Xbox 360 HDD cache clear code discovered [update 1]
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Jun 9th 2006 at 11:55AM }
HEXUS.gaming reports that a cache clear code has been discovered for the Xbox 360 hard drive via the dashboard's system blade. To perform the function, access 'memory' in the system blade, and then highlight the hard drive. Now press: Y, X, X, LB, RB, X, X. The following message should appear: "Do you want to perform maintenance on your Xbox 360 storage devices?"
If you initiate maintenance, the hard drive's cache will be cleared, including all software updates. Theoretically, this function could be used to un-update Oblivion in order to regain access to the unlimited gold and item duplication glitches. Note: we have not tested this function.
Update: corrected code.
See also: Oblivion patched for PC, 360 tomorrow
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Psykoboy2 @ Jun 9th 2006 12:05PM
Wow...wonder what else is buried in there? Maybe a function to skip some levels in Zuma or something.
Babylonian @ Jun 9th 2006 12:06PM
That's a strange secret.
JodyAnthony @ Jun 9th 2006 12:19PM
ok, so i know very little about computers, but wouldnt software updates be stored permanently on the hard drive and not in the cache? it doesnt seem like clearing the cache should delete any updates you downloaded.
but like i said, I don't know much, and am probably way off.
Tranziq @ Jun 9th 2006 12:19PM
The article should say "Use at your own Risk" Patching and software updates change alot of files and could end up ruining gamesaves. Dont want to loose my 130 hours of obivion just because I need to Dupe those Greater Soul Gyms
ozymandias @ Jun 9th 2006 12:21PM
Its x,x, left bumper, right bumper, x,x.
funkyflea @ Jun 9th 2006 12:25PM
"I tested it out on oblivion when i was experiencing slowdown and low and behold it fixed the problem"
Can anyone confirm this working!?!?
Seems unlikely, but its a cool little easter egg.
HallwayGiant @ Jun 9th 2006 12:25PM
Why would a possibly needed function be buried in a 'secret code'? Besides has any actually confirmed this?
flit @ Jun 9th 2006 12:29PM
Yeah, I highly doubt that updates are stored in the cache. It probably would help with the load problems that people are having with oblivion though.
ncdign @ Jun 9th 2006 12:29PM
I had heard about this last night on the IGN boards but wasn't about to try it until I'd heard more feedback on it. I wonder why they hid this function?
forensick @ Jun 9th 2006 12:33PM
The X X LB RB X X was confirmed to work. You can even rename your HDD after doing it. I haven't heard about this version though.
OGHowie @ Jun 9th 2006 12:34PM
Ummmmm, to clear the cache in Oblivion all you have to do is hold A when the game is booting up...
logikil @ Jun 9th 2006 12:37PM
Hard drive cache is memory where data is stored before it is actually flushed to the drive. When you write to disk, you actually write to cache first generally until it fills and then flush to the physical drive. Reads happen in a similar way allowing you to store data in cache if it is being read constantly.
So if you cleared cache without a flush to disk you have essentially killed the data you thought you were writing to disk. Which is why you could potentially run this after patching Oblivion and get rid of an update. As a person who works on disk storage for a living i generally wouldnt recommend this to folks.
More interesting would be a way to defragment the 360 drive. With constant downloading and deleting of content i am curious how MS handles disk writes, and if defragmenting is an intergal function of the system.
lolersticks @ Jun 9th 2006 12:37PM
I had to re-update DOA4 after I did this...wierd.
foxhaze @ Jun 9th 2006 12:48PM
You had to re-update because doing this deletes everything.
Andy @ Jun 9th 2006 12:52PM
It deletes every games cache including updates, also how do people find this out!
Kendrick @ Jun 9th 2006 12:54PM
LK, I don't believe that the cache on the 360 is a write cache as we understand it in PC and server tech. Rather, it's a read cache for a game's frequently needed files. The idea is that the seek time on the hard drive is faster than it is on the DVD drive, and so common textures and repeated sound effects can be loaded up in the cache. The problem is that files stored here may get corrupted or truncated during copying, and most games don't do any kind of check to make sure that the file being accessed is valid or usable.
The original Xbox implemented a similar system for the three previously played games, whose cached files were stored on the internal X, Y, and Z drives. The common method of clearing the cache on the first Xbox was to load up three different games (demo discs, or whatever's handy) and your bad cache files would be wiped clean. This was how to get through some of the problems that Morrowind exhibited.
logikil @ Jun 9th 2006 12:55PM
I'm still curious how game updates are being cleared by this. Updates, particularly something done previously should be flushed to the drives. So this has to be something more then just clearing drive cache.
Dustin @ Jun 9th 2006 12:57PM
RE: #10
Wrong cache buddy, wrong cache. You are referring to the buffer, that is generally only used for small moments at a time (as in less than a second..). What they are referring to is cache on the drive, a folder where temporary files are stored. I am sure that the updates are stored in a seperate location. I am sure that this is deleting files int he cache folder(s) and deleting updates in the update folder(s) and maybe even more, we really don't know at this time.
Recongoddess @ Jun 9th 2006 1:00PM
Ok.. I was the guinea pig and tried this on my x360.. (since I've played through Oblivion and I'm now currently half way through it with a second charactor) I can confirm that this works and it does 'erase' the update.. Once I loaded Oblivion, it told me that there was a update needed blah blah
vidGuy @ Jun 9th 2006 1:05PM
Isn't cache volatile? So when the power goes off shouldn't the cache be cleared? Or is the 360 just in a sleep mode, with an internal battery keeping the cache in a solid state?
Either way, I can see why this is hidden with a button code: you wouldn't want users clearing important caches for no reason. I bet there's a similar button combo to perform other maintenance (disk defrag, for example).
Rocky @ Jun 9th 2006 1:11PM
Can anyone confirm if this will remove any premium content you purchased like the Wizard's Tower?
jabbertrack @ Jun 9th 2006 1:37PM
This isn't something I would be doing unless instructed to do so by a MS tech or as a last resort before sending my 360 in for repair.
Frowelishnu @ Jun 9th 2006 1:56PM
Rocky,
If it did delete a file you paid for you would have to DL it again. BUT, MS remembers what you paid for and doesn't charge you again. Cool huh?
JodyAnthony @ Jun 9th 2006 2:07PM
at Frowelishnu:
I was wondering if they did that. that's awesome. thats something i hate about the itunes music store. I should be able to download the stuff I paid for as many times as I want. What if I have a hard drive crash, and i had spent like $100 or more on songs over the months? I would have to buy them all again? screw that. Thats why I use emusic, it remembers what you downloaded, too.
Ian @ Jun 9th 2006 2:39PM
Shouldn't something like that be included in the owners manual? I mean, that's something a computer owner has to know about, why doesn't Microsoft tell everyone the code inthe first place. Is it because it is a "video game console" and not a "computer" like Sony's PS(place iteneration here)? It figures Microsoft would make a new age entertainment devise, and not even tell it's user base how to clear the cache on the freakin hard drive. Would anyone like another 2 Cents? I have some more, but I'll save it for next time there is an incident that demonstrates Microsoft's desire to be Big brother. Thank you
zelig2 @ Jun 9th 2006 3:18PM
iTunes actually has a recover feature. It's not something that can be used multiple times but only for when you loose your hard drive. It's not permanent but they said you can use it for a while.
AirsoftSnake @ Jun 9th 2006 3:22PM
The dupe item glitch still works, even with the update in place... Just use your fists or a sword as the start weapon...
Hamson @ Jun 9th 2006 3:38PM
Number 24, how do I do that exactly? My harddrive recently crashed, and with my new one, I have very little music on here. I've been looking all around and everything has basically been saying, "tough luck, should've backed up the drive".
Any links to what you are talking about would be appreciated.
psychicsailboat @ Jun 9th 2006 3:56PM
Ok,
All the comments say cache clear this, cache clear that.
Since this code was "found", (ie: not revealed by MSFT) how do we know that it is clearing the cache? The message that the 360 gives to you after entering the code is: "Do you want to perform maintenance on your Xbox 360 storage devices?" That could be many different things. This is probably something that you would discover upon calling MSFT with a specific problem with your 360.
Jeff @ Jun 9th 2006 4:04PM
Do you have all of your music on an Ipod? cause if so you can use a program called Ipod Agent to pull all your music off you ipod and put it back onto your computer. Ive used it a few times. You can even copy friends ipods with it.
damn it @ Jun 9th 2006 6:51PM
okay, i just punched in the code, when do i get my 30 lives?
bazza @ Jun 9th 2006 6:58PM
Its hidden cos' m'soft ddont want folks to brick their machines. Its simple.
You do this at your own risk, since you cant wait long enough for an official fix to whatever probs you have with your system.
Zero_ @ Jun 9th 2006 9:21PM
Should've been Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left Trigger, Right trigger.
blank @ Jun 10th 2006 2:21AM
Since most of the people who care about this are obliv players, I will post this here. The dupe trick still works, post oblivion patch. They patched one method of the dupe trick, but you dont have to switch arrows to make it work.
Also, if you got any of the addons (i.e. frostcrag spire, the orrery, etc) doing this code will invalidate said addons. The only way to revalidate is by connecting to live with the game, but that will force the patch. So, unless you are willing to redo all the addon missions, I wouldn't recommending using this to make a "glitch" work, as you will just be shooting yourself in the foot.
This is a more effective flush than the "holding any button" while loading trick.
Also, cache isnt necessarily volatile. Ram is volatile, depending on the location of the cache, determines its volatility. On the xbox 360, the cache is on the hard drive, that's why you only show 11gb on the 20gb hard drive. There is a partition allocated to system cache as well as updates. That partition is what is being flushed, not formatted or defragged. Its the same way for many things on computers, IE cache, as well as various other programs are on the hard drive, many other programs cache is partly allocated to the ram to hasten load times, since the access rate is much faster.
bazza @ Jun 10th 2006 11:47AM
how is the weather up there on that soapbox Ian??
Mark @ Jun 13th 2006 2:44PM
It works thank fcuk for that, now i have endless energy and money again
Wayne @ Jun 15th 2006 11:47PM
I talked to a friend of mine's dad who is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and he told me that it may be an encoding problem that is causing my xbox to freeze up. I dont know alot about computers but he was telling me something along the lines of that when the game autosaves while your play a game it saves the cache so it wont have to reload the information. Once no more can be saved the 360 will overwrite the information and when it goes back to recall it its no longer there so the computer gets "confused" and doesnt know what to do so it freezes. Something called "Page in Page out". There is no way to fix this problem unless all the games are recoded. He was not 100% sure that this is why the games are freezing because hes not sure what software they used to code it but i was curious if any who knew anything abotu programming to hit me back and let me knnow if this sounds correct. The reason why i worry about htis is because after the 90 day warrenty microsoft will not honor the warrenty unless u buy an extened warenty.
ZuesSpartan @ Jun 16th 2006 1:46PM
Thank you air soft snake all i wanted was my dupe cheat for Oblivion and u showed me it can still work major kudos 2 u!!!
mandableman @ Jul 1st 2006 2:46PM
wow, thanks fellas (presuming none of you are girls) bought a 360 last week, got oblivion and from day one, not after thousands of saves, the loading times were appaling, i couldnt believe it, i was playing whole matches of pro evo on my psp waiting for the city to load! I was able to make and eat a pot noodle whilst waiting for a barrel to reveal its contents!
came on-line gogled '360 loading problem' found this page, held A while oblivion loaded and now it works fine.
Dontcha just love the internet?
thanks again