Cleaning the internal mechanismsĭon’t worry, you won’t have to open up your console any more than you already have to try this potential solution. If not, reopen the disc tray the same way and move on to the next section. Then plug the console back in and see if the tray is back in working condition. With the tray now open, make sure the disc inside isn’t sticky and causing the problem. If you pushed the internal gear correctly the disc tray should open slightly, and you can pull it out fully with your hands. Insert a paper clip into the leftmost hole and push until you feel it hit something. There are two more holes underneath the left side of of the disc tray. If this worked for you, skip the next paragraph, otherwise there’s one more thing you can try. This should cause the tray to pop out a bit, and you can open it the rest of the way with your hands.

With the faceplate off, insert a paper clip into the hole underneath the disc drive’s right side (if there is no hole there, skip to the next paragraph) and push until some resistance is felt.

Then, securely holding the console, use your thumbs to pull the faceplate off the front of it. Start off by shutting down the console and removing all the cables plugged into it. If this isn’t working for you, give the next section a try. If you’re struggling with the credit card method, you can also use your thumbs to snap the faceplate off the front of the console, then use your fingers to tug at the protruding portion of the disc tray as the console clicks after a press of the eject button.

Inserting a credit card horizontally into the top of the closed disc tray, press the eject button and when the clicking noise occurs bend the credit card back toward the console, applying leverage to force the tray open.

No, you don’t need to spend money for this solution, but if you hear your console click when it fails to eject the disc tray, this trick may work for you. Sometimes the tray just needs a little motivation to open, which you can give it with a simple credit card. The OG that kicked off the seventh generation of video game consoles hasn’t yet kicked the bucket, so if you’re still rocking one of these bad boys and the disc tray is giving you trouble, give one of these options a try.

Cleaning xbox 360 disc drive