How to Put an Operating System on Your Xbox 360 Hard Drive

By Asad Mohammad

Updated September 22, 2017

The Xbox 360 is a video game system developed by Microsoft. You can play games, surf the Internet, download new games and movies and even compete with other gamers around the world. The Xbox 360 has its own special type of operating system, but you can also put new updates or versions onto your system. When you turn on the system you are taken to the main screen, known as the "dashboard." You can install a new operating system that will alter the dashboard's function.

Log onto Xbox Live in order to download new versions of the Xbox 360 operating system. Xbox Live is the main internet network that users can access in order to download updates, games, movies and play with other gamers around the world. Simply click on the icon to download new updates and the new Xbox 360 dashboard will be installed onto your hard drive.

Go to the main Xbox support webpage on a computer (see link in Resources). Once you are on the page you will be given a list of options as to how to download the new Xbox 360 dashboard operating system. For efficiency, it is advisable to use a USB flash drive.

Scroll down the page until you reach the section labeled "Update using a USB flash drive." Read the instructions and click on the green text to begin downloading the new operating system. This should take a few minutes and save the file to your main desktop screen.

Place a USB flash drive into your computer's access port. Then transfer the downloaded file to your flash drive. Once the transfer is complete, you can safely remove the flash drive. Check if your Xbox 360 system is turned off. If it is on, then turn it off.

Place the USB flash drive into the access port behind your Xbox 360 system. Turn on the system and the file should begin downloading immediately onto your system. Click "yes" when you are presented with the option to update your system. When the extraction is complete, you may have to restart the system. But now your main desktop screen will be replaced by the new dashboard operating system.

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