Xbox:Game Save Exploit

This article will walk you through softmodding your Xbox via the game save exploit, and installing your dashboard and initial apps through Rocky5's Xbox Softmodding Tool, which replaces Softmod Installer Deluxe (SID) as the tool of choice.

A video demonstration of softmodding your Xbox with the Xbox Softmodding Tool can be found on MrMario2011's channel.

Materials Needed

 * A Female USB to Xbox controller port adapter such as this one from ChimericSystems or this one from Amazon OR an Xbox memory card with another modded Xbox or GameShark/Action Replay to load the modded game save onto the card.
 * A USB flash drive that is 4GB or smaller (USB Compatibility List) or an Android device using DriveDroid. You do not need either if you are using a memory card.
 * Rocky5's Xbox Softmodding Tool
 * Xplorer360 or FATXplorer
 * One of the following games:
 * Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (first game in the series; any version) - Amazon
 * MechAssault (first game in the series; black label version with "MS02301L" on the inner ring of the backside of the disc) - Amazon
 * 007: Agent Under Fire (black label version or Platinum Hits version with "1448517" on the disc) - Amazon
 * Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 (any version except the French release) - Amazon
 * For NTSC-J region consoles, you must use the Asian (not Japanese) versions of 'Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell' and 'MechAssault' because the Japanese versions will crash when attempting to load the game save exploit. 007: Agent Under Fire and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 were not released in NTSC-J regions.
 * Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (NTSC)
 * This game requires a special sequence of steps to be performed in order to trigger the exploit - click here for instructions or click here for a YouTube video tutorial.

Formatting your USB Device
Plug in your memory unit, or the flash drive into the USB adapter and then plug the USB adapter into the Xbox. On the dashboard, select "MEMORY." You should receive a message saying that the memory unit was erased, meaning it was formatted. If not, select the memory unit, Press A, then select Erase and accept the prompt.

Alternatively, you can format your flash drive using USB FATX Formatter v1.3.2. To do so, insert your flash drive into your Windows PC. Right click on it and select "Format." Uncheck the "Quick Format" button and then click "Start." As soon as you see the green progress bar appear, remove your flash drive. If you did this correctly, your flash drive will now be corrupted. Now reinsert your flash drive and Windows should prompt you to format it. Select "Cancel." Right click on the USB FATX Formatter v1.3.2.exe file and select "Run as administrator." In the "USB Device" box, select your flash drive, then click on the "Format USB" button and select "Yes" in the following pop-up. You should then get a message confirming a successful format. You can now close USB FATX Formatter (there's a chance that it may still be open in the taskbar even after closing the program, so make sure to check and close it if it's still there). Now open USB FATX Formatter again by right clicking on the .exe and selecting "Run as administrator." Select your flash drive again in the "USB Device" box, then click on the "Quick Format USB" button. Click "Yes" on the following pop-up and then you should get a message confirming a successful format. Your flash drive should now be ready for use with Xplorer360 and with your Xbox (if it is compatible with the Xbox).

Loading the Game Save

 * 1) Download `Xbox Softmodding Tool.zip`. Within the .zip, navigate to "...\Xbox Softmodding Tool\Softmod Package\". Extract the numbered folder inside of the UDATA folder from the ZIP corresponding to the game you have chosen to use the softmod (SC, MA, 007, or THPS4). Also extract the numbered folder inside of the UDATA folder of the Softmod Save .zip.
 * 2) * Alternatively, compile the saves from source (GitHub) by extracting it, creating a folder in the parent folder called "Other Stuff" with a file in it called `dev.bin` and running "Build Release.bat", and pressing Enter to accept the default version number. This will generate a folder called "Release" in the parent folder.
 * 3) Open Xplorer360. Select "Drive" → "Open" → "Harddrive or Memcard". You should see "Partition 0" in the left column. Drag the numbered folders from the previous step into the large window to load it onto the storage device. Wait for the folder to be listed, then select "Drive" → "Close", then "Drive" → "Exit". Then properly eject the USB drive before removing it from the PC.
 * 4) * If you receive an error and are using DriveDroid, change the USB System to Legacy and re-set the Manual USB mode to Mass Storage.
 * 5) * If using a memory card on an already modded Xbox, FTP them onto the H drive.
 * 6) Plug your USB device into your USB to Xbox adapter. If you are using DriveDroid, you may need to turn off the drive before connecting, wait until your phone is recognized by your PC, then turn the drive back on.
 * 7) On the Xbox dashboard, navigate to the "MEMORY" section and then to your memory unit, scroll down to the game title you chose for softmodding, and then scroll right to highlight the game save. Press A to select it, then copy it to your Xbox hard drive. Do the same for the game save labeled "Xbox Softmodding Tool".
 * 8) * If you are using Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, reboot your Xbox after copying the saves to the hard drive. If you don't, the softmod installer will not load and you will be left on a black screen.
 * 9) Insert your game and follow the below process to load the exploit for your game. Your console should boot into the Xbox Softmodding Tool. Your Xbox LED will change colors and stay red, which is normal and nothing to worry about. If your LED changed colors, but nothing appears on screen, try holding L+R+Black+Back to reboot the softmod installer.
 * 10) * Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Select START GAME → LINUX → CHECK POINTS. If your console freezes, disable 480p in the dashboard settings.
 * 11) * MechAssualt: Select CAMPAIGN → Run Linux.
 * 12) * 007: Agent Under Fire: Select SELECT MISSION, start the TROUBLE IN PARADISE mission, then when you hear or see the helicopter, press Start and select Quit Mission → Yes. Then press B to go back to the main menu, then select LOAD MISSION followed by Xbox Hard Disk.
 * 13) * Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4: Select Free Skate → (pick any character) → Play Level → Created Park → Load Park → Yes → Hack Xbox → OK → Play Park.
 * 14) Press A to install the softmod. Read the prompts that come up and press A to acknowledge them. Your Xbox will reboot. During the boot animation, eject the disc from the DVD drive.
 * 15) The tool will finish setting up. You will be left on the Xbox Softmodding Tool dashboard, which is just a skinned UnleashX dashboard. You can change the skin under System → Skins.
 * 16) After you have softmodded the Xbox, you must now null the HDD key (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP). This will change the Xbox's unique thirty-two digit HDD key to 11111111111111111111111111111111 (thirty-two ones). This way you will always know what your HDD key is and it will make it much easier to rescue the Xbox from HDD failure in the future, as all you would need to do so is another Xbox that has also had its HDD key nulled. To null your Xbox's HDD key, launch NKPatcher Settings from the Applications menu and then go to EEPROM > Advanced Features > Hard Drive > Null Key.


 * If you softmodded with an installer other than Rocky5's Xbox Softmodding Tool, make sure you upgrade to the Xbox Softmodding Tool before you null your HDD key, otherwise you may end up getting error code 06, due to older softmods using a virtual EEPROM.
 * Previous versions of the Softmodding Tool set the HDD key to thirty-two zeros. Starting with v1.1.8, it has now been changed to use all number ones, this to be ready for Insignia's release, because the thirty-two zeros wouldn't work with that system. Both thirty-two ones or thirty-two zeros will null, however, if one wants to be ready for Insignia use all 1’s or 31 zeros and a 1; just as long as it’s not all zeros. Either way, one should be aware that both a null of all 1s or null of all 0s may exist in the wild.


 * If for some reason, you don't null your HDD key, then at the very least copy your EEPROM backup (located in the E:\Backups folder) to your PC and preferably to some form of cloud storage as well, as it can also be used to rescue your Xbox.