Custom Xbox 360 Themes?

[HaLo2FrEeEk]

I know how theme files are constructed. Normal themes have a dashstyle information as the first block, then the 4 wallpapers. Premium themes also have that dash style but it's in amidst the several backgroundlayer, midgroundlayer, and foregroundlayer images along with the wallpapers. The wallpapers are usually in png format though sometimes they're in jpg.

What I think I'd like to do is somehow inject my own pictures into the theme file and make a custom theme. Would something like that be possible? How are the 1-block hashes constructed (the ones that are every 0xAA000 bytes after 0xB6000), what information are the hashes based on? Would it be possible to inject my own images? I think it'd be really cool to be able to do it and if I learn enough about it I might make a program to simplify it.

Can someone help me getting started?

[Eaton]

I know how theme files are constructed. Normal themes have a dashstyle information as the first block, then the 4 wallpapers. Premium themes also have that dash style but it's in amidst the several backgroundlayer, midgroundlayer, and foregroundlayer images along with the wallpapers. The wallpapers are usually in png format though sometimes they're in jpg.

What I think I'd like to do is somehow inject my own pictures into the theme file and make a custom theme. Would something like that be possible? How are the 1-block hashes constructed (the ones that are every 0xAA000 bytes after 0xB6000), what information are the hashes based on? Would it be possible to inject my own images? I think it'd be really cool to be able to do it and if I learn enough about it I might make a program to simplify it.

Can someone help me getting started?

Themes are in PIRS containers. You can inject your own images, but they wouldn't work. You need to convert them to a CON file. There is a public program that can build a normal theme, but not a premium theme.

[HaLo2FrEeEk]

Why wouldn't it work? Most of the theme files I have are in LIVE files, not PIRS or CON. From what Iunderstand PIRS files contain arcade games and game demos, CON files are files created by the xbox and LIVE files are videos, themes, picture packs, etc. downloaded from Marketplace.

What would stop it from working? The hashes? If I rebuilt the file list with proper values and rehashed the whole file, it should work right? As long as I got the hashes right, all of them, it should be no different than a normal theme downloaded from XBL marketplace, right?

[Eaton]

Why wouldn't it work? Most of the theme files I have are in LIVE files, not PIRS or CON. From what Iunderstand PIRS files contain arcade games and game demos, CON files are files created by the xbox and LIVE files are videos, themes, picture packs, etc. downloaded from Marketplace.

What would stop it from working? The hashes? If I rebuilt the file list with proper values and rehashed the whole file, it should work right? As long as I got the hashes right, all of them, it should be no different than a normal theme downloaded from XBL marketplace, right?

They can be in either. The ones that ship with the Xbox are in PIRS. None are in CON. It won't work because you would need to sign it with the LIVE/PIRS private key. And that is only at Microsoft. Like I said, it is possible to convert the themes to a CON file. They will work then.

[Tural]

Why wouldn't it work? Most of the theme files I have are in LIVE files, not PIRS or CON. From what Iunderstand PIRS files contain arcade games and game demos, CON files are files created by the xbox and LIVE files are videos, themes, picture packs, etc. downloaded from Marketplace.

What would stop it from working? The hashes? If I rebuilt the file list with proper values and rehashed the whole file, it should work right? As long as I got the hashes right, all of them, it should be no different than a normal theme downloaded from XBL marketplace, right?

You're wanting to do all of these various things you've made a bunch of threads about and you don't even understand that you need a private key to properly resign/rehash the LIVE or PIRS containers? CON only works because the keys are used in any given Xbox to create files and are stored on the console, the LIVE or PIRS containers aren't created on the console, and because of that, the proper keys are not stored on the console. Unless you're running the Microsoft publishing software, you don't have access to that key, and you can't work around it. Did you just assume the keyvaults with resigning programs were for show? People extracted those keys from Xboxes to use with those programs. You cannot do that for LIVE or PIRS. You can't resign them, you cannot make them work.

[HaLo2FrEeEk]

Simple as that, it won't work, there's nothing I can do.

What about if I bought a subscription to XNA Creators Club and downloaded the XNA studio? Would I have the ability to create a working LIVE file then? Just asking, no need to get angry. I have to learn somehow right?

[SHOUTrvb]

He's not getting angry.. he just firmly answered your question to avoid confusion.

[Tural]

What about if I bought a subscription to XNA Creators Club and downloaded the XNA studio? Would I have the ability to create a working LIVE file then?

No. The only people who can publish a working LIVE container are Microsoft. If you don't have their key, which only they have and is never distributed, it is not possible for you. You have three options, hack Microsoft and steal the key, get a job high enough in Microsoft's publishing area to get their key from the software they use, or work with another container format.

[HaLo2FrEeEk]

So for my understanding, you can't make premium themes in a CON format? Only normal themes? Is there an reason why?

[Tural]

Because that's how they designed it. Premium themes are in a different container, they won't be read properly as a CON file.

[HaLo2FrEeEk]

Thanks.

[Eaton]

Because that's how they designed it. Premium themes are in a different container, they won't be read properly as a CON file.

Actually, they can. Both normal and premium themes can be converted to a CON format and the console will be able to read and use them.

[Tural]

Well you're fat!

[HaLo2FrEeEk]

So there is a program that can create normal themes but not premium ones, but both premium and normal themes can be read in a CON file? How would one go about making a premium theme in a CON file? I still don't understand what the hashes are hashing.

Here's what I do know:

If the file is long enough there is a 3 block hash starting at 0x719A000
There is a 2 block hash at 0xB6000
Every 0xAA000 bytes after 0xB6000 there is a 1 block hash

Is that right? It seems to have worked without issue for me. So a theme isn't going to be big enough to have the 3 block hash, but it will have the 0xB6000 one and a few 0xAA000 bytes after it. What are those hashes hashing? I know it's a hash of the data, right, but what parts of the data? Like, for example, is the one at 0xB6000 a hash of everything up to that point, or everything after a certain point and up to that point (perhaps the previous 0xAA000 bytes). And is the 1 block hash every 0xAA000 bytes just a SHA1 of the last or next 0xAA000 bytes? Probably the previous ones, right? I'd love to learn all this.

[mxrider108]

Actually, they can. Both normal and premium themes can be converted to a CON format and the console will be able to read and use them.

According to a conversation I had with unknown v2 a few days ago:
(16:01:32) mxrider: so you can rebuild the new "premium" NXE themes as CON packages and they work?
(16:01:38) unknown v2: no
(16:01:41) unknown v2: they used to
(16:01:47) unknown v2: i think MS updated it
(16:01:51) unknown v2: now if you build it as con
(16:01:55) unknown v2: only the wallpapers will show
(16:02:04) unknown v2: the other stuff doesn't
(16:02:09) unknown v2: so its pointless >_>
(16:02:17) mxrider: oh damn
(16:02:24) mxrider: cause that would have been pretty cool
(16:02:37) unknown v2: it was cool when it worked

There is a public program that can build a normal theme, but not a premium theme.

What tool is this? the only ones I've seen only work for one or two images. I was thinking about making my own app for this.

[Eaton]

I was unaware that it doesn't work anymore. Like unknown said, they did use to work, but that's a bummer they don't now.

That is the tool I am talking about. If you know how to convert a LIVE/PIRS to a CON, feel free to make one.

[HaLo2FrEeEk]

I was going to make an app, too, if I could figure out how to make premium themes work. Sad they don't, I wanted to make one for my website.

Oh, and I STILL need to know what the hashes contain, what data they're actually hashing. I can't get anywhere without that.

[mastaful]

can someone give me a link to the live to con app please thanks

[-DeToX-]

No, that can promote stealing content you'd normally pay for.

[Eaton]

can someone give me a link to the live to con app please thanks

There aren't any publicly available ones.