So a while back they started releasing games with an added sort of protection (such as Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, games around that time) that you needed to update your custom firmware to get around. I had no way of doing it myself, so I benched my 360 and decided to have it all fixed up for me by some local guy when I had the time/money.

However, recently my nephew was visiting me and putting random discs into my 360, one of which happened to be the AC:B disc that comes with the OFW update for that time. Before I could stop him, he let the update run (or try to) and the machine restarted itself. I can still play games from before AC:B, and still can't play games from after then, but I assume I'm essentially banned for good from Live now.

This doesn't bother me so much, but the event has made me want to get the flashing whatnot done and over with. Since I'm short on money, I'm hoping one of you smart people can walk me through the flashing process, realizing I'm pretty dumb when it comes to these things. It's to my understanding that I just need the cable to run from my 360 to my PC (which I had a friend let me borrow) and whatever files and programs that are required. Can one of you hlp me out?

Specifically, what I'd like to know is:

1. The safest way to open the case to expose the DVD Drive so I can hook everything together nicely. Will I need any shock protection gear? The last time I opened a console was my old PS1 many years ago.

2. What files do I need, and how do I proceed to do the flashing itself? I assume you'd need to know what brand of drive I have, and I further assume I can find out once it's out of the box.

Thanks in advance, guys.