First of all, is the Textbook 2008 pdf still valid and will give me the latest 1.5 firmware when/if I flash my drive? Also, what does "VIA or NForce SATA chipset" mean under requirements?
In the Textbook 2008 pdf, a section is titled "Philips/BenQ/LiteOn VAD6038 Tutorial," and according to the famous dvd drive picture, I have one of these. I would like to youtube a vid, but what do i look for, Phillips or BenQ or LiteOn. Is the only way to tell by opening the 360, and reading the label off the 360 dvd drive?
You will need to obtain the latest firmware for your drive. There is iXtreme 1.5 firmware for BenQ/Samsung/Lite-ON. And as of right now, there is 1.4 iXtreme firmware for the Hitachi drive (1.5 coming soon).
VIA 6421 chipset is a SATA card that connects into your PCI slot of your computer. Nforce SATA chipset is an onboard chipset that comes with certain types of motherboards. Either chipset will allow you to read and flash firmware.
There are tutorials out there that are kept current. Textbook 2008 was made when iXtreme 1.4 was out in the wild. Search google and you will be able to find a new tutorial for what ever drive type you have.
Like the other poster said, remove your faceplate off of your 360. Look right under the "XBOX 360" of the DVD bezel and you will see a hole. If it is blocked off by plastic, you have a Hitachi drive. If you see red and black wires, you have a Toshiba-Samsung drive. If you see white wires, you have a BenQ drive. If you see yellow wires, you have a Lite-ON drive.
