Xbox 360 Flash Drives and Original Xbox Games
After researching why I was unable to successfully play Halo 2 on my Xbox 360, I found numerous articles that have brought me to the conclusion that I bought a counterfeit hard drive off of eBay a couple years ago. (source 1, source 2)
Sadly, it seems like I'm not going to be playing Halo 2 with this hard drive since it is missing the second partition that allows for reverse compatibility with original Xbox titles. According to the sources I've read, my only option is to get a new hard drive.
While I really don't want to have to buy a new Xbox hard drive, would it be possible for me to play original Xbox titles using an official Xbox 360 flash drive?
I saw one of this nifty 8GB storage flash drives, and I think that would work best for me if they work with the second partition that my Xbox seems to lack. It's the 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive by SanDisk that I'm looking at.
Hopefully I can get to play some original Xbox games with a flash drive!
Best Answer
You CAN use a non-Microsoft hard drive. I had a non-Microsoft hard drive that was from EBay and it did not allow me to play Xbox originals. I was able to modify it to allow me to play originals. Here is how:
Remove the hard drive from your Xbox if it isn't already.
You can plug your hard drive into your computer via an Xbox transfer cable or by wiring it directly to the motherboard (Don't worry, you will not harm your computer if you follow the directions) if you have a transfer cable, you will not need to do this but for those who don't, here is how you can plug in your hard drive into your computer.
a. Turn off your computer. b. Open the side panel of your computer by removing the screws. c. Locate your CD drive. d. Be sure to Mitigate any possibility of static discharge (keep one hand on the outer shell of the computer or use a special anti-static band). e. Unplug the two cables from the CD drive. f. Plug the two cables from the CD drive into your non-Microsoft hard drive.
Once you have connected your hard drive, make sure you have Xplorer360, if you don't, get it from the description of the video link below.
Also download the partition2 file from the description of the video.
Open Xplorer360 and select Drive>Open>Harddrive or Memcard
Your hard drive should now open and you should see a list of partitions. Click drive>Restore Partition2.
Now navigate to the partition2 that you downloaded from the video (and extracted) and click Ok.
The partition should start to restore and when it finishes, your hard drive will play Xbox Originals. Unplug your hard drive (Unplug your hard drive from the computer and plug the cables back into the CD drive if you used that method)
Insert your hard drive into your Xbox 360 and play an original game.
Here is the link to the video for the files:
Consult the video for a visual representation.
Pictures about "Xbox 360 Flash Drives and Original Xbox Games"
What Xbox 360 hard drive do I need to play original Xbox games?
You need an official Xbox 360 hard drive installed in your Xbox 360 to play original Xbox game discs, as that drive has the required emulator to play the original Xbox games. Your model Xbox 360 requires a drive with a capacity of 250GB, 320GB or 500GB.Can you play Xbox 360 games off a flash drive?
Yes, you can install and run them from the USB device.Can flash drives hold Xbox games?
If you have a USB 3.0 external storage with a capacity of 128 GB or greater, you can use it to hold Xbox games and apps. Alternatively, you can use the drive to store and play music, videos, and pictures on Xbox using the Media Player app.Can you download original Xbox games on 360?
Original Xbox games must use the original game disc and can't be installed to the hard drive unlike Xbox 360 games. Game saves and downloadable content cannot be transferred from an original Xbox to an Xbox 360.Revisiting Original Xbox Backward Compatibility on the Xbox 360 - Run ALL Original Xbox Games | MVG
More answers regarding xbox 360 Flash Drives and Original Xbox Games
Answer 2
From what I understand, there is a list of games that are backwards compatible with the Xbox 360. For a while it was only a small list but there was a patch released to open this to more games apparently. Unfortunately I cannot find the source for that at this time.
Here is a list of all games that are compatible, complete with system requirements, and possible glitches that may occur during gameplay.
To my knowledge, this is with an official Xbox 360 hard drive
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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