How do I partition my HDD for use on XBox?

Question

I believe XBox uses the FATX file-system. How would I go about getting software to partition a USB portable hard drive for use on XBox? I don't think Partition Magic supports FATX. Thank you :)

Answer 1

I think you can remove all data on it, connect it to your XBox and just format it using the XBox itself. It's the easiest solution I can think of. As darkajax already said, you however should post your question on gaming.stackexchange.com instead as the members over there most likely will be able to give you better answers on your problem.

Answer 2

To make your drive work, you'll need a dump of your Xbox's EEPROM (for HD key), the contents of the original C: drive (dashboard), and some program that can initialize the drive for Xbox use. I used xboxhdm to initialize a new drive I've bought recently. There are instructions at the Xbox Scene Forums (the site's down; you may need to use Google's cache to view the page).

Basically with xboxhdm just download the package, unzip it, place your EEPROM and C: drive contents as indicated, then launch the build script to make an ISO image. After that burn the image, then turn your computer off, unplug your existing hard drives from your computer, connect the drive you want to use in your Xbox, and boot from CD. Type 1 at the boot menu, then type xboxhdm when the distro is done booting. Follow the instructions, then reboot. At the boot menu, type 3 and use lockhd -a to lock the drive. Then transfer the hard drive to your Xbox, and if all goes well, the console will boot to the dashboard.

Note: The above instruction is for the original Xbox. If you're looking for instructions on the Xbox 360, you will need different software and also a hard drive security sector in the same capacity as the hard drive you want to install.