Pre-release differences
Flash
Pre-1839
CPU key and 1BL key set to 00...00 (16 bytes of 00's)
Pre-1838
1640 seems to include some strings to do with xshell "\Device\Harddisk0\Partition1\dashboard.xbx", "\Device\Harddisk0\Partition1\xshell.xex", 1746 doesn't have a single mention
Bootloader names are different, instead of SB/SC/SD/SE/SF/SG it's S2/S3/S4/S5/S6/S7
Kernel seems to have version field blanked out in the SE section, and different magic bytes on decompression.
ECC data is different:
- 2 bytes to indicate block number, but second byte has 0xF0 added to it, XOR that byte with 0xF0 to get true number
- Doesn't indicate where the FS blocks are
- Doesn't seem to have bad block management... probably does though
Uses a whole different file system for storing the dashboard files, instead of SFCX it uses FATX
Loads more files inside FATX NANDs:
- drivers.xex
- xnet.xex
- xlivebase.xex
- xgi.xex
- uvbase.xex
- musicplayer.xex (not sure if this is there normally)
- gamercard.xex
- gamercard.xzp
- livecommon.xzp
- spa.bin
- common.xzp
- huduiskin.xzp
- processdump.xex
- rrbkgnd.bmp
- saferec.bmp
- recovery.ttf
File Formats
Pre-1861
XEX1 format for xex files instead of XEX2... xorloser where are you?
Pre-1839
Keyvault is different (e.g. console serial is 0x18 bytes?!)
Also, console security certificate is incomplete-ish:
- Part number set to 12345678901
- No manufacturing date?
- Console type is weird, 0x80000002, normally when it ends in 02 it's retail :S