". Then choose "edit eeprom on the fly". Next move down to the HDD key field and enter in the same HDD key as the Xbox you're copying the HDD key FROM. Select "update eeprom". Select "load the eeprom". Select "lock hard drive". Your eeprom and hard drive now use the same key as your other ("from") Xbox.

Keep in mind, when changing hdd keys as you know, it may invalidate game saves. Use with caution. I'm not sure but you might be able to copy them to a memory unit and then back after changing the key.

On a related note, this is something I do to every Xbox I own. I set the drive key to be all zeroes for all of my xboxes. Makes things much easier. See the link in my signature for details.

Re: Configmagic and eeprom.

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2021 5:02 pm
by SuperAkuma
Sorry to necromance, but Merry Christmas! I'm chasing an issue I've yet to find anyone able to repeat and your EEPROM history might have some insight. With you always filling your EEPROM with 32 '0' characters, have you ever played with native local system link between 2 of these units? More detail on my situation here: https://www.ogxbox.com/forums/index.php ... ment-38255