Alternative (Simpler) Method: XexTool - XDanfr/FMX-Compatibility GitHub Wiki

[!CAUTION] It is recommended that you use the other method instead for a few reasons. If you'd like to know more about why, check out issue #7.

This method is fairly simple, but has lower compatibility and often needs Title Updates (TUs) to be removed. For a visual tutorial, I recommend you follow this one by MrMario2011: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB7EKfEYYP0

Video

Xbox 360 Game Backup & Play Tutorial via Bad Update

Backup and play Xbox 360 games (Disc, XBLA, GoD) on Bad Update-enabled consoles.

📝 Introduction

This guide explains how to back up and play Xbox 360 games using the Bad Update exploit. You can:

  • Backup disc-based games, Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA), and Games on Demand (GoD) titles.
  • Play backups on Bad Update-enabled consoles or transfer them to RGH/JTAG systems.
  • Bypass region locks for imported games.

Requirements:

  • Xbox 360 console on dashboard 17559 or lower.
  • Bad Update + FreeMyXe installed (setup guide).
  • USB drive (formatted for Xbox 360).
  • Basic familiarity with Xbox 360 modding.

⚠️ Warnings

  • Game Compatibility: Some games may require additional patching or may not work.
  • Title Updates: Backups may conflict with existing title updates. Use Aurora to force base versions.

🛠️ Prerequisites

  1. Bad Update + FreeMyXe: Follow this guide to set up.
  2. USB Drive: Formatted for Xbox 360 (FAT32, 16GB+ recommended).
  3. Games: Physical discs, XBLA, or GoD titles to back up.

🔄 Backing Up Games

Disc-Based Games

  1. Insert the game disc into the Xbox 360.
  2. Launch XEXMenu from the dashboard.
  3. Press RB to navigate to your USB drive.
  4. Create a Games folder (if not exists).
  5. Create a subfolder for your game (e.g., Tetris_TGM_Ace).
  6. Select Copy DVD and follow prompts to extract the game.

XBLA/GoD Games

  1. Go to Settings → System → Storage.
  2. Navigate to your console’s hard drive.
  3. Select the game (e.g., Peggle for XBLA, Call of Duty: Black Ops for GoD).
  4. Copy the game to your USB drive.

💾 Downloads

  1. Bad Update Tools: Download tools.zip.
  2. Aurora Dashboard: Custom dashboard for managing backups.
  3. 360 Content Manager: Unlock/patch XBLA/GoD backups.
  4. 7-Zip: Extract archives.

🧩 Patching Games

Disc-Based Backups

  1. Navigate to the game folder on your USB drive (e.g., Games/Tetris_TGM_Ace).
  2. Locate default.xex, copy it, and rename the copy to default_original.xex.
  3. Move default.xex to the XeXTool folder (from tools.zip).
  4. Open Command Prompt in the XeXTool folder and run: XeXTool.exe -m r -r a default.xex
  5. Move the patched default.xex back to the game folder.

XBLA/GoD Backups

  1. Open 360 Content Manager on your PC.
  2. Browse to your USB drive’s Content/0000000000000000 folder.
  3. Right-click the game (e.g., Call of Duty: Black Ops) → Unlock Checked Files → Patch.

Aurora Dashboard

  1. Extract Aurora to your USB drive’s Apps folder.
  2. Patch Aurora.xex using XeXTool (same steps as disc backups).

🎮 Playing Backups

From the Dashboard

  1. Run Bad Update to enable unsigned code.
  2. Navigate to Games → My Games.
  3. Launch the backup directly (XBLA/GoD) or via XCX Menu (disc backups).

Using Aurora

  1. Launch Aurora from Apps/Aurora.
  2. Press Start → Content → Add Path.
  • Add paths for Games and Content/0000000000000000.
  1. Disable title updates per game:
  • Highlight the game → Y → Title Updates → Disable.
  1. Launch games from Aurora’s interface.

🔒 Region Unlocking

  1. Backup a region-locked disc using XCX Menu.
  2. Patch the game’s default.xex (see above).
  3. Launch via XCX Menu or Aurora to bypass region locks.

💾 Backup Management

  • PC Backup: Copy game folders from your USB drive to a PC.
  • Disc backups: Store in Games/Game_Name.
  • XBLA/GoD: Store in Content/0000000000000000/TitleID.

📚 Resources