How to Dismantle an Xbox

Remove the faceplate. Lay the console flat on its side and place your thumb inside the little door that hides the USB ports. With your opposite hand, squeeze the top and bottom of the faceplate and pull out gently. The faceplate should come out easily. You may play around with hand positions, but always use gentle force.

Remove the silver Microsoft sticker covering one of the gaps.

Remove the right-side plate. Look through the vent holes on the top of the console on the right side. Here you will see four gray clips that are securing the side plate to the case. Use your thin metal stick and push down on the gray clips to unlatch them. The side plate is attached on both the top and the bottom of the case, so this must be repeated on the bottom to remove it fully.

Remove the hard drive and the left-side plate. First remove your hard drive from the left side of the console by pressing on the oval button and pulling it out. Now you can remove the left-side plate the same way that you removed the right-side plate. Only this time you will have to remove the rubber pads on the bottom to expose two outside gray clips.

Gently pry up the four clips holding the top and bottom together. This can be done with a thin flat-head screwdriver. Once you have unlatched the four clips, you can gently lift the bottom of the case from the top. If you experience any resistance, check to make sure the clips are still unlatched.

Remove the 14 silver screws with the Torx 12 screwdriver. Remove the eight black screws with the Torx 7 screwdriver. Keep these screws in a safe place because they will be needed to put the Xbox 360 back together. Flip the Xbox 360 and remove the top plastic shell.

Remove the DVD drive by lifting it up and unplugging the two plugs.

Remove the fan by unlatching the one clip and maneuvering until it comes loose. Unplug the fan.

Remove the RF with the Torx 6 screwdriver. The RF is the front board that includes the on/off button and the LED lights.

Remove the heat sink from the mother board by flipping the mother board and removing the X clamps. Using needle-nose pliers, pry two corners gently until they pop off. The other two corners should come out easily. Flip the motherboard back over and remove the heat sink. You now have a fully disassembled Xbox 360.