*** THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON WHY I AM DOING THIS TUTORIAL IS BECAUSE IT WORKED FOR ME. IF YOU ARE GETTING "NO DISC" OR "DIRTY DISC" ERRORS THAN I URGE YOU TO AT LEAST TRY THIS TUTORIAL. ESPECIALLY IF YOUR XBOX IS ALREADY MODDED. IF YOUR XBOX IS
UNDER 90 DAYS DON'T BOTHER. SEND IT BACK 1-800-4MY-XBOX. ***
This Tutorial is to outline the proper steps needed to clean the inside of your Xbox.
This tutorial applies to ALL models of the Xbox.
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First things first, I would like to thank the folks at llamma.com for their tutorials that
have pIctures. If anyone is neverous about doing this I would recommend at lease taking a
glance at this.
That being said... take a deep breath.
The insides of an xbox is no more complicated than a PC. If anything it is simpler.
You have:
a) Case (black hard shell)
b) Hard Drive
c) DVD-ROM drive
d) Mainboard (processor, gpu, ram... ect)
If you have ever opened your computer up and put more memory in or changed a cd-rom or video
card this news should at least make you feel more comforatable.
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Q. Why do I have to open my Xbox and clean the inside?
A. I dunno, maybe you are getting strange errors reading discs or maybe you just get off on this
  kinda stuff. For me it was a week of research, googling the error messages that I was getting
  that there was "No Disc" on any original game. It pissed me off to the point where I had to take
  matters into my own hands. I am glad I did.
Q. Are all the hardware the same in Xbox's?
A. NO. This tutorial is designed to clean the dvd-rom drive of your box. Microsoft distributed three
  brands of DVD-ROM over the years:
  Thompson (first gen)
  Philips (Second gen)
  Samsung (Third gen, and told by everyone that this one is the best)
NOTE: There is a "quick" way to tell which drive you have by ejecting and looking at the tray.
       Please see
http://www.llamma.com/xbox/Repairs/xbox_dvd_version_comparison.htm to compare.
   I do not recommend just going by eye site though, because I first thought I had a Thompson drive.
    Then when I later opened up I realized it was Philips. I would recommend opening the case and look
    on the top of the DVD-ROM drive. This will tell you the model.
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Step 1 one is to remove the case
There are 6(six) screws on the bottom of the box. One under each of the rubber tabs, and one under each of the two stickers.
Note that once you peel those stickers you do void your warranty, but if you already modded your xbox who cares right? Also, these screws are Torx screws so make sure you have the proper tool(s). Dont want to be stripping those babies!
Once the six screws are off flip the box back over right side up. Pull from each side and the cover should come off. I read that sometimes you can get "stuck" near the power cord, but mine came off easy. If it doesnt want to come off ensure that you have all six screws off. It does come off easily, trust me.
I am going to assume the case is now off...
Looking down at the Xbox controller facing you...
See that thing on the left? Thats your DVD-ROM drive
See that thing on the right? Thats your hard drive
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Step 2 is disconnecting the cables
Easy enough...
2 connections to the DVD-ROM (power and IDE)
2 connections to the Hard Drive (power and IDE)
Again, if you are used to working with PC's this is a piece of cake.
Our ultimate goal here is to take the DVD-ROM Drive out of the case so that it can be cleaned.
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Step 3 remove the hard Drive FIRST!!
Trust me on this one... you are far better to take this out first because it makes getting at the DVD-ROM 10X easier.
I am going to refer to the black plastic surrounding both the Hard Drive and the DVD-ROM Drive as "plastic casing"
There is 1(one) silver screw in the center of the box holding the "plastic casing" down see it? Take it out.
After you take this out the whole Hard Drive unit should come out. Set it aside.
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Step 4 remove the DVD-ROM Drive
After the Hard drive is removed the DVD-ROM drive should be accessable and free to remove. Once removed set aside the rest of
the Xbox parts so that you are just holding your DVD-ROM drive in your hands. Remove the "plastic casing" so its easy to work
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Step 5 CONGRADULATIONS!! you made it this far...
Now the fun begins. Once you have the drive in your hands you should know the manufacturer. Rather than me listing all the
steps for the different drives I am going to point you to:
http://www.llamma.com/xbox/Repairs/xbox_dvd_repair.htmWith drive in hand and pictures to look at disassembly is somewhat easy. Each drive is different so make sure you pick your drive.
Okay now the important parts that took me a while to figure out. There are two parts of the DVD-ROM that you want to clean:
1) The lense (glass part)
2) The Mirror (underneath the glass part)
NOTE: Some people just clean the lense and pop it back together and it works... well thats great, but I figure hey..          I have this *female dog* apart now, lets clean it right the first time.
Take the screws off the metal casing the DVD-ROM drive and expose the inside of the drive. It is important to slide the tray forward using the tray mechanism. This just makes it much easier to clean. If you are not sure what I am talking about read llamma again, they suggest this too.
Once the tray is forward you will definately see the lense (its the glass). Now carefully flip the DVD-ROM drive over and take the bottom metal casing off. This is prolly the hardest part of the tutorial so pay close attention.
On the bottom of the DVD-ROM drive you will see the board and ribbon cables. Dont sweat it like I did. Piece of cake. Take a tiny flat head screw driver and loosen the holsters holding the ribbon cables. Again look at:
http://www.llamma.com/xbox/phillips_xbox_dvd_complete_dissassembly.htm(I am using Philips as an example)
Once the cables are out there are VERY TINY Torx screws holding the board in place. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE... have the right tool for the job!! Strip these screws and you might as well buy a new drive. I believe there were 4 screws holding my board down. Check llamma for your board.
Once the board is loose just carefully lift... VOILLA!! your mirror (it looks like a tilted glass). Clean that with a Qtip and rubbing alcohol. hold the DVD-ROM drive up to the light and make sure that no excess alcohol is on the mirror. In other
words use a dry Qtip after.
Nice and Clean?? Great!!
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Step 6 putting it all back together
1) Carefully screw the DVD-ROM board back down
2) Reattach the cables. (One gave me a hard time, so I needed tweezers, no biggy)
3) Metal casing (bottom, then top). Screw in and secure
4) Pop back on "plastic casing"
5) Plug back in power and IDE into DVD-ROM
6) Romount DVD-ROM into Xbox
7) Plug back in power and IDE into Hard Drive
Remount Hard Drive into Xbox
9) Screw down "platic casing" with silver screw
Before you put the case back on I would hook everything up to your tv and test...
Maybe if you are a smoker have a cigarette before you power on.
I think you will be impressed with your work though because if you followed my advise and my tutorial your errors should be
history.
Your machine should now read ALL discs that you put in.
If it works then power off, disconnect and put the case back on. The only other thing I will mention about the case is make
sure that the front tray is aligned properly before you hook up again.
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ALRIGHT!! you did it.
Any further problems, corrections to this tutorial, thank yous, donations... haha right!!
mikefromtimmins@hotmail.comor
#softmods on EFnet
