If I were to mod my box and rip an ISO file, could I then create a backup disk that could also be used in my other unmodded box? Just wondering.
Hmmm... So basically something is missing from the disk that the BIOS needs in order to boot the game? Curious what the mechanics of this are.
What is it that's different about the backup vs. the retail? Obviously there is some piece of code on the disk that's missing and one would assume that if that code was there, it would work...
It's not just one factor... The discs are presumably double layer (because they can hold up to 7.9 GB). Secondly, Xbox game discs are made from the outside in (unlike standard CD/DVD, which are made from inside out. This is part of the reason why a regular PC DVD drive can't read xbox games, even if it is in an xbox). Third, there is an special encryption on Xbox games that you can't break or crack.
Xbox games are stamped DVD-9s. DVD replication, not DVD duplication. I have no idea about "inside out" and "outside in" but they make a mold, they stamp out a million of 'em, they're done. The encryption, everything - all of it. Imagine this: You steal a replicator from Star Trek (stupid, I know) and you can sit down and make an exact duplicate of your game. Now, let's modify that. Let's say that instead of making a molecularly exact copy of the game, all that you copy over is an exact copy of the data on the disk. Something so basic that the PC doesn't even have to read it. It just reads a 1, writes a one - reads a 0, writes a 0. If you could literally clone the data off of an Xbox Disk (you may need a DVD 9 to do it) then there should be absolutely nothing stopping the Xbox from thinking it's the real thing. All you need is for the disk to interact with the laser in exactly the same way that the original did. That's my beef.
The games don't read from the outside-in, they spin just like a normal DVD. I've heard it could have something to do with the little barcode in the center of the game disc. The Samsung 616T PC DVDRom can read Xbox discs.
