360's DVD drive is croaking, what to do?

cloudeagle

So my 360's DVD drive is increasingly refusing to read disks. We're talking pristine, unmarked disks here. I'm not getting any sort of error message, the 360 just takes in the disk, grinds a bit, then puts the status as "open tray."

What are my options here? Are there people out there that can fix 360s with this kind of problem, or will I have to send it to Microsoft and pay out the nose?

illig

you can fix it yourself - replacing the drive involves getting the ROM off the old drive and flashing it to the new one... a process that gets more complicated the newer your xbox is

OR you can have someone fix it - either online or MS... just google for xbox repair in your area (or check craigslist)... lots of people advertise xbox repairs around me.

Chickeen

If you're so inclined, replacing the DVD drive isn't terribly difficult. I have successfully replaced one, as has my neighbor. I used http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/repair/xbox-360-repair.htm as a resource. They sell a tool that makes opening your 360 easier, but you can probably open it without it. I bought the tool and was glad I did.

The steps I used are:
Open 360 and determine what model of drive is in it. (May be possible just by looking at drive tray)
Acquire new drive from ebay.
Open bad drive and remove circuit board.
Open new drive and replace circuit board.
Reassemble 360.