More on XBox Live Bans, HDD Crippling, Possible Ban Causes

Category: Console News By: PS3 News - (xbox-scene.com)
Tags: more xbox live live bans 360 hdd crippling possible causes

188w ago - Update: As expected, Microsoft has defended their stance on banning modified XBox 360 consoles.

Reports now indicate that the fresh wave of Microsoft bans on modified consoles has resulted in systems not only being banned from XBox Live, but also removing the ability to install games to the HDD, forbidding the use of Windows Media Centre extender, and not allowing the retrieval of achievements from backups without corrupting profiles.

Thus far, Microsoft has disabled 600,000 accounts (up to 1 million according to MSNBC) in the US and Canada.

To quote from Kushan: - What does this mean for you and what can you do about it?

Firstly, and most obviously, you cannot connect to Xbox Live on this console any more. This means no more game updates (aka title updates), XBLA games, marketplace content, netflix/sky player and so on. There is no way around this, all online capabilities are now disabled PERMANENTLY.

In all likelihood, your gamertag has NOT BEEN BANNED. When your gamertag gets banned, Microsoft sends you an email detailing why, if you have not recieved this email then your profile should be ok, to a certain extent.

Hard Drive installs are now disabled on the banned console. This means any disk-based games you have will no longer play off of the hard drive. If you attempt to play a game, it will tell you that it was installed on a different 360 and needs to be deleted/installed again. When you delete the game and attempt to install it, you are given a message telling you that it is not supported. There is no way to fix this, that functionality is simply gone from the banned 360.

The hard drive itself is left untouched - you can place it in another 360, even an unbanned one, and it will still work just fine. You do NOT need to reformat it to regain any kind of functionality. Any installed games will need to be reinstalled for the console you want to play them on. This is normal behaviour and happens when swapping HDDs on unbanned/legit 360's.

Windows Media Centre functionality is disabled. It is still possible to stream video/music content via the video library.

Your Gamertag may be corrupted. This does not mean your gamertag has been banned, you can recover it using any live-capable 360, however ANY ACHIVEMENTS YOU HAVE EARNED SINCE BEING BANNED WILL BE LOST. Your gamertag will be corrupted EVERY SINGLE TIME it is used on a banned console. This means you cannot use your banned console to play backups offline just to get achievements - it wont work, the second you put your profile back on a good 360, it will be corrupted and all progress lost. There is no way around this.

The same applies to game saves - if you access a game save on a banned 360, it too will be corrupted when accessed on a legit/unbanned 360! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! There is no way around this, either.

Your XBLA games and DLC will still be valid, however to play them on a different 360 you will need to be signed into Xbox Live. This is normal behaviour on unbanned/legit 360's as well. They may be corrupted and have to be re-downloaded if you attempt to access them on a banned 360.

You can transfer all of your downloaded content to a new 360 here: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/licensemigration/default.htm however note that you can only do it once every 12 months.

So, in summary your Banned 360:
• Cannot go on Xbox Live
• Cannot install games to the HDD
• Cannot use Windows Media Centre extender
• Cannot be used to get achievements from backups without corrupting your profile

You cannot do anything about this, short of buying a new 360.

There may be more functionality disabled than mentioned here, things are still being discovered.

- So what caused my ban?
There are MANY theories as to what is causing so many consoles to get banned this time, however as of yet there is nothing concrete, just a lot of circumstantial evidence and speculation. Please do not add to this, a full investigation is under-way.

c4eva, the main guy behind iXtreme, had this to say:
fw itself not detectable
suspect they are going hard on warez releases and incorrect use of abgx!

He also added the following:
just to let you know that im looking into the current ban wave. I am currently running several brand new xboxs on live! These xboxs are in various configs. All are running ixtreme 1.61 One is running original discs, another is running on xbl (no discs), another is running a backup from my region! Until tests are completed, no eta on liteon fw!

When we know more, YOU'LL no more, so please do not ask for updates!
A full transcript is available here - http://pastebin.ca/1660777

Remember, if you really want to blame someone, blame the person that decided to modify your 360 in the first place - most likey, that would be you.

Stay tuned for more PS3 Hacks and PS3 CFW news, follow us on Twitter and be sure to drop by the PS3 Hacks and PS3 Custom Firmware Forums for the latest PlayStation 3 scene updates and homebrew releases!

22 Comments - Go to Forum Thread »

#12 - adrianc1982 - 188w ago

Originally Posted by hosmy

@semitope
Did you ever read EULA? Do you know how many money they lose because of pirates? Yes they can ban your 199$ elite for just 4 games (200$) or 50 games (2500$). After this mass ban wave Xbox sales will rise because guys with ixtreme and tons of backups will NEVER pay for original PS3 games. Better pay a system again then 4 PS3 games... and pirates are pirates

Some of those backups are not quality games and most people dont come back once they finished the game or had enough of it either by playing it online(yes pirate copy) or by playing hours upon hours and completing the game 100%. When you have a lot of games to choose from its only natural you move on to the next new game and forget about the old one.

#11 - dustinmyles - 188w ago

Originally Posted by semitope

It makes perfect sense. The 360s main draw for those people is that they can pirate on it and when it turns out they have to buy all their games they will naturally chose the more economical/superior console for that. Free online, better exclusives, a lot of added features AND they don't have to worry about RROD. Trust me the main reason I want a 360 is to download games for it.

Pirates arent stealing from microsoft, I dont know where you get that idea. Naturally "theft" implies a loss but who is to say MS gets anything from pirates not pirating? The one thing we can most definitely be sure about is the fact that pirates have bought the console, pay their ISP, buy blanks and some are paying to use live (meaning paying ms in some way). Banning pirates is just a matter of principle in most cases and the assumption that its a lost sale.

lame

I think MS should not ban consoles though. The list of disadvantages to a banned console really show that MS is interfering where they probably shouldnt. The ppl who could become inconvenienced aren't just the pirates involved. Prevent use of certain live features but don't manipulate the consumers paid for hardware. Imagine a world where MS can disable your ethernet port, half your ram and processor permanently if they find a pirated windows OS on the system. They go too far.

Beautifully illustrated!! I was laughing so hard when you wrote "lame" to homeboy's list of "Great Exclusives" 'cause that is EXACTLY what I said when I read it! The ONLY game on that list that's worthy would be Mass Effect 2... (however, I must admit that is an uninformed analysis due to the fact that I have never even played the 1rst one).

And also with the first guy: I to, attained a 360 STRICTLY for the purpose of downloading ISO's and playing them to test drive a title, determine which console it performed better on (for multi-platform releases), and make an informed decision as to where to sink 60$ on a new game.

PS3 does have the superior hardware this generation, as the XBOX had for the last; and this move by M$ is just another thing that will way heavily in the minds of customers as a HUGE negative, and - ultimately - make the PS3 an even more attractive asset than it has already become! Ban the gamertag (or even the IP?) NOT THE HARDWARE!

#10 - semitope - 188w ago

Originally Posted by hosmy

No i don't read the EULA. Any sensible person would probably not agree to those things should they read all of it and how do you impose an EULA on hardware? Can your auto manufacturer do such a thing? can your TV maker do such a thing? Can your lawnmower manufacturer do that? Why should Microsoft be able to?

Xbox sales might not rise at all. You have to wonder where those banned consoles end up. A used console sale is nearly the same as a lost new console sale

Its either you get banned from live or you get RROD. At some point ppl will just say screw this and get a ps3. Once the ps3 is hacked the field will be even, piracy will no longer be a reason to stick to a specific platform.

Do you know how many money they lose because of pirates? Yes they can ban your 199$ elite for just 4 games (200$) or 50 games (2500$).

Big assumption there. plus the elite is not 199...

The 4 games is a bit more believable. Thats about the number of games you would need to have bought to use up the same cash as a replacement 360. Its a weird trade off. If you bought those 4 games and you lost your 360 then you are at a loss... but if you pirated those 4 games and lost your 360 its easy to replace the 360 and continue gaming.