The official site of the ultimate Xbox 360 storage device explorer.
Posts by Eaton
2.0.5 now available!
02.0.5 is now rolling out. This update fixes all known bugs that have been reported since 2.0.4. As well as a few tweaks, see below.
To obtain this update, simply Check for Updates in FATXplorer or redownload.
Fixes
-Fixed an issue when loading folders with obscure file names inside.
-Fixed a loading error that would occur when loading custom HDDs, and sometimes during the preliminary steps of formatting a HDD.
Enhancements
-Now works with .NET 4 Client Profile – no need for Extended. Should fix the common “shows splash screen and then exits” issue.
-New Microsoft Metro skin: Metropolis
-Removed optimized Content folder installation. It would cause problems in some cases and it isn’t really worth the extra space.
-Updated all third part components to their latest versions.
-Backported several FATX driver enhancements in v2.5 to this last v2.0 release. You may notice better speeds when writing data.
This should keep you guys satisfied until v2.5. Enjoy! Leave a comment if you have any problems.
[Breakthrough] Introducing larger and smaller USB devices
5**NOTICE: This feature is unreleased and is NOT a part of the current 2.0.x version. It will be a FATXplorer v2.5 feature.***
Now here is something to really look forward to in FATXplorer v2.5: a USB formatter!
Working with Xbox 360 USB devices is much harder than working with HDDs and MUs. There is a lot more involved and it gets really, really complicated. Fortunately, as of Jan 16, I have finally cracked the format completely with almost a year’s worth of research.
This was no easy feat, but I believed that FATXplorer would not be complete without full USB support. After so many hours of late night testing on my console, I am ready to reveal something that will provide the Xbox 360 community with a much easier way of managing content storage.
The Formatter
The USB formatter will be included in FATXplorer v2.5. The bare-bones of it are completed and functional, but a user-interface will soon be completed to allow testers to use this feature.
I have not yet decided if this will be USB “adjuster” or “formatter”. An adjuster would simply change the size of an existing USB and keep all the existing content, while adding more space. A formatter would simply create a clean USB.
More info on what I decided will come in the near future.
What can be done on…
Retail Consoles
Retail consoles will be able to format USB devices anywhere from 16 KB to 16 GB in size. That’s right.. 16 KB! You can now get around the 1 GB minimum limitation!
The new smallest USB size is now: 536,899,584 (about 512 MB).
So if you have a 512 MB USB around, you will be able to use about 16 KB of that on your console. (:
Here are some pictures of the smallest size in use:
JTAG, RGH, and Development Consoles
These consoles will be able to support everything a retail console does, but with an added bonus. Possibly the sweetest bonus of all and the feature I am the most excited to announce…
16.1 GB – 2 TB!!!!!!!!!
That’s right! As stated earlier, this limitation is hardcoded into the system pretty well, but it is now possible to bypass that limitation and use any large USB!!!
FATXplorer v2.5′s USB formatting tool will be able to format USBs from 16.1 GB to 2 TB in size.
You will be able to use any external USB HDD for Xbox 360 content storage. You have an external USB HDD that is bigger than 16 GB? Well, now you can use ALL of the space for your profiles, game saves, and DLC!
*This feature requires several patches to the Xbox 360 kernel and xam.xex. Patches, along with detailed installation instructions, will be included in the v2.5 release. This is why retail consoles cannot support these sizes.
Here is a picture of my external USB HDD, with all of its storage space being used:
Credits
These guys helped me out when I was stuck. This project would have taken a lot longer to complete without their guidance in select parts.
Anthony: Helped me find the last crashing bug.
Unknown v2: Helping me with some PPC every now and then.
*Dashboard 14699 is the version used/patched in the demonstration pictures. Patches for other versions will be available upon release.
FATXplorer 2.5 to feature automatic file repair
0Some of you may have run into errors like “file.txt does not have the appropriate amount of clusters” or “file.txt has no end marker” or “file.txt has an unused cluster”. Starting in 2.5, you will no longer get these errors. FATXplorer has been updated to automatically fix these problems as they are seen. Repair operations will more than likely corrupt the file, but it will allow you to delete it without any problems. There may be some cases where it may not corrupt the file, but it really all depends on what went wrong.
The leading cause of problems like these are the use of storage devices in other third party tools. Be careful what you use!
2011 sets, FATXplorer 2.5 on the horizon
3Last year around this time, I made a goal to get v2.0 out at some point. That goal was reached and I couldn’t have been happier with the results. For 2012 the goal is similar: to finish the features I have been planning for so long.
I have been hard at work on v2.5 over my winter break. The main core new feature has been finished, but there is still a lot of polishing and bugs to iron out. I would also like to include a viewer that will allow you to see game names, gamertags, etc.
The time over break was mainly dedicated to finishing the secret new feature. This feature forced me to redesign how I handled a lot of scenarios deep within the driver code. Writing a file system driver from scratch is no easy task, but I have succeeded in creating a very stable and efficient driver.
2.5 will also feature simplified licensing. After v2.0 having been on the market for nearly 6 months, I have received a lot of feedback on the licensing mechanism and I think I made it a little too secure. Therefore, the licensing will be dumbed down to the basics to reduce frustration and to reduce the amount of licensing related support requests.
To conclude, 2012 will be another great year for FATXplorer. Possibly bigger than the last. I had this same feeling last year around this time, but I feel that once I reveal this secret new feature I have invested several weeks of effort into, FATXplorer will finally become an essential utility in many gamers’ desktops. More information on v2.5 will be available as the grand polishing phase nears a close.
Have a great 2012!
~Eaton
PS: Existing customers: If you want to be a part of the FATXplorer v2.5 preview program, you should post a comment to get my attention. (:
Merry Christmas from FATXplorer!
0I am sure most of you have discovered the little Easter egg I put in when you boot the app. (: I hope you guys have a great and merry Christmas!
My break recently started and I have been working on the next major update. I am not quite ready to reveal it, but.. I know I have said this before, but this update is going to blow your mind. What I have been working on has been a true test of my coding abilities and I feel that this is going to be something that will finally ignite the spark in the FATXplorer community I have been trying to ignite.
Aiming for some type of release by the end of break (early Jan), so keep an eye out.
2 years strong
0Most Xbox 360 software would have completed its lifespan by now. However, FATXplorer still lives. It’s been two years since its release on Thanksgiving day 2009. The completion of the code coincided nicely with the holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I am still working out some issues for the future of the application, so I don’t have any news on what will be next. However, it will be awesome. (:
10/16 – Quick Update
0The current version of FATXplorer has been doing really well. It has met the standards of an industry-grade application and the feature set has been widely praised.
But it won’t stop there. (-;
Soon development on 2.1 (or 2.5..) will resume. I have college applications to finish. Once they are completed I will have some of my free time available again.
I have a lot of features and enhancements planned for the next release. I am not sure how much I will squeeze in so I will not divulge an updated roadmap just yet.
Check back in ~1 week to possibly see the features planned for the upcoming release.
Website Refresh
0The website’s theme has been upgraded to the latest version. It brings a lot of visual enhancements and hidden features that will help me out. Not much else will change so if you have any suggestions to make the site better, let me know in the comments!
8/10 Update
0I thought I would post something since I haven’t in a while.
I’ve been working on the next major update in my free time, but for the most part, I have been working on some other projects since this one is in a very stable state right now.
I have nearly finished the high performance FATXStream class, which is needed for operations like cut, copy, paste, game names, gamertags, etc.
FATXplorer 2.1 (or possible 2.5) will have a series of “views” to give you several ways to display content:
Advanced View :: The current one with complete file system control.
Content View :: Enumerate all content types.
Profile View :: Enumerate profiles and then list associated content within each.
System View :: Enumerate content like the dashboard does.
The one in development now is the System View. It is progressing, but it still has a way to go before I post any previews or anything.
If you have any suggestions for the first major update, please post them in the comments!
Stay tuned for more in the coming 1-2 weeks.
Donations are back online
0A lot of people have been waiting for this feature to became available and I am proud to announce that it is! If FATXplorer helped you in some way during the trial period, but you don’t want to purchase it, perhaps you can make a small donation to help further development and cover site expenses. (-;
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