Trasferring Memory from Hardrive to Hardrive
I got back the 360 yesterday, and now I have two 360's and only one hardrive. I still have the standard one that came with the 360 three years ago, but I think it's time for me to upgrade from 60GB to 120GB.
Here's the problem: I don't know how to transfer files between hardrives. I'm aware of the memory card method, but I don't know any that exist beyond 512MB, and I have files that exceed that allowed space.
Are there any Memory Cards beyond 512MB I should know about? Or, better yet, is there a way to transfer memory directly between 360 hardrives? I only have about 186MB of memory left on the hardrive so I need to know soon.
Thanks.
Microsoft does have a transfer cable that connects a 360 hard drive to the PC and software that goes with it, but I've read that it's backordered over six months because of its popularity. And it's expensive ($30+). However, there are very inexpensive versions that work just as well.
Another option is that if you have Torx 6 and Torx 10 screwdrivers, you can simply open up the hard drive enclosure and you'll find that it's simply a 2.5" SATA hard drive. You can then connect it to any SATA-capable PC with the standard SATA data and power cables. This will void the hard drive's warranty, but not the console's, and is 100% undetectable by Microsoft. You can even purchase a 2.5" SATA hard drive on your own and re-use the existing hard drive's casing, or buy a new casing online for under $15. The only thing you need to do is make sure that the size is 120GB. Larger hard drives will not work properly.
There is free software on the net for managing hard drive data. A good one is the same one Stab uses in his video for skipping repetitive parts of AC, which you can download here. It's my favorite program for managing 360 files, both hard drive and memory unit.
I don't recommend buying Microsoft's 120GB Xbox 360 hard drive. I don't believe in supporting such blatant over-charging. You can get them online for much less. Hop on eBay and you can find a 120GB Xbox 360 hard drive for around $60. Or buy a 120GB drive separately and an Xbox 360 hard drive enclosure on eBay.
Whatever method you use, make sure to first connect the new hard drive to the 360 and go into the memory settings and format the hard drive before transferring your files onto it.
I've done all this stuff many times, so let me know if you have any questions.
I bought a refurbished 120 GB from my Gamestop for about $75 and I bought a Belkin transfer cable formatted for Windows technology from Radio Shack for about $20. I explained by situation to the employee and they said I can return it for full if it doesn't work.
I also asked Best Buy and Gamestop if they sell the cables, and neither claimed to. I've already transfered almost everything through Hardrive-MC-Hardrive, but the big stuff still needs to be shipped over (and then I'm selling the 60GB one back to Gamestop).
Unfortunately, my PC is from Bible Times (Compaq Presario from back in the day) so I doubt it'll be compatible with SATA even if I link Windows with the 360. I'm gonna try this cable transfer and, if it doesn't work, I'll have to look at eBay or Microsoft.com.
Thanks a mil Asaic
No prob.
What kind of transfer cable did you get at Radio Shack? I can't imagine it would work, as the Xbox 360 hard drive's data port is proprietary and doesn't exist anywhere else. I can't imagine Belkin making a cable for it. Though stranger things have happened.
Unless it's a SATA-to-USB adaptor...? Which means you need to open the hard drive enclosure (and void the warranty). That's not such a big deal though, IMO.
Worst case, get that USB one on eBay that was under ten bucks. Your ancient PC has USB, yes? 
Yep. The cable was crap. I returned it to Radio Shack and called Microsoft Customer support. I'm getting the transfer cable in a week, and now I have to transfer ALL MY MEMORY back to the other hardrive (or else it will be deleted in the transfer).
They're sending it to me for free (and they'r ecovering s&h) because apparently it should have come with the hardrive I bought, but it didn't.
Wow, not bad. I'm surprised they had them in stock. I'm even more surprised that they're not charging you for it. I've yet to see a 360 hard drive at retail that comes with a transfer cable.
Well now that the memory transfer nightmare is over I can breathe easily and happily. I'm so happy with this new hardrive it's borderline crazy. I've got almost 95 GBs of free space and have room to finish downloading Fable II (right after the Battle of Florï download finishes). I'm going to Gamestop today to sell the other hardrive and buy more microsoft points. I'll be able to get Mass Effect, GTA IV, Bonfire DLC, and a bunch of other stuff. Awesome.
Thanks a lot, Asaic.
Good to see it all worked out. Now you need to find more games to fill the new hard drive with.
Mass Effect should be a fun game. And hopefully Fallout 3 will be on marketplace soon enough.