My xbox will no longer read DVDs or games.

Every troubleshooting method has been attempted to isolate the problem as anything but a hardware problem.
It is a hardware problem; it is a broken DVD drive that needs repair or replacement.

My question:
Is there, either DIY or not, a cheaper, quicker way than paying Microsoft $99 and shipping the thing off? The system is out of warranty, and has already been coffin-ed out and returned for RRoD issues.

1/26/2009 3:12:52 PM

try finding a working drive on ebay, should save you a bit of cash. You can also buy a retail model of supported drives, but you will have to do some connector soldering to get those to work.

Either way, once you have a new drive, it's an easy process to pop it apart and replace it.

1/26/2009 4:09:09 PM

More often than not Noen knows his shit and is pretty spot on with most of his advice. This is not one of those times.

In no way shape or form is it anything resembling easy to replace an Xbox 360 drive. Especially if you're replacing it with one of the cheaper newer Lite-on drives.

To make the drive work with the motherboard you'll first have to read the key off your current drive and then reflash that key to the new drive.

It might be easy if you've done it 100 times and know EXACTLY what you're doing. It might be easy if you're just one of those types of people that enjoys getting your hands dirty with this sort of thing (Someone like Noen) But for the average everyday person, no, it's not anything close to easy. It is a series of about 4-5 semi-difficult steps, each of which you could easily screw up if you're not careful and ruin any chance you might have of saving a few bucks.

Bottom line, If you have to ask...go ahead and pay the $99 and let the professionals do their thing.

1/26/2009 6:46:55 PM

^ Sorry El Nacho, but you are wrong on this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_xSsNmjqKI

There's the 8 minute video on replacing a broken DVD drive. All you need is a working drive of the same model, and to switch out the logic boards. You do not have to flash keys, or do anything in software UNLESS you are switching to a different brand, or implanting a non-360 model (which is, admittedly not at all for beginners).

You should, with a little luck, be able to find a replacement drive for 30-50 bucks from ebay or a number of reputable online replacement part sources.

1/26/2009 8:31:08 PM

Quote :

"You do not have to flash keys, or do anything in software UNLESS you are switching to a different brand"

I'll admit I didn't know this (namely because it wasn't an option for me when I was trying to fix my 360). If that's the case and it's not too hard to find a replacement of the exact same brand then it might be worth it to give it a shot to save a few bucks.

1/26/2009 9:36:10 PM

Thanks, guys.

1/30/2009 10:37:25 AM