Xbox 360 offers some fabulous game play but comes with its own share of tech-wrecks, necessitating Xbox 360 dvd drive replacement at times to fix the problem. Find out how to go on with such replacements and other details below.
Since the time it was released in the November of 2005, the Xbox 360 has faced some severe criticism for technical failures which include scratched discs, game reading error, video failure, open tray error and E74 error among others. Although a wonderful gaming console which provides fabulous and hi-tech gaming experience, the Xbox 360, like many other electronic applications, is not devoid of glitches. In such cases, the only solution is often to replace the DVD drive of your Xbox 360 console.
Replacing Your Xbox 360 DVD Drive
If you are considering to replace the DVD drive of your Xbox 360 with a brand new piece, Hitachi, Samsung and BenQ are good options and have some good Xbox 360 compatible DVD drives that you can make use of to replace the old one. If your console is still within warranty, then it would be wise to contact the Xbox service center and get them to repair or replace the damaged part. Another good news is that the original Xbox 360 repair guide is available online which gives very easy, step by step instructions for replacing a DVD drive on an Xbox 360 and there are high quality videos that would guide you for easier understanding.
One thing that you must remember while considering repair/replacement of the DVD drive is that never, under any circumstance, get it fixed by fly-by-night technicians; this way, your console’s warranty would be forfeited and chances are high that your application will be ruined and your Xbox 360 repair cost escalated!
However, if you are the do-it-yourself type and have undertaken to fix the Red Rings of Death (RRoD) yourself, then follow the below instructions to successfully perform the transplant yourself!
Xbox 360 DVD Drive Replacement Instructions
- Open up your Xbox 360 case and check all the technical specifications like manufacture date, type of drive, team, etc.
- Remove the old drive and disassemble both the old and new drives till you find the two circuit boards. You can get information on disassembling the drives on many websites like llama.
- A firmware chip is attached to the ribbon cable on the circuit board of each drive. Remove these chips and swap them by taking the circuit board from the old drive and hooking it up to the new drive.
- Reassemble both the drives and insert the new drive into your Xbox 360.
- This should work and fix your DVD drive problem. In case it doesn’t work, then you may have to flash the firmware, which is quite a complicated process and should be done only if you have technical knowledge of how to do it.
- Before dismantling the drives, first, create backup for your old drive on your computer. You can do this by connecting the DVD drive to your computer via IDE connections. Once you have created the backup, you need to patch the software to your new DVD drive. The backup software can be downloaded from any torrent site.
- Also, download professional instructions for performing these procedures and read them carefully to avoid screwing up.
It would be better to use these instructions for replacing a DVD drive on your Xbox 360 to do the job yourself if you have some experience with repairing such hardware or if you are a professional electronic hardware expert. Otherwise, it would be better to solicit the assistance of an Xbox 360 repair service center to get the replacement done. If you are performing such replacement for the first time, carefully read and understand all technical instructions – after all, you wouldn’t want to screw up your prized console. Happy troubleshooting!