Talk:Xbox Linux Boot CD/DVD Burning HOWTO
From Xbox-Linux
Add working and non-working media in the tables below. If you don't know how to add them to the table, just click on the "+" sign next to "edit" on the top of the page and enter your data.
| Missing image Icon-admonition-note.png Note | Do not trust brand names, or packaging. The brand name in the packaging is usually misleading – it does not tell much anything about who actually manufactured the disc and which type of dye the discs are based on.
Blank CDs and DVDs are available under dozens of brands, but in reality, there is only a small handful of manufacturers and factories. What is more, even if blank discs are sold under a single brand, with similar packaging, whoever owns the brand may have ordered different batches of discs from different factories. Therefore, if someone recommends a certain brand to you, you cannot really be sure if you're getting the same type of discs from the same factory by buying that brand from your local vendor, even if the packaging was identical. In order to assess the reliability and compatibility of the discs, you will need to find out the dye type and the real manufacturer and factory, instead of only looking at the brand label. This information can be determined by reading the ATIP and MID data from the disc using suitable software tools (http://www.google.com/search?q=atip+reader). (You might also want to read this informative Wired News article about CD/DVD blanks (http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,66911,00.html).) If you can add this kind of deeper information into the table, it would be helpful. |
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Reviews
Thomson Drives
Thomson DVD drives were first seen on launch XBoxes and were continued until about 2002. Drives made in 2002 and under tend to be somewhat less reliable and do not always read as well as new ones. Drives made in 2003 and up are better, read many CDRWs, and can read most other media with a pot adjustment. These drives are compatible in all XBoxes to date. Thomsons have a speed of about 4x. It is proven that replacing the hard drive with lower power hard drives (such as Samsung hard drives) that use much less power than the standard Seagate drives improve the reading ability of the Thomson drives.
| Media | State | Description | |
| Yamaha Professional Grade CD-RW 10x 650MB/74Min (CDRW74M103)or (http://www.yamahamultimedia.com/yec/products/blankmedia/cdrw74m103.asp) (CDRW74M243) (http://www.yamahamultimedia.com/yec/products/blankmedia/cdrw74m243.asp) | Works | Burned with several different types and brands of CD-RW and DVD+/-RW drives, at all CD-RW burn speeds up to 8x. | |
| Sony CD-RW 650MB/74Min (CDRW650HS) | Works | Burned with NEC DVD RW ND-3550A / 10x Speed in K3b | |
| Sony CD-RW 700MB/80Min (CDRW700HS) | Works | Burned with Plextor CD-R PX-W2410A / 4x Speed / Disc-at-Once / BurnProof=OFF / Finishing=ON | |
| Sony CD-RW 650MB/74Min (CDRW650L) | Works | ||
| e3works 700MB/80Min (CD-R) | Doesn't Work | ||
| Verbatim DataLifePlus High Speed CD-RW 650MB/74Min Reorder #94336 | Works | Burned with HL-DT Bruner, / Burnproof = ON / Finishing = ON / 4x / CAN use Quick Erase | |
| Verbatim DataLifePlus Ultra Speed CD-RW 16-24x 700MB/80Min Reorder #43192 | Doesn't Work | ||
| Maxell DVD-R 1-4x | Works | ||
| Think Xtra DVD-R R 4.7 4x 120min | Works | Burned with LiteON DVDRW SOHW 1633s, Burnproof= ON, www.txeurope.com | |
| Nashua DVD-RW 1.1 4.7GB/120 min | Works | Burned with Nero, speed: 1x | |
| Maxell CD-R 700MB | Doesn't Work | ||
| Sony Supremas 700MB CD-R 48X | Doesn't Work | ||
| imation 700MB CD-RW 4X | Doesn't Work | ||
| TDK 700MB 32X CD-R | Doesn't Work | ||
| Fujifilm mini DVD-R 1.4GB | Works | burned with Roxio Creator Clasic 6.1.1.7 | |
| Fujifilm CD-RW 74min 650 MB/Mo 4x write speed | Works | ||
| Memorex DVD+R 8X | Doesn't Work | ||
| Memorex DVD-R 8X | Doesn't Work | ||
| HP CD-R 48X | Doesn't Work | ||
| TDK Mini CD-R 210MB 24X | Doesn't Work | ||
| TDK DVD+R 4.7GB 4x | Doesn't Work | ||
| Memorex CD-RW 700mb/80min 4x/12x/48x | Doesn't Work | ||
| Memorex DVD-RW 4.7GB 1-2x | Doesn't Work | ||
| Memorex DVD-R 4.7GB 4x | Works | Burned with AOPEN DUW1608/12x; Nero6; DAO / Finilize = ON / 4x / Take CD ISO made by e.g. SimpleX ISO and burn onto the DVD disk as a CD Image | |
| KHypermedia 48x CD-R | Doesn't Work | ||
| Bulkpaq (http://www.bulkpaq.co.uk/) DVD-R 4.7GB 8x | Works | Burned with Nautilus CD Burner at speed=4 | |
| Imation Inkjet-Printable DVD-R 4.7GB 8x | Works | Burned with Alcohol 120% / 2x speed |
Philips Drives
Philips DVD Drives were seen in most XBoxes versions 1.1 and up, and are less picky then other drives. The older model (VAD6011/21) and the newer model (VAD6035/21) read most media out of the box (some newer drives even read CDR), and can be tweaked to read almost all media. These drives tend to be more reliable then most, and are a good choice for most XBoxes. There are two models of Philips drives, the VAD6011/21, and the newer VAD6035/21. New Philips drives are in most cases better than the new Samsung drives (Rev. F) and noted as an equivilent of the old Samsung (Rev. B). These drives are compatible with all XBoxes to date. Philips have a speed of about 4x.
| Media | State | Description |
| Yamaha Professional Grade CD-RW 10x 650MB/74Min (CDRW74M103)or (http://www.yamahamultimedia.com/yec/products/blankmedia/cdrw74m103.asp) (CDRW74M243) (http://www.yamahamultimedia.com/yec/products/blankmedia/cdrw74m243.asp) | Works | Burned with several different types and brands of CD-RW and DVD+/-RW drives, at all CD-RW burn speeds up to 8x. |
| TDK 700MB 21 Multi 4X Speed CD-RW | Works | Burned with Plextor CD-R PX-W2410A / 4x Speed / Disc-at-Once / BurnProof=OFF / Finishing=ON |
Samsung Drives
Samsung drives have been known as the best drives on the market today, however, Microsoft has been shipping a new Revision F drive that is not as good at reading media, and can not read ANY CDR media without a firmware hack and a new laser. These drives are one of the best and most expensive of their class. They read almost anything, however old drives (Rev. B) cannot read DVD+R unless it is bitset to DVD-ROM. These drives are compatible in all XBoxes to date. Samsungs have a speed of about 4x.
| Media | State | Description |
| Yamaha Professional Grade CD-RW 10x 650MB/74Min (CDRW74M103)or (http://www.yamahamultimedia.com/yec/products/blankmedia/cdrw74m103.asp) (CDRW74M243) (http://www.yamahamultimedia.com/yec/products/blankmedia/cdrw74m243.asp) | Works | Burned with several different types and brands of CD-RW and DVD+/-RW drives, at all CD-RW burn speeds up to 8x. |
| Verbatim DataLifePlus High Speed CD-RW 700MB/80Min | Works | Burned with HL-DT Bruner, / Burnproof = ON / Finishing = ON / 10x / CAN use Quick Erase |
| Sony CD-RW 700MB/80Min (CDRW700L) | Works | Burned with Toshiba CD/DVDW TS-H552B / 4x Speed / Disc-at-Once / BurnProof=ON / Finishing=ON |
| Maxell CD-R Pro 80 min/700 mb 25pk Made in Japan found in Wall-Mart (no joke!) | Works with SDG 605 Rev F | Burned with Plextor 24/10/40U External USB 2.0 / 24x Speed / Disc-at-Once / BurnProof=ON / Finishing=ON |
| Fujifilm CD-R All Purpose 80min/700MB (grey top w/ "www.fujifil.com" in ring) | Works with Rev b | Burned with "Dual" brand DVD-R/+R CD-R/-RW Burner at Max speed and Burn-proof on |
| HP CD-RW 4x-12x 700MB/80 min | Works with Rev F | Burned with DEC CD/DVD burner. |
| Memorex DVD+R 16x 4.7 GB | Works with Rev F | Burned with DEC CD/DVD burner. |
| Memorex DVD+R Dual Layer 2.4x 8.5GB | Doesn't work | Burned with DEC CD/DVD burner. |
HL-DT Drives
HL drives are made jointly by Hitachi and LG (hence the name HL). HL-DT drives read almost all media, except CDRs, which are locked out in the firmware. To get the drive to read CDRs, you must run a wire from VRCD to ground through an 800 ohm resistor. HL-DT drives are now seen as an equivalent of the old Philips. HL-DTs are compatible in all XBoxes to date. HL-DTs have a speed of about 4x
| Media | State | Description |
| Verbatim DataLifePlus High Speed CD-RW 650MB/74Min | Works | |
| AZUL 1-52x CD-R | Works | Burned with both Plextor 12/10/32 A at 12x with burn proof on and NEC 3500 at 8x. An individual disc is recognized about 30% of the time. So, open and close the Xbox's tray until it is read. |
Upgrades and Adjustments
Thomson Drives
Thomson drives can be adjusted to read more types of media then originally intended. To adjust these drives, read the Thomson_Pot_Tweak tutorial. This will enable these drives to read most if not all media.
Philips Drives
Philips VAD6011 drives can also be adjusted to read all types of media. To adjust these drives, read this (http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/dvd-tweak-philips.php) tutorial and use this (http://pictures.xbox-scene.com/2/philipspot/01.jpg) picture to locate the variable resister. This may enable the drive to read all media.
Drive replacement
XBox DVD drives can be replaced with a regular PC-DVD drive. The Samsung SD-616 Revision T or F and the LG GRD-8163B are the only drives to date that can be modified to read XBox DVDs. To modify a Samsung drive, read this (http://www.xbox-modchips.com/tutorials/samsung3.pdf) tutorial. To modify an LG drive, read this (http://www.paccforce.de/tutorial/Tutorial_GDR-8163B.pdf) tutorial and/or this (http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=400274) thread.
It is also possible to add other drives that do not read XBox games. This is useful for the hardware method of XBox Linux where game reading is not required. To replace the drive with a Sony DDU-1612, read this (http://hometown.aol.com/tkramka/tutorials/sony-replace.pdf) tutorial. To replace the drive with an LG DRD-8160B, read this (http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/lg-dvd2.php) tutorial.
Firmware and Utilities
Here you can find the firmware for all the XBox DVD Drives and the utilities to flash them.
Thomson TGM600 : When someone extracts it, it will be here...
Philips VAD6011/21 : Here (ftp://members.aol.com/tkramka/firmware/philips/vad6011/VAD6011FW.BIN)
Samsung SDG-605 Rev. B : Here (ftp://members.aol.com/tkramka/firmware/samsung/sdg605b/SDG605BFW.BIN)
Samsung SDG-605 Rev. F : Here (ftp://members.aol.com/tkramka/firmware/samsung/sdg605f/SDG605FFW.BIN)
Samsung SD-616 Rev. E (For recovery use only, not an XBox drive) : Here (ftp://members.aol.com/tkramka/firmware/samsung/sd616e/SD616EFW.BIN)
Samsung SD-616 Rev. F (For recovery use only, not an XBox drive) : Here (ftp://members.aol.com/tkrmaka/firmware/samsung/sd616f/SD616FFW.BIN)
Samsung SD-616 Rev. Q (For recovery use only, not an XBox drive) : Here (ftp://members.aol.com/tkramka/firmware/samsung/sd616q/SD616QFW.BIN)
Samsung SD-616 Rev. T (For recovery use only, not an XBox drive) : Here (ftp://members.aol.com/tkramka/firmware/samsung/sd616t/SD616TFW.BIN)
HL-DT GDR-8050 Rev. L : Here (ftp://members.aol.com/tkramka/firmware/hl/grd8050l/GRD8050LFW.DLD)
HL-DT GDR-8163 Rev. B (For recovery use only, not an XBox drive) : Here (ftp://members.aol.com/tkramka/firmware/hl/gdr8163b/GDR8163BFW.EXE)
MtkWinFlash Mediateck Chipset Firmware Flasher : Here (ftp://members.aol.com/tkramka/firmware/mtkwinflash/MtkWinFlash.exe)
HL-DT Panasonic Chipset Firmware Flasher : Here (ftp://members.aol.com/tkramka/firmware/hlflash/HLFlasher.exe)
