Xbox 360 Issues

[TheMarvell]

So today, I had some issues with my 360, which is only a month after I bought it, and I'm a little scared. First of all, I was trying to play Kameo, and out of nowhere it says it couldn't read the disc. I figure, ok, maybe there's a smudge on it. I take it out and it couldn't be any cleaner. So I try Halo 3. Same thing happens, only this time it wouldn't let me into the game. Instead I get a message on my dashboard saying it couldn't read the disc "try cleaning it and restarting" so I do that at least twice (again, disc looks perfect) and finally I get it to work.

Then I stopped playing to do some other stuff, then came back. And then I couldn't get to the dashboard at all. Instead I got an error message on a black screen, and one red light in the 4th quadrant. Apparently its a hardware failure (as shown here: http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/repair/Xbox-360-error-codes.htm ). I don't know what happened. The disc drive was sort of making funny noises, so I'm guessing it has something to do with that. I thought maybe it had something to do with my Play-and-Charge kit, as I usually just have that plugged in all the time since there's not much need to go wireless for me. I really don't know.

So I unplug it and try it again like a half hour later, and for unknown reasons it actually works. I don't know if it was just a fluke or something, or what. I have a feeling this isn't the last time it's going to do this either. I really don't want to have to use my warranty until I absolutely have to, but does anyone know what the problem might be? or what causes the one red light in the 4th quad? The message said "system error, contact microsoft" and had an error number like "e64" or something (can't remember exactly. If it happens again I'll write it down). Barely a month and already I have a problem with the 360. It wasn't the 3 Red Rings of Death, it was just 1 red ring.

any insight or help would be greatly appreciated. I asked this over on GameFAQs too, and all I got was "it shouldn't be doing that. Just take it in and get a new one." I don't want to have to do that unless I absolutely have to, you know?

[UnfluffyBunny]

take all discs out.
take it back.
my.... 3rd 360 did the same thing, I ignored it and my bro came round when I was out and tried to put on spider-man 3 which had only just come out at the time, it locked up so the console went AND the game.
if the store will switch it, take it directly to the store, I contacted microsoft, firstly the person at the call centre didnt listen to me atall and to this day the stuff needed to send it back through microsoft hasnt turned up, after 3 weeks of waiting for that the store I got it from was kind enough to replace it for me at the choice of losing the game inside.

[The Phantom Eyebrow]

Ouch, this sounds bad!  I've not joined the Next Generation yet - I'm not normally in the habit of buying new systems until they're good and established.  And cheaper.  I've been keeping a vague eye on the way the two machines (XBOX and PS) are shaping up; the XBox seems to have better games but I've heard so many bad things about its reliability.  Is there any word that they're going to have this problem (or these problems) fixed any time soon?

[UnfluffyBunny]

with the xbox, I went through 3 consoles in 3 months, my fourth has had no problems atall in the time since.
i've got friends who bought the 360 on release, at its buggiest, and have never had any trouble, pretty much the more recently built the console, the less likely it's gonna break down, what I will suggest tho, is microsoft now do a fan you can clip on the back of your machine, it makes a bit of extra noise but it helps keep everything running smoothly.
unfortunately for me, it's gotto be 360 because of the game choices *sooo close to fable 2!!*

[daerdevil]

I'm with the Phantom on the Next Gen wait until the dust settles routine.  It's stories like this that reaffirm my decision that there's no need for a $500 headache.  I just don't know how much longer the teeth on my PS2 can grow.  It's obvious that it's becoming the red-headed step child of the game industry, where every other console (including the PSP) get better content and bonus features.

[TheMarvell]

well, I have a 2 year warranty from Best Buy. So getting a replacement shouldn't be a problem. But I'd just rather not take it all back to the store unless I absolutely have to, you know? It'd also be nice if I knew what the problem was...like, is it the disc drive? the play-and-charge kit? a chord not fully plugged in? Cus from what I've read online, having one red light in the 4th quadrant might not be as alarming as say, the 3 red lights, and could be fixable.

The console was manufactured sometime in August, which makes this issue all the more alarming and disturbing...

[UnfluffyBunny]

best thing to prolly call up the store, they must have dealt with xbox problems and so I dont doubt they're more knowledgable on the subject than we are, they might ask you to take it in to be examined, they may be able to suggest a fix over the phone.
end of the day, just make sure if you end up replacing it, they switch the hard drive :)

[gengoro]

Damn.  Mines screwy too.  When I try to put in a game it ejects it 3 times before accepting it.

[TheMarvell]

well, I played a little of XBLA for about a half hour - no problems. I turned it off and came on an hour later. No problems. Played Halo 3 for about 4 hours, roughly. Read the disc just fine. No problems.

I honestly hope it was a one-time fluke. I WAS playing with my Play-and-charge kit always connected, because there wasn't much need for me to play wireless. Since the incident last night, I've unplugged it, and it's so far worked (knock on wood). What I don't understand is, why would the play and charge kit have ANY effect whatsoever on the entire console?? Surely I should be able to get to the dashboard whether or not there was something funky with the play-and-charge wire. And it really makes no sense if it had any effect on the disc drive.

I guess we will find out soon if it messes up again. And yeah, if I have to take it back, I will definitely be sure to swap hard drives.

[Courtnall6]

I've heard lot's of people having problems with the 360's...I've had mine for almost 2 years without a single hiccup.

I probably just jinxed myself now though :unsure:

[AfghanAnt]

Red-Ring of Death!

[Mr. Hamrick]

i actually traded in my X-Box 360 recently and rebought a PS2.  I figure there are enough games on the PS2 that when I am in the mood to play games that I can find something to suit my tastes. 

And well, Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is being released on the PS2 the same day as Smackdown Vs. Raw 2008  . . . me happy camper.

[JeyNyce]

Well for all of you who is on my friend list (JeyNyce) know what happen to me.  I got the red rings of death after owning it for a year.  shipped it out and 17 days later I got a new one that worked great except I couldn't use the remote control with it, so I had to send that one back too.  Thank goodness for my PC or else I would have gone crazy.

[TheMarvell]

ok, just bought Mass Effect. Played it for about 3 hours and then out of nowhere I got a pop-up that said the disc was unreadable. I don't understand why this is happening. Should I just take it back and get a replacement from Best Buy?

[murs47]

ok, just bought Mass Effect. Played it for about 3 hours and then out of nowhere I got a pop-up that said the disc was unreadable. I don't understand why this is happening. Should I just take it back and get a replacement from Best Buy?

Absolutely. You payed hundreds of dollars, you should get something that works correctly.

[TheMarvell]

since it's Black Friday, I'll probably wait until Monday to get a replacement. Do you think there'll be any left?

[murs47]

since it's Black Friday, I'll probably wait until Monday to get a replacement. Do you think there'll be any left?

That's a tough call, but I'd go ahead and give it a shot anyways.

[TheMarvell]

well, I decided to bring in my 360 and get a new one.

The bad news: The stupid clerk at Best Buy would not let me swap hard drives. Her blonde co-worker even chimed in and disagreed with her, saying she was pretty sure they were allowed to do that and that she's done it before, but no, I had to be helped by the damn stubborn one who wouldn't let me do it, claiming it had something to do with manufacturing numbers or some crap. Even though I can still download all my purchased XBLA games and my achievements transferred fine, all of my save games for Halo 3, Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, and an hour's worth of Mass Effect are gone (not to mention some exclusive themes and gamerpics that were only available the week Halo 3 released...).

The good news: I managed to get 2 free games: Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Forza 2. I don't think MUA is the gold edition though, so if I want to play as Hulk or Venom, I'm going to have to pay the 800 ms points and download it. I have the game already on PS2, but I've sort of wanted it on 360 for the new characters and achievements. Not interested in Forza 2, but I'll take any free games.

Both of the 360's I had were manufactured in August '07. If this one malfunctions again after a month or so, I'm going to be ticked. I'm glad I invested in that 2-year warranty outside of Microsofts though. It was worth it.