Some Updated Material Added or Edited on 10/26/08

Someone DELETED this, and it was moved to an area where only Amins can see it, so that's probably why the link was no longer working. Sorry about that, so it has been partially restored.  It is along read, but is important for you to do so, to understand how bans are done, and causes.

Someone Deleted this AGAIN, so it's moved BACK, Again.

Some of this data is REPETITIVE, but apparently we need it EVERYWHERE!

When something NEW happens, you are basically going to ask a question, that only a Microsoft Employee, working on the Xbox360 console updates, can answer.  So, why do you still ask?   Who knows, maybe you're guessing, HOPING, a rogue M$ employee visits this site?  Well, for whatever reason, you have to understand why the question is pointless to ask.  The fact is NO ONE KNOWS until it happens, so sorry, that's the way it is.

MODDED CONSOLE LIVE! RULES:
#1 Rule: USE LIVE AT YOUR OWN RISK, YOU ARE NEVER 100% SAFE!
#2 Rule: They Do Not Ban PROFILES, Just Consoles!
#3 Rule: See #1, and repeat it several times.

WHY?
Sources inside M$ say that, even if you play off-line, as soon as you sign on with the SAME console, you can or will be banned (can take up to ten days).  Information is being logged somewhere in the console, and reported at sign in.  This was basically, a TROJAN HORSE ban, so to speak, because no system update is due till December.   This on the heals of a Halo III map pack release in December.  AS I said prior (for which people said I didn't know what I was talking about), the bans are coming again, and is another preemptive strike.  No one really listened, but I know what I am saying. 

WHEN?
Bans are from immediate to within 14 days.   This is, of detecting any anomalies sent to live by the console once it is connected to the internet.

HOW LONG?
All bans are PERMANENT!

Microsoft wrote:

"We have stated in the past that customers can only enjoy access to the Xbox LIVE community through the use of a genuine, unmodified, Xbox console and we will continue to enforce this rule to ensure the integrity of our service, the protection of our partners and the benefits of our users," reads Microsoft's announcement.

Please Refrain From Asking THESE questions:
Will I get banned?
If I play originals on-line with a modded console, will I get banned?
If I play backups, will I get banned?
Stealth this, stealth that, boo hoo, bla bla bla!!!

Why? Because no one here works for Microsoft, so how can anyone know?

In fact, don't ask ANY questions that contain the phrase "will I get banned?"  All you need to do is READ the information presented here, and at the XB-Scene thread. Those type of questions just show how how lazy you are, because you can't READ what's in front of you, and, because NO ONE knows the answer for sure; what the "trigger" is for the latest bans, or any ban.  If you ask one of those "seemingly" stupid questions, after 9AM EST today (this original post date), the posts will just get deleted, or your detail changed to a link to THIS post.  There is no just cause to ask it after READING the information presented here.  Don't ask if your ban has anything to so with SPLITVID either, it doesn't

AGAIN, to the newbies who keep asking, and you should just know from common sense that: YOU PLAY ON LINE AT YOUR OWN RISK, PERIOD!  So, live with it, without it, be a hermit, don't care which.  No one should cry or complain they got banned, as you broke the law (EULA Agreement), and you kind of deserve what you get.  Posts that look like you're crying or complaining will be removed.   All I want here in this thread, is when you were/are banned, what firmware you have/had, the last game played, and if you have updated your firmware, and which versions to the one that you were banned with.

PLAYING LEAKED GAMES BEFORE RETAIL RELEASE DATES
This is one major cause of a console ban.  If you attempt to play on-line with the game, before it is on the retail shelfs in your area, you will most likely be banned.  If you attempt to play on-line with the leaked game, and you are immediately disconnected from live - expect a full console ban within 10 days.  Remember, you pirated the game, so don't cry about being banned because you performed an illegal act. You are not god, and you are not the one who makes the rules and never will be.  You agreed to the EULA when using live, so deal with your mistake.

GAME UPDATES -VS- SYSTEM UPDATES & LIVE!
Taking an update for a game should not result in a ban, however, M$ has used this strategy before.  Most of these updates for the GAME are glitch fixes, and other bugs/problems they have fixed with that game.

SYSTEM UPDATES Are always a risk for a ban.  They usually update the Kernel and/or Dashboard with a System Update, and then may blow an eFuse in the CPU if the Kernel is updated, to prevent the older one(s) from running.  The real reason they update the KERNEL is because someone found an Exploit, be it a M$ staffer, or a user end hacker.

LIVE!  When you connect to live, any anomalies the console may have found will be reported to the M$ servers, and analyzed.  It can take up to ten days for the ban to be in effect.  Anomalies that are reported will be due to running backups that are NON STEALTH, or using older firmwares that do not have the Jitter correction, and other test response challenges to the drive fixed.   With any new Dash or Kernel update, they can have another method of testing, or detecting, and you won't know till it is too late.

So, for the, umm, who knows HOW many times this has been said: USE LIVE AT YOUR OWN RISK, YOU ARE NEVER 100% SAFE!

NOW TO THE DETAILS
Not a lot of information yet, but it looks like Microsoft started a new wave of bans against modified DVD firmwares, and or DVD+/-R DL discs.  Make sure you BITSET +R Media to DVD-ROM as booktype.  DVD-R media can't be set.  Also, if you use DVD InfoPro, and you did bitset, you get the DVD-ROM as the changed value, but you can still see the disc is a DVD+R media, and that never changes.

Several users (now a lot more) in the Xbox Scene forums and on IRC report their Xbox 360 has been banned from LIVE today. We get reports of both Toshiba-Samsung and Hitachi-LG drives banned with all types of different firmwares (both Xtreme and iXtreme). No reports of banned BenQ drives yet (but few of these drives have been flashed yet). We don't know yet if Microsoft is detecting the modified firmware or the discs (maybe only with a specific game?). If you have the 'Z Code' 8015-190D it means you are banned.

If your console is banned or if you have been playing on LIVE during this wave of bans, with modified FW without getting banned, report you findings in this thread.  So until we have more info we HIGHLY suggest you don't log in to Xbox LIVE and don't play any games from DVD+/-R DL (even offline, incase MS flags something) if you have a flashed DVD drive.

BAN LIST:
ixtreme based samsung ms28
smackdown vs raw 08 backup, went to play call of duty 4 original, banned, unning the newest firmware.
xtreme on a Samsung ms28
Banned at 4:00PM EST.. Firmware version: Xtreme 5.0 MS25 Drive
21st november 07 at 00.20AM uk time. hitachi 78fk drive, 1.2c iextreme FW, only used stealth games
Samsung MS25 with iXtreme1.2

hitachi47/xtreme2.4, hitachi59/xtreme2.3, hitachi59/ixtreme1.2r2, hitachi47/ixtreme1.2r2, ms25/ixtreme1.2rc - 5 people playing cod4, all got banned at the same moment.

04:26 AM - Samsung MS28 with Xtreme 5.3 here, got ban a few minutes ago.
cod 4 friend, he got banned, not me. Both have iXtreme but i have a BenQ dvd and he has a samsung.
Samsung (iXtreme 1.2) got banned instantly
Banned at 7:15 Pm pacific time using iXtreme 1.2C on Sammy ms28 playing Call of Duty 4 on DVD+R DL
Samsung MS28 only flashed with iXtreme firmwares - banned

booted console after being at work all day, would not connect. Last game played was Halo 3 last night, using a Hitachi-LG GDR-3120-L with the iXtreme1.2_rev2_Hitachi_Sense_Fixfw firmware. got the banned code.

xtreme 1.6 for hitachi 78 - banned - never played a backup online then call of duty 4 comes out and I play the backup online.

06:02 AM - banned 20 min ago, Sam. MS25 with iXtreme 1.2c FW, never played a burned game, been using is the retail game disc of halo 3 for about a month.

banned on sammy ms25 spoofed as ms28, iExtreme
BenQ running at stock speed settings with ixtreme.
ms25/xtreme 5.3.
08:19 AM - banned 2 hours ago, playing mass effect on an ms28 5.3 xtreme firmware, never changed it
Hitachi 78 with Iextreme 1.2- banned.
11:36PM GMT BROWSING MARKET PLACE, LATEST FIRMWARE.SAMSUNG v25.

4 xbox 360 in the house, all got banned at the same time 1 ms25 ixtreme 1.2 1 ms28 1.2 and 2 hitachi 47dj with latest firmware.

Benq - Ixtreme 1.1
MS28 running 1.2revC - Verbatim media (all stealth)
samsung Ms25 - ixtreme 1.3 5x - silver account only
***END***

I will stop here, you all should get the picture.  I went up to post 19 on the Xbox Scene thread referred here, and listed the bans as summary, and they just began to get repetitive.