By default, OEM Xbox 360 hard drives sold by Microsoft come with a built-in original Xbox emulator. However, the emulator would not boot all games, and hacked third party hard drives usually did not include the emulator at all. However, JTAG/RGH consoles can also install a hacked version of the emulator which removes the artificial whitelist it comes with, allowing you to launch any original Xbox software. Though, compatibility is not always guaranteed.
In 2019, the hacked emulator was updated to enable the Xbox 360 guide and gamechat while playing original Xbox games.
This page will walk you through installing the Xbox emulator to an Xbox 360 hard drive, in case you either have a JTAG/RGH console, an improperly formatted OEM hard drive that no longer has the emulator partition, or a Western Digital hard drive modified with a security sector to work on a retail console.
A video guide walking through the full setup for a JTAG/RGH console can be found on MrMario2011's channel.
Creating the Emulator Partition & Installing the Files
This step is only required if you have an unofficial hard drive without an HddX partition. OEM hard drives sold by Microsoft should include the official emulator files and partition.
Via Console Method (recommended)
This will require a console with JTAG, RGH, or Bad Update in order to run homebrew.
- Download HDD Compatibility Partition Fixer.
- This app can also be installed from the Homebrew Store. If you got it from there, skip to step 3.
- Extract the default.xex and the Media folder to your flash drive. Plug your flash drive into your Xbox and launch your desired dashboard.
- Find the application's default.xex in the file browser and launch it.
- In Aurora, it will pop up as a homebrew application with a DashLaunch cover.
- Press
to install the partition, and press 
when completed. - Restart the console. You can check if the HddX partition was made by going to the dashboard's file manager.
- Download the desired xefu set below and extract them to
HddX:\. These options are also available in the Homebrew Store.- Hacked Xefu Pack - Modified xefus with all restrictions and whitelisting removed. Contains the original 8 xefu files and their supporting files, 4 xefu files from Xbox One/Series, and a special version of xefu7 modified to allow loading of external config files (with some config files included). Requires exploited console.
- Hacked Xefu Pack with HUD - Same as above, but also enables the full Xbox 360 guide during use. The extra resource usage may negatively affects emulator performance or compatibility. Requires exploited console.
- Unmodified Xefu Pack - Contains the original 8 xefu files and their supporting files.
Via FATXplorer
Formatting the HDD
View the FATXplorer page for information about formatting an HDD for use with an Xbox 360.
Adding the Emulator Files Manually
This requires the hard drive to already have a backwards compatibility partition. It can either be created by formatting the hard drive with FATXplorer, or HDD Compatibility Fixer on a modded console (see the "Console Method")
- Download the desired xefu set below.
- Hacked Xefu Pack - Modified xefus with all restrictions and whitelisting removed. Contains the original 8 xefu files and their supporting files, 4 xefu files from Xbox One/Series, and a special version of xefu7 modified to allow loading of external config files (with some config files included). Requires exploited console.
- Hacked Xefu Pack with HUD - Same as above, but also enables the full Xbox 360 guide during use. The extra resource usage may negatively affects emulator performance or compatibility. Requires exploited console.
- Unmodified Xefu Pack - Contains the original 8 xefu files and their supporting files.
- Connect the Xbox 360's SATA drive to your computer.
- Mount the drive's Backwards Compatibility partition.
- Extract the contents of the xefu set you downloaded to the root of the drive, and use FATXplorer to safely unmount the partition from the PC. It will now be ready to be used on your Xbox 360.
Improving performance with 720p games
Some games are rendered at 720p on Xbox 360 even though they were 480p on original Xbox and yields low frame rate. To improve this behavior, you can go into display settings and set the system resolution to 480p.
- Example games:
- Grand Theft Auto III
- Grand Theft Auto Vice City
- Counter Strike
- Halo Combat Evolved
If the Xbox games are scrambled and unplayable after this change, also disable the display discovery option. Your TV is probably sending an incorrect EDID to the Xbox 360.
Troubleshooting
Stealth server plugins and the "HvP2" plugin may prevent original Xbox games from running, so make sure to disable them before trying to play original Xbox titles. If you turn on the console with the power button and press the eject button afterwards to leave the DVD tray open, the stealth server plugin will detect that and temporarily disable itself until the next reboot.