Another Fix – Xbox

One of the biggest things I about having MS that is really, really getting on my nerves is being broke all the time. Anyone reading this that is fortunate enough not to have a freaking chronic illness – no life on disability is not grand.

I know I post a lot about this broke or fixing something but what the heck else can one do? Stuff breaks and wears out (not talking about our aging bodies here) it just does.  I modern piece of electronics only last so long. Furniture is not built as sturdy and cars – I swear my old 65 Chevy is still on the road (I know who owns it now)  but newer cars just wear the heck out and they rattle a whole lot more as they age.

When things cease to function I used to be able to just pay someone to fix it or go buy a new one. Now that is no longer an option.  It takes money.  Those of you no longer able to work and have to rely on disability insurance probably know what I mean.  So here I am broken stuff and if I want to have it I have to fix it – oh gasp.

I have always been pretty good at figuring mechanical things out. I figure take it apart and see what makes what do whatever it does. When I was a kid I dismantled my clock radio and wired it up to some speakers and then my tape deck.   I remember taking my parents console stereo apart and trying to wire my tape recorder up to it so I could hear my music I recorded off the clock radio – ugh you know I sort of remember it really worked well but my parents did not see it the same way I did – opps.  My brother did not like the alarm I made for my bedroom door with a health kit.

Now I have a hard time taking stuff apart with all the tiny screws and my numb arse hands. Then my pea brain forgets what I was doing so I have to draw little pictures and label all the screws. Very annoying.

So today I was playing my new Xbox game and the dang machine made some funny noises and then the message on the screen read – disc unreadable – well all be &**)&^%%^$^ . I ejected the disc to find it all scratched up. This is not a good thing. One I really get into my games and now I can not play it wah wah and two my xbox is broken.   So after pouting about I called around and found out the cheapest one was 199.00 – OH NO!

And this brings me to the point of this post : while MS has led to my being  broke and my little fingers and brain don’t works so hot at times – I found something out – if I thing real hard about it I could say the MS has made me a better tear it apart and fix er up gal :). I would never have bothered to even attempt to take a stupid xbox  apart if it were not for MS. I mean really? why would I when I could buy a spiffy newer one. The new xbox 360’s have built in wi fi even!

Ok after all the bitching and moaning – yeah pouting did not garner any sympathy on the monetary front – Catfish and I went about tearing the thing apart. I now am very aware that I should have cleaned out the fuzz bunnies at least once or twice in the five years I have the thing.  Did you know that fuzz bunnies can kind of cling together and form hard little dust balls?

How do you take the cover off an xbox to get to the insides well it is not easy but youtube and all the nice kids on there were nice enough to show me how.  To really get to things you have to unclasp the top from the bottom, remove the sides and unscrew the inside from the bottom outside. Fuzz removed before photos taken as well I would not want the silly thing to be embarrassed or something.

Then there I was staring at the DVD drive ummm ok there it be. Turns out it just pulls up out of there.

         

             

And yeah that is a Indiana Jones Lego game playing but hey when testing why toast a good game when you can chance it with the kids game! It works!  Now I  just need to find another copy of my Mass Effects.

Well there you have it my big attempt and crediting Multiple Sclerosis for something good.