XBOX One S Blu Ray Laser Deck Replacement
& Mechanical Troubleshooting
How to Repair Your XBOX One S Disc Drive
Difficulty Level - Medium
If you have disc reading problems with your XBOX One S console, this is the place to be. I'll talk you through the fixes, and highlight any problems you may encounter along the way.
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First things first; if your disc isn't reading try this simple method first - https://www.cd24-7.co.uk/xbox-one-disc-drive-mechanical-guid
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If that doesn't work, come back here and read on..
Blu Ray Mech Symptoms
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- XBOX One S Not playing games
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- Noisy Blu Ray Drive
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- XBOX One S Game stuck inside
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- Game won't go into the drive slot
Tools Needed
One of the most common problems we see with the XBOX One S, much like the other XBOX models we see, are Blu Ray Drive problems and disc reading errors.
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These take the form of 2 main issues in particular - laser faults, and mechanical problems.
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We talk in detail about these on our main XBOX One repair pages, but we will examine them again here.
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Let's look at the mechanical issues first. We want to start with examining the methods that cost you the least amount of money first. If all else fails, then you may have to spend money, ie replacing the laser or drive.
Even then, if the laser is faulty, we will look at cleaning it, and then if all else fails, you may have to put your hand in your pocket and buy a laser.
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if you do eventually have to replace your laser, I really recommend buying the laser WITH DECKING if possible. By that i mean not just the laser lens itself, but the mechanics / turntable deck aswell, as seen in the picture above on Amazon.
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If you buy the lens on its own, you're gonna have a pig of a time trying to take the old laser off the old decking, and then you've got to thread your new laser onto your old deck. If at all possible - AVOID THIS. Just buy the laser with the deck instead, it will save you a load of time and energy messing around.
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I've also provided a video below showing you how to troubleshoot the obvious issues, and make the necessary repairs.
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Your disc drive troubleshooting needs to happen in this order :
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1. Establish what the symptom is
Does the disc go in and out of the drive? Does it get stuck? Can you hear the disc spinning? Any funny noises?
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If the disc gets stuck, won't go in, or won't come out, then the fault is MECHANICAL - The Laser should be ok.
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If you can hear the disc spinning, or attempting to spin, but won't play the game, then it could be your laser.
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2. Check the drive mechanics first
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Follow the video. Check to see if there are any obstructions. Coins, cardboard, other bits of debris. If so, this repair will cost you nothing.
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3. Clean the mechanics
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Cleaning the areas around the mechanics, and making sure all the moving parts are moving correctly is key to your repair.
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I recommend using WD40. Again, this will cost you nothing.
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See the video.
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4. Clean the laser
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This is essential. While you've got the drive stripped down, clean the laser. You've got nothing to lose here, and it could save you spending £20 ($30) on a laser.
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I really recommend buying an XBOX One S Laser with the deck attached if possible. It will save you a lot of hassle. I normally stock these in my shop, so try there first. Otherwise, Amazon may have the lasers with deck, or Laser without deck.
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FOR THE RECORD - XBOX One S Lasers are EXACTLY the same as XBOX One (Original) Lasers, so no need to sweat over which model it is, the lasers are all the same.
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5. TEST
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Put back together and test the console.
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6. Replace laser
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This is your last port - of - call. If all else fails, your laser is most likely at fault.
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There are other possible issues. Your on / off switch could be faulty if the console won't eject the disc. Try ejecting using the controller instead. if you can eject with your controller, then the RF board with the on / off switch may be faulty.
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The disc drive board connectors, switches or disc drive circuit board itself could be faulty. This is rare, but possible.
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Also, the physical integrity of the drive could be damaged. This happens when the console has been dropped, or damaged.
The mechanics or drive case may be warped, or a misalignment may have been caused. If all troubleshooting and replacement laser fails, you could consider replacing the complete disc drive unit. If you do this, bear in mind you will have to swap your drive circuit board out of your drive, and put it (solder it) into your new drive. (See my other videos for how to do this)
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Check the video out below to get the full picture.
STEP BY STEP
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You will need a Security Torx T8, T10, and a flat head screwdriver to get the console open. Complete Console Repair Screwdriver kit can be bought above, from Amazon.
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1. Take a large flat head screwdriver, and locate the black bottom shell cover. You need to go around the edge of the console with the driver, putting the driver in between the white shell and the black cover, and robustly wedge between the two, until it unclips. It takes quite a bit of force to do this.
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2. You will need to remove the Microsoft seal on the back edge, which will void your warranty with Microsoft. Once the seal has been removed, pay particular attention to removing the black cover here - you may need a small flat head screwdriver to wedge it off - TAKE CARE here.
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3. Put the black cover aside.
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4. Remove all of the green screws, using a security Torx T10 screwdriver. There should be 6 present, (not 5 as in my vid)
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5. At the back edge of the console, pull the chassis out from the shell, by pulling the edges of the top shell away from the chassis. This will free up the chassis, and it will easily come away from the shell. Discard the white shell.
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6. Leave the fan cover on for a minute, and turn the console over.
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7. Remove the small silver Torx T10 screws as shown in the video. (If you are unsure which ones they are, you can remove all of them, it won't hurt, and won't take a minute or 2.)
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8. Now turn the XBOX over and remove the fan cover, to reveal the peripherals.
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9. You should now be able to unseat the Disc Drive slightly. it is still attached by 2 cables at the back.
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10. You may want to pull up the hard drive at the back of the drive so that you can get at the connectors.
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11. Pull the 2 connectors out of the back of the disc drive.
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12. You should now have the drive out of the XBOX One S.
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13. The drive will still have the black drive holder on it. Locate the big Torx T10 screw, and remove it.
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14. You need to now locate the little black rubber clips that hold this cover onto the drive. Go round them with a flat head screwdriver, and release them all, with a flick of your driver.
This take a bit of practice, and can be very annoying.. Eventually you should be able to loosen the cover, and slide it off.
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15. Now remove the 4 little crosshead screws on disc drive cover. Remove the cover.
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16. You are now inside the disc drive.
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17. Now you are inside the drive, you need to get to the laser, which is underneath the circuit board. Locate the 3 connectors which are inserted in to the circuit board. Flip up the 3 connectors one at a time, and pull out the cables.
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18. Now remove the 3 little screws which are holding the circuit board in place, using a small cross head driver.
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19. Pull the board out and leave it outside the drive, bearing in mind that the circuit board is attached to the drive by 2 wires. Be careful not to rip the wires off the board.
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20. Remove the 3 screws holding the laser deck in place.
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21. You can now pull out the laser deck from the drive.
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22. You now have the laser including its deck out of the console, and can replace with a new one.
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23. At this point, I recommend cleaning the laser eye first, using your WD40 spray and some kitchen towel. Be careful not to scratch the laser eye, but give it a good clean. This can very often give your laser a new lease of life, and you should try this before spending money on a new laser!
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ANOTHER QUICK WORD - You can buy the Xbox One S laser unit WITHOUT the decking, but take my advice on this - It is difficult to replace the laser unit on your decking, and will take up your time.
Instead, buy your new laser with the decking attached.
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24. Put the laser decking back into the drive, and put the 3 screws back in place.
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25. Position the circuit board back in place, and make sure the front of the board goes UNDERNEATH the black plastic lip at the front.
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26. Put 3 connectors back in, and flip the connector grips in place.
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27. Put the 3 screws back in to secure the board.
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28. Now put the cover back on, and screw in the 4 screws.
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29. Put the drive holder back on, and plug the connectors back in to the back of the disc drive.
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30. Put the drive back in place.