This seems to be a simple but odd dilema for me. I had a 20gb hdd drive but wanted 120 gb so i could install games to it. I bought one on ebay from hong kong for 60 dollars. i got it and looks perfectly legit and inserted it and it worked had 107 GB free. i transferred all my files from my 20 gb hdd to the core memory (arcade) but when i reinserted the 120gb drive it did not show up. when i try to start xbox360 with it in the dashboard does not even come up, the screen stays black until i take it out. The 20gb hdd still works fine and xbox boots right up when inserted. Is it just a defective 120gb hdd or is there some other problem. Should i just return it and get a new one all the way from hong kong again lol
Originally posted by Primes: It could just have been a defective hard drive. Sometimes bad hard drive work fine when you first hook them up and later, as they warm up, they fail.
Originally posted by Primes: It could just have been a defective hard drive. Sometimes bad hard drive work fine when you first hook them up and later, as they warm up, they fail.
the chances of that are pretty slim.
I'm not sure how often it happens with X360 hard drives but I see it quite often with computer hard drives (internal and external). I agree with you though that it's pretty unlikely but, from the original post and subsequent replies, it's one possibility.
From the OP we know that he got the drive and hooked it up. It worked fine. He then removed the drive and installed his old drive. That drive worked fine. Then he removed the old drive and hooked up the new drive again. This time it didn't work. This leaves us with two possibilities:
1. Hardware malfunction
2. User malfunction
My first guess would actually be user error or damage to the hardware caused by the user (due to improper removal of the device or dropping/mishandling the drive, etc). Unfortunately you have already suggested this to the user and had it immediately discounted leaving us with the option of hardware malfunction. In that case it can only be a few items causing the problem. To find out which, follow a couple of steps:
1. Install your old hard drive (though I've never dealt with multiple hard drives, common sense would seem to dictate that you turn the system completely off before doing this)
If your original hard drive is still readable then you know it's most likely not a problem with the interface on the Xbox 360 itself, proceed to step 2.
2. Install the new hard drive. Does it work now? Was it a one-time fluke? That happens with electronics sometimes. If it still isn't working, put your ear close to the drive. Is it making an audible noise? If so, is the noise repeditive? Repeated rythmic whirring or clicking is usually a sure sign of drive failure. Still not working and no noise to be heard? Proceed to step three.
3. This step is pretty technical, if you're not comfortable dismantling both of your drives then you should probably stop right here. Now you need to know whether the drive or the enclosure is the problem. Completely dismantle both hard drive enclosures, I'm sure you can find some tutorials on how this can be done. Install the 120GB hard drive into the 20GB hard drive's enclosure and install the 20GB hard drive into the 120GB hard drive's original enclosure. Now try both drives in the system. If it will now read the 120GB drive but not the 20GB drive then you know it is the enclosure that's the problem. If it will still not read the 120GB drive but reads the 20GB drive then you know for sure that the hard drive has failed.
After following these three steps you should know exactly what's wrong with your drive. You can now see about trying to replace the defective part.
Or you could just send back the drive and get a new one. Your call :)
well seeing as how i cant send it back cause its been longer than three days ill try those steps. its not the 360, it reads the other drive just fine and i even tried the new 120gb one in a friends and it still didnt read it. when the xbox is on without a drive in and i plug in the drive and it reboots meaning it knows a drive is in there but it does not show up. when i listen to it i dont hear anything but my fans.so i guess i will dissassamble it.......
