Modding 360 Hard Drive


Recommended Posts

Anyone have a good guide for this?

Want to get a 120GB drive in light of the hard drive installs.

However am I hell paying for an official 120GB drive.

What drive do I need to get, and how do I do it?

Thanks guys (Y)

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/698484-modding-360-hard-drive/
Share on other sites

Can't really talk about this much due to it being SLIGHTLY illegal (ish - either way, last time a guide was posted, it was removed by a mod), but all the information you should need is in this thread: https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=661780

If you're having any trouble, feel free to send a PM my way and I'll let you know all the dirty secrets that we can't post here =P

Incidentally, that definitely looks like the right drive. I got mine from scan.co.uk for about the same price a few months ago.

Ahhh thanks, I remember there was a topic DL took part in, so I thought it would be okay to ask the question :p

I know the .bin file isn't allowed to be shared, but heck, google it and you get it no problem.

Only question I have about it though is, is the bin file universal for regions? Or do I need a pal file or something?

edit: Didn't go with ebay, it's a refurb. Got it here instead - http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?...nufacturer_id=0 It's coming tomorrow, Scan who I do use as well, couldn't deliver in time for tomorrow.

There's no regionalisation with the 360 accessories as far as I'm aware, which is good because my play+charge kits, chatpad, etc. all came from Asia =P

But yeah, there's nothing like that you need to worry about, just needs to be the 120Gb file.

I'd highly recommend getting an adapter so you can backup your old 20Gb drive's data, unless you're happy to just put the game saves or whatever onto a memory card. Keep in mind that you need to use the 20Gb shell to make the 120Gb drive, so once it's been made, you wont be able to easily access the data on it.

There's no regionalisation with the 360 accessories as far as I'm aware, which is good because my play+charge kits, chatpad, etc. all came from Asia =P

But yeah, there's nothing like that you need to worry about, just needs to be the 120Gb file.

I'd highly recommend getting an adapter so you can backup your old 20Gb drive's data, unless you're happy to just put the game saves or whatever onto a memory card. Keep in mind that you need to use the 20Gb shell to make the 120Gb drive, so once it's been made, you wont be able to easily access the data on it.

All I need to backup is my sav games, I assume I can do that with a 1GB USB stick?

The rest of my 20GB hard drive is occupied with game installs :)

Thanks anyway, I'm reading the topic above now!

Modded DVD DRIVE, the Hard drive is absolutely fine, mod it all you like (It's not like Microsoft isn't going to make money from the stuff you'll buy on the marketplace).

AB: You CAN transfer your saves over, but it's a bit fiddly without an adapter. IT sort of goes like this:

"Make" 120GB drive

Swap with 20Gb drive (So it's in the shell)

Tell 360 to format the new 120GB drive

Plug 20Gb drive into PC via SATA and use special program to backup all your data

Take 120GB drive out of drive shell, connect it up and dump back the data

The adapter just saves you having to open up your HDD shell multiple times, well worth the 10$ if you ask me.

hmm, yes i agree the 20gb harddrive seems a little bit small (forza motorsport 2 is eating so much drivespace) is the following drive really working on a xbox360

120GB Western Digital Scorpio - WD1200BEVS

included in audioboxers link

and what needed? put it in a case, connect it over usb with the xbox, maybe a little flash thats all?

Modded DVD DRIVE, the Hard drive is absolutely fine, mod it all you like (It's not like Microsoft isn't going to make money from the stuff you'll buy on the marketplace).

AB: You CAN transfer your saves over, but it's a bit fiddly without an adapter. IT sort of goes like this:

"Make" 120GB drive

Swap with 20Gb drive (So it's in the shell)

Tell 360 to format the new 120GB drive

Plug 20Gb drive into PC via SATA and use special program to backup all your data

Take 120GB drive out of drive shell, connect it up and dump back the data

The adapter just saves you having to open up your HDD shell multiple times, well worth the 10$ if you ask me.

Yeah but I won't get the adapter tomorrow, plus that's more money for my beer fund :p

I'll do it the way you listed.

The program used to transfer the backup, can you link it or is it off limits?

I don't THINK it's off-limits, after all you're only backing up your OWN data, which you're perfectly entitled to do, the program is called Xplorer360 but the original author of that program vanished and someone has made a few hacked versions of it to add new functionality. "Xplorer360 xtreme" is the one you want for the best compatibility. You can find it here.

I should also note I've seen a video of someone using another varient of that program called "Xplorer360-BEVS", which apparently can do all the flashing and stuff from within windows and without the need for a hddss.bin file, but I cannot verify this at all.

Yeah but I won't get the adapter tomorrow, plus that's more money for my beer fund :p

I'll do it the way you listed.

The program used to transfer the backup, can you link it or is it off limits?

maybe you have a friend that you could borrow a memory card from?... or someone who has the transfer cable?

maybe you have a friend that you could borrow a memory card from?... or someone who has the transfer cable?

Nope!

As far as I'm aware memory cards only come with the tard pack and no one I know bought it (everyone has Premiums/Elites) :p

It's okay, I'll just use the method above to back things up.

I'm not ENTIRELY sure how the moderators will take this, it's definitely a very grey area some of this, but there's a site that has everything you need to do this here, if a moderator removes this link then I'll understand (please don't warn me lol), but I figure linking to an external site isn't as big an issue as posting any sort of guides here, myself.

Just got my drive in this morning, about to give this a pop! Wish me luck.

Is there any guides for taking apart the 360 hard drive shell? Maybe it's easy, I'll go try now.

I did it myself watching this Video

I did it myself watching this Video

Yeah thanks, just realised I need those wee star shaped "screwdrivers" :laugh:

I have the bigger one, but I need to go hunt down a smaller one for the first set of screws :(

Yeah thanks, just realised I need those wee star shaped "screwdrivers" :laugh:

I have the bigger one, but I need to go hunt down a smaller one for the first set of screws :(

You CAN use a standard straight (-) screwdriver to remove them, but you need to be careful as if you're too forceful, you'll damage the heads of the screws and be unable to remove them at all.

Depending on how easy this is to do, I may just try it.

To be clear, this doesn't void my 360 warranty right?

No, just the warranty of your hard drive (There's a Microsoft sticker covering one of the screwholes, so they WILL know).

You CAN use a standard straight (-) screwdriver to remove them, but you need to be careful as if you're too forceful, you'll damage the heads of the screws and be unable to remove them at all.

Might need to try that.

I don't have anything as small as a T6.

Smallest I have looks like it will fit, but it's just a tiny bit too big I think.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Microsoft now allows you to tweak Visual Studio to new extremes by Usama Jawad Visual Studio 2026 recently netted a powerful feature that finally allows developers to review Git Pull Requests (PRs) directly in the integrated development environment (IDE), without needing to switch to the browser. However, that's not all that Microsoft introduced in the latest version, as it also offered a useful way to customize the IDE to their heart's content. Although Visual Studio 2026 already provides lots of stock themes based on Fluent Design principles, Microsoft understands that people still want to customize them further according to their preferences. The IDE now offers a new configuration page for themes under Tools > Options > Environment > Visual Experience > Theme colors. This allows you to set hex color codes for accent colors, hover states, and more, and apply them without requiring a restart. The Redmond tech giant further says that: Microsoft is also offering granular color tokens that allow you to customize various UX elements like the tab header without impacting the rest of the shell chrome. Your themes are also stored in JSON format in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\18.0_xxxxxxxx\ColorThemes, which basically enables you to share it with others or override existing themes. This is a major improvement in terms of the user experience powering these customization capabilities. This is because extensions were required to replace the theme, and it was not very easy to make minor adjustments. This theme configuration UX solves this problem and is available in Visual Studio 2026 version 18.7, available here.
    • AnyDesk 9.7.6 by Razvan Serea AnyDesk is a fast remote desktop system and enables users to access their data, images, videos and applications from anywhere and at any time, and also to share it with others. AnyDesk is the first remote desktop software that doesn't require you to think about what you can do. CAD, video editing or simply working comfortably with an office suite for hours are just a few examples. AnyDesk is designed for modern multi-core CPUs. Most of AnyDesk's image processing is done con­currently. This way, AnyDesk can utilize up to 90% of modern CPUs. AnyDesk works across multiple platforms and operating systems: Windows, Linux, Free BSD, Mac OS, iOS and Android. Just 7 megabytes - downloaded in a glimpse, sent via email, or fired up from your USB drive, AnyDesk will turn any desktop into your desktop in se­conds. No administrative privileges or installation needed. AnyDesk 9.7.6 changelog: Fixed Bugs Added validation feedback for passwords shorter than five characters Fixed an issue in AnyDesk One Meeting where the account name was used instead of the entered username after logging out Fixed crashes related to message editing and context menu interactions Fixed issues affecting message scrolling, text formatting, typing indicators, quoted messages, and community privacy settings Prevented users from editing automated system messages Corrected download status reporting, temporary file naming, and menu overlap issues affecting the Download History and Reactions pop-ups Other Changes Added chat list grouping settings Added keyboard navigation support (Page Up, Page Down, Home, and End) for the message feed Removed Chat language options Updated translations Download: AnyDesk 9.7.6 | 8.0 MB (Free for private use, paid upgrade available) Links: AnyDesk Home Page | Other platforms | Release History | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • It's interesting to hear that AI growth is not investor driven.
    • A few weeks ago, I had this same exact issue. Unfortunately, I didn't think of disabling the Secure Boot option in BIOS. I updated my BIOS to the latest version for my MB and it resolved the issue.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Jeroen Wilms earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      rolfus earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Leroy Jethro Gibbs earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Conversation Starter
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • One Month Later
      AndreaB earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      501
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      201
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      127
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      80
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!