How to Use USB Hard Drives With XBox 360

Since the XBox 360 is designed by the same fellows who make all kinds of nifty gadgets for computers, the gaming console also includes support for USB peripherals such as flash drives and portable hard drives. However, because most USB hard drives come pre-formatted in what is called the NTFS format, and because the XBox 360 only recognizes drives that have been formatted in the FAT32 format, some minor work will be done before you can use your USB hard drive with your XBox.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with USB port
• USB hard drive and cables
• Partition manager software

Instructions

1. Plug your USB hard drive into your computer and turn both on.

2. Run your partition manager software. If you do not have one, download links to the more popular free managers have been included in the "Resources" section of this article. Install the one you wish to use, then run it.

3. Locate your USB hard drive in your partition manager.

4. Format the hard drive using the FAT32 format. If you wish, you may break the hard drive up into more than one partition. Just remember when doing so that the XBox 360 can only read FAT32 formats.

5. Turn on your XBox 360 and plug your newly-formatted USB hard drive into it.

6. On the XBox Dashboard, navigate to the "Media" menu. Select the "Portable Device" option, and your USB hard drive will be displayed.

References

• Llama.com: USB Hard Drive mod for XBox 360 storage

Resources

• Cnet.com: Easeus partition master download
• Partition Wizard: Free partition manager software
• Paragon Software: Partition Manager Express