On the Xbox 360 how do you download a game to the hardeive?

When you install a game from it's disk, you still need the disk to be in the system to play it. Microsoft isn't going to allow people to borrow or rent games, and keep them for free that easily.

There are bonuses to it still though: reduced wear and tear on the system and disk, reduced heat production, some games experience reduced glitches and loading times, and if your disk gets damaged after the installation, you can continue to play the game as long as you system can read the copyright data.

You should mostly do this with big complex games like Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Oblivion, etc, that you are going to be doing quite often. The only game that I have heard not to install is Halo 3 from a message that Bungie sent out when installing was introduced, though I have heard that isn't quite true.

You can also pay to download some games from Xbox Live marketplace, and this way you don't need the disk, since you bought the game as a download.

You have to own the game to download it to the hard drive. Put it in to your console, go to My Xbox, go to your game library and find the game, then on the game screen choose install to hard drive. I do not know that it can cause lag, in fact I have noticed the game speed/quality to be slightly improved. The benefit would be that you can play the game when you do not have the disc with you, or while you have another disc in. Like if someone invites you to games often and you are too lazy to get up and change your discs all the time.

You might also mean buying the games off the marketplace, in which case you would need microsoft points which you can buy at a store, or have your xbox account linked to a credit card. Same benefits and stuff as listed above. Downloads will take quite awhile though, and if you happen to break/lose your xbox your game will also be lost.

downloading games takes a long time like 3 hours so that's a disadvantage. another disadvantage is you cant sell the game once you get board of it like the other games. one benefit is you don't have to go to the store and find then game. another is if your lazy you don't have to get up to put the game in. im not shure about the games you should get but you might save some money buy buying them on the xbox.