(Fat) Xbox 360 Hard Drive Replacement

Written By: Nick

Comments: 4

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

Time Required

25 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

This guide is inspired by the existing guide on iFxit. This is an attempt to improve the procedure.

ATTENTION: Technically the Xbox Live ToS prohibit this, but the Xbox Live enforcement team (generally) doesn't care about the hard drive modification, unless you are using mods and cheats. IN THE EVENT OF A BAN, YOU WERE WARNED!!!

WARNING: THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY if you have one on the drive you purchased!

If you have a low capacity hard drive and want to upgrade it or need the hard drive for a S/E console, this guide will show you how to take the fat 360 hard drive apart for the hard drive. Taking the drive apart isn't difficult, but it requires access to Torx T6 and T10 screwdrivers.

Once the enclosure is open, any compatible drive can be installed. There may be compatibility limitations to deal with, so buy the correct drive or it may not work.

Guide notes

Try not to destroy the enclosure if you do not need it. These can be sold to recoup some of your costs.
Any known compatible drive can be installed. Some drives do not work, so bear this in mind when purchasing a drive.

Tools

Essential Electronics Toolkit

Parts

Xbox 360 HDD Enclosure

Step 1

Buy the drive at a cost you can afford to eat. This will void any warranties offered.
Remove the 3 screws from the bottom of the drive. Use a T6 Torx driver.
Remove the warranty seal and final screw. Use a T6 Torx driver.

Step 2

If the drive is difficult to open and you are opening it to put the drive into a later Xbox 360 with no intention to preserve the enclosure, a screwdriver or pry tool can help.
If you are opening it to replace the drive inside for an original console, it is best to use a plastic pry tool instead. While a screwdriver "works" it will likely mar the enclosure.

I would always recommend using a plastic pry tool to avoid damaging the plastic of the enclosure.

ryansrepairshop -

I bought this one for the explicit purpose of putting a hard drive in a 4GB E without paying an arm and a leg. I didn't try and care at the time, to give some context why I did this; legacy guide, so I don't always patch these things out.

That said, I did accommodate the possibility of someone wanting more then a bare drive by adding a 2nd line and clarifying when the screwdriver method should be used if need be.

Nick - 01/02/24

Step 3

If you are taking the enclosure apart for the bare drive, less caution is needed.
After removing the 4 bottom screws, remove the top cover. Remove the spring and locking tab before removing the drive cage.
Remove the drive cage from the drive enclosure. If the drive has never been opened, additonal force may be required.

Step 4

Remove the four T10 Torx screws securing the hard drive.
After removing the screws, slide the top cover off and disconnect the drive.
Disconnect the hard drive and remove it from the enclosure.

Can you clone the HDD to an SSD so long as there the same size?

Joshua Graham - 03/06/21

You need to preserve the security sector bit by bit. Get the direction wrong? Bye-bye Xbox support (will work over USB, but that defeats the purpose of this).

Late reply due to the fact this guide gets few views.

Nick - 27/08/21