Broken/Problematic Xbox 360? READ THIS!

KEEBS1984

So Steve44 actually brought up a really good point. We have been getting a bunch of posts lately about broken 360s and as such we probably need a stickied post for discussing it. It will also be of any help to people who have problems with their current 360.

This is for ANYBODY who is having problems with their 360.

If you begin to have problems with your 360, which is a very likely situation at this point, do not panic. Chances are your 360 failed due to one of the few primary problems listed under the extended warranty that Microsoft extended for all Xbox 360 owners. This warranty lasts for 3 years since the date you purchased the console. I will go over a few of these issues now in order to better help you understand what is wrong with your 360 and how you can get the process moved along to fixing it. I hope this helps you.

Problem: Three red lights flash on the Ring of Light

Symptoms: You see three lights on the Ring of Light (RoL) flash red on the front of your Xbox 360 console. The upper-right quadrant light is the only light that does not flash red.
Cause: The three flashing red lights may indicate that your Xbox 360 console has experienced a hardware failure. Usually the motherboard.

Problem: You recieve a "This disc is unreadable" message

Symptoms: When you try to use a game disc, a DVD, a CD, or any other type of disc in an Xbox 360 console, you receive the following error message: This disc is unreadable. It may be the wrong region for this console. Match the region of the disc to the console. Clean the disc with a soft cloth. Restart the console.
Cause: The Xbox 360 console cannot read the disc correctly. This can happen for any of the following reasons:
• The disc is dirty or damaged
• The disc is from a different country or region than the console
• Non-disc issues

Problem: The Screen Freezes

Symptoms: When you play a game, use the Xbox Dashboard or the Xbox Guide, or wait for the console to start, the screen may freeze. You do not receive an error message. No lights flash on the console to indicate a problem. Note: If you receive an error message, this is a different problem. Please look up the error message.
Things to Try: 1. Restart the console.
2. Consider whether the issue has occurred more than one time. If this is the first time that you have experienced this behavior, the issue may not occur again, and troubleshooting may be unnecessary.
3. Determine whether the Xbox 360 console is well-ventilated and is not near a heat source.
• If the Xbox 360 console is in a poorly ventilated location, turn off the console, and then move it to a location that has sufficient ventilation, such as on top of a table or on an open shelf. If the issue is resolved, the previous location likely did not provide sufficient ventilation for the Xbox 360 console to function correctly.
• Heat sources include TVs, computers, monitors, and other electrical devices. Switch off the console and move it away from the heat source, or switch off the heat source and move it away from the console.
• View the Xbox 360 instruction manual for information about correct placement of the console.
4. Turn off the system, and then remove all the accessories that are attached. This includes the Xbox Hard Drive. Test to see whether the problem still occurs.
5. If the issue does not occur when the hard drive is detached, try clearing the Xbox 360 Hard Drive cache. With the Xbox 360 Hard Drive attached to the console, follow these steps:
a. Locate the System section of the Xbox 360 Dashboard.
b. Select Memory, select Hard Drive, and then press Y to view the device options screen.
c. On the Xbox 360 Controller, press the X button, press the X button again, press the left bumper, press the right bumper, press the X button, and then press the X button again.
d. You will be prompted to confirm system maintenance, select Yes by pressing A.
6. If this problem occurs with the hard drive attached and clearing the cache did not resolve the issue, create a new gamer profile, and then test to see whether the issue still occurs. If the issue does not occur when you use a new gamer profile, the issue may be related to the original gamer profile or saved game information for one or more games that are associated with the original gamer profile. To verify this, delete the saved games for all games that show this problem for the original gamer profile.
7. If this issue occurs with offline games only, go to step 8. If the problem only occurs with games when you are play online with Xbox Live, this issue could be related to Internet connectivity. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
909817 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909817/) You experience poor performance on Xbox Live whether you use an Xbox 360 console or an original Xbox console
8. If your console is a PAL console, try setting your PAL setting to PAL 60. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
917304 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917304/) Xbox 360: Your Xbox 360 console is set to PAL 50 Hz and you cannot play an Xbox 360 game on your console
9. If this problem occurs when no disc is in the console, go to step 12.
10. Determine whether the disc that you are using is the cause of the issue by testing several similar Xbox 360-compatible discs in the console. Use a disc of the same type, such as a game disc, a DVD movie, or a music CD, to test whether the problem is the specific disc.

For disc-specific issues, check the disc for any visible signs of damage or dirt. Hold the disc by the edges without touching the top or bottom surface with your fingers. Clean the disc by using a soft cloth. Lightly wipe from the center outwards. Do not use solvents or chemicals to clean the disc.

If this problem occurs with only one disc and cleaning the disc did not resolve the issue, search the Microsoft Knowledge Base to determine whether the particular disc has any known issues, and then go to step 11. If there are no known issues, exchange the disc at a retail location.
11. If the problem is specific to a particular game, see the following Knowledge Base article:
916110 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916110/) Xbox 360: You experience gameplay issues with specific Xbox 360 games
12. If these steps do not resolve the issue, contact Xbox Customer Support.

Problem: Xbox Live connection fails at IP Address

Symptoms: You cannot connect to Xbox LIVE. When you perform the network test on the "Network status" screen, you receive an error message that states that the IP address has failed. You receive the following error message: IP Failed
Cause: This error message indicates that one of the following conditions is true:
• The IP address could not be obtained from your Internet service provider (ISP), from a network device (for example, from an Internet router), or from the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server.
• The IP values that you entered manually in the Dashboard are incorrect.
Things to Try: Go HERE for a detailed list of things to try to get your network up and running.

These are problem the four main issues with the Xbox 360 right now. Although they are not they only issues. Should anything else happen to your Xbox 360 that I have no listed here please feel free to browse the Xbox support website at: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/?WT.svl=nav

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR RETURNING YOUR XBOX

Should you need to return your Xbox to have it fixed there are a couple ways to go about it. The most popular way to go about returning your Xbox is to call Microsoft customer service. In order to reach them please call this number:

1-800-4MY-XBOX
International: 1(425)635-7180

When you are talking to the customer service rep please make sure you have your Xbox 360 ready with the serial code printed on the back. They will also require a name and address.

Should you not want to call them by phone you can also order a repair online. It is much easier and, to be honest, much simpler than calling them. To reach their online service go HERE. You must have a windows live account, usually the one associated with your console. When you have registered your box, click on the link and then click on the link to the right that says: Request a New Repair. The whole process takes about 5 minutes.

For any other questions you can email the Xbox team at:
HARDWARE SUPPORT EMAIL
XBOX LIVE SUPPORT EMAIL

I hope this helps you. If you have any questions feel free to reply here, one of our members will get back to you as soon as we read em.

P.S. Now let's all start sending requests for a STICKY.

P.P.S. If anybody has anything to add please put it here. Let's try and get all Xbox 360 issues under one thread.

awol

Pretty all encompassing I think. Great job Keebs!!

Steve44

Thanks for the support. I knew I wasn't the only one. Can this thread have a sticky??

KEEBS1984

I PMed Cass, but havent recieved any sort of reply. . . anybody know who the other moderators are?

Cass

Stuck!

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steve444

Who would have seen the day that this forum...THIS 360 dominated forum would eventually lead to a sticky about broken 360's
Yes, it's quite funny to me.

By the way, I'm banned so I'm using this name now

KEEBS1984

Much obliged Cass. . .

Hopefully the games forum can be used more for talking about the actual games now as opposed to 360 inquiries and complaints.

Cygnus

Heh, pray tell what caused the ban? BTW good job keebz!

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awol

Ok. We've got the sticky. Let's leave the arguing to everyday posts please??

sbjunky

By far my favorite problem is " Put disk in a Xbox 360 console" when I put GoW in my XBOX360

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KEEBS1984

It's not a Disc is Unreadable message?

jjufon

Thanks Guys!!!
My Son was over this weekend and out of the blue, my 360 started to freeze!
Your tips help solve the issue. Deleting the cache seems to fix it. I installed the new 120GB hard drive a few days ago; maybe this had something to do with it?

Thanks again!!

JJufon

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JJufon

railven

From experience I know a failed drive won't be covered by the extended 3-year warranty, and only the original 1-year warranty.

It is something that should be noted, also they'll charge you to replace the drive (I forgot how much I paid, I want to say $60-80.)

However, with the extension of the RRoD warranty, you can always towel trick a failing unit and take advantage of that.

Chances are you'll get an Opus board if you sent in a Xenon.

I can't wait for the Valhalas to launch - will it be the final end solution for RRoD? I hope so!

EDIT: And only Microsoft published games are covered for damage caused by a faulty drive. I had my Viva Pinata get chewed up when my original Premium was failing, but $5 + S&H and they replaced the disc.

jjufon

Well, it Sh!t the bed last night. MS is sending me a return package. i don't remember seeing anything about a fee, but it shows my box to be out of warranty. I have the RRoD. do you know if they call and say, "well it's going to cost x; do you want us to repair it"?

anyway, thanks again for the great info.

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JJufon

pappylap

Dont worry jjufon....M$ extended everyones warranty to 3 years last summer for RROD problems.......your avatat is from one of my favorite Bugs Bunny episodes by the way............Duh.....nope...nope...no....no...no ...nope...nope...nope

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