Home >> Internet Games >> Xbox 360

How to Repair Bricked Hitachi Xbox 360 Drive

Microsoft Xbox 360 consoles are manufactured with several brands of DVD drives inside. These brands include Samsung, Phillips and Hitachi. Your Hitachi Xbox 360 DVD drive may fail, or become "bricked," if the internal temperatures of the Xbox 360 become too high (the DVD drive sits directly on top of the GPU heat sink). You can repair and reverse this by replacing the thermal paste on the GPU and CPU chips inside the console. Replacing the thermal paste will alleviate heat stress inside the Xbox 360 and take about 15 minutes to complete.

Things You'll Need

Xbox 360
Torx screwdriver (size 7)
Thermal paste

Instructions

- 1
  Disconnect all cables and accessories from the Xbox 360. Remove the front faceplate from the machine, then unclasp the plastic tabs on the outer case. Remove the outer plastic case and unscrew the Torx screws on the metal cover. Slide open the metal cover on the console then unplug the DVD drive's SATA and power cables. Lift the Hitachi DVD drive out of the case.
- 2
  Locate the CPU and GPU heat sinks (large metal radiators resting above each chip) and unscrew each one. Lift the heat sinks out of the console and squeeze a small pea-sized dab of thermal paste on to each chip's surface. Spread the paste evenly across the top of each chip, then replace the heat sinks.
- 3
  Reconnect the DVD drive's SATA and power cables, then place it back inside the console. Slide the metal cover back on to the console, then rescrew the Torx screws. Replace the plastic outer case on the console and return the plastic faceplate to its original position. Reconnect all accessories and power cables to the console before turning it on again. The Xbox 360 and its Hitachi DVD drive will function normally now that the internal heat stress that Xbox 360 consoles are prone to has been corrected. The new thermal paste will prevent the console from overheating, and the Hitachi DVD drive will no longer be "bricked."

Xbox 360