M37DR01D's 360 Xtractor Review

dCiSo · 10-26-2008, 07:54 PM

Our latest review we test out the recently released 360 Xtractor, made by Maximus of 360 Xtractor By Maximus :: Official HomePage

I would like to thank Ed at VGC Repairs!, We DO IT Right for supplying the test sample. Make sure you visit his site for all your supplies and parts!!!

--==Feature List==--

- RS232 Support (Liteon Key dumping)
- USB Support inside Windows (Liteon Key dumping)
- Power Feed all XBOX 360 Drives
- Automatic Mode-B on Hitachi 59 and earlier (78/79 require Xtractor Reader)
- Compatible with already released tools (Xtractor Reader/dvdkey/dvdkey32)
- Native Toolbox support soon
- Onboard ON/OFF switch
- Onboard Eject tactile switch
- High Quality and Heavy Duty Parts
- Safe and Tested Design
- Other small features to be released will be announced later

--==First Impressions==--

Once I opened up the packaging I was surprised to see it came with EVERYTHING you need including:

Serial cable
Mini USB to USB cable
SATA cable
Molex splitters
Wire, solder, desoldering braid
12 wire DVD drive cable
Xtractor360

The Xtractor360 is very thick and sturdy with a soft rubber cushioned bottom to prevent it from shorts. It also featuring an On/Off, and eject switch, as well as a PIC chip, with expansion port for future upgrades. There are also LEDs indicators to help diagnose any issues.

--==Installations==--

First off you may want to download and read through the manual located at, http://maximusgames.net/downloads/Ma...rManualv11.pdf (already outdated but a good read anyways)

Before you plug in your Xtractor360 you are going to want to install the drivers as well located at, http://www.winfordeng.com/download/portio32_1.4.zip (for RS232) and/or
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/...0Certified.zip (for USB)

You will also need the Xtractor Reader located at, http://maximusgames.net/downloads/Xt...Reader_V23.rar (Current Version v23)

With your PC off, connect the Molex splitter to the pc then the other end to the Xtractor360. Connect the 12 wire connector to the Xtractor360 being careful of the polarity. If you are working on a Liteon make sure you connect the RS232 wire to the Xtractor360 and your serial port on your PC. Connect the SATA cable to an available SATA port inside your PC, the drive end you can leave unplugged for now

--==Testing==--

Our first test was the Samsung drive. For this drive you only need the Xtractor360 with power Molex and DVD Drive wire, along with the SATA cable to the PC.

Once the PC is shut down, turn on the Xtractor360 and boot the PC into dos and write the mtkflash commands.

Next was the BenQ which is pretty much the same hookups and process as the Samsung with a few differences. You will leave the Xtractor360 off until you type the command out with dosflash, hit enter and after hitting Yes to keep sending the command over, proceed with turning the Xtractor360 on for 5 seconds, off for 5 seconds, then back on, in which your command should be executed.

After the BenQ we tried a Hitachi. This went extra smooth as it was able to get it into ModeB by powering on the drive (does not apply for 78/79). Once in ModeB windows should detect it fairly quickly and you can open up FW Toolbox and get to work. Make sure you put in an original xbox360 game or DVD movie so you can read the drive, patch the firmware then write back to the drive.

For the 78/79 Hitachi, you will need to open Xtractor Reader, select your drive on the left. Hit the “Send ATAPI Inquiry” button and some data should appear on the bottom. Next click the “ModeB” button wait a few seconds, then hit “Eject Tray” wait a few more seconds and hit “Eject Tray” again and the drive should open up. Next hit the “Make Visible on Windows” button, and you should be set to go.

Last but not least was the infamous LiteOn. First you are going to want to install the drivers linked above. For installation of the drivers please go to Documentation for PortIO32 for XP, 2000, NT, ME and 98 instructions.

Next you need to do a small modification to the drive, allowing the data to be read. Open up the Liteon and focus on TX (R707) and RX (R708) located right next to the 12 wire connector pins. You will notice the resistors are missing and will need to make 2 bridges connecting the traces together, one for TX and one for RX. Once done you can put the drive back together as we are almost done with it

The best drives for the swap are BenQ’s and Samsungs, at the time I only had a few Samsungs to test so this method is for the Samsung and BenQ drives, Hitachi users will need to use the toolkit method listed in the PDF file linked above.

Now connect the drive to the PC. Again make sure you have the drive plugged in with the 12 wire connector and SATA cable, the RS232 cable from Xtractor360 to Serial port on PC, and of course power to the Xtractor360. Open up Xtractor Reader and you should see your drive on the list under SATA Ports. Next make sure you select the correct COM port (default is COM1) and click “Get Key And Files” button and pick a save location. Once complete you should have 3 files, Key.bin Inquery.bin and Indentify.bin. Once you are sure you have these 3 files, hit the “Prepare Spoofed Firmware” Button which should bring up a new screen. This screen should automatically pick up the last drive you read the data from, if not, then insert the 3 files and then open up the base firmware you are going to be flashing on your drive (make sure this is the same drive firmware as the drive you will be flashing). Choose an output file and save location and hit “Generate Output File” button. Grats you just created your custom spoofed firmware ready to flash onto your new drive. Read above for proper flashing of the new drive.

--==Conclusion==--

This little device is wonderful. Never has flashing a drive been easier and with the added Liteon support, can you ask yourself why you haven’t ordered one yet? Every drive went smooth as can be, and was recognized be the PC relatively quick. I was very impressed with the quality of the Xtractor360 and the many extra wires it came with. One thing I didn’t get to try was the upgrading, at the time there is no updates for it, but who knows what the future holds J

--==Pros==--