The 2008 banning thread

[thedvdmonster]

so the latest bans are upon us so how about a thread to give others a fighting chance to avoid a ban?

post below if you are banned with:

what drive you have

firmware mod/chip if known

latest games you were playing and if you played them before official release date (perhaps the early releases of farcry2,gow2,cod5 were all leaked to cause mayhem)

cheers

[Ogs]

Could you please also state if you played any review copies and if your drive has been spoofed / cross spoofed.

As it stands, NXE is irrelevant.

[sway]

the only bad thing is that if you had to have a repair on a 360 and they noticed you had a flashed drive and they replaced it for a lite on then that cant be good as they know its been flashed:(

sway

[Ferret76]

Just checked and mine is now banned.
Hitachi drive
No idea which firmware.
played fable 2 and GOW 2 before release but with network cable pulled out.
Just updated to the new dash now that I know it's banned.

[bonzai]

Just checked and mine is now banned.
Hitachi drive
No idea which firmware.
played fable 2 and GOW 2 before release but with network cable pulled out.
Just updated to the new dash now that I know it's banned.

See when you do that, what date do you have on the console & also do u save to memory card or hard drive?

[danman]

I think people need to get away from just looking at the most recent games and look at the bigger picture. As posted over on BST I know that a few recent scene releases are not right so it's no good going over the same ground there. However, it's also worth bearing in mind that these bans come in waves. You could potentially be banned as a result of something you played ANY time after the last wave of bans. If it was flagged and you were put in a queue, thats just the way the cookie crumbles. It could have been over a year ago. MS just had you sat there in limbo, waiting for the day.
Also worth bearing in mind is that playing pre-release, is probably no more dangerous (though not at all advisable) than playing a bad rip. Plenty of scene releases are duff. Hell many still aren't in the database so could potentially be bad.
Also as posted over on BST, Mulleter is now outdated as a method of checking ISO's/Discs. Don't think for one minute that ticks in the box in mulleter mean your safe.

[Ferret76]

See when you do that, what date do you have on the console & also do u save to memory card or hard drive?
Always save to my hard drive but did set the date forward to a day or two before official release (which is when I normally get original discs anyway).
Been using it on live for ages though so could be any reason I was banned.
Still, I've saved enough money by not buying all those originals to buy another console and get it flashed/drive swapped.

[Acheron]

a few recent scene releases are not right ... Plenty of scene releases are duff.

Mainly all of those "review" copies- all junk sourced from torrents - were especially dangerous I think.

[sway]

I think people need to get away from just looking at the most recent games and look at the bigger picture. As posted over on BST I know that a few recent scene releases are not right so it's no good going over the same ground there. However, it's also worth bearing in mind that these bans come in waves. You could potentially be banned as a result of something you played ANY time after the last wave of bans. If it was flagged and you were put in a queue, thats just the way the cookie crumbles. It could have been over a year ago. MS just had you sat there in limbo, waiting for the day.
Also worth bearing in mind is that playing pre-release, is probably no more dangerous (though not at all advisable) than playing a bad rip. Plenty of scene releases are duff. Hell many still aren't in the database so could potentially be bad.
Also as posted over on BST, Mulleter is now outdated as a method of checking ISO's/Discs. Don't think for one minute that ticks in the box in mulleter mean your safe.
so what is the best app to use to check the isos now then matey:)

cheers

sway:)

[Argotrance]

abgx is the best way to check

[Argotrance]

sorry forgot msn me if you need program

[oosyadaddy2]

my previously banned console is no longer banned as of today ? no idea why??

Been banned since the last mass banning and have tried it regulary but today it works just fine :D

[REDBULL]

well guys a good freind of mine and also on here or bst said that his brother inlaws 360 got banned with out even playing a copied game , had it flashed (no idea what firmware ) but went away on holiday came back home carried on playing his originals and then went to play online and his console was banned ? .

[Girth]

So is it worth checking dates of save files and deleting any saves for games that you might have played before they were relased? Or is that not how it works?

For clarification - I've never played a game over XBL - I've only ever downloaded demos, dashboard updates and free game add-ons.

My only worry is that I think I played Lego Batman before it was released.

[Acheron]

abgx is the best way to check

I don't put any stock in abgx either. It's another app based on the theory that Kreon rips are in some way bad which was proven long ago to be a load of bull.

[bigbilly]

Banned. Hitachi drive on 1.4.

Played most releases before street date with network cable unplugged.

Was going to buy a new flashed 360 for Live but it appears that no flashed console is safe at the moment.

Unless this changes I'll be happy just to use my PS3 for on-line play.

[sway]

I don't put any stock in abgx either. It's another app based on the theory that Kreon rips are in some way bad which was proven long ago to be a load of bull.
mmmmmmm so what do you use then matey???????

cheers

sway:D

[danman]

abgx does more than check Kreon rips. It checks file structure, the stealth files, Video partitions, CRC, also checks for corruption due to ANYDVD etc. Also checks that the right video file is present, not just any vid file (think I read that there a re a couple of types).
Kreon is safe with 1.4 firmware sure, but if you don't have that then it's not.
Also I know Ogs asked C4E if a Kreon rip was safe if you copy it to 360 HD with the new dash, the answer was yes it's safe, but I'm still skeptical. BTW I don't for 1 minute claim to kow more than either Ogs ot C4E, but I'd be nervous of it.

[Girth]

I'm a bit confused about this 'playing a game before it was released' thing.

How do they know that you haven't got a legit version of the game, but hat you don't work for a retail shop or something? That's not enough to ban someone is it?
Also - are they checking save files or achievements?

[Ogs]

BTW I don't for 1 minute claim to kow more than either Ogs ot C4E, but I'd be nervous of it.

I also cheekily asked if he was one of the select people to get chosen for NXE early....He said he has access to it, but not on his machine.

So, Im guessing he tested that already.

As for 'bad angles' splitvid is another the firmware 'takes' care of, yet not even scene gfroups know to rip with or without it.

At least its checking it as it is, always a 'possible' detection method, maybe not viable/reliable, but possible.

abgx doesnt fail on it, only warns and suggests using iXtreme 1.4 or above.

[Ogs]

I'm a bit confused about this 'playing a game before it was released' thing.

How do they know that you haven't got a legit version of the game, but hat you don't work for a retail shop or something? That's not enough to ban someone is it?
Also - are they checking save files or achievements?

Definitely not enough to ban someone, there are people at my work who got CoD4/WWE 08 and PGR4 well before release date, original, and still are not banned.

They are 100% unmodified consoles as well.

[drewsie]

I know this is a banning thread and I don't want to go off topic too much here, but out of the people like ogs and danman etc, are you banned yet?

If not, are you staying off live? or are you logging in every now and then to check?

Just curious guys cos I've recently had mine flashed and since then I've stayed off live, disconnected it from my network and removed the hdd.

I know these measures probably won't stop me from get banned sometime soon but what is the general rule of thumb here? or isn't there one?

[Ogs]

im not banned, i log in at weekends as thats when i have time.

benq ixtreme 1.41 12x, not stupid enough to play a review copy, had this 360 since january, been flashed with 0800 f/w and invalid keys for testing in its life time.

[Girth]

I've not logged on since the bannings started to go up in number. I wsa going to wait until the new dashboard, then log on to get it.

[Ogs]

No point, if you had previously been flagged, you're banned.

If you care that much, boot with no disc in the drive and see ;)

[Girth]

blimey. That's a sobering thought.
:(

[danman]

Not banned ****YET**** hopefully I can stay clean.
I have 4 consoles in the house in assorted states of connected/not etc.
I use myself as a bit of a guinea pig.
I have 1 hacked f/w but no back ups (orig games demo's downloaded from MS). 1 hacked with back-ups, and 2 that I randomly hammer with all sorts of sh!t. I swap HD's on 1 rig to best judge if ban cmes from saves (on HD) or console itself etc.
Despite all these shinanigans I have no answers.
I'm online and not afraid so I don't shy away from connection. I'm a easy going geezer trying to make sense of the madness :-)

I do genuinely believe that your consoles (NAND??? pure guesswork) registers your rips and reports home. If it's suspicious. I also believe if your numbers up no amount of staying offline with your head burried will help.
Over on Xbox scene there are dozens of wild theory (facts are very thin). There are way too many B'Sers that are not giving 100% factual answers so this makes sorting rumour from fact hard. I've decided there are only a handful of people I will take seriously.

[handyguy]

the only bad thing is that if you had to have a repair on a 360 and they noticed you had a flashed drive and they replaced it for a lite on then that cant be good as they know its been flashed:(


Swap it with the original before sending it back?

For a topic like this could some post how you know you're banned?

[Wayguns]

I also personally think its the console reporting back that you have played rips in it, now if its the case if the game not being stealthed properly etc i dont know, i have 1 hacked console i play back ups on which was banned in the 1st wave of hits, i also have a non modified machine i play genuine games on, i swap my hdd between the 2 and my unmodified one is fine so i think it also has nothing to do with the hdd, how i dont know, but thats my guess

[Discwizard]

Yes, I agree....how they do the bannings is very random/strange. For example, I have two 360's, one has been banned, and one has not. They both have played the same amount of games on Live, and been using the very same discs back and forth too. There is little or no difference between the two as far as what game was played on or off line. The only difference hardware-wise is that the banned one has a Samsung MS25 and the non-banned one is a Hitachi79. Both have Iextreme1.4 firmware,
My only conclusion is that it is very random (this would also prevent US from detecting how the ban), or there is some computer super-geek at MS browsing users one-by-one and scanning there discs individually while saying "Ah-haw! Got another one Bill!!! Who's next?" (Which, too, would be very hard for US to detect the process)
I reall have studied this process ever since the first ban wave, and not a lot of things make sense as far as MS's process to ban us, and I am sure that's how they want it. I also believe Danman's theory a bit, as far as a log in your 360's NAND is possibly kept. Then, if anything is suspicious in this log, it sends the log to MS for inspection (The Super-Geek looks it over, LOL!) After inspection, you are monitored next, and every time you connect. Your discs are scanned, and if there is more solid evidence......."BAM! WHo should I go for next, Bill?!"
Then again, who the hell knows?

[danman]

I deffo think they like the random confusion. I'm sure if they wanted to they could nab every 1. I think in some small way a fresh turnover of new 360's after every ban wave maybe makes em smile a bit, boosts sals etc. They then give you enough hope not to get caught to try it 1 more time...... 12 months down the line.... doh.

[smokafatty]

I wonder if they flag the serial number of the console. If I get banned, I'm planning on wrapping a towel around it and leave the xbox on until I get the RROD's :) Then send it in for a new one. Anyone think that would work?

[Benvo]

I wonder if they flag the serial number of the console. If I get banned, I'm planning on wrapping a towel around it and leave the xbox on until I get the RROD's :) Then send it in for a new one. Anyone think that would work?

im sure after this happened a lot before with the last ban wave they actually started logging the serial numbers, cant remember rightly. i know when you logged in on xbox.com said something like theres no warranty on the console, even if there was.

Benvo

[sway]

I wonder if they flag the serial number of the console. If I get banned, I'm planning on wrapping a towel around it and leave the xbox on until I get the RROD's :) Then send it in for a new one. Anyone think that would work?
no they will just repair it,they wont send you a new console and you will have the new lite on drive in it to if the notice its flashed:(

sway:)

[ian b]

If the console is banned they wont repair it under warranty, obviously they know its been tampered with so warranty is void.

[Girth]

They're still obliged to repair it though right? With the standard fee?

Just incase anyone's interesed - I've just updated my 360 with the new dashboard - I really like it. Much better to navigate, looks better and I really like the avatars - better than Mii's IMO. I've only tried one or two backups, and they seem to be working fine.

[thedvdmonster]

so how do you know if its been banned?
been staying off live for a few weeks now,just logged in to live and it wont connect.
no updates,no nothing.
surely the box would have to have some sort of download/install the ban the box?
is there a message displayed when banned?

nuts-did a connection test and banned wtf
not been on live so how the hell has it been banned?

[tef89]

The ban flag can happen at any point, they store the console-id then ban the console as soon as it connects to live after they've started the banning. MS know that people are a bit careful around ban time (often around November).

No download required as everytime you log into live the console sends the id, if your on the ban list it locks you out.

[makey]

hi lads got a queston about live
i got a console and just got it modded (lite on removed and replaced)
question is how many of use guys have do this are are still on live
if so any advice on using it on live
cheers lads