ByteRot :: Xbox Hard Drive Replacement

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Xbox Hard Drive Replacement

Device	Xbox
Difficulty	Easy
Time	10 - 15 minutes
Steps	9

This guide is by rmarstel on iFixit and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0. ByteRot mirrors it for non-commercial preservation: formatting changed and photos resized for old browsers; full-size photos and the text are on the FTP in /DOCS/REPAIR. Original guide >>

This guide will show you how to replace your Xbox's hard drive.

Tools: Metal Spudger; TR10 Torx Security Screwdriver; T15 Torx Screwdriver; T20 Torx Screwdriver Bit; Megalodon Driver Kit

Step 1

• REMINDER: Make sure your Xbox is safely unplugged and is laying on a flat, stable surface.

Step 2

• NOTE: Turn the Xbox over to reveal the four rubber feet.
• Use a metal spudger to pry off the four rubber feet.

Step 3

• REMINDER: There are 2 more screws hidden under the two labels on the bottom of the case.
• You can either remove the labels or simply feel for the screw holes through the labels and then cut or punch a hole through them.

Step 4

• Remove the six T20 Torx screws securing the top cover to the bottom cover.

Step 5

• Once the bottom and top shells are no longer attached, carefully turn the Xbox right-side-up, lift and remove the top cover.

Step 6

• Remove the three 3 mm T10 screws securing the hard drive to the Xbox.
• REMINDER: There is one screw on the rear left side of the hard drive that is only visible when the IDE ribbon cable is lifted up. The other two are at the front right and left sides of the hard drive.
• NOTE: The screw on the lower left corner of the disk drive is not in the hole that it appears to be in, but rather just closer to the corner.
• NOTE: Only the screw under the ribbon cable is for the hard drive, while the other two are for the disk drive. But it's easiest to remove all three during this step, as they are the same T10 screws.

Step 7

• Free the hard drive power cable from the carrier for sufficient slack to lift the hard drive out.
• Lift the plastic hard drive carrier out of the Xbox case.

Step 8

• Remove the four 3.4 mm T15 Torx screws from the plastic hard drive carrier (two screws per side).
• Carefully remove the hard drive from the plastic carrier. Gentle rocking will see the hard drive come out quite easily.

Step 9

• Pull both the hard drive data ribbon cable and the power cable straight up from the hard drive.
• NOTE: They may be firmly seated, so be careful trying to remove them. DO NOT pull the wires as you may damage the cable assembly.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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