Cloning for multiple builds ?

Discussion about Modding the XBOX, including hardware and software hacks.
skeletor64
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Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by skeletor64 »

Good morning all - I'm working on building 6-8 units with an upgraded hard drive, and knowing the FTP copying takes so darn long when I use large drives, I'm trying to find a speedier solution. I've thought about a plan, but before giving it a try I thought I would bounce it off of you guys first so you can poke holes, or possible offer better suggestion.

All units have original hard drive and will be soft modded.

Step 1: Softmod Xbox 1, then use chimp to clone to a larger hdd, set the new HDD to master, then load all of my content via FTP (normal way)
Step 2: Run Chimp again to clone from my large HDD to an equal size large HDD byte x byte, and leave slave drive unlocked. Repeat this step 5X total so I have 5 drives unlocked with my content.
Step 3: Softmod the remaining 5 xbox's (with their original HDD's), then use chimp and hot swap the dvd drive to the (5) unlocked slave drives (which would still be set as slaves). Then instead of cloning again, lock the slave drives with each corresponding soft mod box, switch the jumpers to master, and off I go.

Will this work?
Is this faster than FTP'ing nearly 2TB's of content per box
Is there an easier way?

Thanks
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Rocky5
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by Rocky5 »

If you are going to use Chimp use 261812 and use the partition selection method, you will get faster speeds cloning.
( in your case, clone C, E, F & G )

Also that will work like you said.


If you do use 261812, download it again, as I updated it yesterday and fixed a type O that caused drives that have maximum security to display as unlocked when they were locked.

Note:
Drives with security as maximum cannot be unlocked with a master password, they require the original key used to lock them. Just so you know in case the new drives are like that.
( it will display what type of lock strength they have )
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by kaos_engr »

You could use XboxHDM2 booting it from USB thumbdrive. One at a time, update the EEPROM.bin renamed to eeprom.bin and put in XboxHDM2's subdir to hold that file. Do it for each xbox after you softmod them and have backup of EEPROM.bin downloaded. No need to hotswap the drive just attach it to a PC with IDE interface, boot XboxHDM2 and lock the drive. Disconnect and connect it to the xbox it has been locked. Repeat for next HDD.
skeletor64
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by skeletor64 »

I'm not familiar with that method, i really like the new version of Chimp though. I'm in the process of loading up the first drive with all my stuff, so I haven't started the cloning yet. However, I like the updates and being able to connector the drive before even selecting Chimp loader is great. Good on you Rocky5, thanks for the heads up on the update too.
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by nidge »

I find that Zeroing the HDD key makes things easier.
See GoTeamScotch's signature :)
and here http://www.xbmc4xbox.org.uk/forum/viewt ... =327#p2594
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http://www.ebid.net/uk/stores/Computers-and-Consoles


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Rocky5
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by Rocky5 »

nidge wrote:I find that Zeroing the HDD key makes things easier.
See GoTeamScotch's signature :)
and here http://www.xbmc4xbox.org.uk/forum/viewt ... =327#p2594
Never ever ever ever do that if you have a virtual eeprom enabled on a softmod.
( basically all the old ones )

It will lock the drive to the VE key and upon reboot error 6.
( been there done it and got the t-shirt )
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by nidge »

Rocky5 wrote:
nidge wrote:I find that Zeroing the HDD key makes things easier.
See GoTeamScotch's signature :)
and here http://www.xbmc4xbox.org.uk/forum/viewt ... =327#p2594
Never ever ever ever do that if you have a virtual eeprom enabled on a softmod.
( basically all the old ones )

It will lock the drive to the VE key and upon reboot error 6.
( been there done it and got the t-shirt )
I didn't know that :(
If you zeroed the hard drive without the virtual eeprom enabled and then afterwards, enabled it again, would that work ok?
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Rocky5
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by Rocky5 »

nidge wrote:
Rocky5 wrote:
nidge wrote:I find that Zeroing the HDD key makes things easier.
See GoTeamScotch's signature :)
and here http://www.xbmc4xbox.org.uk/forum/viewt ... =327#p2594
Never ever ever ever do that if you have a virtual eeprom enabled on a softmod.
( basically all the old ones )

It will lock the drive to the VE key and upon reboot error 6.
( been there done it and got the t-shirt )
I didn't know that :(
If you zeroed the hard drive without the virtual eeprom enabled and then afterwards, enabled it again, would that work ok?
Yes, but if you disabled it I would leave it disabled.
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GoTeamScotch
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by GoTeamScotch »

Does anyone know if dd will work for Xbox drives? I don't see why it wouldn't. That way you could take advantage of SATA speeds.
The dd command is a simple, yet versatile and powerful tool. It can be used to copy from source to destination, block-by-block, regardless of their filesystem types or operating systems. A convenient method is to use dd from a live environment, as in a Live CD.
So, in theory you could burn a distro of linux to a disk or USB flash drive, boot from it, and use dd to clone the drives. There's also other cloning tools you could use that are a bit more elegant. Clonezilla is a great tool I've used for cloning (non-Xbox) drives in the past.

Code: Select all

# dd if=/dev/sdX of=/dev/sdY bs=64K
Note: "bs" in this command refers to block size, not cluster size. I believe clusters will be copied over in whatever size they were on the original drive though tbh I'm not 100% sure so research it before going on.

Also, if you haven't use it before, you can lock/unlock drives from within Windows by using ldotsfan's xboxhdm23usb program. It's the main way I build and lock HDD's these days. With a very minor modification to the script, you can use SATA connected drives as opposed to needing a SATA - USB adapter.

----------------------------
To build and manage Xbox drives from Windows using his tool WITHOUT using a USB adapter, do this:

In "xboxhd.bat" on line 31, it will look like this:

Code: Select all

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Get list of USB Devices.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
for /f "tokens=2 delims=\\.\" %%b in ('wmic diskdrive get model ^, name ^| find /i "USB"') do echo %%b>>tmp
Delete the part in the last line shown above that says

Code: Select all

| find /i "USB"
Once you remove it, you should be left with this:

Code: Select all

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Get list of USB Devices.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
for /f "tokens=2 delims=\\.\" %%b in ('wmic diskdrive get model ^, name ^') do echo %%b>>tmp
Save the file and run Xboxhdm23usb as usual.
Image

Note: be careful. This trick allows you to choose other hard drives in your PC, including your OS. As long as you know which one to pick you'll be fine.
Image
Remember kids, always zero-ize your HDD key!
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Rocky5
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by Rocky5 »

There is a check for windows drives, so you can't select that drive.
( will give you an error )

Also dd does work, it's how Chimp clones partitions, but you can't just fire a random block size it must match the drive/partition size.

This is how Chimp 261812 is faster at cloning partitions as I get the block size dynamically based on the partition size, so you can clone at larger block sizes if the partition size allows it.
( cloning partitions separately is faster than using byte by byte )
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skeletor64
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by skeletor64 »

Rocky5 wrote:There is a check for windows drives, so you can't select that drive.
( will give you an error )

Also dd does work, it's how Chimp clones partitions, but you can't just fire a random block size it must match the drive/partition size.

This is how Chimp 261812 is faster at cloning partitions as I get the block size dynamically based on the partition size, so you can clone at larger block sizes if the partition size allows it.
( cloning partitions separately is faster than using byte by byte )
Even if I'm cloning an almost full 2TB system? Just select all the partitions? I'm in the middle of cloning the first one, but I chose byte by byte as mentioned in your video, as I'm using 2 equal size drives. It's pretty slow, about 6.5-7.5 mbps. I think I ftp about 10-11 mbps. The advantage will be that I can do two at once after this first finishes etc.
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by GoTeamScotch »

But still, Chimp optimized with smart block size cloning has got to still be much slower than most kinds of SATA cloning.
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by Rocky5 »

Any byte by byte ( sector cloning ) cloning software can do it via PC, software that reads partition tables and basically recreates them and copies files over won't work with the Xbox file system.

Using chimp 261812 you at least know your drive is lockable, as you wouldn't be able to clone to it if it wasn't.
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skeletor64
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by skeletor64 »

Just wanted to give a quick update. The first drive cloned perfectly fine using bit by bit. However, as mentioned it was very slow running at about 6 MB per second. Now that I have two working upgraded hard drives, I'm using both of those systems to clone two more drives. This time I selected C, E, F, and G, even though the drive to the same size. The cloning process is a ton faster, I'm running between 11 MB per second and 14 MB per second. Will report back when these two drives are complete.
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by skeletor64 »

Drives 3 and 4 just completed, impressive speeds for the cloning, but the F drive was not cloned properly. All of my F drive content was missing, and all of my G drive was intact. It didn't handle the partition sizes correctly. Byte by byte is definitely the way to go.
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by Rocky5 »

skeletor64 wrote:Drives 3 and 4 just completed, impressive speeds for the cloning, but the F drive was not cloned properly. All of my F drive content was missing, and all of my G drive was intact. It didn't handle the partition sizes correctly. Byte by byte is definitely the way to go.
Any details?

The cloning code is identical for the F and G partitions.
( so if one clones so should the other )
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by skeletor64 »

when I did C,E, F, & G, F did not partition properly. The F partition was small , like 12 or 13 gb's, and the G partition had all the rest of the Space. So basically, F was missing all of its content. G had its content. I ended up reformatting F & G and Ftping over on drive 3. Drive 4 I haven't checked yet, but will get you more details on the partition sizes and cluster info after the clone before I mess with it.
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by shloader »

Ran across this post as I'm cloning a drive right this moment, (first of three 2tb drives). As for advice about zeroing the unique hdd key, yes, it makes life a lot easier but Rocky's right and you gotta watch out for softmods that use all that funny virtual stuff (I hate that). I zero out the key on every box I work on (and I've got 60+ waitin' in the basement)

The utility I'm using to clone these drives is called HDD Raw Copy Tool 1.10 Free. It's fantastic in that it can clone almost any drive on any interface. I'm cloning a 2.5" 2TB Samsung Spinpoint (USB3) to a 3.5" 2TB Western Digital Blue (SATA). Second time I've done this particular combo and it's working perfectly. Done it to a pair of Seagate 750GB SATAs and a pair of WD 160GB IDE drives. It seems regardless the interface speed, Raw Copy is somehow limited to 49MB/sec. Seems a software thing as I've sourced from USB2.0 @ 32MB/sec. So you're clone time is about 11.5 hours but it works, and I don't have to fully devote my computer to it with a Linux live disc. As for re-locking, I have my lab box with a xenium chip with a zeroed hdd key to re-lock them. If you can TSOP one of them, might make things easier.
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by skeletor64 »

shloader wrote:Ran across this post as I'm cloning a drive right this moment, (first of three 2tb drives). As for advice about zeroing the unique hdd key, yes, it makes life a lot easier but Rocky's right and you gotta watch out for softmods that use all that funny virtual stuff (I hate that). I zero out the key on every box I work on (and I've got 60+ waitin' in the basement)

The utility I'm using to clone these drives is called HDD Raw Copy Tool 1.10 Free. It's fantastic in that it can clone almost any drive on any interface. I'm cloning a 2.5" 2TB Samsung Spinpoint (USB3) to a 3.5" 2TB Western Digital Blue (SATA). Second time I've done this particular combo and it's working perfectly. Done it to a pair of Seagate 750GB SATAs and a pair of WD 160GB IDE drives. It seems regardless the interface speed, Raw Copy is somehow limited to 49MB/sec. Seems a software thing as I've sourced from USB2.0 @ 32MB/sec. So you're clone time is about 11.5 hours but it works, and I don't have to fully devote my computer to it with a Linux live disc. As for re-locking, I have my lab box with a xenium chip with a zeroed hdd key to re-lock them. If you can TSOP one of them, might make things easier.
That is great info, and yeah 11 hours beats 80 lol. So you are doing it all PC side correct? I assume you just unlock the master and the slave of course and run off the PC, then re-lock using original xbox hdd? It's using the correct clusters etc? I'd love to try it.
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Re: Cloning for multiple builds ?

Post by skeletor64 »

Rocky5 wrote:
skeletor64 wrote:Drives 3 and 4 just completed, impressive speeds for the cloning, but the F drive was not cloned properly. All of my F drive content was missing, and all of my G drive was intact. It didn't handle the partition sizes correctly. Byte by byte is definitely the way to go.
Any details?

The cloning code is identical for the F and G partitions.
( so if one clones so should the other )
Finally took a look at the other drive. Weird results. After booting it up, It did not partition my G drive at all. What it did though was take all of the content that was Originally on G (basically all xbox backups) and put it on the F partition. All of the stuff that is normally on my F, Emus, music, etc were not copied at all. So my drive looked like a 1 TB and if you were to look at the partitions in system settings. Had to run chimp again to split evenly, and now I have both partitions at the right size and correct clusters, but have to FTP everything over. I'll stick with byte by byte. At least I don't need to even have my PC on for that.
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