The Complete Guide And Faq To Making A Xbox Game Backup
Updated: 12/14/2006 08:45 AM

IMPORTANT INFO!

There is NO program that will copy an Xbox Game straight from a PC DVD-ROM drive. Don't get caught up in advertisements from "Game Cloner" and "DVD Wizard Pro" because they can't make your drive read the game. I don't care if it is a double layer drive, it STILL won't read it. Again, the only way to get an xISO of a game is to FTP into your xbox and get it from there.

I decided that this thread is vital to this forum because there are a lot of threads with the same question over and over, and as a result, we have to explain the same process over and over, which gets wearysome. So I request that this thread be made a sticky for future references by those who are curious on how to backup games.

With that said, let's continue!

1. What you need to make backups

-A modded console (NO EXCEPTIONS). Yes, you might've heard of the wonder working xbox that can play backups, but YOURS WON'T! Trust me, save yourself the time.

Your Xbox also needs to be flashed. While there are several ways to do this, auto installers are the best (they flash, install dashboards, apps, etc.) Our fellow board member djboogie has made an auto installer, so lets support him and use his if you haven't flashed your xbox yet

You can contact djboogie via PM: http://forums.afterdawn.com/private_create.cfm?msg_to_id=82639

-A Dashboard-You need a dashboard besides the standard Microsoft dashboard to FTP. EvolutionX and Avalaunch are the most popular.

-A direct connection between your xbox and pc via CROSSOVER CABLE! This is one of the most misunderstood mistakes. The reason is because your xbox is a computer (in laymen's terms, that's what it is), and a crossover cable is needed to connect two computers. HOWEVER, if you plan on making the connection with a ROUTER/SWITCH/HUB, then you do NOT need a crossover cable.

-An FTP Program or Internet Explorer. It's strongly suggested that you use a FTP program. My personal favorite is IPSwitch WS FTP Pro. I've had better experience with this program rather than FlashFXP (the one almost everyone uses) but to each his own.

-An xISO program-This is another misunderstood process. People, you need an XISO program, not just an iso program. ISOs are the basic binary file layout of cds and dvds. Microsoft has designed Xbox with a whole different filing system, so you need an XISO program to accomodate that filing system so that your backups can look like original discs as much as possible. Good xISO programs are Qwix, CloneXB, Craxtion. However, the best one to use is GDFIMAGE. GDFIMAGE is Microsoft's disc image utility. For legal purposes, links cannot be given on this forum, so don't ask for it here!

-A burning program capable of burning isos. Nero, Alcohol 120, and DVD Decrypter (my favorite) are EXCELLENT programs that do the job and do it well.


2. Establishing an FTP connection between your computer and your xbox.

As I said in the beginning, you need an modded xbox and a crossover cable for this to work. If you don't have either of these, STOP HERE! You can't FTP without a modded xbox.

You can establish a connection between your xbox and your pc by using the ethernet port in your computer, a NIC, or a hub/switch/router. If you're using your ethernet port or a NIC, you need to edit your LAN properties. Go to your LAN, and then choose TCIP/IP, and click properties. Choose "Use this I.P. Address"

And type in this:

I.P.-192.168.0.1
Subnet Mask-255.255.255.0


-The pic above was provided by joschez-

If you have a router/switch/hub, then edit your settings to the same settings.

And make sure your xbox IP is static. You can check this by going into your dashboard settings.

For a more in-depth guide about FTP into an xbox, check out PimpDawg's FTP guide: http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/213943

3. Getting the Game Files

Now, go in FlashFXP (or whatever FTP program you have), and make a new site called "XBOX" or whatever you prefer. For the I.P., type in 192.168.0.3, and for the username type xbox, and for the password type xbox.

Now, you should be able to connect. You should see 7 folders. If you have a game in, that's excellent. If you don't, put one in. Wait for a few minutes, and click on the D: drive.

You should now see a number of files. Depending on the game, some files may be in folder order or all of them may just be "flat-out" in no kind of order at all.

Regardless, make a folder on your PC. Now, select all the files of that game, and drag them over to the new folder. This is a direct rip. There is NO other way to get game files from an xbox disc to your pc.

If you have a big hdd in your xbox, and you just want to store your games there, then create a folder in your F: drive and name it "Games." So you're structure should look like "F:/Games." Now, use DVD2XBOX, and it will rip the games in the directory that you choose. This avoids the process of going to the pc and back to the xbox and saves a lot of time. You can obtain DVD2XBOX from Slayers Auto Installer or in IRC groups.

4. Making an xISO (If you want to make an UDF, skip down to the FAQ)

Moving on, you now have the game files. You're probably wondering what to do with them. Grab one of those xISO making programs and put it to work! If you can find GDFIMAGE and a General User Interface (GUI) for it, then use it. GDFIMAGE is the best and it produces the best results (well it should, considering how MS uses it for their games). If you can't find GDFIMAGE, then use Qwix or Craxtion to make the xISO.

5. Burning the xISO

Now, you have an xISO. This is the last process! This is the easiest part too! Just open Nero, Alcohol 120, or DVD Decrypter. If you're using Nero, then close the startup wizard, and go to open, and use the drop down list and choose (iso, bin, cue) Do the same for Alcohol 120. Now, choose the xISO you just made. Now, for your settings. Make sure that you finalize the disc you're about to burn the xISO to. Make sure that you burn it at the lowest rate possible (4x is fine. If you can burn at 1-2x, that's perfect.) Now, with that done, press "Burn", and while it's burning, chill out for a while. It's going to take a good 10-13 minutes (for the average game). Go grab yourself something to drink or get a sandwhich. When you get back, it should be done. And that's it! Go play with your xbox!

For DVD Decrypter, Go to Mode>Iso>Write. Now choose where the ISO is, and set the burning speed as low as possible. Then burn it :)

How to copy xbox games to the hdd

Ok, so maybe you've bought a premodded xbox with 250 gig, and you really don't want to burn games onto dvdr to play them. That's cool. Just put them on the hdd then!

Alright, as you know, you WILL need a dashboard to do this.

This tutorial will use DVD2XBOX

In order to get dvd2xbox, you will have to use either Slayer's Auto Installer OR you will have to manually get it from IRC/newsgroups/p2p networks.

Now, if you got it from IRC/newsgroups/p2p networks, then you need to have an active FTP connection to your xbox.

Create a folder in your F: drive of your xbox called "Apps." It should look like "F:/Apps." While you're at it, create a folder called "Games" in the F: drive as well. So that should look like "F:/Games."Now, transfer the dvd2xbox FOLDER into the "Apps" folder. Reboot your xbox.

Now, you should see dvd2xbox under the Apps section. Pop in a xbox game. Now, go to your apps section, and choose dvd2xbox.

Wait until your xbox recognizes the game, and then go to dvd2xbox.

Choose which directory you want the game to go (F:/Games). Then let dvd2xbox rip the files. Once it's done, reboot your xbox.

Now go into the Launch Menu (Wherever your apps are) and you should see a folder called "Games." In there should be the game DVD2XBOX ripped.

How to make a backup of a backup

This is a fairly easy process. This tutorial shows how to do it with Stomp RecordNow Max or DVD Decrypter (Easier)

In RecordNow Max, you can click on the drive with the backup in it, and left click, and go to "Extract tracts"



Next, you should see this:



Dvd Decrypter

First, go to Mode>ISO>READ



Then, press the "DVD to hdd" button, and it will extract the iso from the dvd in a matter of minutes.



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Frequently Asked Questions:

I can't FTP into my xbox, even with a crossover cable!

If your FTP program says you're connected, but you can't see the files, then your firewall is probably on. Disable it or configure it to accept your xbox's I.P. address. Other reasons why you can't ftp is that your xbox and pc are not on the same subnet mask.

My Xbox just won't read the disc\Having trouble reading it. What do I do? Do I need a patch\fix?

For one, make sure you have a updated bios on your xbox. It's worth the trouble to update your bios to a new one so you won't have to deal with "patching."

However, there are programs like Qwix and Craxtion that patch the default.xbe for older bios.

Can I burn Xbox games to cd-r(w)?

Very few games can fit on a standard 700 cd-rw. And when I say very few, I mean VERY FEW (like 2 or 3). For the ones that do fit, burn them on a CD-RW. In some cases, cd-r works. I'm not saying it will work for every xbox. Besides, there are very few games that will go on a standard cd-r anyway.

My xISO program\Burning program says that the xISO is too big for dvdr. What do I do?

In most cases, games will fit on a standard dvd-r. However, there are some that won't fit. However, deleting Xbox Live files often make a xISO that can fit on a standard dvd-r. You can also try Double Layer discs with 8.5 Gb of storage. They run more expensive than standard dvd-r, but they're good if you don't want to delete any files.

I'm not that good and it's too much of a hassle. Are there sites that sell backups?

Yes. Two of them are is http://www.morbidbackups.com and http://www.ritegames.com

Ritegames is the cheapest, but backup outlet looks more legitimate and the backups look like originals (without the Xbox holographic label of course)

Can I use programs like Games X Copy or DVD Wizard Pro to copy Xbox games?"

No, you can't. Simple as that. The technical explanation is that xbox dvd rom drives are configured differently than pc drives. Xbox games are made from the outside in, rather than inside out (like PC drives). So your PC dvd rom drive CANNOT read Xbox games, so it's impossible for a program to "make it" read xbox games. Then to add to that, Microsoft makes games on dual layer discs, which is why you get that video when you pop it in your pc dvd rom. The first layer has the video, the second layer has the game.

How do I make Xbox Backups with a Mac?

Xbox-scene.com has a good tutorial on how to do this. It can be found here: http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/macosx-backup.php

However, some people have experienced problems with Toast. I have researched and found another mac iso/bin/cue burning program called Firestarter. It looks legitimate and it's freeware, so give it a shot if Toast doesn't get the job done (or just messes up)

The truth about UDF

It is commonly said that UDF is "better" than the xISO because you can read the files on your PC and play it on your xbox. However, because of the way UDF is structured, problems might occur when the backup is played. In some cases, the game will freeze because it expects the files to be in one place and it's not there. So in actuality, xISO>UDF because of better gameplay, which is most important.

Nonetheless, here is the guide to making a UDF backup:

You will need that original folder with all the game files in it. With that, open Stomp RecordNow Max, and go to options:



Set PRE-MASTERING CACHE and FILE DATA and TIME to whatever you like. Larger Cache wouldn’t hurt systems with more than 256MB of RAM. Larger

RAM Cache may help your burner to avoid using it’s BurnProof or JustLink or other similar technologies.

For CDRW Burns set RECORDING TYPE to Disk at Once (DAO), Closed. Mode1, with FILE SYSTEM TYPE set to “UDF – Up to 128 in Filename Length, any char, plus 8+3 Bridge”

For DVD Blank Media types set RECORDING TYPE to Track at Once (TAO), Closed or Disk at Once(DAO) Closed Depending on Burner used. FILE SYSTEM TYPE set to “UDF – Up to 128 in Filename Length, any char, plus 8+3 Bridge”



That’s it… you can fill in other fields… with no adverse effects. Click OK to continue. I’d recommend setting Burn Speed to 1x, but if you have faster media… try it. Worse thing that can happen is you produce a shiny new coaster. Select a Recorder by Double-Clicking on a Device in the Left window. Then Click the RED Record Button, sit back and wait!

When finished... you have a brand new UDF Burned XBOX Backup. Now go play that puppy in your XBOX!
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That's it for now. The FAQ will be updated as needed.

Credits to the UDF backup guide go to xbox-scene.com

EDIT: DVD Decrypter Guide Added.

EDIT: PimpDawg's FTP guide link added

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