new Xbox 360 elite hard drive - unexpected results

Airliner

Does anyone have any experience of changing the hard disk drive in the earlier 360 elite. My hard disk failed completely, got a new one off e-bay as microsoft don't sell anymore. Easy to fit as the disk just plugs in. Formatted disk, ran the license transfer utility and the xbox recognises it perfectly as memory.

It manifests itself as such:

I can play a game off the disk drive (DVD) but if I install to hard drive and try and play it tells me that this game needs downloading again. The install reported no problem at end of install though.

I can redownload purchases from the marketplace and they install, when I go to play same message comes up, failed to start, this game needs downloading again.

In both instances I have tried with different games/downloads and get the same problem.

Yet, I downloaded a demo game never downloaded before, direct to hard disk and it works fine. It is like my old games are locked off playing from this new disk.

Then today another odd quirk, a game I was playing off disk (DVD) needed up an update, it went to update and failed giving error code 397F-000-D080-0200-D000-0185.

It seems everything revolves around this new disk and some sort of lock from previously installed games on another disk. I now have a bunch of games I cannot install and now it seems even play off disk.

spent 45 mins on MS support chat - they were pleasant but absolutely hopeless!

Any clues much appreciated.

MiniNukinfuts

Was the drive you purchased an official microsoft HDD?

Meesared

Have you got the latest Dashboard update on your console?

Airliner

No, they don't do them anymore, tried to purchase from MS Store and ended up having to get an e-bay jobby. The e-bay unit is just the same spec Seagate 5.4K RPM disk in the plastic caddy. Can't help feel this disk is not missing something though, like some sort of MS partition. Could copy my old disk as this is completely dead.

Airliner

up until the last hard drive failed the xbox had all the latest firmware updates so I believe I have the latest.

chopperbyrne

MS do still sell the old HDDs. You just need to call support.

Meesared

The update is stored on the hard drive now, so you probably don't, try installing the update with a USB flash drive configured as storage device, that should work (I think)

Edit: forgot to mention, do this without the hard drive attached

Airliner

Thanks for the clue, will definately try this and report back.

Airliner

I was onto MS support for 45 mins, they told me they could not supply anymore. If I send in MS Support for a console repair by the time I pay postage and the fix fee (I am 3 months out of warranty) it will be close enough to the cost of getting a brand new 250GB console which I can get off Amazon for less than €200 including postage.

Airliner

tried this USB update, unit did not update. Also have "live" and there is no prompt for an update on-line so I reckon I have latest firmware. Just tried installinhg another game again, same old "The game couldn't start. Try downloading again", even though it reported install complete. Time to cut my losses on this €50 disk replacement, save it for a laptop upgrade and get a new console for €200.

Thanks for all of the suggestions.