Restoring your Xbox 360 to its default factory settings is the only way you can erase all your personal information from the hard drive. Therefore, you will lose all your saved data and settings because the device will return to default settings. This is a good approach when trying to fix a tough-to-solve problem that cannot be fixed in any other way. Additionally, if you are planning on selling or donating your Xbox 360, you should factory restore your console to erase all your personal information.
How do you restore your Xbox 360 to its default factory settings? Follow these simple steps to find out:
Table of Contents
Power up and open the settings
To arrive at your consoleās home screen, turn your Xbox 360 on. In the menu bar, highlight āSettingsā. The Settings screen will appear on the lower half of the screen. In the Settings options, highlight āSystemā and then press āAā for the System Screen to appear.
Record the serial number
In the System Settings screen, select āConsole Settingsā and in the list of options (on the left side of the menu) select āSystem Infoā. When the System Info screen appears, a serial number thatās associated with your Xbox console will be displayed at the top of the System Info screen. You need to write the serial number down because you will need it later.
Select the hard drive
After writing the serial number down, press āBā to return to the System Settings screen. In the menu along the left side of your screen choose āStorageā for the Storage Device Screen to appear. Then, you need to highlight āHard Driveā and then press āAā for the Device Options screen to appear. On the left side of the screen, you will see a list of options. Select āFormatā. You will see a Format Device Window with a message that explains that proceeding to format will remove all the content saved on the device. Choose āYesā for the Format Hard Drive Screen to appear.
Restore your Xbox
Finally, select āEnter Serial Numberā at the bottom of your screen. A window will appear prompting you to enter the serial number thatās associated with your Xbox 360 console. Input the serial number you wrote down earlier and then press āStartā.
You will see a ‘Formatting in progress’ window alongside a progress bar to display the restoration progress. The amount of time required to restore your Xbox 360 console to its default settings depends on the size of the hard drive and the amount of space you are using. However, when the factory reset is complete, your console will return to the home screen.
