What BenQ Drive Do I Have? (New or Old?)

[HaGGardSmurf]

I read a tutorial on this forum, about flashing with dosflash. At the end it says "Note: this will only work for the old benQ drives, not the new ones your doomed" or something like that...

I know I have a benQ drive, I looked on another guide and saw under the faceplate in a hole, I had white wites, and empty space...

I have 3 xbox's but 1 is a spare, this is the one I will be flashing... It is an elite, and the last 2 numbers of the serial are 07 MFR date is 2007-07-11


Also, for a sata card, do you need to have the nvidia one or the pci sata 6421 something something? I dont think I have a sata card in my computer, I think I have 2 ports on my motherboard (it looks like) I dont really want to buy a sata card, because I will most likely only use it once or twice, and I will have to wait a week to have it installed, because the comp place is slow...

[CoFree]

well the only way to be 100% about the dvd drive you have is to look on top and see if you have a lite-on drive.
it dont mater ether way though as all 360 dvd drives can be flashed.

you can try your onbo it may/may not work
if it dont work all you can do is get the card.
http://tekgems.com/Products/la-pci22-vt6421a.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[HaGGardSmurf]

(First off, im ecstatic to hear all drives can be flashed I was worried I would get unlucky, and get the only drive unflashable...)
So if it doesnt work, and my xbox ends up like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWnykbvaLps" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
All I need to do is (buy the other card) and reflash it? Same steps? And my drive will work again?

TBH I would most likely screw up if I were to do the Iprep way. So is DosFlash still a popular way to flash/does it still work?

PS, Your tuts are amazing, very comprehensive, I found the site from the youtube video where you flash your benQ drive with iprep.

[CoFree]

no
that is not what that means
if you flash a bad firmware in your drive and dont have the orig (good) key
then your console is bricked

the via card is because most of the flashing programs work better with a via chipset.

[sadalius]

Benq drives aren't too difficult. Although I would look at using jungleflasher to do it with. We don't have a tut on using jungle with a benq yet, but which ever one of us gets a chance to do one first, will put one up. But I can give you the steps to do it in jungleflasher.

First, boot up to windows and then connect up your drive to the sata and power and turn it on. Eject the tray, then power the drive off and push the tray half way in and turn it back on. Then open jungleflasher and click on the MTK Flash 32 tab. Make sure the right sata port is selected under I/O port. Then click the BENQ Unlock button. After a successful unlock, click the Intro/Device ID button. Once the Flash Chip Properties section populates, click the Read button. It will then read out your firmware. Choose a place to save it. Then click the Firmtool 32 tab. Click Open Source Firmware and choose the 1xtreme 1.5 firmware for Benq. Click Spoof source to target. This would be a good time to check the key to make sure that it's valid. Once thats done, click Save to File and save your hacked firmware. Then move back to the MTK Flash 32 tab and click write. It will do the rest. It will even verify the flash once it's written and when it says Verify ok, you can close jungleflasher and save the log file and power down the drive, and put it back in your 360 to try it out.

This method requires a connectivity kit of some sort with a power switch. It's impossible to use the 360 to power on and off the drive without it automatically closing the drive when doing the tray half closed thing.

[HaGGardSmurf]

When your flashing dont you have to 'read' the firmware, and it saves it somewhere? Then you are to take that and use ixtreme etc etc... So if I made a copy of the original firmware before I modded iit, cant you just flash that back?

Also, when your "flasing" arnt you wiping the data... Kind of like reformatting your computer?

(PS, would this be where I plug in my drive?)

[sadalius]

Yes. You do have to read the original firmware out of a Benq before you can even make the hacked firmware. Your onboard sata may or may not work though. It's always worth a try because all you'd be doing at first is trying to read the firmware, then if that works, you can then proceed to making your hacked firmware and then flashing it. Make sure that when you dump that drive that you check the firmware for a valid key. I still see lots of people not check it and flash their drive with a bad key and end up with a $400 DVD player.

[HaGGardSmurf]

Ok, cool.

So what is and why do I need the key, and how do I get it? When using for example jungle flasher, will it tell me the key?

[sadalius]

The DVD drive key is a 32 character set of letters and numbers that appear totally random when you look at it. This makes the key. That key is unique to your drive and thats what marries that drive to your console. Without that key, your xbox wouldn't be able to play games, only movies.

Jungleflasher will show you the key. And with pre ixtreme 1.5 firmwares, so will firmware toolbox. Firmware toolbox will read all stock firmwares except for lite-on firmwares.

[HaGGardSmurf]

Ok, thats kind of what I thought, I had watched the video tutorial with iprep, and saw a key.

So if I had the original firmware, original key, and I somehow screwed up the flashing, I am still good to go right?

[sadalius]

yeah, you should be alright as long as you have your originals.

[HaGGardSmurf]

Well, I will try in 2-3 weeks when I get my xbox back. This xbox was given to be by a buddy because or RROD he was too lazy to send it in so he bought a new one...

By the way, did/do you use the xbox 360 console repair kit to open your xbox? JW what will be easier, wait for the tools to be sent to me from ebay, or just do it myself...

[Digital Menace]

i dunno u should be able to open ur 360 easily, i didn't buy a kit or nothing.

also i never used jungle but i suppose it's ok ?

i've only used dos32 1.4 since it's really easy for me an i don't have to boot to dos or iprep or anything like that.

[HaGGardSmurf]

Yea, I dont think im going to buy the kit, looks easy enough without it

Can someone elaborate on the whole having the computer and the xbox case touching so they have equal voltages?

If my on board doesnt work, and I buy the one suggested (http://tekgems.com/Products/la-pci22-vt6421a.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) where would I connect the drive? I dont see where...

Also, what else would I need? Connectivity Kit (Ive noticed everyone opens the drive powers it off, closes it half way, then powers it on.)? Com cable?

[CoFree]

hooking the 360 case to the computer before you start anything
is to help with grounding

If my on board doesnt work, and I buy the one suggested (http://tekgems.com/Products/la-pci22-vt6421a.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) where would I connect the drive? I dont see where...

looking at the picture there is a small "sata" plug to the right of the ide plug,that is the place you will hook your sata cable and the other end will hook to your 360 dvd drive

Also, what else would I need? Connectivity Kit (Ive noticed everyone opens the drive powers it off, closes it half way, then powers it on.)? Com cable?

i would say get the connectivity kit for sure.
then if you are going to flash with iprep and it a benq 6038 drive that is all you need.
if its a lite-on and you are going to use iprep you will need a rs232 comm male/female cable.