v1.1-unauth: Unauthenticated disk support

🎮 BadStorage

Unauthenticated disk support for Xbox 360.
Lets a hard disk or SSD that never passed the Xbox 360's security-sector check be used as internal storage.

No Microsoft signature, no SSD Maker, no HDD Maker required. Simply format the drive as a normal Xbox 360 hard disk with FATXplorer and it mounts flawlessly.

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📋 Requirements

To use this exploit, you will need:

• A retail Xbox 360 console on Kernel 17559.
• Bad Update + XeUnshackle.

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🚀 Installation

1. Locate the BadUpdatePayload folder on your Bad Update USB stick.
2. Copy BadStorage.xex.dll into this folder, replacing the one that is already there.
3. Boot your console. XeUnshackle will load it automatically on every boot (nothing needs to be added to launch.ini).
4. Verify success: The XeUnshackle screen will show Bad Storage: Applied and the drive will appear under Storage on its own.

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🛠️ Reformatting & Capacity Recovery

A drive flashed with SSD Maker authenticates only by presenting itself as an official Xbox 360 model. This means the console sees just that model's capacity (e.g., a 240 GB SSD flashed as 120 GB will only give you ~107 GiB instead of ~218 GiB).

To recover full capacity (Erases the disk):

1. Hold LT from the console to trigger a reformat.
2. This wipes the security sector and writes fresh FATX volumes across the whole drive.
3. You will recover the full size without needing the undo.bin from when it was flashed.
4. Reboot the console and run the exploit again.

⚠️ Warning: Reformatting by holding LT will completely erase all data on the disk.

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🔍 Scope & Limitations

• Unlimited Capacity: Works with any drive the console can identify. Capacity comes from the drive's own reported sector count, meaning there is no retail-style size ceiling. Tested successfully from a 240 GB SSD up to 1 TB mechanical disks.
• Unidentifiable Drives: This tool does not help with a drive the console cannot identify at all.
• Entry Point Restriction: A disk set up this way cannot serve as an entry point that reads from the internal drive (such as BadAvatarHDD). USB-based entry points remain unaffected.

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📚 Documentation & Credits

• 📖 Full Documentation: Visit the Wiki
• 🤝 Original Project: Based on Bad Storage by Eaton.
• ⚖️ License: MIT License.

Final stable release

🎮 BadStorage v1.2

Unauthenticated disk support for Xbox 360.
Lets a hard disk or SSD that never passed the Xbox 360's security-sector check be used as internal storage.

No Microsoft signature, no SSD Maker, no HDD Maker required. Any drive, formatted by the console itself.

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📋 Requirements

To use this exploit, you will need:

• A retail Xbox 360 console on Kernel 17559.
• Bad Update + XeUnshackle.
• An internal drive.

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🚀 Installation

1. Make sure to use the Normal (Release) build, which is recommended for everyday use.
2. Copy BadStorage.xex.dll into the BadUpdatePayload folder on your Bad Update USB stick, replacing the one that is already there.
3. Boot your console. XeUnshackle will load it automatically on every boot using LoadLibrary (nothing needs to be added to launch.ini).
4. Verify success: The XeUnshackle screen will show Bad Storage: Applied if the mount succeeded. You will receive a notification stating the internal disk is mounted.

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✨ What's New in v1.2

1. Original Xbox Compatibility

• The backward compatibility emulator now works natively on unauthenticated disks!
• The console's format tool does not create the backward compatibility partition (SystemPartition).
• You must create this partition from a PC using FATXplorer or Linux (mkfs.fatx).
• A hacked backward compatibility pack is required to bypass media and region checks.
• Note: The first time you run a game, the console may report a "dirty disc" as it builds the cache partition (Cache0). Simply run the game again.

2. Capacity Unlock

• Recover the full hidden capacity of a drive previously flashed with SSD Maker.
• Hold LB while the exploit runs to strip the flash signature, forcing the console to size the drive from its real hardware sector count.
• This is permanent without needing SSD Maker's undo.bin.
• This delete security sector for your drive, to mount with badstorage bypass at full size

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🔍 Scope & Limitations

• No Avatars: Avatars do not work on a drive that never authenticated, because the disk key slot is written once per boot before payloads run.
• Entry Point Restriction: An unsigned disk cannot serve as an exploit entry point that reads from the internal drive (such as BadAvatarHDD).
• Patch Incompatibility: Do not apply the XL HDD patch in RAM alongside this tool, as it destabilizes mounted filesystems.

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📚 Documentation & Credits

• 📖 Full Documentation: Visit the Wiki for full research notes and internals.
• 🤝 Original Project: Based on Bad Storage by Eaton.