Xbox 360 owners banned from Xbox Live for allegedly modifying their consoles have begun fighting back against Microsoft, releasing a step-by-step guide to side-stepping the software giant’s ban.

The unblocking process is a mixture of software and hardware trickery, and also requires you to have a spare “unbanned” Xbox 360 handy.

While the process is described by website Xbox-scene as "technologically complex", the website promises that the method “does indeed work”.

In addition to a spare unblocked Xbox 360, you will need run software tools to access its Flash storage. A copy of the code stored there can then be patched and laid into the banned machine's Flash.

Chris Lewis, the European chief of Xbox, last week said he was “unapologetic” about the Xbox Live ban, which it’s believed has so far affected between 600,000 and one million members of the online service.

Further information about the unblocking guide is available online now. ®