Config Magic

This is a dangerous application that can make your Xbox unusable if you don't know what you're doing. Back up your EEPROM data to your PC before making any changes!

Team Assembly's Config Magic is an Xbox-based configuration tool that can be used to inspect / modify / backup / restore the system settings stored in your console's EEPROM chip. It can also manage hard drive security states using disk passwords based upon your Xbox's HDD key. It was originally released around 2003.

It allows on-the-fly editing of a variety of values:

• Serial number
• MAC address
• Video & XBE region
• Online key
• DVD kit zone
• Unique HDD key

When managing disk passwords, the "locking" option sets a new one, and "unlocking" removes. These functions are mislabelled: an original Xbox already unlocks its disk every time it boots (before any software tools can be launched via HDD or DVD), and asking Config Magic to "unlock" a disk instead has it remove the password altogether - totally disabling the drive's security system for all subsequent boots. This is potentially good if you want another system to be able to access your disk (eg you intend to wire it into a PC), but potentially bad if your console is running stock Xbox firmware (which will refuse to boot without a password-protected drive).

Don't shut your console down while Config Magic reports an "unlocked" disk unless you're either sure that you don't need a disk password (eg because your console is hardmodded), or you're sure that you can later set a new one using some other tool (eg the Windows-based FATXplorer application)!

When enabling disk security through the "lock" function, alongside the main user password (partially based on your HDD key), an additional master password of TEAMASSEMBLY is also applied as well. This secondary code can be used to regain access to your drive if you ever lose track of your HDD key.

It is recommended to use Rocky5's ConfigMagic 1.6.1 over earlier versions as it fixes a bug that can corrupt EEPROMs on 1.6 consoles!

Backing up your EEPROM

1. Launch Config Magic and after the warning screen it'll automatically load your Xbox's EEPROM info before displaying the chip's content.
2. Open the menu with Start, select Backup EEPROM Files to write the data to your Xbox's HDD. The three files created are:
   • E:\EEPROMBackup.bin - Your actual EEPROM backup file.
   • E:\EEPROMBackup.cfg - A text-based version of your EEPROM's contents that Config Magic is also able to restore from. This is easy to edit, but it doesn't contain the full collection of settings actually stored in your EEPROM, and other tools can not restore from it.
   • E:\EEPROMBackup.txt - An informational list of settings in your EEPROM written as plain text, just for reference purposes. Also contains some additional system information such as your console's reported BIOS version, RAM total, and drive models.
3. Reboot back to your dashboard and proceed to copy the backup files to your PC. For eg, you can connect to a homebrewed dashboard using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to gain access to the file system on your Xbox's hard drive. Consider renaming the backed up BIN file to indicate which console it came from (eg by adding the system serial number into its title), and verifying the dump by loading it into LiveInfo.

Restoring your EEPROM

If your EEPROM ever actually corrupts then your Xbox may not be in a state to launch Config Magic at all. You may instead need to use an external hardware device to rewrite a backup into your chip. It is hence very important that you copy your EEPROM data to your PC before something goes wrong.

However, the steps for using Config Magic specifically are:

1. Place your 256-byte backed up system config data file as eeprom.bin into the data subdirectory of your Config Magic installation folder (eg using your dashboard's file management functions, or through FATXplorer).
2. Launch Config Magic and after the warning screen it'll automatically load your Xbox's EEPROM info before displaying the chip's content. Compare your console's current HDD key to the one in your backup (which you can view through a PC using LiveInfo if need be).
   • If you have a password protected disk and your backup includes a different HDD key to the one currently in your actual EEPROM chip, then it's essential that you use Config Magic's Unlock HDD function, and then double check that Config Magic reports an "unlocked" drive, before proceeding!
   • If you do not have a password protected disk or if you're certain that your backup file includes the same HDD key as the one currently in your EEPROM chip, then you can leave your disk's security state as it is.
3. Open the menu with Start, select Load EEPROM.BIN file to view the file's content, and then hit Update XBOX EEPROM to write the displayed data into your EEPROM chip. If you still want to be able to boot using the currently installed HDD alongside stock Xbox firmware (and if you have any doubt: assume that you do!), furthermore Load XBOX EEPROM again to reload the chip content and then Lock HDD to set a user password on the disk based upon the loaded HDD key.
4. For those attempting a restore without the ability to boot a custom Xbox BIOS (softmod users), it's critical that you confirm Config Magic reports a locked disk before rebooting. If you get any sort of error, Load XBOX EEPROM again and Lock HDD again.

Changing Hard Drive Key

Each Xbox initially ships out with a unique HDD key, which is used to generate a password that helps to tamper-proof the HDD. Because each system has a different key, you normally cannot switch disks between Xboxes. Some games also use your HDD key to sign their saves, and DLCs are furthermore signed against it as well.

You can change your HDD key to a standardised value, which'll not only make it easier to swap your hard drive into other Xboxes, but also it'll be easier to remember! In times past it was common to "null" HDD keys (setting them to all 0's), but when the Insignia service became available in 2022 it was announced that nulled keys were incompatible. Since then modders commonly just use thirty-two 1's for their key instead (hexadecimal representation): the method and purpose remains the same.

Note that changing the HDD key of an Xbox that already has signed saves, installed DLCs, or an Insignia registration, will cause problems! You will need to resign saves / DLCs against your new key afterwards, and you'll also need to contact the Insignia team to fix your console's registration. If you intend to change your key at all then you should do so before installing content or registering for Insignia!

1. Launch Config Magic and after the warning screen it'll automatically load your Xbox's EEPROM info before displaying the chip's content.
2. If Config Magic reports a locked disk, press Start to open the menu and use the Unlock HDD function. Double check that Config Magic reports an "unlocked" drive before proceeding!
3. Select Edit EEPROM from the menu. Use your d-pad to move down to your Unique HDD Key, then A to access the on-screen keyboard. Enter your desired key and then hit Ok.
4. Press Start then Update XBOX EEPROM to write the displayed data into your EEPROM chip.
5. If you still want to be able to boot using the currently installed HDD alongside stock Xbox firmware (and if you have any doubt: assume that you do!), furthermore Load XBOX EEPROM again to reload the chip content and then Lock HDD to set a user password on the disk based upon the new HDD key.
6. For those attempting to change a key without the ability to boot a custom Xbox BIOS (softmod users), it's critical that you confirm Config Magic reports a locked disk before rebooting. If you get any sort of error, Load XBOX EEPROM again and Lock HDD again.