Xbox 360: Installing new slim HDD in old fat console

[Andy-Antsinpants]

Since my old Xbox 360's 120GB HDD is jam-packed with game installations, save files, downloaded content and user-data, I feel the need for a bigger harddisk drive.

Bad luck: Genuine 250GB HDDs for the "fat" console are rather scarce and thus pricey. On eBay are mostly bootlegs found, which lack some features of the original drives as well as being of questionable durability.

I've seen tutorials where people put the old HDDs into new slim caddys for use in the Xbox 360 S/E versions, but I'd like to do it the other way around.
So here starts my quest for getting a brand new original 500 GB Slim HDD to work in the old console, by swapping the caddys of each HDD and using the transfer cable prior.

My Xbox 360 Elite (Jasper chipset) is unmodified and equipped with the latest updates. Will it recognize the official 500 GB HDD once the caddy has been swapped? Or is there any known limit for HDD size on the old console?



EDIT: Well, I found these two tutorials:
Original Xbox 360 500gb HDD upgrade tutorial (any slim HDD to original)
Real Xbox 360 hard drive Disassemble
Looks like the hardest part is the dissassembly of the slim drive. Everything else should be a piece of cake. At least I hope so.

I've ordered a genuine 500 GB slim drive and I'll try getting my hands on the newer slim-style transfer cable with the S-ATA connector.

I found this funny mod, too:
http://www.se7ensins.com/forums/threads/how-to-make-an-adapter-to-use-slim-hdd-on-fat-console.786859/

[kendrick]

I've done exactly this in both directions. After extracting my old 360 hard drive from its enclosure to put into a newer slim model, I was unable to resist putting a newer drive in the old enclosure to make it work on the older Xbox model. Once you get all the screws out it's ridiculously simple, and all the SATA connections just fit. You should have no problems.

[Andy-Antsinpants]

Thanks, your words are boosting my confidence in getting this small mod to work.

I've got my hands a transfer cable and a Torx T6 bit for the Fat Lady's HDD caddy. Luckily, a friend of mine is interested in the old 120 GB drive, since all he's got is a even smaller one. So the cable will hopefully come in use at least twice before sold on.

I'll let you guys and girls know about the progress.

[Andy-Antsinpants]

Wooohoo! It's done!

[CircuitTrace]

Nice, a newer slim 500GB HDD worked out in the older fat console. Was there any special procedure required, or did the console automatically recognize and prompt to format the new HDD? Were you able to determine the upper limit to what capacity is permitted? Thank you.

[Andy-Antsinpants]

The console did recognize the new HDD automatically once connected.
I've done this process twice now on two different consoles, both times successfully.
The largest official HDDs are 500 GB, they work fine.
I don't know of any upper limit above 500 GB, but I guess the limit is determines on the Xbox 360 system software and might depend on what official HDD sizes are available at the date of the last software update.