Bans are an unknown formula and come in huge waves. There are several "triggers" for them though.

1. Bad check sum digits coming from the disc. The DVD-Rom will send digits back to XBL for every title inserted into the machine. If there's some type of unexpected figure there, your machine is flagged.

Bad check sums can be generated by spoofed DVD-Roms (swapped hardware modules), bad game rips, modified game images, or pre-release / leaked games.


2. Earning achievements before the game's release. Your Xbox will cache every piece of gamer gold earned, then open the floodgates the moment you sign online. If you're consistently earning gamer points on titles, before their official release dates, you're banned.

In November, an XBL user was banned for playing a legit copy of GoW2 on unmodified hardware, due to earning achievement points early. It wasn't the guy's fault, he purchased the title from a 7-11 that got sloppy with the rls date.


I have 2 modified machines, both of which do not see Xbox Live at all. Occasionally, I'll need an Xbox Live update to run a disc. I'll connect the machine to the internet, flip the system on, and go to the option "join xbox live". At this point, a system update is triggered.

I grab the needed update, then never join XBL after the system reboots. XBL can't ban what isn't registered.


I have a completely separate machine for XBL. It's nothing short of a $200 Halo 3 TV adapter.



There are ways to play copies on XBL through "stealth backups", but it's generally accepted that it's only a matter of time till you're banned. You'll be lucky to play XBL for 4 months.