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How to Add a Hard Drive to an Xbox HDD

Microsoft&'s second contender in the console wars, the Xbox 360, comes in a variety of models. The current models, as of July 2010, resemble each other physically, and the hard drives both incorporate the same design. With the introduction of the newest Xbox 360 model, dubbed the Xbox 360 Slim, the hard drive design and the process of loading and unloading it has changed entirely. While not immediately apparent, the methods to add or remove the 360s&' hard drives are simple. To identify the 360 from the 360 Slim, note that the 360 Slim has a glossy black finish and does not have memory card slots on its front panel.

Though not necessary, adding a hard drive will improve gaming quality by providing a larger storage capacity in which to store game saves, music, movies and other data than a memory card or flash drive would allow.

Things You'll Need

Appropriate Xbox 360 model
Appropriate hard drive

Instructions

Adding a Hard Drive to the 360
- 1
  Stand the console vertically, and remove the hard drive bay cover (the mesh covering on the top panel) by simultaneously pressing down on the gray button with your finger and lifting the front of the cover upward, both located at the front of the top panel.
- 2
  With the flat end of the hard drive facing the front of the console, align the connector on its underside with the connection slot in the hard drive bay. Align the rear of the hard drive with the lip at the back of the hard drive bay.
- 3
  Press down on the front of the hard drive until it clicks into place. As it serves no further use, discard the bay cover.
Adding a Hard Drive to the 360 Slim
- 4
  Lay the console horizontally, and remove the hard drive bay cover from the bottom panel by simultaneously pulling back on the black fins with your finger and pulling the cover outward. (Both components are located at the back of the bottom panel.)
- 5
  With the "Xbox 360" logo facing up, insert the hard drive into the slot, connector first. Push firmly until you hear a click.
- 6
  Replace the hard drive bay cover by aligning the teeth with the slots and pressing until it clicks into place.

Video Game Accessories