Are the 360 system problems still an issue?

[PacMan2006]

I remember when the system launched, people complained for a while there their games were freezing and that they were glitchy, etc.

Are people still having issues with the 360, or has Microsoft pretty much fixed these problems?

[thematahara]

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/710/710364p1.html

[Michael Ballack]

I got my system May 2nd and so far(knocks on wood and preys for xbox 360's health) I haven't had any problems. I've been playing games like Call of Duty 2 and Tomb Raider a lot as well.

[darkside]

This is my big worry with the 360 and PS3. They are very complicated pieces of hardware crammed into the smallest case possible. This kind of stuff is just going to happen especially with heavily used consoles like the IGN people. I just can't see buying either one unless you get a 4 year warranty or buy it from Costco.

[PacMan2006]

Why buy it from Costco????

And are most of the issues with the 360 happening to the ones that comes with harddrives?

[darkside]

Why buy it from Costco????

And are most of the issues with the 360 happening to the ones that comes with harddrives?
Costco has the most liberal return policy on the planet. I would bet you would have no trouble returing a bad Xbox360 there a year or two later unless they put it under computer products in their return policy.

[darkessenz]

My friend got his recently, and it locked up 3 times while we were playing ghost recon. He thought it was because it was a little "smothered"

[Save Ferris]

If you get an extended warranty why worry? Can you not go a few weeks without playing the console while its being repaired? Can you not afford $40 for the warranty?

[Mok]

I was worried myself and ended up signing up for the 2yr Warranty, you never know with these things.

[JHosk]

I'm seriously thinking of picking up a 360. I have a question around the warranty some have mentioned already. Do you purchase this through the retailer (ei eb games, etc.), or is this done directly from MS ??

[Vryce]

I had a launch unit and it died a little while ago. I got the 3 red light ring of death.

I received my replacement and I'm thinking that I will be calling MS again.

It has been freezing occasionally and just being weird. The freezing I didn;t think too much of.

But the past couple of days, a new problem has occured.

I'll be playing a game and all of the sudden, the game will stop and drop to the dashboard. The tray opening message appears, although the tray doesn't open. If I do try to open it, it will open part way and then go back in by itself.

[McHawkson]

I got my 360 after 2nd shipment, I have no problem with it.

[gimmepilotwings]

I had a launch unit and it died a little while ago. I got the 3 red light ring of death.

I received my replacement and I'm thinking that I will be calling MS again.

It has been freezing occasionally and just being weird. The freezing I didn;t think too much of.

But the past couple of days, a new problem has occured.

I'll be playing a game and all of the sudden, the game will stop and drop to the dashboard. The tray opening message appears, although the tray doesn't open. If I do try to open it, it will open part way and then go back in by itself.


It does sound like the drive tray could be going bad as well.

However, If I were you, I would wait another week or two. A huge dashboard update is coming, and maybe that will resolve your issue.

[matome]

I got mine around New Year's and it has had heavy use (running 10 hours straight a few times) with no problems at all. Actually Need For Speed: MW froze once, but that was the only issue I've had.

[LiK]

zero problems except for some freezing issues with Oblivion but that's a software problem, haven't had any trouble with any of my other games. as long as you keep it well ventilated and don't leave it on 24/7, it'll work fine.

my online friend in canada got his system at launch and he's had zero problems too

[brianluvdvd]

Costco has the most liberal return policy on the planet. I would bet you would have no trouble returing a bad Xbox360 there a year or two later unless they put it under computer products in their return policy.

Not my Costco. They stopped their liberal return policy about a year after they open here 2 1/2 years ago. Now it is a strict 30 day policy.

I played a demo of Fight Night (I think it's called that) the other day at Best Buy and it has me seriously thinking about picking one up (especially after the PS3 pricing anouncement). The graphics were mindblowing.

[dgmayor]

I got mine in late February I believe it was and its been great. I think I had one single lock up and thats it. I use it daily, either for games or streaming video/music via Media Center. Just can't complain.

[FantasticVSDoom]

Well, I just got one yesterday, and wish I didnt come into this thread, :lol: ... Im hoping (ok praying, 'cause it wasnt cheap) for no problems, but luckily I have family who works for MS (EA as well) so if I do have any problems, I can go through them.

[noonan4224]

My launch unit still works perfectly. It's been no worse than any other console lauch in the past. The only problem is you only hear the horror stories about people with problems. The people with units that work fine have no reason to post saying so.

[JaxComet]

I purchased the original XBOX and XBOX 360 at launch and never had a problem with either..........

[BeanDip0001]

If you get an extended warranty why worry? Can you not go a few weeks without playing the console while its being repaired? Can you not afford $40 for the warranty?

it doesn't get repaired you get someone elses refurb that has been fixed. while you get a working 360 back i think it is shitty you don't get yours back.

[BeanDip0001]

I had a launch unit and it died a little while ago. I got the 3 red light ring of death.

I received my replacement and I'm thinking that I will be calling MS again.

It has been freezing occasionally and just being weird. The freezing I didn;t think too much of.

But the past couple of days, a new problem has occured.

I'll be playing a game and all of the sudden, the game will stop and drop to the dashboard. The tray opening message appears, although the tray doesn't open. If I do try to open it, it will open part way and then go back in by itself.


YEAHHHHHHH CANIS!!!! the same shit my crappy refurb was doing! Call Microsoft my empty box should be here mondya!!! Now i just hope MARTIN's. dies!

[quickfire]

I want an Xbox 360......but there are no games that interest me YET!That being said theres a few games coming in October-November that will persuade me to make the plunge!!!!! G E A R S of W A R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!nuff said..I believe this game a Halo3 will sell many many 360's!!!!!

[Giantrobo]

I want an Xbox 360......but there are no games that interest me YET!That being said theres a few games coming in October-November that will persuade me to make the plunge!!!!! G E A R S of W A R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!nuff said..I believe this game a Halo3 will sell many many 360's!!!!!


Great. But is your 360 broken? ;)

[uteotw]

I have had not a single problem with mine in the few months I've had it. Wondering: I have my slimline PS2 on top of it, centered so no ventilation holes at all are covered, but is there any reason this could cause a problem (heat or otherwise)? I play it daily but not for long stretches. Just wondering...

[IanHummel]

I got mine at launch. Now it's a freezing POS. MS told me it'd be $125 to fix it. A$$holes.

[kakihara1]

Now i just hope MARTIN's. dies!
Wow dude that's really uncalled for :( anyhow mine will live FOREVER :D (hopefully it dies in a year)

[kakihara1]

I got mine at launch. Now it's a freezing POS. MS told me it'd be $125 to fix it. A$$holes.

You need to call them back right away and hope to get a better customer service person, I'm betting with one or two more calls you'll be taken care of properly.

[Michael Corvin]

I just got mine.. ahem... 'a' 360 back last week after I sent mine in for the red ring of death. I've probably played 3-4 nights since then. It has already frozen on me at least a half dozen times during Burnout. This 'new' system was manufactured in Feb.

MS sure knows how to build 'em. :up:

[ogden2k]

I purchased the original XBOX and XBOX 360 at launch and never had a problem with either..........
Same here.

[darkside]

My brother in law just got his a few weeks ago. Checked it out today and I tossed in a DVD to show him that he could watch movies on it without having to buy the remote (unlike the old Xbox) and to show him how to control the movies with the controller. First the movie skipped a few times while watching it. Thought maybe it was the disc. Started playing Perfect Dark and after 10 minutes or so it froze. Restarted and it froze again after a few minutes. Tried NBA2K6 and halfway through the first quarter it again froze. We finally just gave up.

I realize my opinion is getting influenced by this one system and the complaints from people here, but I don't think its too early to give the Xbox360 the crown for most unreliable hardware ever. This seems worse than even the PS2 disc read error at this point which at least you could tinker with and fix on some systems.

No fucking way I spend $400 on this system with quality still so uncertain and I have now scratched it off of my buy list. Maybe MS can deal with the quality issues over the next few months and fix this, but their 90 day warranty is bullshit for a console with such quality issues. Amazing that Microsoft managed to put the reliability of Windows in a standalone console.

[mr.snowmizer]

90 days is the MINIMUM warranty. It is only the express warranty.

Every state also has implied warranties, which is why nobody has had to pay anything for a replacement/fix yet.

[PacMan2006]

Are the 360 problems occuring more on systems that have the hard drive...or it doesn't matter which version for the 360 you have?

[darkside]

Are the 360 problems occuring more on systems that have the hard drive...or it doesn't matter which version for the 360 you have?
The problem is it seems most people have the harddrive so its hard to get a good sample. I know several people with 360s and all bought the premium pack.

[Michael Corvin]

If the hard drive was the problem they would have you ship it back with your system, which as of right now they want you to keep the HD while they repair the system.

[Centurion]

I wonder if overheating is an issue.
The Xbox 360 sure has a loud fan which you could hear at times (especially when a game is loading the next level, map, etc.).
Stick your hand behind the 360 (without even touching it) and you'll feel lots of hot air being blown out.

Nyko has an Xbox 360 Intercooler, an external fan which clips onto the rear of the 360. Has anyone tried this to see if it helps with all the freezing issues?

[Giantrobo]

My 360 froze on me 3 times Sunday. Twice online(Star Wars BFII) and once in GRAW single player. Each time it happened stopping the game by hitting OPEN solved the freeze. Anyway, at first I thought the online freezing was just me joining 2 games that were finished. Then the GRAW freeze happened and it all made sense to me.

It <b>overheated</b>. Normally, whenever I play the 360 I point my floor fan at it to keep it cool. However, it was very warm in LA on Sunday and my apartment is particularly sensitive to temps outside so I had the fan on oscillate so I could get some air. I guess this meant the 360 wasn't getting it's normal share of air.

Once I pointed the fan towards the 360, on high for good measure, there were no more freezes as I continued to play for another 25 minutes.

With that said I still think things are cool with it. I'm not worried about any problems at this point.

[Flay]

My second 360 has essentially become useless, with the exception of arcade and marketplace stuff. The first went the way of the 3 red rings of death and its replacement has a faulty disc drive after 2 months of usage. I'm going to be pissed if they send me another turkey.

[Giantrobo]

My second 360 has essentially become useless, with the exception of arcade and marketplace stuff. The first went the way of the 3 red rings of death and its replacement has a faulty disc drive after 2 months of usage. I'm going to be pissed if they send me another turkey.


You see, the disc drive was the problem on my original XBOX. Why are they putting crap drives in their 360/XBOX units?

[kgrogers1979]

Why are they putting crap drives in their 360/XBOX units?

Crappy low quality drives are cheaper than good quality drives which yields more profit for Microsoft. It's all about the $$$.

[K&AJones]

Another reason why I'm holding out till fall. Just kidding. Doesn't matter what you have out there there's always going to be some "bad apples" in the bunch. I'm still waiting till fall since allot of good games will hit between now and then. I am curious about any heat issues.

Kenny J. - Buzz

[PacMan2006]

One thing I'm curious about...I have heard so many times that the CORE system is junk and a waste of time. Why? I don't think I'll end up playing online that much. And if thats the case, what's the advantage of paying 100 extra bucks for the premium system?

[eatntae]

One thing I'm curious about...I have heard so many times that the CORE system is junk and a waste of time. Why? I don't think I'll end up playing online that much. And if thats the case, what's the advantage of paying 100 extra bucks for the premium system?
Even if you don't plan on playing online, you'll still need a memory unit (~$40) or hard drive ($100) if you want to save your game progress. And if you plan on playing on a HDTV, you'll need the component video cables (~$40). So I suppose if you are not going to save any game progress, and you're going to play on a standard definition TV, then the extra $100 isn't an advantage.

[PacMan2006]

True. I forgot about the HD cables.

But I mean...let's say someone is gonna just play it on regular TV and not HD. And they aren't playing online, either. Even after you pay $40 for the memory card, you still are saving an extra 60 bucks. Thats an entire extra 360 game, right there.

I understand this is the online gaming age, and HD age, but I'm sure there are people who play games offline (single player or with friends in a house) and who don't own an HD set. That can't be THAT uncommon. I guess, considering that, I'm very surprised at all this "the CORE system is not worth it" or "it's junk and a waste of time" talk.

[kgrogers1979]

The hard drive is not just for saving games. Games are cached on it, so that loading times are quicker. I have never played a game on a Core 360, so I don't know how much slower load times are on it, but quicker load times is always a good thing. I do know from experience that during the last generation there were quite a few multi-platiform games that had abysmally slow load times on the PS2 while the Xbox version had load times much quicker. This was because the Xbox had a hard drive and the PS2 did not. I played both versions of Mercenaries, and I could take a shit faster than the PS2 version loaded. The Xbox Mercenaries had noticeably faster load times.

Also, if you want backwards compatibility with original Xbox games, the hard drive is required. BC will not work on the Core 360 at all.

The Premium comes with a wireless controller while the Core does not. This is a minor thing, but if you have kids or pets that are always tripping on the cords, then it could be a plus.

[PacMan2006]

^^Interesting points. Never thought about the load times or BC. Thanks for the info, so I'll probably be buying a 360 for the upcoming football games!

[Michael Corvin]

Don't forget the Premium also comes with a wireless controller that will run you $50 buying it seperate.

[Blitz6Speed]

Mine is a launch unit, works fine still. I play 2-3 hour sessions of Battlefield Demo and honestly, ive only had weird problems once. Whenever id go into cover, the sound would make a loud screeching noise. And sometimes when i spawn, right away the gun is shaking all over the place. Once the match ended, i restarted the demo and it was fine again. So yah, there are plenty of launch systems alive and kickin i guess, mine is a good example of one.

[SuperBatMan]

I bought one on April 8th, and by April 13th, I already got the Three Red Lights of Doom. Took it back to Best Buy that weekend, and got another one with the 2 year warrenty, and no problems with the new one.

[Bry]

Mine at launch, no problems at all, same with a buddy of mine.

[gimmepilotwings]

My system has also become useless. After less than 10 minutes of gameplay, I receive white lines on my screen and it completely freezes.

[Mopower]

True. I forgot about the HD cables.

But I mean...let's say someone is gonna just play it on regular TV and not HD. And they aren't playing online, either. Even after you pay $40 for the memory card, you still are saving an extra 60 bucks. Thats an entire extra 360 game, right there.

I understand this is the online gaming age, and HD age, but I'm sure there are people who play games offline (single player or with friends in a house) and who don't own an HD set. That can't be THAT uncommon. I guess, considering that, I'm very surprised at all this "the CORE system is not worth it" or "it's junk and a waste of time" talk.


If you aren't going to play the 360 in HD or online why buy it? Stick with the original xbox.

[kgrogers1979]

If you aren't going to play the 360 in HD or online why buy it? Stick with the original xbox.


Uh, because the Xbox isn't being supported anymore? I could be wrong, but are Xbox games even being made anymore? If you want the newest games, you have to upgrade to the newest system. If you don't upgrade, then you are stuck playing your old games over and over and over again.

I don't have a HDTV and I hate online gaming, but I still enjoy my 360. The games still look beautiful, just not as beautiful as HD graphics.

[PacMan2006]

If you aren't going to play the 360 in HD or online why buy it? Stick with the original xbox.

Because the biggest thing I play is football games. And I play them year round. In fact, I've always bought new systems for the football games.

Madden and even NCAA graphics and player proportion wise look terrible compared to next-gen.

[gimmepilotwings]

My system has also become useless. After less than 10 minutes of gameplay, I receive white lines on my screen and it completely freezes.


Edit. I called them last week and demanded to speak to a supervisor. None was available and they promised that one would call within 24 hours.

Fast forward one week. I wanted to give them time to respond, as well make it look better on my side.

After talking to his supervisor, my console was "magically" still under warranty. (those were his exact words) They are going to fix my console for free. It appears to be a launch console with a November serial number.

At first you dont succeed.....

[Seantn]

Cool, congrats. I'm glad it turned out well for you.

My friend's Xbox (not a 360) works fine, but it always messes up when playing DVD's on it. I guess they assume that any DVD player is fine, even if it's a shitty one.

[Dave C]

Well, I've been patiently waiting for the one I bought in December to crap out, thinking maybe I'd get lucky.

No such luck. I got the 3 red lights yesterday and they will be sending out a box to send it back.

When I heard of all the problems people were having on early units back in January, I got the extended warranty. Never received any paperwork, but they did cash the check. The said that the extended warranty was indeed applied to the system.

It'll be a tough couple weeks on the treadmill, but what are you gonna do?

They said it would take about 14 days, is that what others have been seeing?

[Save Ferris]

I have a warranty through gamestop where they said they just replace the system with one in thier inventory if mine breaks (no waiting for repairs)

Hopefully they'd let me keep the hard drive.

[Giantrobo]

I've been refraining from playing the 360 because it's been so hot in LA. My apartment is like an oven. :lol:

[Save Ferris]

I can never understand people who dont blast the air conditioner when its hot. Im such a wuss when its as easy as flipping a switch and im comfy lol

[kgrogers1979]

I can never understand people who dont blast the air conditioner when its hot.


I do blast my AC, but it still gets a little hot in my apartment. Either my AC is a pos or the apartment isn't very well insulated or something. I leave my AC on 68 degrees 24/7, and it is always hotter inside than outside.

[Save Ferris]

I do blast my AC, but it still gets a little hot in my apartment. Either my AC is a pos or the apartment isn't very well insulated or something. I leave my AC on 68 degrees 24/7, and it is always hotter inside than outside.

wow. Something aint working right!


Is the AC turned the right direction in the window? lol

[kgrogers1979]

Is the AC turned the right direction in the window? lol


Yeah. :) My AC hasn't kicked off once since the middle of May. Thankfully, the electric bill is included with rent, so I don't have to pay it. I am looking forward to winter already.

[mr.snowmizer]

Originally Posted by Mopower
If you aren't going to play the 360 in HD or online why buy it? Stick with the original xbox.

Huh? Is this a serious piece of advice?

Granted that the graphics on a standard definition tv pale to an HD set, but there's the little issue of games pretty much no longer being made for the Xbox, as already stated.

And that's not even touching the fallacy that an upgrade in horsepower equals an upgrade in graphics, exclusively.

[Giantrobo]

I can never understand people who dont blast the air conditioner when its hot. Im such a wuss when its as easy as flipping a switch and im comfy lol

1. No AC
2. Just fans
3. I'm cheap/not rich (afraid of HUGE energy bill)

[Chrisedge]

I bought one on Monday, hooked it up, played for a while, signed up for Live, then yest morning started playing and the screen during the game became all speckley...Took the game out and the dashboard was still speckley...exchanging it tonight if it's not better.

[Michael Corvin]

Yep. That doesn't sound good. I'd return it anyway.

[gimmepilotwings]

I bought one on Monday, hooked it up, played for a while, signed up for Live, then yest morning started playing and the screen during the game became all speckley...Took the game out and the dashboard was still speckley...exchanging it tonight if it's not better.

I am guessing that you are having the same problem that I had. I think that it is a bad graphics card/chip in my console, and I made sure to note that to the MSFT repair shop when they take a look at it.

I would return it for a new one as well.

[Chrisedge]

Do I need to swap the Hard Drive out? (Keep my old one?) I plan on just taking the unit/hd in when I go to Costco tonight, and swap out the whole thing. Or should I keep the HD? (I signed up for Live, downloaded a few game updates and that's about it)

[PacMan2006]

Quick question...for those that have been having problems...did you also have to get a new hard drive? I'd hate to buy the system, have a bunch of saves on it, and have to get a new XBOX 360 including hard drive because the system is malfunctioning. I'd lose all my saved game data/progress.

[Chrisedge]

Well, I deleted my profile, took the old one back to Costco, setup the new one, and it looks better. Already played PGR3 longer than I had played on the old one. (I did have to start all over)

[Dave C]

Quick question...for those that have been having problems...did you also have to get a new hard drive? I'd hate to buy the system, have a bunch of saves on it, and have to get a new XBOX 360 including hard drive because the system is malfunctioning. I'd lose all my saved game data/progress.
I've read on some forums (teamxbox and xbox.com) that some people are not asked to send back their hard drives when the system appears to be the problem.

I was told by the person at MS that if the hard drive wasn't the issue they would send it back intact.

I should be receiving my box to return it today or tomorrow and I'll report what the instructions say.

[gimmepilotwings]

I've read on some forums (teamxbox and xbox.com) that some people are not asked to send back their hard drives when the system appears to be the problem.

I was told by the person at MS that if the hard drive wasn't the issue they would send it back intact.

I should be receiving my box to return it today or tomorrow and I'll report what the instructions say.

When I shipped back my system, the box did not even have room for the hard drive. In troubleshooting, they will ask you to play it without the hard drive, to try and eliminate it as a source problem.

They should receive my xbox today. I hope it doesn't take longer than a week or so to get my xbox back.

[PacMan2006]

Hmmm....well I'm thinking that if some people are possibly having issues with the hard drive and sometimes having to send it and the console to MS to get it fixed, maybe I should just buy the Core system in 2 months and use a memory card?

I'd hate to be like...playing Madden or some other game for 2 months straight, and all the sudden the system crashes and MS says send back the console and hard drive. Not only won't I have a system to play for 2 weeks while it gets repaired, but once they fix it, I'd have to start ALL over in my games. And it's not like I plan to play online or anything. Not sure what to do there.

[Mopower]

Hmmm....well I'm thinking that if some people are possibly having issues with the hard drive and sometimes having to send it and the console to MS to get it fixed, maybe I should just buy the Core system in 2 months and use a memory card?

I'd hate to be like...playing Madden or some other game for 2 months straight, and all the sudden the system crashes and MS says send back the console and hard drive. Not only won't I have a system to play for 2 weeks while it gets repaired, but once they fix it, I'd have to start ALL over in my games. And it's not like I plan to play online or anything. Not sure what to do there.

Just make sure it's in a well ventilated area and I'm sure you will be fine. The problem is people stuff them into entertainment centers or throw the power brick behind one with 1 inch of ventilation and the thing overheats and they get all pissed and post on a message board about what a POS it is. The thing gets like a toaster. It needs air.

[Centurion]

This seems to be the issue with my 360...only noticed crashes once the system got very, VERY hot. I'm lucky enough to have room for it next to my HDTV. There's enough space above and behind it for the hot air to escape.
Not a single crash/freeze ever again.

I should say, however, that I have never experienced the 3 red rings on my unit. I believe that once you've had the red rings it's possible that your unit may have sustained internal damage from the overheating. Hence, repositioning your 360 to ensure better circulation of air will not help.

[danegger]

I bought my 360 in February, it is the 3rd shipment and I have had no problems at all. I play it all the time, for hours at a time. The only game that has ever froze on me was Madden '06 but from what I've heard, that was the game, not the system. I sure hope they get that crap fixed on '07!!

[DamingR]

1) It has to be in a WELL VENTILATED area. This is a fact.

2) Just keep your hard drive. Don't take any shit from anybody, demand to keep your hard drive. Tell the people at Costco or Best Buy or wherever that you spent a lot of money downloading stuff and you want to keep the hard drive. Open up the new one and swap the hard drive out. Don't take no for an answer. Microsoft told me to send back my hard drive. Did I? No. I was not going to loose all my stuff, and I knew that it wasn't the problem. You are dealing with people on a phone reading a script. Just take your HD off and send it in. They will fix it as necessary or replace it.

[Save Ferris]

I think it was a really good idea that they made the HD removable.

[Michael Corvin]

1) It has to be in a WELL VENTILATED area. This is a fact.

2) Just keep your hard drive. Don't take any shit from anybody, demand to keep your hard drive. Tell the people at Costco or Best Buy or wherever that you spent a lot of money downloading stuff and you want to keep the hard drive. Open up the new one and swap the hard drive out. Don't take no for an answer. Microsoft told me to send back my hard drive. Did I? No. I was not going to loose all my stuff, and I knew that it wasn't the problem. You are dealing with people on a phone reading a script. Just take your HD off and send it in. They will fix it as necessary or replace it.

You can recover your gamertag and points on a new hard drive. You can re-download everything you already purchased without a fee. You do however lose all your game saves.

My 360 is well ventilated and it still crashed and burned. :shrug:

[Centurion]

My 360 is well ventilated and it still crashed and burned. :shrug:Has it always had good circulation? Or have you tried experimenting by placing it in different locations/positions?

My 360 stays in the upright (verticle) position and it always has. The only difference is, when I first got it, I placed the backside about 2" from the wall behind it. I later found out how much air was being pushed out of the 360 (those fans are pretty strong). In addition, the air is very warm which indicates how hot it really gets inside the 360 housing. So now, I place it about 7" from the wall and the damn thing is running flawlessly.

[Save Ferris]

Mine has been flawless since launch day. It sits on top of my old xbox horizontally, inside a cabinet with maybe 3 inches on either side, several feet behind it and nothing on top of it. the power brick is just sitting among a mess of cables in the back.

[wfciii]

Burnout Revenge seems to be getting buggy on mine, Get can't read disc after 1 hour of solid play and save file was corrupted this morning. I'm using a Nyko fan on the back and a space fan in the front. Oh well,,,

[Dave C]

Just make sure it's in a well ventilated area and I'm sure you will be fine. The problem is people stuff them into entertainment centers or throw the power brick behind one with 1 inch of ventilation and the thing overheats and they get all pissed and post on a message board about what a POS it is. The thing gets like a toaster. It needs air.
I dunno.

I've had mine sitting by itself elevated off the ground and open on all 6 sides since the first couple weeks I had it (after seeing much online discussion of vertical vs. horizontal and air space). It only gets played 50 minutes a day.

Early on many people who seemed to know what they were doing were having problems. So I took extreme measures (it's in the bedroom so looking dorky isn't really an issue) and bought the extended warranty.

Still, 3 rings. Mine was not a ventilation issue. It just broke. It doesn't piss me off and I'm not bashing the machine. I love it. But if you check the other forums you will see there are many well ventilated machines dying.

Maybe it was just a portion of the early units (I got mine in Dec). I hope that's the case.

I will bash the fact that I called last Sat and still haven't seen my coffin yet.

I would not suggest passing on an extended warranty and hoping ventilation will keep it working.

[Dave C]

I've read on some forums (teamxbox and xbox.com) that some people are not asked to send back their hard drives when the system appears to be the problem.

I was told by the person at MS that if the hard drive wasn't the issue they would send it back intact.

I should be receiving my box to return it today or tomorrow and I'll report what the instructions say.
I must say I'm underwhelmed by the turnaround on this problem. I called on July 2nd and they didn't ship the box until the 7th:

Scheduled Delivery: 07/12/2006
Shipped or Billed on: 07/07/2006

[Michael Corvin]

Don't get your hopes up on the 12th. My scheduled date came and went. They were, oh, about 4-5 days off. Took about 10 days to get to me. An empty box. Sad.

[PacMan2006]

Where are you guys buying your systems? Because, I remember when I bought my Home Theather in a Box at Circuit City last year, I had a problem with it within a week. All I had to do was take it back to the store and they immediately exchanged it for a new one.

I would assume, at least, that they'd probably do the same thing if you bought an XBOX 360.

[Mopower]

Burnout Revenge seems to be getting buggy on mine, Get can't read disc after 1 hour of solid play and save file was corrupted this morning. I'm using a Nyko fan on the back and a space fan in the front. Oh well,,,

I think it's the game itself that has glitches. Not your 360. I've read about that problem on Burnout in other forums as well.

[Save Ferris]

Yea gamestop guaranteed me with their warranty that they would swap out my old system with a new one if it ever died on me. No waiting for MS on this end :)

[Dave C]

Here's an interesting editorial about this on teamxbox.com:

http://editorials.teamxbox.com/xbox/1651/The-Red-Ring-of-Death/p1/

"Unless you are experiencing a problem with the hard drive of your console, all you typically send back is the system itself. Detach the hard drive, remove and store all discs, and keep all controllers and cords. There are warnings throughout the instruction page sent out that if you send in anything not needed, it might not be returned"

[Michael Corvin]

Where are you guys buying your systems? Because, I remember when I bought my Home Theather in a Box at Circuit City last year, I had a problem with it within a week. All I had to do was take it back to the store and they immediately exchanged it for a new one.

I would assume, at least, that they'd probably do the same thing if you bought an XBOX 360.

Well mine was a launch system that died after 6 months of use. I also bought it at Sam's club. So soley on those two points, returning it was not an option.

[Dave C]

Well mine was a launch system that died after 6 months of use. I also bought it at Sam's club. So soley on those two points, returning it was not an option.
Same for me. After 6 months returning it wasn't an option. I did get the MS extended warranty but it sure doesn't expedite anything.

[movieking]

Well, my 360 just died. It locked up a couple of times a couple of nights ago when I was playing PDZ. I barely got the game loaded tonight and it locked up. I put in NHL06, and it didn't even get as far as reading it. Now I am getting the three red rings.

So what do I do now? Can someone post a link to the threads that discussed this in the past? I've done a search, but I haven't found anything, even though I know there have been a few threads about this issue in the past.

[Mopower]

Well, my 360 just died. It locked up a couple of times a couple of nights ago when I was playing PDZ. I barely got the game loaded tonight and it locked up. I put in NHL06, and it didn't even get as far as reading it. Now I am getting the three red rings.

So what do I do now? Can someone post a link to the threads that discussed this in the past? I've done a search, but I haven't found anything, even though I know there have been a few threads about this issue in the past.


Did you buy the 2 year warranty from MS?

[movieking]

Did you buy the 2 year warranty from MS?

Unfortunately no :( This is my first console and I can honestly say the thought didn't occur to me.

So I am assuming that since it is now out of warranty, I will have to pay the $129 (I think) to get a refurb sent to me. Has anyone had any luck getting MS to cover consoles that were out of warranty? I can't fathom having to pay another $129+ to fix a machine that is barely 6 months old.

I've done some searching, and it seems like there have been a whole lot of posts in late June and early July from people who were the first people to get consoles that are now getting the rings of death.

And I still can't find any threads devoted solely to this issue (I am assuming it is probably covered in one of the huge Compendium threads but I am not sure). Were there any?

Thanks

[PacMan2006]

^^When did you buy your console?

[The Bus]

Look into the laws of your country or province. Hell, even if there's no law, just say that you bought your 360 at such and such a place and they are breaking local consumer laws. Ask who their liasion is so you can sic your local attorney general / ombudsman on them.

I don't think you'll be paying.

When I got my repaired I got the box in 3-4 days as promised and got the console back in 3-4 days as promised.

[Michael Corvin]

And I still can't find any threads devoted solely to this issue (I am assuming it is probably covered in one of the huge Compendium threads but I am not sure). Were there any?

Thanks

I posted in one of the big threads but I'm sure finding it would be a bitch.

First call MS and just see if you can buy the warranty. They seem to be quite hit or miss with people getting them after the initial 90? 120? day mark. Call back a couple of times and get different reps. You may get lucky and get one that will let you purchase it.

Second, take this with a grain of salt, when I had my issues (3 red ring), the CS rep said 3 rings is a sign of a faulty AV pack. :shrug: Didn't sound too bad to me, so I went to pick up a new set at BB while I waited on MS to send me some official ones at N/C.. It didn't work, and from that point on it gave me the 4 red lights which is their sign of a dead system.

Point being, if your options are limited, you could at least give this a shot and if it doesn't work return the cables. That's what I did. It wouldn't hurt trying.

[Dave C]

Unfortunately no :( This is my first console and I can honestly say the thought didn't occur to me.

So I am assuming that since it is now out of warranty, I will have to pay the $129 (I think) to get a refurb sent to me. Has anyone had any luck getting MS to cover consoles that were out of warranty? I can't fathom having to pay another $129+ to fix a machine that is barely 6 months old.

I've done some searching, and it seems like there have been a whole lot of posts in late June and early July from people who were the first people to get consoles that are now getting the rings of death.

And I still can't find any threads devoted solely to this issue (I am assuming it is probably covered in one of the huge Compendium threads but I am not sure). Were there any?

Thanks
Therw seem to be many instances of people on the forums on cbox.com and teamxbox.com getting their out of warranty repairs at half price by asking for a supervisor and complaining. If I didn't have the warranty I'd give that a try.

Good luck.

[JHosk]

Mine died today as well. It had a manufactured date of 03-13-2006, and I got it about 4 weeks ago. I'm a casual gamer, and in those 4 weeks it probably only had 40 hours of usage. It's getting replaced under warranty (I actually bought the extended warranty after reading this thread).

I have to wonder if the problem is more widespread than MS will admit. I have two other friends with the 360, and one of theirs died recently as well. I know that's not a sufficent sample size, but it seems fishy that so many units are having hardware failures so early.

That being said, when the system is working it's pretty kick-ass.

[Michael Corvin]

Well here's an interesting bit for you. When mine went down in May all my friends knew, so 2 of the 4 of them with 360s called for a warranty. Last week one of the two that didn't buy a warranty got the red rings. Powered it up and down mutliple times and it didn't completely die(like mine) but the red rings remained. MS wanted $130 to repair it. ouch!

He kept it in what he thought was a well venilated area, but not wanting to spend $130 he figured he'd try a few things. He ended up putting the 360 and power brick near an A/C vent. The red rings disappeared and all is well again.

He did do some research online, and it turns out MS is using some kind of gel on a chip inside the box to keep it cool. This is a new process, presumably because of all the issues with all the early boxes. He was considering trying this on his own. :eek: I wouldn't know where to begin.

[Giantrobo]

Well here's an interesting bit for you. When mine went down in May all my friends knew, so 2 of the 4 of them with 360s called for a warranty. Last week one of the two that didn't buy a warranty got the red rings. Powered it up and down mutliple times and it didn't completely die(like mine) but the red rings remained. MS wanted $130 to repair it. ouch!

He kept it in what he thought was a well venilated area, but not wanting to spend $130 he figured he'd try a few things. He ended up putting the 360 and power brick near an A/C vent. The red rings disappeared and all is well again.

He did do some research online, and it turns out MS is using some kind of gel on a chip inside the box to keep it cool. This is a new process, presumably because of all the issues with all the early boxes. He was considering trying this on his own. :eek: I wouldn't know where to begin.

http://features.teamxbox.com/xbox/1145/The-Xbox-360-Dissected/p7

he Xbox 360 Dissected
By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar"
<b>May 12th, 2005</b>
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2005
Xbox 360 (Xbox)

Be Cool

One of the surprises we found when checking the Xbox 360 innards was its cooling solution. <b>To keep things quiet and cool, Microsoft has designed a liquid cooling system that dynamically adjusts the flow of the liquid and the speed of the fans depending on the temperature and power consumption.

This intelligent approach has allowed Microsoft to build smaller console by removing the traditional heatsinks found in most computer and replacing them with a combination of fans and liquid cooling.</b> This combo is more efficient and keeps the processor at a lower temperature than the original Xbox, which is a remarkable achievement considering the higher clock speeds and power consumption that the new Xbox 360 hardware has in comparison with the old console.


Not satisfied with that, Microsoft has also used a high-end technique that allows the system to turn off the cores when they are not being fully utilized. So let’s say you are watching a DVD movie or just listening to music, the system will automatically turn off the two cores that are not being used for the console to consume less power during that time.

[Cusm]

I bought my unit the first week of December, and i had a problem with my dvd drive in March, 7 days before my 90 day warranty was to expire. I called and was informed my warranty was good until June. I called Wednesday night, got the return box Friday, mailed it Monday and got my new unit the following Monday.
Two weeks ago my unit froze and when I restarted I got 3 red lights on my ring of light (#1, 3 and 4) which means a hardware failure. I called on a Thursday and after a delay (stating they did not have my city - Oklahoma, Oklahoma is good enough with the zip code for UPS) got the box the following Friday, sent it off yesterday. I was told that they would make this exchange quicker since this was my second. They also told me, my current warranty was good until November. I was also informed to call back when I got my new unit and check the warranty on that unit.

If you have not done so yet, call MS, (800)4MY-XBOX and check the date of your warranty, they are all over 90 days and some have been a year.

[movieking]

I was told by a couple of different people at 1-800-4MYXBOX that it is a 6 month limited warrantly. Don't know if it is different because I am in Canada and maybe the laws are different, but when I called a few days ago to get the 2 year warranty, they told me it would start in Nov, six months after I received the replacement console.

Sucks about your 360, JHosk. When you didn't show up online last night to race in PGR, I figured that you had chickened out :)

[yotd576]

Just got my 360 back after a week and a half. Exactly, what I was told by MS. What I noticed immediately after trying it out was how quiet it is. I thought it was broke because of how quiet it was, but plays perfectly so far. The manufactured date is Jan., my broke one was Feb. Must be a problem with their drives.

[fab]

My launch XBOX 360 died (3 red lights) Friday night. I'm kicking myself for not buying an extended warranty. Have to pay $129 to get it repaired through Microsoft. First console I've ever had die on me and I've owned them all. Next gen = pure love.

--
fab

[Leechboy]

I have been getting a lot of freezes on my system lately. It happens when I am playing disc based games or Xbox Live Arcade games. It has even locked up when I was just sitting at the dashboard. So far I haven't gotten 3 red lights yet.

here is a typical screenshot of what my freezes look like.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n152/wrecked_pig/dead.jpg

I dont feel like dealing with MS so I am most likely going to buy a new system and sell off the bad one on ebay.

[pantala]

Yay, my launch 360 died on Sunday morning while playing PGR3. I never kept it enclosed and there was always adequate ventilation. I have been getting freezing every once in a while, mainly during demos (N3, Rumbling Roses).

Luckily I had bought mine from Costco and they took it back with no problems. I don't advocate taking advantage of the Costco return policy by treating it like an equipment upgrade or price guarantee plan, but they did come through for this defective return/exchange.

[Leechboy]

Ok, I just got the 3 Red Lights. Sometime in the next few days I will be purchasing a new system. All of my info is saved on the HD right? My live profile, wireless settings, ect? So all I have to do is pop that into a new system and I am all set?

[Save Ferris]

Yep. Ive had 360 gamers come to my house and just bring their HD to plug in to my system to show off their gamesaves etc. It basically turns into their box when they do this.

[Leechboy]

Looks like I won't have to buy a new system. Apparently I purchased gamestop.coms "Replacement Plan" with my system bundle. Has anyone had any experience with them? I'm hoping that I only have to send my system in.

Edit: I just got off the phone with them. They have no record of my purchase or my warranty. The person I was talking to didn't have any clue what was going on. A supervisor is going to call me tomorrow. Fun stuff.

[Michael Corvin]

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I just went to change the faceplate on my 360(my replacement from this ordeal), and noticed the entire "swiss cheese" grill on top(where the hard drive goes) of the system is cracked. It's no small crack either. I don't know how I missed that when I installed the hard drive. That fucking pisses me off to no end. The 360 I sent in was MINT. This is such bullshit. I was out of commission for a month the first time, I really don't want to be out another month.

I wonder if that is something they even replace. It's been 3 months since I had it replaced.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

here's the damage:
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/5561/360bustedob8.jpg

[Michael Corvin]

Just got off the phone and I think this represents about the way I feel:

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/8012/42466vr4.jpg

They are going to look at it, but since it's cosmetic, I may be charged the $130 fee outside of the warranty to fix it. Charged to fix some other asshat's mother fucking console. Spoke to a supervisor and they gave the same rhetoric speech. Since I didn't notice it the day I got it back, they have no proof that I didn't drop or damage the damn thing myself. They also state that I have no proof that it came back that way. Me knowing I opened the god damn box and sat the unit on my shelf where it hasn't moved since isn't quite good enough.

Gave me the spiel that in the warranty it states they ship out refurbished units and only do new consoles in the rarist cases. If they won't fix it w/o the charge(the 1% chance) I wonder if I can get my money back on the warranty. I'll go buy a new one and do the swap method. I was above that, but fuck MS and their bullshit ways, I'll do what I have to-to get a system worthy of the $400 I spent on it.

So now I wil be without my console even longer. Such a fucking bullshit system. I ship MS a perfect system, just fix MINE and ship MINE back. I'll wait. I don't want some other retard's busted shit.... GOD DAMNIT.

What a fucking nightmare.
AAUGH!!!

[Giantrobo]

I hate to agree with them because believe me, I feel your pain....but from their point of view they have no proof that you didn't do it yourself. I know you didn't, but I can see where they're coming from especially since you didn't see this and call them right away. Sure, they could be "cool" about it and take care of it but that's not likely.

I think it's always advised to carefully inspect products upon delivery and report problems within a certain time frame.

:(


Does the 360 still work? If it does then a cracked plastic piece won't matter. Hey, I played my PS2 with a broken on/off button from the 1st week I got it until I sold it.....

[Michael Corvin]

Oh, I agree I see their stance, but how many people are going to call up about a 360 they already had replaced once, with this problem? Seriously. They should be cool about it and fix it. Whatever happened to the "customer is always right" motto? It seems it only applies when it is convenient for them. I mean, I bought their $400 system. I bought a half dozen games. I bought a $60 warranty, a memory unit, yada, yada, yada. And really with all the systems they've had to replace/refurb, what is one more in the scheme of things?

As for the system, it works fine. I'm just anal about my shit. I'm not one to keep consoles though, so this pretty much kills any chance of a decent return investment for the console after this one.

So I must be the ONLY person in the world begging for the red ring now, just so I can get my system swapped for another. :lol:

[dvd-fanman]

I'm planning on getting a 360 soon and will likely buy it from BestBuy because I'll have a lot of RZ certs to use. Now I hear that BestBuy sells their own warranty on the console for something like $50 bucks and then MS has their own warranty for about $60 bucks. It's in my best interest to get the MS warranty only, correct? MS is the only people that are authorized to service the console correct? So why would I pay BB basically $50 bucks to send the console to MS for me, when I can get a direct warranty with MS that will cover anything that may happen to the system.

Is my logic and thinking of only getting the MS warranty correct?

[Michael Corvin]

So why would I pay BB basically $50 bucks to send the console to MS for me, when I can get a direct warranty with MS that will cover anything that may happen to the system.

First, it's not anything, read my rant above. Second, BB ties the warranty to your 360 serial. if they have to replace your 360 six months down the road, that's it, you have to buy a new warranty for the new 360. It's a sham. Go with the MS one. it is good for two years. If they send you a different one(which will be the case) they will transfer the warranty to the new 360 serial number.

At least that was the case with the original Xbox as I had to replace mine. One and done. Not a good deal at all.

[dvd-fanman]

First, it's not anything, read my rant above. Second, BB ties the warranty to your 360 serial. if they have to replace your 360 six months down the road, that's it, you have to buy a new warranty for the new 360. It's a sham. Go with the MS one. it is good for two years. If they send you a different one(which will be the case) they will transfer the warranty to the new 360 serial number.

At least that was the case with the original Xbox as I had to replace mine. One and done. Not a good deal at all.

Thanks for the info I will go with MS only then.

I should have been more specific because I know any type of warranty doesn't cover "everything" or "anything" was just using a generality when I shouldn't have. :) :::open mouth, insert foot, close mouth:::

[K&AJones]

Hmmmm...solution find you will...the Dark 360 Side clouds your mind it does. Once down Dark 360 path trouble you find. Need steady gaming you do hmmmmm....then retrain you must young XBox knight. Go and seek XBox you will so Dark 360 path you will not take.......Leave The Dark Side........

Kenny J. - Buzz

[Leechboy]

Finally after a week I got some info from gamestop.com. Apparently the website no longer offers warranties on their systems. The CS rep told me to bring it to any store and they would replace it for me. So I bring it to a store after work and guess what? They refused to do anything. They said that the website and the stores are not connected. They said that they had to get the district managers approval to do anything. They took my number and said they would call me. :rolleyes:



Edit: I decided to call back Gamestop customer service a few minutes later. The rep taking care of my case seemed pretty pissed about what the guy in the store told me. She said she would take care of everything and call me back in 30 minutes. 2 minutes later she calls and says that I can go in and get a new system. I was in and out of EB in 5 minutes with a brand new premium system in hand. I picked up another year warranty for $40. Not having to deal with Microsoft customer service and not getting a refurb system makes me very happy. :hump:

[fab]

I got my XBOX 360 back today. They replaced it with a different unit. This unit has a build date of December 2005; I really hope I don't have to have it repaired again but I won't be surpised.

--
fab

[Save Ferris]

I verified with my gamestop that they would replace my system if anything went wrong (I called and they have my info and confirmed theyd give me a new unit). I pretended my unit was broken and needed to be replaced so as to be sure I wasnt gettng a reassuring BS story. The only thing is my xbox warranty is up in november. I wonder if I can just update the service plan?

[shanomac316]

I live in Canada....does anyone know if you can get the Microsoft warranty in canada? If so, how does one get on that bandwagon?

Thanks peeps.

[abrg923]

I left NCAA 07 on last night when I made a quick run to the grocery. When I came home, I had the red lights, and the screen was blank. Powered it off, turned it back on, and everything's worked fine ever since.

I have my 360 currently on a shelf in my entertainment center that's about 18 inches wide, 10 inches high. Should I move it to a more open space?

[JHosk]

I live in Canada....does anyone know if you can get the Microsoft warranty in canada? If so, how does one get on that bandwagon?

Thanks peeps.


Yeah....just call 1-800-4MYXBOX.....the warranty can be bought for Canadian customers as well. It's a little over 50 bucks for two years.

[jiggawhat]

I think it's really ridiculous that one has to buy an extended warranty to me it seems like a way for them to just get a litte bit of extra money to fill their coffers. All these horror stories have been putting me off getting a 360 until they fix these overheating issues. Hopefully the problems are fixed when they do the redesign.

[JM]

I think it's really ridiculous that one has to buy an extended warranty to me it seems like a way for them to just get a litte bit of extra money to fill their coffers. All these horror stories have been putting me off getting a 360 until they fix these overheating issues. Hopefully the problems are fixed when they do the redesign.

These problems are isolated to a relatively small number of faulty units. None of my friends have had problems. I have personally left my 360 on for 7 days straight while getting the 7-day survivor achievement in Dead Rising. No problems whatsoever. Some people got defective units. I would wager they are a small minority. As with anything, only the people having problems tend to make noise and stand out.

[fujishig]

? You're basing your theory that there are a small number of faulty units on the fact that the small number of people you know haven't had problems with it?

I agree that the people who have problems are going to be more vocal than those that don't... but there was clearly some kind of manufacturing flaw in a big batch of the early 360s, as a lot of the symptoms people get are not just isolated incidents.

Sorry to rant... I had to play my PS1 upside down and my PS2 stopped reading blue (CD based) games, and Sony (and some people) still refuse to see that as a manufacturing problem.

It shouldn't prevent you from buying a 360 if you want one, but it should encourage you to at least consider a warranty.

[JM]

? You're basing your theory that there are a small number of faulty units on the fact that the small number of people you know haven't had problems with it?


No. That is just a factor, as is Microsoft's own failure/return rate report.


I agree that the people who have problems are going to be more vocal than those that don't... but there was clearly some kind of manufacturing flaw in a big batch of the early 360s, as a lot of the symptoms people get are not just isolated incidents.


I have launch day 360 that has never had a problem. Therefore, the statements I have seen elsewhere that imply that ALL early 360s are faulty is simply not true. While there does appear to be a flaw isolated to a batch or batches, I do not believe this is representative of most (or even a significant portion) of the 360s sold worldwide or the 360 design in general. When you factor in that a lot of people (not all) probably had issues caused by nothing more than improper ventilation, I would not worry about purchasing a 360.*

*I probably should disclose that I am a Microsoft shareholder.

[abrg923]

I left NCAA 07 on last night when I made a quick run to the grocery. When I came home, I had the red lights, and the screen was blank. Powered it off, turned it back on, and everything's worked fine ever since.

I have my 360 currently on a shelf in my entertainment center that's about 18 inches wide, 10 inches high. Should I move it to a more open space?

Anybody have a quick answer on this? I'm afraid to play it again without hearing for certain. :)

[MrX]

I woudn't leave NCAA on. EA did a shitty job with it.

It gave me the red lights before, I unplugged the system and removed the HD, and it worked fine when I turned it on again. It still worked fine after I put the HD back on. Don't bother calling MS or EA as they'll blame each other.

[abrg923]

I woudn't leave NCAA on. EA did a shitty job with it.

It gave me the red lights before, I unplugged the system and removed the HD, and it worked fine when I turned it on again. It still worked fine after I put the HD back on. Don't bother calling MS or EA as they'll blame each other.

I just want to make sure my system has enough ventilation. That's the only possible cause I can think of for what happened with the red lights. Does the space I'm describing sound adequate?

[Giantrobo]

I just want to make sure my system has enough ventilation. That's the only possible cause I can think of for what happened with the red lights. Does the space I'm describing sound adequate?


Do what I do. Got a fan? I just point my fan towards my 360 when i play so there's plenty of air moving around it. I have mine in an entertainment center with an open back and the only time it ever froze up(no red lights mind you) was on a hot day when had the fan on oscillate. This meant it was only getting air part-time. ONce I put the fan back on it it was fine.

[darkside]

I think it's really ridiculous that one has to buy an extended warranty to me it seems like a way for them to just get a litte bit of extra money to fill their coffers. All these horror stories have been putting me off getting a 360 until they fix these overheating issues. Hopefully the problems are fixed when they do the redesign.
This is what ultimately happened to me. I went through so many nightmares with the PS2 that I didn't want a repeat with a $400 console not to mention with accessories, a couple of games and the warranty I would be spending $700+. However, I know a few people with 360s and all have had no issues other than my brother in law who had his unit die right after he bought it.

I personally think the issues are 99% heat releated. I don't think the console can always move the hot air away well enough depending on where its placed. Putting a fan on it or buying one of those fans that attach to it will probably prevent most of the potential problems that you could have.

I still want one down the road, but I am also wanting to wait until Microsoft can modify the console a bit so it produces less heat. I just rebuilt my PC and I have fans on the front, back and side of my case, a fan on the processor and a fan on the video card. If a PC needs that kind of cooling for gaming there is no way a compact console with three processors and a powerful video card is properly cooled.

[jiggawhat]

I think MS underestimated the heat factor for this console as you say.

[Giantrobo]

I think MS underestimated the heat factor for this console as you say.

Yeah, but I remember reports of "heat issues" in the 1st XBOX. I remember hearing them right after I bought mine and I remember freaking out. Perhaps it was mostly the boxed up display units with poor ventilation along with XBOX/MS haters spreading trumped up rumors, but I do remember it being an issue.

[Shagrath]

I just picked up a 360 this week, and the fan is extremely loud. It's definately louder than my PC, hell, it's even louder than my central AC.

A friend of mnie was over last night and commented on how it was a lot louder than his. Is this normal? Or should I take it back and try a different one?

[matome]

Nope, that's normal. The fan is loud and clearly audible. It gets even worse once a game disc starts spinning, whihc is way louder than the fan for some reason. Luckily, if you're playing a game with the volume up, it probably won't bother you, but you will certainly hear it during quiet scenes of a movie or game.

[Save Ferris]

I close my cabinet on the thing. Its got an open back with at least 3 feet of space and Ive never had a problem.

[dvd-fanman]

Nope, that's normal. The fan is loud and clearly audible. It gets even worse once a game disc starts spinning, whihc is way louder than the fan for some reason. Luckily, if you're playing a game with the volume up, it probably won't bother you, but you will certainly hear it during quiet scenes of a movie or game.

The fan on mine is not loud at all. At least I wouldn't consider it loud. If I have everything off in my living room and the TV on mute I only hear a very soft "pur" from the 360, no loud noise at all.

[Shagrath]

The fan on mine is not loud at all. At least I wouldn't consider it loud. If I have everything off in my living room and the TV on mute I only hear a very soft "pur" from the 360, no loud noise at all.

Maybe I should take mine back then, because you can hear this fan going from another room.

I'm pretty sure GameStop wouldn't consider this my one-time replacement if I do it within the first week. At least I hope not.

[dvd-fanman]

Maybe I should take mine back then, because you can hear this fan going from another room.

I'm pretty sure GameStop wouldn't consider this my one-time replacement if I do it within the first week. At least I hope not.

I'd say take it back if you can. Sounds like there's something wrong with that fan.

Don't know if it matters, but I think mine has a manufacture date of 5/06.

[Save Ferris]

If you have a year to let it break down (if you have the gamestop warranty) why not just wait 11 months? Returns under warranty are supposedly no hassle with them.

[Heartagram]

2 of my friends had to return there's because of problems, and one of them when he got it back it broke on him again, least to say, he wasnt to pleased.

[Cusm]

I close my cabinet on the thing. Its got an open back with at least 3 feet of space and Ive never had a problem.

I have mine on a metal baker's rack and it has open spaces and free flowing air in 360 degrees, and I have had to replace 2 units. So I do not think heat is the 99% cause of problems. Both tumes mine went out was immediately after about a 2 week period of inactivity - so I think my 360 was just getting back at me for not playing.

And out of the 8 people I know personally with 360s, I am the only one to have any problems with their system.

[dvd-fanman]

I went and purchased the extra warranty from MS for my 360 and mailed it in to them about 3 weeks ago. Do they still send you the contract documents for the extra warranty? I haven't received mine yet and if I should get something from them, I should have gotten it by now shouldn't I?

[abrg923]

Since Microsoft is letting people who bought the system at launch still exchange it for free if they're having problems, are they also letting people get the warranty?

[kgrogers1979]

I went and purchased the extra warranty from MS for my 360 and mailed it in to them about 3 weeks ago. Do they still send you the contract documents for the extra warranty? I haven't received mine yet and if I should get something from them, I should have gotten it by now shouldn't I?


I mailed in my warranty card several months ago and I never got anything back. They cashed my check as it showed up on my bank statement. Hopefully, it was Microsoft that actually got it, and not some random dude. :scratch2:

[Xanager]

I went and purchased the extra warranty from MS for my 360 and mailed it in to them about 3 weeks ago. Do they still send you the contract documents for the extra warranty? I haven't received mine yet and if I should get something from them, I should have gotten it by now shouldn't I?

That is one thing about the extended warranty I wasn't a big fan of. You don't get any hard proof, or even an email verifying your warranty dates. When I got mine they said they don't send anything out, it just stores it in their system.

[alxreys]

I guess I must have been one of the few people who actually got the contract documents for the extended warranty in the mail. One thing though: they arrived as soon as the original warranty expired.

[Giantrobo]

I guess I must have been one of the few people who actually got the contract documents for the extended warranty in the mail. One thing though: they arrived as soon as the original warranty expired.


I got papers after I ordered the 2 year ext. warr. from MS.

[nickdawgy]

I forgot to do my extended warranty, it's been about 2 months since I got it. Am I out of luck with Microsoft or is there still time?

[kgrogers1979]

I forgot to do my extended warranty, it's been about 2 months since I got it. Am I out of luck with Microsoft or is there still time?


The warranty card that comes with the 360 says you have 10 days from date of purchase to send it in. I don't know if that rule is actually enforced or not though.

[dvd-fanman]

I got papers after I ordered the 2 year ext. warr. from MS.

About how long did it take for them to arrive?

[Mopower]

About how long did it take for them to arrive?



Mine took about 3 months from the time I sent the check to the time I got the response.

[Lee Harvey Oswald]

So, yes? The problems still exist?

[gmal2003]

So, yes? The problems still exist?
Yes. Specifically if you had yours during or near launch. I got mine a day or so before Christmas and hadnt had problems with it for about 10 months. I got a rare crash here or there but it was every blue moon. Last week I update the Madden fatigued patch and it starts crashing constantly. I then get the red lights of death. MS is currently sending my empty box for replacement as we speak. If your 360 is a newer model though you might be ok.

[nickdawgy]

The warranty card that comes with the 360 says you have 10 days from date of purchase to send it in. I don't know if that rule is actually enforced or not though.

Suppose I take a chance and send the check or whatever, and it is enforced. Will they return it, or am I out of luck?

[kgrogers1979]

Suppose I take a chance and send the check or whatever, and it is enforced. Will they return it, or am I out of luck?


I don't know but you can call 1-800-4myxbox to find out. That is the Xbox support number.

[BBEANLPHIE]

Mine just bombed out with 3 red lights 2 days ago. Im waiting for my box to ship it back in. I had it perfectly ventilated and this is the first system ever to have problems one me.

[Fripp]

I forgot to do my extended warranty, it's been about 2 months since I got it. Am I out of luck with Microsoft or is there still time?
Apparently, you can buy the service plan anytime up to the end of the original 90 day warranty. I called the 800 number and got my warranty on day 90, so you should be golden.:)

[Lazy Bum]

I bought my 360 on the day of launch and never had a problem until yesterday. Got the 3 red lights. Called Gamestop where I got it and they said I could just switch it out with a new one. Glad I bought their extended warranty, I was thinking it was a waste.

[Save Ferris]

yep my year warranty ends in Nov.

I played dead rising for hours to try to get it to crash so i could get a new system before then, but it never failed. Oh well. Its a launch unit, if it ever fails MS will give me a new one free :)

[movieking]

Anyone know when those of us who paid for repairs will get our refunds?

[Rob V]

I was told 4-8 weeks for the refund.

[BBEANLPHIE]

I bought my 360 on the day of launch and never had a problem until yesterday. Got the 3 red lights. Called Gamestop where I got it and they said I could just switch it out with a new one. Glad I bought their extended warranty, I was thinking it was a waste.

Dam a new one? Im sending mine back to MS and getting a refurb. How much was gamestops warranty?

[jonw9]

I got mine last year on Dec. 22 and I too just got the red lights last week.
I took mine to EB games and got a brand new one as well.
The warranty was $40, but was due to expire in December anyway so I did not send it to MS.
I got a whole new unit, controller, powerpack, everything.
The bad news was they didn't know about the HD, so I gave that back too. I was able to redownload all games I had purchased from the marketplace, but I lost my saves. It gives me an excuse to start a new character in Oblivion and start me NCAA dynasty over.

[BBEANLPHIE]

so its $40 for 1 year? anyone know how much for 2 years?

They must make a ton of money from the warranty purchases thinking how many systems can break down in 1 year. I wonder if they took a loss from all the warranties for the 360

[Lazy Bum]

Went to Gamestop today and they traded my 360 out for a new one. They also didn't know if the hard drive would be a problem so I just kept the new one. Gonna have to start my Madden dynasty over. Reupped for another year at $40 also.

[movieking]

Didn't you lose all of your game saves by trading in your hard drive? If I were you, I would have kept the hard drive and tested it with a different 360 before giving it back.

[Michael Corvin]

Went to Gamestop today and they traded my 360 out for a new one. They also didn't know if the hard drive would be a problem so I just kept the new one. Gonna have to start my Madden dynasty over. Reupped for another year at $40 also.

That's the problem with the store warranties. One and done. If your 360 breaks more than once you are essentially paying $40 a year just to play it on top of the $400.

MS may do refurbs, but at least in 2 years they will fix it as many times required w/o charging you for a new warranty every time.

[Ianscloset]

I have had my Premium system since March of '06 and am now having problems. I dont play the system that much, like maybe onece or twice a week for a few hours but have been using it as an Upconverting DVD player recently because I got the VGA cables. About 2 weeks ago I was watching a film's special features and it just froze up and a bunch of pink/white line patterns were on my screen, I just thought it had been on awhile so I turned it off and that was that. Last night I was watching the special features on Slither (watched the film 1st) and it did the same thing and I just thought it was hot. I started up Clockwork Orange today and 10 min into the movie it did it again, so I got a bit worried. I threw in Chromehounds to see if the worked (Ive played games sincce the 1st freeze and its been fine) and about 20 min into the game it froze. I bought it at best buy and got the 2 yr warranty on it so I shouldnt have problem going and getting a new system but my question is do you think I would be able to get my next warranty from MS or would it be to late??? I hate how BB is System specific cause you use it once and thats it while MS's is for however long its good for. Thanks everyone.

[Ianscloset]

I also just checked out the MFR date on the system, it is 04-21-2006 so well after the Launch date. I also noticed while looking at the system and moving it around that there is a rattle going on inside the system which I am assuming it the disc tray but not sure. Anyone else know what this is???

[kgrogers1979]

I have had my Premium system since March of '06 and am now having problems. ... I also just checked out the MFR date on the system, it is 04-21-2006 so well after the Launch date.

Uh, how did you buy the 360 in March if it wasn't manufactured until April 21? :hscratch:

One of the above posters said that you have until the end of the original 90 day warranty to buy the extended MS warranty. You are probably over that time limit, but you could always call the MS support number and see what they say about it. If you have the Best Buy warranty, you could exchange your 360 for a new one there, and then buy the MS warranty on your new one.

[Lazy Bum]

You know when I switched my system out they didn't even check if it was actually broken. The guy didn't even look to see if everything was in there (which it was minus the original bonus remote that came with the premium at launch.) It does kinda suck that once the warranty is over its over, but since it was going to end in a month or so, I don't feel that bad.

[Ianscloset]

I meant May... I realized after I posted it and was on my way too work. My bad! Yeah Im going to go in tom. too pick up a new one... as long as I get too keep my HD and my faceplate ill be happy, and if it works of course.

[Leechboy]

I also just checked out the MFR date on the system, it is 04-21-2006 so well after the Launch date. I also noticed while looking at the system and moving it around that there is a rattle going on inside the system which I am assuming it the disc tray but not sure. Anyone else know what this is???

The rattle is the fans. It freaked me out when I opened my new system up and heard it rattle.

[Ianscloset]

Well I just got from Best Buy and I am not happy. I went up to the customer service desk and told them that I bought the 360 from them a few months ago and it keeps freezing on me and I got the warranty for it. The lady looks at my reciept and then goes and talks to some guy behind the desk and comes back saying that I have to call their 1-800 customer service line and then mail my 360 out and blah blah blah. I was like I thought with the replacement plan that you guys would just exchange it for another one and she said not if its been past 90 days. I didnt have time to argue with her since I was supposed to be at work in a bit and just left. Does that sound right? The only reason I bought the warranty from them in the 1st place was so I wouldnt have too make calls and mail out my system and wait weeks and weeks to get another, I might as well go with the MS warranty since it would be in better hands. Does anyone have any idea if this is what happens cause I know some other people on this board had no issue with getting a new one. Thanks

[jonw9]

You know when I switched my system out they didn't even check if it was actually broken. The guy didn't even look to see if everything was in there (which it was minus the original bonus remote that came with the premium at launch.) It does kinda suck that once the warranty is over its over, but since it was going to end in a month or so, I don't feel that bad.

Exactly what I did, although they did opne the box, if just to check for the controller. I too kept the remote, although I have not even used it.

[Ianscloset]

Well i thought it over and im going to try a different approach. My 360 has been on the bottem shelf of my entertainment center, in the horizontal position with my (Slim) ps2 sitting atop of it, the power brick was behind it against the wall with all of my other cables. Now, since I dont want to ship it out just yet, i am going to leave the xbox where it is, put the ps2 on another shelf and whenever i am using the system, will pull out the power brick and have it sitting on my floor in front of my entertainment center. Im hoping this will stop the freezing issue (since I havent had the 3 rings yet!).

[kgrogers1979]

My 360 has been on the bottem shelf of my entertainment center, in the horizontal position with my (Slim) ps2 sitting atop of it, the power brick was behind it against the wall with all of my other cables.


I am no electronics expert but that does sound like bad news. The exhaust fan is on the back of the 360, so by having your power brick behind the 360, it is blowing hot air onto it. The power brick by itself gets pretty hot, so I would imagine if the 360 also blows hot air onto it, the power brick is overheating. As I said though, I am not an expert on these things, so I could be wrong. I keep both my 360 and power brick in wide open spaces and have never had a problem (except for freezing during Oblivion but that game is just buggy itself).

[jonw9]

So I have been playing my replacement 360 this weekend, and it has made a funny noise on occasion. It makes a little buzzing sound, like something in the fan or something. But it only happens once in a while, usually when something is happening in the game.

Should I just wait it out and see if it dies? I can't really recreate whatever it is, so I think I would have a hard time exchanging...again.

[Ianscloset]

Well I moved everythng around, pulled my power brick out and was ready to play some Chromehounds and when I fired up the 360, my TV could not find the VGA signal, I made sure the cables were all connected properly and restarted it again and sure enough... got the "3 Rings of Death". Now I have no choice but too call the Best Buy 1-800 number... yay for me!

[Giantrobo]

So I have been playing my replacement 360 this weekend, and it has made a funny noise on occasion. It makes a little buzzing sound, like something in the fan or something. But it only happens once in a while, usually when something is happening in the game.

Should I just wait it out and see if it dies? I can't really recreate whatever it is, so I think I would have a hard time exchanging...again.

Could it be the CD-ROM ramping up to access data on the disc? If it is I think this noise is normal.

[Giantrobo]

I bought Dead Rising today so we'll see if it kills my 360 :lol::(

[Nth Power]

I bought my 360 in April this year and a couple days ago I had my first red light along with an E68 error message showing on the TV. I restarted it and it's been OK since then but my fingers remain crossed.

[kgrogers1979]

I bought Dead Rising today so we'll see if it kills my 360 :lol::(

I beat that game in one sitting when I first got it and my 360 never even stuttered throughout the whole 10-12 hour session. I have played through the game 4 times total without a single problem any time. I think the reports of Dead Rising breaking 360s is overexaggerated.

In other news, I did have my first dirty disc error today while playing Ninja Gaiden. I hope my 360 isn't on its way out.

[jonw9]

Could it be the CD-ROM ramping up to access data on the disc? If it is I think this noise is normal.


Maybe. I never noticed with my old 360, so maybe it is the new drive. It sounds kinda like the disk is spinning and hitting something (Bzzzt) but I looked at the disk and it didn't seem to have marks on either side. :confused:

[Ianscloset]

Well Best Buy is sending me a box in which I am supposed to ship ALL of the items that originally came with the system and mail it back to them for in which they will send me a gift card that is of the amount i spent on the system and I can just go in a buy a new one. Im happy that I dont have to wait weeks and weeks for a new system or wont get a refurbished system back... But I will die before I end them my HD. Ive unlocked so many achievements and gotten so many points on it. To be continued...

[kgrogers1979]

But I will die before I end them my HD. Ive unlocked so many achievements and gotten so many points on it. To be continued...

Your achievements and gamerscore are not stored on the hard drive. They are linked to your gamertag username. When you get the new 360 with hard drive, just log onto it using your current username and it will retrieve all your achievements. The only thing you would really lose by sending in your hard drive is your game save files.

[Michael Corvin]

Your achievements and gamerscore are not stored on the hard drive. They are linked to your gamertag username. When you get the new 360 with hard drive, just log onto it using your current username and it will retrieve all your achievements. The only thing you would really lose by sending in your hard drive is your game save files.

And he will have to redownload everything. Games, themes, gamerpics. It's all free to d/l again, but a hassle if you have bought a lot.

[Ianscloset]

Well does it matter if I dont have my 360 connected to the internet? I have only been online with my 360 once and that was when the demo was released for Dead Rising about 2 months ago. How are my achievements and such recorded on Live if there is no connection??? Im sorry if that sounded a bit rude... And by points I mean gamer points not xbox live points.

[BBEANLPHIE]

I just got mine back today. They got my xbox and sent it back the next day in the morning. Does anyone know what they do over to have such a fast turn around time? I thought it was going to get a refurb but I got mine back with the same serial # unless they swapped the casing and put in different internals?

[Michael Corvin]

You got yours back? Damn. Lucky bastard. :lol:

[BBEANLPHIE]

Strange to see such a fast turn around time for anything. They got in at noon time and the next morning I have email stating its shipping back to me. Anyone know what they do to *fix* it?

[Michael Corvin]

Strange to see such a fast turn around time for anything. They got in at noon time and the next morning I have email stating its shipping back to me. Anyone know what they do to *fix* it?

Well, these returns should be drying up as they solved the problem. Probably a dozen showing up a day which would lead to a quick turnaround. Not to mention the tech guys could probably do this repair in their sleep now. I would think if you have a launch system and it hasn't effed up yet you are probably in the clear.

[BBEANLPHIE]

I sure did miss my 360 though. Luckily the UPS guy came right before I went to work. I wonder if anyone can provide insight as to why so many 360's got the red light and what there instant fix was.

[fmian]

I got mine in March (month of Australian release) with a 5 year warranty. Got the 3 red rings this Tuesday morning, got it swapped over that day. Took it home and the new one worked for about a day before having intermittant dirty disc errors. Got the new one swapped over on Thursday and am yet to test the new one.
Glad I work in a retail store that sells these things, otherwise I would have had to send the first one to MS for evaluation before a repair/replacement.
I'm not angry or anything. I just want the damn thing to work now.

[Daryl]

OK, so I sent mine in September to get fixed (3 red rings of death). The replacement I got seems to be faulty as well. The disc drive makes loud clicking noises, and eventually gives me a "unable to read dirty disc" warning, then I pull the game out and it has a perfect circle of marks on it. It did this to a brand new game. To say I'm not happy is an understatement. Do these replacement boxes have a warranty? Can I return it and get another replacement? I've been busy the last 5-6 weeks, so I didn't get a chance to test out the replacement box as much as I should have right away.

[kgrogers1979]

Do these replacement boxes have a warranty? Can I return it and get another replacement?

If you have the extended warranty, then yes, it does carry over to your replacement console. Theoretically, you get unlimited repairs/exchanges for the full 2 years.

[Michael Corvin]

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I just went to change the faceplate on my 360(my replacement from this ordeal), and noticed the entire "swiss cheese" grill on top(where the hard drive goes) of the system is cracked. It's no small crack either. I don't know how I missed that when I installed the hard drive. That fucking pisses me off to no end. The 360 I sent in was MINT. This is such bullshit. I was out of commission for a month the first time, I really don't want to be out another month.

I wonder if that is something they even replace. It's been 3 months since I had it replaced.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

here's the damage:
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/5561/360bustedob8.jpg

Well, just thought I would follow up to this. I called the same day about this(8/19) and they were going to ship me an empty box. I figured, whatever, they aren't going to fix it free and I'm out shipping. The guy was persistent though and was determined to send me a box. Best case, the damage is covered and they fix it no charge, worse case they want money and I'm out my 360 for a "week."

The box arrived two days ago. rotfl It only took 2 months to get an empty box to me! Like I want to ship them my system now, who knows when I might get it back. I still don't think it will be worth the shipping cost, but maybe once I get my Wii, I'll do a minimal ventilated Dead Rising marathon to try and kill it anyway. :shrug: I'm at a loss. This should be on their dime not mine. Sending out broken refurbs. A*holes.

[Daryl]

If you have the extended warranty, then yes, it does carry over to your replacement console. Theoretically, you get unlimited repairs/exchanges for the full 2 years.

I don't have the extended warranty, but in this case I feel that I shouldn't need it:

-I paid them $125 to fix my 360

-In lieu of fixing my machine, they sent me a replacement

-the replacement is faulty

To me that's the same as them fixing my original, sending it back to me, and it still not working. Now, of course when I call them, they'll probably see it differently.

[kgrogers1979]

-I paid them $125 to fix my 360

-In lieu of fixing my machine, they sent me a replacement


I could be wrong about this, but I think when you paid the $125, they gave you the extended warranty. It was just at a higher price since you didn't buy it back when you first bought the console.

I could be wrong about this too, but I think Microsoft sends everyone a replacement console. They take your broken one, fix it, and then send it to some other person that calls in. I think this happens with pretty much everyone.

[Daryl]

I could be wrong about this, but I think when you paid the $125, they gave you the extended warranty. It was just at a higher price since you didn't buy it back when you first bought the console.
Hmm, that would be interesting and make sense. i'll check with them tonight. Thanks!

I could be wrong about this too, but I think Microsoft sends everyone a replacement console. They take your broken one, fix it, and then send it to some other person that calls in. I think this happens with pretty much everyone.I didn't even mind getting a replacement, I figured I would. But I had hoped the replacement wouldn't scratch up brand new games! ;)

[eatntae]

Well, I finally got around to calling Xbox Support today. I didn't purchase the 2 year warranty when I first got the console last Christmas. I got a little nervous after all the stories about the Red Ring of Death, and I freaked out when I got the ring of death a few months ago. Luckily, my console still worked after that, and I haven't had problems since. Then came the story that Microsoft was going to extend the warranty for consoles made in 2005. I realized that November is quickly approaching, so I finally made the call. I asked if I could purchase the 2-year extended warranty, and they let me do it without a problem. Who knows if I'll ever need it, but after all these scares, at least I know I'll be covered (minus shipping now, apparently) for a couple more years.

[bikerfool]

Yes they are still having trouble. I got mine in april and 4 days ago the ill fated 3 red lights appeared and now it wont work. I bought mine from Dell.com so no extended warranty was offered and MS wants me to pay 140 to fix it, which I dont have so Im screwed here witha system that doesnt work, 8 games and I cant play and a crap load live arcade titles til it get it fixed

[jiggawhat]

just bought one from costco, so no need to worry about the extended warranty. hopefully mine doesn't crap out.

[Artman]

just bought one from costco, so no need to worry about the extended warranty. hopefully mine doesn't crap out.

How long does Costco's no-questions returns last?

[Michael Corvin]

Just like everyone suspected, stay away from the Nyko Intercooler. It hurts your system more than it helps it. Read on. (http://www.elektriq.com/articles/microsoft-doubtful-about-nykos-cooling-device)

[Giantrobo]

Ha!!! I was at the Best Buy on PCH in Torrance CA and their display 360 has 2 flashing red rings and is giving the multi-language "Contact Support" message. :lol:

What does 2 red rings mean again?

[Anubis2005X]

How long does Costco's no-questions returns last?

Costco will take back anything for any reason for forever...

[Obey The D]

Ha!!! I was at the Best Buy on PCH in Torrance CA and their display 360 has 2 flashing red rings and is giving the multi-language "Contact Support" message. :lol:

What does 2 red rings mean again?

Two lights means it's overheating. It's amazing what one can find out by using a little thing called google. :p

Speaking of system failures, my launch system finally shit the bed yesterday. I made the call to customer service and all I can say is that I'm going to be pretty pissed if I don't get it back in time for the release of COD 3 and Gears of War.

[Giantrobo]

Two lights means it's overheating. It's amazing what one can find out by using a little thing called google. :p


I'm glad it came in handy. You should Bookmark it for my future questions I may have. :D

1. Using google to find answers for yourself...Cool!
2. Getting <i>others</i> to use google to find the answer <i>for you</i>...Fuckin' Awesome!! :lol:

[fmian]

Yes they are still having trouble. I got mine in april and 4 days ago the ill fated 3 red lights appeared and now it wont work. I bought mine from Dell.com so no extended warranty was offered and MS wants me to pay 140 to fix it, which I dont have so Im screwed here witha system that doesnt work, 8 games and I cant play and a crap load live arcade titles til it get it fixed

Don't they come with a one year warranty?? Why do they want you to pay for it?

[aktick]

I'm thinking about getting a 360, but really don't want to hassle with a product that might not even work right long-term...have whatever problems there were with the 360s been fixed with new ones?

[bikerfool]

Don't they come with a one year warranty?? Why do they want you to pay for it?



I was told it is only a 90 day warranty from xbox. So since im beyond the 90 days and it was made 23 days after they extended the warranty...they tell me I have to pay...unreal huh?

[darkside]

I'm thinking about getting a 360, but really don't want to hassle with a product that might not even work right long-term...have whatever problems there were with the 360s been fixed with new ones?
I know three people that bought new units anywhere from 6-9 months ago and don't have issues at all so I'm hopeful that this is going to work itself out. At this point though the Xbox360 has a reputation worse than the PS2 at its "disc read error" height of fame.

I miss the days of consoles that you knew would last 10-20 years easily. I doubt the 360 or PS3 will last more than 2-3 years of regular use. They just run too hot and are too compact.

[fmian]

I was told it is only a 90 day warranty from xbox. So since im beyond the 90 days and it was made 23 days after they extended the warranty...they tell me I have to pay...unreal huh?

Only 90 days??
Don't you have some law in your country that says any electrical appliance has to have at least 12 months warranty?
How did MS get away with only giving 90days???

[kgrogers1979]

I miss the days of consoles that you knew would last 10-20 years easily. I doubt the 360 or PS3 will last more than 2-3 years of regular use. They just run too hot and are too compact.


Maybe that is why Nintendo was so adamant about never switching to CD technology a decade ago? Maybe they were psychic and knew all these advanced technologies would break down much easier. :eek:

Of course, there is no way anyone could still use the old cartridge format nowadays with all these huge file sizes. I wonder how much a 5GB cartridge game would cost? :lol:

[Giantrobo]

I miss the days of consoles that you knew would last 10-20 years easily. I doubt the 360 or PS3 will last more than 2-3 years of regular use. They just run too hot and are too compact.


Uhm what world was this? Every console I've had since Atari 2600 has had "issues" at some point. Some major, some minor...Some sooner, some later.

[darkside]

Uhm what world was this? Every console I've had since Atari 2600 has had "issues" at some point. Some major, some minor...Some sooner, some later.
Maybe I'm just lucky then but my Atari 2600, NES, SNES, Genesis, Sega CDX, 3DO, PSone and Dreamcast all still work fine and my Saturn was still working great when I sold it a couple of years ago. The only clunker console I ever owned was the PS2. I did replace my launch GameCube after 5 years, but it still technically worked. I just wanted another component out Cube and had a feeling the Cube might be on its last legs after 5 years of really heavy use.

I have no faith in either the PS3 or Xbox360 to hold up to really heavy use for 5 years. All that heat will take its toll and its becoming obvious that corners are cut on these consoles due to the heavy losses Sony and MS take on them. Sony wants the PS3 to be used constantly as a game machine and movie player. I can't wait to see the fail rate of these things. Between the heat, fans, blu-ray drive, internal HDD and internal power supply there is just so much to go wrong and so little chance of Sony building these things to last consider how much money they already lose on them. However, I hope to be really wrong about that. I went through a lot of PS2 replacements and don't wish that on anyone with a $600 console.

[frstdejo]

I am on my 2nd 360 after the Crimson Trinity of Doom!

I would gladly trade my sleek curvy 360 for a big, clunky one with proper airflow. My launch console passed away late September, quite coincidentally a week after I bought Dead Rising.

Frstdejo

[Save Ferris]

I dont think overheating is the reason for every breakdown. My console is still going strong and its a:

--launch console
--sitting in a cabinet with 3" max airflow on 3 sides (open back)
--played Dead Rising for hours and hours
--played every day sometimes for hours at a time (or to play movies)

I dont care if mine breaks. It will be fixed free and im not such a loser that I cant live without it for a few weeks ;)

[Trevor]

I'm about to get one (just got about 12 games in the EB/FYE combo deal), and I am thinking that I might as well add one of those fan/coolers to it.

Any thoughts on the pros/cons of those add-ons?

[Giantrobo]

I'm about to get one (just got about 12 games in the EB/FYE combo deal), and I am thinking that I might as well add one of those fan/coolers to it.

Any thoughts on the pros/cons of those add-ons?


Someone posted an article talking about how the way the intercooler shares power with the 360 "may" cause problems. I'm not sure about other coolers if they're out there. I can't find the post but you might have better luck.


Do what I do and just point your room fan on your 360 when you play it.

[Michael Corvin]

I'm about to get one (just got about 12 games in the EB/FYE combo deal), and I am thinking that I might as well add one of those fan/coolers to it.

Any thoughts on the pros/cons of those add-ons?


A few posts above: Intercooler Woes (http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showpost.php?p=7395377&postcount=209)

The article makes sense, give it a read.

[kgrogers1979]

I am a firm believer that the Intercooler (or any third-party cooling device) is nothing more than the placebo effect. A lot of people that use them still have had their 360 die.

Just get the extended warranty. If your 360 dies, then Microsoft will replace it. There is no need to waste money on a device that may or may not prevent an untimely death.

[matome]

The 360 sounds like a turbine already. I wonder what it's like with that thing added on.

[Save Ferris]

I shut the door on my 360 and the sound is managable. I dont care about airflow, its been fine.

[Michael Corvin]

So how hot DOES the 360 get? Wanna find out? Click Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLabckoPC0g&eurl=)

[kgrogers1979]

So how hot DOES the 360 get? Wanna find out? Click Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLabckoPC0g&eurl=)

I wonder if he will send that 360 back to Microsoft to get it fixed. I would love to see Microsoft's reaction when they open the case and see pieces of a fried egg in there. :lol:

[Save Ferris]

Dont most CPUs get over 100 degrees without the fan on?

You could probably fry an egg on any cpu

[darkside]

Dont most CPUs get over 100 degrees without the fan on?

You could probably fry an egg on any cpu
The issue I have is the fact its three processors and a high end video card in a very compact area. I just don't see anyway this console can be properly cooled if a game is using 2 or 3 of the processors.
You look at the way gaming PCs are built with cooling in mind and you see the problems with this tight console design.

I see consoles like the 360 and PS3 having fairly short lifespans for anyone that is a heavy user.

[Barney1234]

My original system, purchased in February 2006, has died, 3 flashing lights.
:(

[fmian]

Just an update on my post a while back about getting a replacement.
My new unit seems to run faster with the load times. Fight Night 3 used to take ages to load and I'd say it's twice as fast to load now. Have the systems been optimised since launch or did my old one more than likely have some heating problem?

Also, certain gameplay seems faster going through component out compared to rca out. I've got mine setup to either play through the projector (component) or my CRT TV (rca) and I flick the HD switch on the AV cable when I want to choose one display device or the other. When playing Fight Night 3, the players move faster on component, and the little analogue stick indicator that you follow to reduce swelling between rounds moves faster as well.
Is this a known issue? It's not a big problem, I'd just like my gameplay to be consistant.

[mbs]

I looked for this answer (it's probably here somewhere), but couldn't find it (sorry it I overlooked the obvious):

If I buy a 360 from BestBuy.com, how can I get the extended warranty from MS? And how much is that warranty?

[porieux]

Wow. I'm going to stick with getting a Wii.

[dvd-fanman]

I looked for this answer (it's probably here somewhere), but couldn't find it (sorry it I overlooked the obvious):

If I buy a 360 from BestBuy.com, how can I get the extended warranty from MS? And how much is that warranty?

There is a form inside the box to fill out and send in to Microsoft directly. If I remember correctly for the 2 years I paid about $56.90. I bought mine from a BestBuy store, but it was still the same. Just don't take the BestBuy warranty because that's one replacement and you're done.

[Michael Corvin]

I looked for this answer (it's probably here somewhere), but couldn't find it (sorry it I overlooked the obvious):

If I buy a 360 from BestBuy.com, how can I get the extended warranty from MS? And how much is that warranty?

1-800-4MY-XBOX

The MS warranty covers your system for as many times as it takes to get you a functional system. If it takes 10 times, there is no extra charge. The drawback is you get a refurb system that may not be the one you send in.

The store specific warranty is only good once but you get a new system off the shelf. Problem is, you have to buy a new warranty for the new system.

Choices. :)

[darkside]

Wow. I'm going to stick with getting a Wii.
I've nearly bought a 360 about 10 times already, but this thread and many others out on the net have stopped me. There are just too many people having issues for me to be convinced that Microsoft has fully worked this stuff out. The fact you have to buy an extended warranty just turns the 360 into a more expensive console and who knows how long it will last past the time that runs out.

I'm going to end up buying the Wii as well since I know I won't need an extended warranty with a Nintendo system.

[Save Ferris]

I've nearly bought a 360 about 10 times already, but this thread and many others out on the net have stopped me. There are just too many people having issues for me to be convinced that Microsoft has fully worked this stuff out. The fact you have to buy an extended warranty just turns the 360 into a more expensive console and who knows how long it will last past the time that runs out.

I'm going to end up buying the Wii as well since I know I won't need an extended warranty with a Nintendo system.

The warranty is no more expensive than a game really. But you're right, if you cant afford something like that, then the 360 probably isnt for you.

but lets be honest, you buy the console with the games you want--$50 for peace of mind shouldnt factor in to it.

[Giantrobo]

I've nearly bought a 360 about 10 times already, but this thread and many others out on the net have stopped me. There are just too many people having issues for me to be convinced that Microsoft has fully worked this stuff out. The fact you have to buy an extended warranty just turns the 360 into a more expensive console and who knows how long it will last past the time that runs out.

I'm going to end up buying the Wii as well since I know I won't need an extended warranty with a Nintendo system.

darkside, we get it....you're afraid to buy a 360. I picture you surfing all the "Ef MS my 360 broke!!" sites and feeding into your fears. :lol: Don't get me wrong, you may have a point on this issue and it sucks that this new product has some "issues". Either way, by the time you get bored playing with your Wii the 360 will be redesigned and kicking even more ass. :p

And on another topic, who cares if it's not working 10 years from now. By then the latest and greatest things will be out and most will have probably traded their 360s, PS3s, and Wiis by then anyway.

I'll say it again, I go all the way back to Atari 2600 and EVERY system I've had...including the Mighty Nintendo systems...have never lasted longer than 5 or 6 years.

[Giantrobo]

The warranty is no more expensive than a game really. But you're right, if you cant afford something like that, then the 360 probably isnt for you.

but lets be honest, you buy the console with the games you want--$50 for peace of mind shouldnt factor in to it.

Agreed :up:

[kgrogers1979]

And who cares if it's not working 10 years from now. By then the latest and greatest things will be out and most will have probably traded their 360s, PS3s, and Wiis in already by then anyway.


And Microsoft probably learned their lesson this time around with the backwards compatibility thing, so hopefully their next system will be fully BC. If that happens, then who cares if the 360 dies in 5 years, when the next-next-gen Xbox will play all 360 games plus next-next-gen games.

[darkside]

The warranty is no more expensive than a game really. But you're right, if you cant afford something like that, then the 360 probably isnt for you.

but lets be honest, you buy the console with the games you want--$50 for peace of mind shouldnt factor in to it.
Afford has nothing to do with it. I spend ten times that on my Home Theater hardware and just spent $1200 building a PC. Its a matter of value. A console that breaks less than a year after purchase is not worth $400. I went through this crap with the PS2 several times and will not do it again with the 360.

Like I said, I know some people that have 360s with no issues so far and I know that the problems are the minority of people. Next year I may finally jump in and get a 360. I'm mostly curious to see if them changing to more power efficient chips makes any difference in temperature. Believe me I want a 360, but I am not okay with this idea that you should have to buy an extended warranty. CE products should easily last a decade.

[porieux]

To be honest, this is pretty much what I would have expected from Microsoft. They don't really know this market. Nintendo has been doing this for a looong time.

[Giantrobo]

To be honest, this is pretty much what I would have expected from Microsoft. They don't really know this market. Nintendo has been doing this for a looong time.


Uhm...I think there's already a Wii Thread for all the "Wii/Nintendo Rulez!" Fanboy Comments.... ;)

[Darknite39]

I'll say it again, I go all the way back to Atari 2600 and EVERY system I've had...including the Mighty Nintendo systems...have never lasted longer than 5 or 6 years.
You must have bad luck. My NES is still going strong, and it's pushing 20.

[Save Ferris]

Afford has nothing to do with it. I spend ten times that on my Home Theater hardware and just spent $1200 building a PC. Its a matter of value. A console that breaks less than a year after purchase is not worth $400. I went through this crap with the PS2 several times and will not do it again with the 360.

Like I said, I know some people that have 360s with no issues so far and I know that the problems are the minority of people. Next year I may finally jump in and get a 360. I'm mostly curious to see if them changing to more power efficient chips makes any difference in temperature. Believe me I want a 360, but I am not okay with this idea that you should have to buy an extended warranty. CE products should easily last a decade.

what does it matter if it breaks when they replace it for you? You can salvage all your game saves.

Do you feel ripped off? You know Microsoft is selling these consoles at a loss and having to honor the replacement plan costs them even more.

[darkside]

what does it matter if it breaks when they replace it for you? You can salvage all your game saves.

Do you feel ripped off? You know Microsoft is selling these consoles at a loss and having to honor the replacement plan costs them even more.
Of course I would feel ripped off. First of all they only give a 90 day waranty which is crap so you pretty much have to spring for the extended. Then you have no idea what kind of condition the refurbished replacement will be in or if it will even last very long.

Why is it okay for MS to make a console with a higher than normal defect rate? Because they sell it at a loss? I'm not asking them to sell things at a loss. If they can't build them properly at the current cost then either raise the retail price or lose more money. It is not exceptable though to knowingly put something on the market that has quality problems. They had to follow that up by bricking quite a few more consoles with their latest dashboard update.

I honestly believe Microsoft is working on this and it seems the launch units were the biggest offenders and things are improving, but it doesn't mean I excuse MS for it and I think I have a very valid reason not to spend $400 on a 360.

I do love the snob attitude that MS makes a product with quality issues and anyone that avoids it is cheap. Big thumbs up for that analysis.