Gideon68

MS just sent me a warranty extension as mine expires on 1/28/03. It's $24.95/year for up to 3 years. Is it worth it, and how long should I extend it for?

I've heard about X-Box owners having problems with their system reading discs. To those who are having problems: how long after you got it did it start and was there anything that could have contributed to the problem (system being dropped, food, not enough ventilation, etc.)? And with the possible price drop sometime in the near future, would it be better to just buy a new one. The warranty will cover all repair and parts for both the system and controller.

The only system I've had a problem with in the past is my Playstation. Two pieces of the spindle came off (diff times) when I was removing a game. It still plays but thinking of getting a PS One as the PS2 has trouble with some games.

MasterofDVD

I got my warranty as well and I was wondering about this.

If I do buy it I know I'll never have a problem but if I pass on it everything will break down the day after my warranty expires.

Honestly I know I probably should get the extension but I've never had a problem with any console I've owned. I do travel with them a few times but for the most part they are treated with care. As for factory defects it seems like the major problems w/ the XBOX were fixed by switching to another brand of DVD drive.

I still have the form in front of me but I'm not sure if it's worth the money. If I do it I am certainly only go 1 year at a time.

Liver&Onions

I jsut got mine too... I thikn I'll do it for one year...

Gideon68

Problem is: Will MS let you extend again after the first year is up?

I don't think the warranty covers misuse, so if you travel with it and drop it, they will prob make you pay for repairs.

finbogg

I am one of those people that has been having Dirty Disc Errors with my XBOX. I bought it Dec. 2001 and didn't buy the extended warranty. It has been kept in my entertainment center (no pop spills, food etc) and only moved 3-5 times for trips to a friends house. Mostly happens with Enclave and Serious Sam but also crops up in XBOX live, MotoGp, Tiger woods and Ghost recon.

I called them up a week ago to report my disc error problem and I was informed that it was still covered by the warranty (which is supposed to be only 90 days). The service rep said they'd send out a box to mail my XBOX in and get it all taken care of for free. Sounds like MS is recognizing that there's a problem and is trying to rectify it with as little fuss as possible.

Now I just have to get through 5-7 days without my XBOX.

Gideon68

Not bad. Free repairs after a year.

You might also want to check the Serious Sam Thread as it may be a defect in the game and not necessarily the system.

goLUCKY

Did you ever call them before that. Was that your first call to Xbox?

finbogg

Yep, that was my first call. I had been keeping track of the problem through the forums at xbox.com. There's a "dirty disc error"thread (about 28 pages long now) in the technical issues area. It looks like MS originally charged $100 for the repairs. Then as more complaints began filtering in, started giving discounts and now giving it for free.

In respect to Serious Sam being defective, you're probably right in some ways. I have had this error with six other games, the worst of which is Enclave. I think it's a combination of problems with the disc and the drive. Since the DVD drive is so-so quality, any borderline discs (in terms of manufacture quality) get errors. This would also explain why the magazine Demo discs play like crap in my XBOX but look fine in my friend's XBOX.

dgc

I've had the Airborne packaging for my xbox sitting in my house for over a week now and I can't bring myself to pack up my xbox for pickup.

Had my xbox since November 2001 and they are giving me a free repair as well. The CS rep told me that my problem (dirty disc errors) were still covered even though the original mfg. warranty expired.

Question:

Does anyone know if there is a warranty period after they make the repair (I assume they are replacing the dvd drive)?

Sloth911

when you send it away to be fixed, will the saved games on the HD remain?

i realize that the dvd-drive and the HD are spererate devices, but if it came to sending my xBox away, it would be nice to know if i should back stuff up on a memory card.

jrutz

Nope, says in the agreement there's no guarantee the data on the HD will be restored. Better buy that memory card...

Jeremy

dgc

I've read somewhere that they retain your memory on your hard drive. If they replace the machine they will copy the contents of your HD to the new machine. This includes game saves as well as xbox live account info.

To be on the safe side, I'm going to back up my favorite saves and xbox live info on a memory card.

goLUCKY

Make sure to back up your gamer tag onto a memory card! VERY IMPORTANT

edstein

I sent mine back a few weeks ago. I asked the CS rep if I would lose any data and he said no. I took my chances and guess what, the unit came back with everything intact. Plus, the dirty disk problem is gone and has not shown it's ugly head since. I am curious about the warranty as well. I have not gotten my warranty extension in the mail yet. It would problably be wise to pick it up.

finbogg

Same here. I got the box right before Christmas and finally sent it in today. I couldn't pass up on the gaming time during the holiday (plus the new games). Then my wife was out of town for a week. That's prime gaming time right there, so the box went empty another week. I gotta work late the next few nights so I figure now is a good time to go without the XBOX

I backed up all my really important stuff on my card (HALO and Dead or ALive Saves are HUGE!). While MS doesn't guarantee your saves will remain intact, they've also said that you shouldn't lose any info. I've got a ton of music on there so I hope that's true. You probably won't be missing anything, but I wouldn't risk it. This is especially true if you have XBOX LIVE. Like golucky said, better be sure to back that one up.

HEY edstein...how long before you got your XBOX back from when you sent it out. How bad were your disc errors?

Gideon68

Spoke with MS. Informed me the dirty disc errors happens to one of the first batches of systems but that there aren't many systems with that problem. Problem seems to occur about six months after use and no indication of it happening to to the lastest holiday bundle being sold (but then it hasn't been six months yet).

Rep also told me that they aren't repairing this problem for free but are giving discounts since they are aware of it. I think if they are aware of the problem, they should repair it for free since it is a defect in the hardware. For those who received free repairs after your warranty expired, good job.

If you extend your warranty, you can extend it again after the year is up but they will not remind you. Seems like it might be a good idea to extend it for at least a year.

Forgot to ask if new warranty after repairs, but I'm assuming there is a new 90-day warranty as they should guarantee their parts and service.

finbogg

From other people's experiences with this (reading XBOX forums at XBOX.com), it sounds like you can get different responses depending on who you talk to. Try calling back if you're having this problem.

It worked for me on the first call (free fix) but others have had to call back multiple times before they get a decent response.

J_J

Just received my xbox back, sent on New Years eve and received it back Monday 6th Jan.

The games all work fine now, played Ghost Recon for an hour and JSRF.

Got mine repaired for free without a warranty and the save games are still there.

Like the other posts got a nice person to talk to on the day, I was courteous but made sure they would fix it.

Excellent service and I will be getting the extended warranty now
!

JJ

dgc

I think whether you receive a free repair or not depends on the problem you are reporting and your serial # / manufacture date.

I'm getting the free repair. My mfg. date is 10/17/01. It was preordered early from amazon.com, which was probably one of the earlier manufacturing runs.

J_J

I do agree with the manufacturer date on the box post, mine was 10/20/2001 and this probably made them fix it.

JJ

finbogg

Yeah, my manufacture date was also and early one (10-18-01) even though I bought it end of December 2001.

When I called, I told the guy I was getting dirty disc errors and games were crashing. I didn't demand a repair or tell them about anything I read on web forums. He asked me for my serial number then put me on hold. When he came back, he said that I was still under warranty and that they would send out a box etc.

I'm sure they have certain manufacture dates earmarked as potential problem areas and when these machines are called in, they know to fix them.

finbogg

Edstein and JJ: Have you tried Serious Sam on your now repaired XBOX? Can you tell what they fixed.

If you look at your DVD drive does the hole in the middle look like a light bulb (Phillips Drive), or is it straight on the sides (Thomson Drive).

Thanks!

edstein

I don't have Serious Sam to try but, all of the other games I was having problems with (DOA 3 movies would not run, THPS 4 would stall when loading levels, etc..) all work now without a hitch. I believe they replaced the DVD drive with a different model. The airborne guy came by on a Thursday and I had a repaired unit on the following Thursday. Very nice service, free made it even nicer.

<---- One Very Happy Xbox Owner

J_J

finbogg,

Just looked at the drive and the inside gap has straight sides so I guess the Thompson drive? Is this a new one then? I do not recall what I had before, though now it does work much better.

Have not rented Serious Sam, want to get Unreal next.

JJ

finbogg

Here's a link that illustrates the difference:

http://www.precisionmods.com/xbox-dvdrom.htm

I have the Thomson drive now, I'll let you know if that changes when I get it back.