Project Stellar - Attach.xbe

About

Project Stellar - Attach.xbe, commonly referred to as attach.xbe, is a dedicated application designed for the original Xbox. Its primary function is to mount virtual disc images, supporting both ISO and CSO formats.

Compatibilty

This project is designed to be compatible with both Project Stellar and legacy BIOSes.

Usage

attach.xbe is used to mount virtual disc images (ISOs) with legacy dashboards and software that do not natively support image mounting.

Launch Methods

Starting with release 1.1.0, attach.xbe offers multiple methods for mounting virtual disc images.

The Same Folder method is still recommended, but additional options have been added to support external image paths (NetISO) for dashboards and configurations that do not natively support attaching virtual disc images.

Config Select Order: Configuration File > Internal > Same Folder

Same Folder (Single Title)

By placing attach.xbe in the same folder as the ISOs, it will mount all the images in that directory and reboot the system when executed.

Under Project Stellar, this will automatically launch the title.

Configuration File (Shortcut or External)

An attach.ini file can be placed in the same folder as attach.xbe. This is useful for mounting external images or images located in a different directory.

Example 1 (NetISO)

VIRTUAL_IMAGE_FILE_PATH=\Device\Network\net0\Games\Xbox\4x4 Evo 2 (USA).iso

Example 2 (NetISO Split)

VIRTUAL_IMAGE_FILE_PATH=\Device\Network\net0\Games\Xbox\Halo (USA).1.iso
VIRTUAL_IMAGE_FILE_PATH=\Device\Network\net0\Games\Xbox\Halo (USA).2.iso

Example 3 (HDD)

VIRTUAL_IMAGE_FILE_PATH=\Device\Harddisk0\Partition6\Games\Metal Gear Solid 2.iso

Internal Configuration (Scripting) (Advance)

Dashboards often have scripts that generate attach.xbe based on files they locate. To support external paths, it’s possible to modify the XBE to store the file paths directly.

The paths can be set by searching and replacing VIRTUAL_IMAGE_FILE_PATH_1, VIRTUAL_IMAGE_FILE_PATH_2, etc., or by looking up the VPATHS section in the PE header.

Acknoweldgement

The pioneering idea of mounting virtual disc images on the Xbox was first presented by rmenhal through the release of driveimageutils. Although Project Stellar is an entirely new implementation crafted from scratch, the interface for mounting disc images has been retained. This decision not only ensures legacy compatibility but also symbolizes our commitment to contributing back to the open-source community.