Repairing Your Xbox 360 - Do it Yourself

Repairing your Xbox 360 is really not that hard if you own some basic tools and have a little patience. First of all let me say if you Xbox 360 is still under warranty do not open the unit up. You will void your warranty.

There is nothing worse than buying the latest game and not being able to play it. If your Xbox has stopped working. You can send it back to Microsoft and wait forever or you can learn how to maintain and repair your own Xbox 360. Internally it is very similar to your home computer.

The first step in repairing your Xbox 360 is getting it open without damaging the case. First you will want to lay out a soft towel or blanket on your work surface.

Next you need to remove the faceplate. There are latches on the ends of the faceplate internally. You cannot see them from the outside. Laying your Xbox flat, squeeze the ends of your face plate and pull forward. It will pop off.

Once the faceplate has been removed, you can remove the side panels. To release the tabs, insert a thin, round screwdriver or punch into the holes on either end of the white case panels and gently push. Be careful not to break them.

You will now be able to see the metal chassis inside. You can now remove the bottom of your Xbox 360. Apply gentle pressure with a flathead screwdriver to release the tabs on the front and back. You'll need to insert the screwdriver between the white panels to detach the back tabs.

You can now remove the top portion. At this point you will need a torx screwdriver. If you do not have one you can buy a cheap set at your local hardware store. Do not try to use a regular flat head or Phillips, you will damage the torx screws.

Remove the 6 torx screws located near the four corners and center of the chassis. Remember where the longer ones came from.

At this point you can lift out the DVD unit and you will find the CPU underneath. You now have access to repair your Xbox 360.

One of the most common problems is with the DVD unit. This is an easy fix and there is no need to pay someone else to repair it.