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How to Access the Xbox Hard Disk
written by Michael Steil, 1 May 2002
The Xbox hard disk is protected with an ATA password, i.e. it has to be unlocked by transmitting the 32 byte password to it at boot time, or else any read and write requests will be rejected.
Just putting the hard disk into a Linux computer results in loads of errors when the kernel tries to read the partition table, but the hard disk type and layout are correctly detected. To be able to access the data, there are two possibilities:
- Find out the ATA password and modify the Linux kernel so that it unlocks the hard disk at boot time.
- Make the Xbox unlock the drive and use it in the Linux computer.
Making the Xbox unlock the drive is the easier way, so it will be described here. Just follow these steps:
- Open your Xbox so that you can see the hard disk and move the console right next to your computer, so that the computer's Secondary IDE and power cable can reach the Xbox hard disk. Disconnect all other devices from the Secondary IDE cable.
- Conntect the computer's power cable to the Xbox hard disk. You can skip this step, but you will have to keep the Xbox turned on as long as you work with the hard disk.
- Turn on the computer and pause in the Linux boot manager.
- Turn on the Xbox and wait until the main menu appears.
- Unplug the Xbox hard disk IDE cable and connect the computer IDE to the hard disk while both machines are powered on.
- Boot Linux on your computer. The hard disk will be detected as /dev/hdc with an unknown partitioning scheme.
- If you have used the computer's power cable, you can now turn off the Xbox.
You have now full access to the Xbox hard disk /dev/hdc.
