Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
XCAT QuickStick available at: etsy.com/shop/CustomXboxDirect?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
Xbox Content Archive Tool (XCAT) is a utility that runs directly on an Xbox console to assist in finding unarchived DLC and other lost content. When run the application will scan the Xbox hard drive for any content that has yet to be archived and upload it directly to the servers of the XCAT Team for later analysis, sorting, and archival.
XCAT calculates a unique checksum for each file found. A list of checksums is then sent to the XCAT servers for analysis. If any individual file is determined to be new and not-yet-archived, it is then put into a queue and uploaded right from the user's console. If a file is already present on XCAT's servers, that file will not be uploaded again. This method also avoids duplicates caused by differing naming schemes, as each individual file is hashed.
The Goal
Collecting lost content is just one step in the preservation process. The next step is to share any relevant lost content with the community as a whole. This will happen in a variety of ways. Recovered content that is useful or relevant for playing games on Insignia (the modern replacement for Xbox Live) will be shared with the Insignia team and may be made available as updates that from within said game.
Other content, such as lost homebrew apps, games, skins, etc.. will be made available in the relevant channels (to be determined).
The Hotlist
A list of specific content that has yet to be archived is available on ConsoleMods.org here:
consolemods.org/wiki/Xbox:Unarchived_DLC
Privacy
The XCAT team acknowledges that modded Xbox consoles can be used for a range of purposes beyond just gaming. As such, XCAT intentionally avoids directories that may contain potentially sensitive data, such as media playback history and thumbnail caches generated by XBMC. XCAT also is designed to skip scanning DEVKIT directories so developers who are working on projects do not inadvertently upload their unreleased software.
That said, users should be aware that this tool scans a large portion of their Xbox's hard drive. If you have a Linux distro on your console, XCAT won't intentionally seek this out, but they do advise that you take steps to protect any personal information that you do not wish to have shared, should it exist on your specific console. If such personal content does exist, you can avoid it being uploaded by simply moving it out of one of the scanned directories (listed above in this post).
XCAT QuickStick available at: etsy.com/shop/CustomXboxDirect?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
Xbox Content Archive Tool (XCAT) is a utility that runs directly on an Xbox console to assist in finding unarchived DLC and other lost content. When run the application will scan the Xbox hard drive for any content that has yet to be archived and upload it directly to the servers of the XCAT Team for later analysis, sorting, and archival.
XCAT calculates a unique checksum for each file found. A list of checksums is then sent to the XCAT servers for analysis. If any individual file is determined to be new and not-yet-archived, it is then put into a queue and uploaded right from the user's console. If a file is already present on XCAT's servers, that file will not be uploaded again. This method also avoids duplicates caused by differing naming schemes, as each individual file is hashed.
The Goal
Collecting lost content is just one step in the preservation process. The next step is to share any relevant lost content with the community as a whole. This will happen in a variety of ways. Recovered content that is useful or relevant for playing games on Insignia (the modern replacement for Xbox Live) will be shared with the Insignia team and may be made available as updates that from within said game.
Other content, such as lost homebrew apps, games, skins, etc.. will be made available in the relevant channels (to be determined).
The Hotlist
A list of specific content that has yet to be archived is available on ConsoleMods.org here:
consolemods.org/wiki/Xbox:Unarchived_DLC
Privacy
The XCAT team acknowledges that modded Xbox consoles can be used for a range of purposes beyond just gaming. As such, XCAT intentionally avoids directories that may contain potentially sensitive data, such as media playback history and thumbnail caches generated by XBMC. XCAT also is designed to skip scanning DEVKIT directories so developers who are working on projects do not inadvertently upload their unreleased software.
That said, users should be aware that this tool scans a large portion of their Xbox's hard drive. If you have a Linux distro on your console, XCAT won't intentionally seek this out, but they do advise that you take steps to protect any personal information that you do not wish to have shared, should it exist on your specific console. If such personal content does exist, you can avoid it being uploaded by simply moving it out of one of the scanned directories (listed above in this post).
