I have already determined that I need a new Xbox 360 dvd rom drive. The warranty on my 360 is already expired and I already opened the case. can I use any replacement Xbox 360 dvd rom or does it have to be the same one that I took out brand wise?

It's not the hardest thing to fix in the world, but it probably will require you to open your XBox 360's case (if your warranty is expired or voided already). There are dozens of very good video tutorials around for opening the XBox, just search your favorite video site and find a video that matches your XBox case (Phat or Slim).

Ultimately, you'll need to unplug the SATA and power cables from the DVD drive, remove it from the case, and remove the four phillips screws. Once it's open, the rail and head assemble are very simple mechanisms. You should be able to see any obstructions easily as well as rail misalignment. Just reorient as needed and slide the head carefully along the rails to ensure free movement is possible. Reassemble the DVD drive and the XBox itself, then give it a try.

Disconnect all cables from the Xbox 360 and remove the faceplate from the front of the console. Lift the plastic tabs on the outer shell and remove the plastic casing from the machine. Unscrew the Torx size 7 screws and lift open the metal cover. Unplug both the power and SATA cables from the rear of the DVD drive and lift it out of the console. Replace it with the new DVD drive, and connect the power cable to the unit. Connect your SATA cable to the DVD drive and a free SATA port on your computer.Turn on your computer and open a web browser. Download JungleFlasher and run the program. As of September 2010, JungleFlasher is the most stable and up-to-date flashing program for Xbox 360, and it is also the only program capable of flashing Xbox 360 drives from within Windows (earlier programs used MS-DOS). Click "Flash .BIN to DVD" in the program's main menu and select your Xbox 360's DVD drive. The program will flash the new DVD drive for use with your Xbox 360 console.Turn off the computer once the flashing process is complete and disconnect your SATA cable from the DVD drive and your PC. Reconnect the Xbox 360 SATA cable to the new DVD drive, then close the metal cover on the console. Rescrew the Torx size 7 screws and replace the outer plastic shell on the Xbox 360. Return the faceplate to its original position then reconnect all external cables and accessories to the console. Power on the Xbox 360 and the replacement DVD drive will function normally.

You need to either clean the laser or replace the dvd-rom drive.
Both of these cases involve opening up the console and voiding any warranty Microsoft offer.
First you need to determine if its not reading a certain type of disc, or not reading any disc at all, if iys not reading any disc at all, it may have grime or dirt on the laser causing the problem.
You can clean the laser with a clean cue-tip or cotton swab, by opening the console, removing the dvd-rom drive and then opening the dvd-rom drive case to expose the laser.
If after cleaning the laser it still does not read discs, you need to replace the dvd-rom drive. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Try running a CD\DVD-ROM cleaning disc in your 360. It could just be that the lense is dirty. If that doesn't work, then find your receipt to see if it is still under warranty. If it is, then send it in to Microsoft now. If it is not under warrany, then you have a couple of options. You can send it in to Microsoft and they will fix it for about $80 - $100 (you should expect to wait for it for 4-6 weeks). You could go out and buy an Arcade XBOX 360 console for $150 -$199 brand new and then put your XBOX hard drive into that one. You could find someone that knows how to put a new DVD-ROM into a 360, or you could try to do it yourself. Please be aware that there is more to it than just replacing it with another XBOX 360 hard drive. You will have to open your 360, hook it up to your computer, and "flash" it with a program that you download from the internet. It is a technical process, so if you're not up to it then don't try it; unless you just want to experiment with it and you don't really care if you turn it into a completely useless machine. Also, be leery of the average joe who tells you that they can do it just because they know how to change DVD-ROMs in computers. Like I said already, this is a pretty technical process and there is the chance that the "flash" won't go right and then your 360 will be only good for a paper-weight or door stop.

send it for repairs 

bring it to the store you bought it in or call microsoft 

There is an eye in the CD drive, it is a standard DVD drive and can be cleaned like any of them. However, if you open your XBOX 360, it will void your warranty. I suggest you call Microsoft first and see what they can do for you. If your warranty is expired, you could attempt to clean it yourself. It does take some special tools to open the XBOX 360 though. You can get them online if you do not already own them.

I had the same problem when playing the game, Crackdown, since this game uses the CPU and GPU (chips) very, very heavily. The 2 red lights mean that your system is overheating. Check the Microsoft site to see if your system is still under warranty. If so, call Microsoft and see if they can repair the known and admitted flaw(s) with the Xbox 360 and its cooling issues. You may need to have the "three red rings" issue to take advanage of this free repair though. If the system is out of warranty and you will have to pay to have it repaired by Microsoft, you might as well save a lot of money and do a similar cooling fix yourself. You can start by first searching Youtube for "Taking apart an Xbox 360", "How to fix your Xbox 360" and "Red Ring of Death". You may also be able to search Craigslist for people that will repair and upgrade your Xbox 360 for you, at about $30 to $50 or so.

In case someone is reading this post and having trouble only when playing the game Crackdown, note that this game plays heavily from the DVD and will have many loading issues and lock-ups if the DVD-ROM drive is bad or going bad. You can always test your game disc on another XBOX 360 to see if it is the disc or your system. Game stores will usually help you as well with testing a disc if you bring it in.
Also, try other intensive games to see if they load and play well. This will prove that your system is probably good, but that it most likely is the DVD-ROM drive that is failing.
If you have a game other than Crackdown that locks up, slows down, etc during DVD-ROM play, try copying that disc to the Xbox 360 hard drive and playing it from there to see if it still locks up or slows down as before. This will show you if the DVD-ROM drive is bad or if it is something else in the system.
Unfortunately, Crackdown can not be copied to the hard drive. This was planned by Microsoft. It is not allowed for some reason.

best thing to do is send it back in to microsoft, if you open the xbox 360 case you will void the warranty, and they wont bother helping you. If you have already voided the warranty, you can find xbox 360 dvd drives on ebay or craigslist for around 30$ USD. Only the drive alone, not a whole xbox

If you swap drives from another xbox 360 will not work unless its the same dvd drive thats why your 360 plays cd's and dvd's only !!1





good luck

Pick up in the DVD is bad or weak and will need replacing.
Or replace the whole DVD unit.

Make sure the disks are clean and not too scratched up

Check here for more things to try