Last Friday, I bought an Xbox 360 at my local K-Mart. It was probably a mistake getting it from K-Mart, but I sort of decided to buy it on the spot, didn’t really put much thought into it. After getting my Xbox 360 out of it’s box and all hooked up, I started wishing I had made the purchase directly from Microsoft instead. All is fine and well now, but I had nothing but problems for a few hours after setting the Xbox 360 up.
Right off the bat, I had three red lights on the Ring of Light. Not good. I followed the steps Microsoft suggests, after unplugging and re-plugging everything to the power supply, I finally got a green light and the Xbox 360 booted.
At this point, I did the initial configuration on the Xbox 360. I setup my profile and just started playing Need For Speed: Carbon. That didn’t last long though, the 360 started freezing up every minute or two. I kept rebooting it, hoping for a better result, but nothing.
After a few reboots, and barely getting a profile created in Need For Speed, I was presented with the error seen to the left. Click the image to make it bigger, sorry for the shitty picture. My heart really sunk at that point, the description of the E71 error message is rather disappointing: “E71: possibly a dashboard update error, there is no solution at present the console must be sent back to MS for repair.” There’s a nice post over at the xbox-scene forums that covers error codes and what to do about them. After finding the meaning of the E71 error message, I set out getting my Xbox 360 on my network. I was hoping a network connection would force the 360 to check for a dashboard update or something…anything.
Getting my Xbox 360 online wasn’t a problem, the hardest part was finding an ethernet cable long enough to go from my switch in the office to the living room. Once I had the network cable in the Xbox 360, I turned it on and it immediately said there was an update to download from Microsoft. It must have grabbed an IP really quickly from my DHCP server and checked for updates. Had I not had a DHCP server running, I may not have gotten the update. I don’t think I could have gotten into the dashboard to manually configure tcp/ip settings for the 360. It would have frozen up and that would have been it.
Anyway, the update downloaded and was installed, and my Xbox 360 was rebooted. After that, the 360 finally came up and my freeze problems were gone. So, if you’re having all sorts of flaky issues with your Xbox 360, try getting it on a network with an internet connection and see if it’ll download a dashboard update. I haven’t had any problems with stability since the initial update was downloaded, thank god! I really didn’t want to have to send my brand new Xbox 360 into Microsoft for servicing the day of purchasing it.
If you are experiencing problems like I was and this fix works for you, please let me know. This has probably been written about elsewhere, but unfortunately I couldn’t find it.
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Funny, downloading the update caused mine to start freezing. Not sure this is good advice.
Does it freeze in the game or is it freezing before the dashboard is even loaded?
hi, try lifting the power supple using an empty box so there is maximum circulation on all 6 sides. it should work better than before
or if this does not work, remove the faceplate and side plates so that the console itself can be cooled, if this does not work, send it back to where you got it and swap or get your money back
Good suggestion Stuart. That little fix seems to have helped a lot of people out. However, the problem I was experiencing wasn’t caused by an overheating power supply. My Xbox 360 wouldn’t even finish booting into the dashboard. Applying the update seemed to have fixed it, and the 360 booted all the way up.
I have yet to have any problems with my power supply. I’ve left my xbox 360 on for about 10 hours and it didn’t freeze. Probably 90% of that 10 hours was spent playing games, so the xbox wasn’t just sitting there idle.
Good advice though, I should have included that info in my original post. The box idea is good, I personally wouldn’t be too fond of hanging my power supply up in the air, attached to a string. It’s a heavy power supply.
My Xbox 360 downloaded another update lastnight. Seemed to be a pretty big update, took a few minutes to download on my 5Mbps connection and took a bit to apply the update also. Xbox 360 came back up after the update with no problems. Although, my Xbox 360 sounds slightly different now after the update. It’s louder than it was before when it’s sitting idle…
ive had this same behavior right this second ive tried and got it going but now its doing it again when i put carbon in and ive got it going but i have already been online and had updates? and it works when it wonts to so no luck realy
I had to send mine to MS still waiting for them to fix it….WAIT NOW 6 DAYS….
Many people have freezing problems because their date/time settings are not correct. Try setting those up right. Reason is, is XBOX automatically tries to check for updates. For some reason, if the time is wrong, it’ll freeze your system. (Or so I hear) If your system continues to freeze, return it to the store, or call Microsoft. Don’t WAIT, the warranty is only 3 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good advice Erick, on both the warranty and making sure the system clock is set to the corrett date/time. Would be interesting to confirm weather the date/time freeze and fix. Not sure if I wanna test it on my Xbox 360 though. Maybe I’ll try to get another Xbox 360 for Christmas. I need a test box.
but how do i get my xbox online? right out of the box i got this error…thanks
Shaw, mine gave these errors right out of the box also. Do you have a home network? If so, plug an ethernet cable into your Xbox 360, and then plug the other end into your router or switch/hub.
Once that’s done, the Xbox 360 should grab an IP address from your routers DHCP server (assuming your router has a DHCP server). At that point the Xbox 360 should check with MS for updates to the dashboard even before it gets to the point of freezing.
Also, Shaw, try plugging your power supply directly into a wall outlet if it’s not already. That can help a lot.
im not sure if you got me email, but i plugged my xbox into my router and nothing happened, it still just froze up,im using my westel dsl modem/router, could you help me fix this pleaseee…thanks
Hi Shaw, just sent you a reply email. I can offer some help. Let me know.
My xbox wont even turn on because of them three red lights! I tried unplugging it from the mains and everything, i cant get on to see if there is any updates and when it does come on it freezes on the XBOX 360 logo! I don’t want to have to send my xbox away, can you give me any tips???
Also have 3 reds on the ROL, and green on the power supply. My unit has an April 2006 manufacturing date, waiting to hear from Microsoft tech support. Have tried to disconnect/reconnect without success.
Hi Guys,
Sorry, no new tips right now. My xbox 360 has actually stopped working again. I popped Halo 2 in, it downloaded an update, and now I’m getting the 3 red lights on the ring of light. I plan on calling Microsoft tech support tomorrow (new years eve), provided they’re open.
Luckily, the factory warranty on the Xbox 360 has been extended to 1 year. Previously it was only a 90 day warranty.
I don’t expect Microsoft support will be of much help as I’ve already tried everything mentioned on their support and troubleshooting pages. I will post anything new I find here. H. Lis, was Microsoft support able to provide a fix for you over the phone/email?
Supposedly, Microsoft has pretty quick turn around time for repairing xbox 360’s. I really hope that’s the case. Luckily I have a buddy’s 360 here at my house right now.
http://www.petitiononline.com/360recal/petition-sign.html? online petition to get it recalled.
Thanks for the link Brandon. Hopefully MS will own up to their mistake here and attempt to make everything right. Although, I don’t see them issuing a recall since they’ve been receiving so many consoles for repair…
hi friends,
I’m Turkish but unfortunately i’m livin’ in Iran right now.
I have the same problem!
but the problem is that here is no MS retailer or support center!
sometimes RED lights occur, and sometimes it freezes even at initial loading(XBOX360 logo)
please help dear Tyler or other friends…
I’m waiting and checking this message board every minute!!!
Hamed7life, I can’t really offer much advice. Seems you’re in a rather uncommon situation. A majority of the people I know who own an Xbox 360 have had to send it in to Microsoft for repair, at least once.
Have you tried getting your Xbox 360 to download a dashboard update?
My 360 freezes when its ussualy loading or trying to load. i got my 360 for christmas(’06) and i didn’t have any problems then, although i did use DVD/ CD cleaner on a game called “GRAW” or ghost recon advanced warfighter and now it freezes. i don’t think the cleaner is the problem. o yea my uncle played for the “colts, chargers,and the cowboys, anyway the last team he played for was the colts. so he’s know well-known in some places like ebgames. in ebgames, he can trade in a game or system and get full credit off of the system or game. so i’m gonna ask to do that with ou 360 and games and ill let yall know iff i will get a new one THANKS FOR THE TIPS TYLER!! BYE!
ummm evryday my xbox freezes at least one or twice in a game but other then that its good anyone know how to stop it freezing?
Wait, i dont think im fully understanding this Post alltogether…
This post does or does not fix the E71 error…
cuzz its confusing, E71 CANNOT be fixed right?
less u send it in?
Wassco, E71 officially can’t be fixed without sending your Xbox 360 in. However, after fooling around with my Xbox for a while (as described in this post) I got the E71 error to go away and haven’t seen it since.
Really, the only sure way to fix your Xbox 360 is to send it in or exchange it for a new one. Have you experienced the 3 red lights on the Ring Of Light (ROL)?
mines too old for exchange, im gonna just wait and see if there ever is a bios flash option in the future, guess ill have to get another one :(
3 RED LIGHT PROBLEM :
THIS MIGHT HELP IT DID FOR ME. TURN YOUR 360 ON AND WRAP IT UP IN 2 TOWELS SO IT GETS REALLY HOT. LEAVE IT FOR 20-30 MIN. THEN TURN IT OFF LET IT COOL DOWN FOR ABOUT 5 MIN. THEN TURN IT ON. IT FIXES THE BAD SOLDERING JOB MS DID.
Well, I just got a new 360 two days ago and it worked fine until earlier today it just froze in the middle of a GoW match, I shrugged it off as a common ‘once in a blue moon’ freeze and restarted it. I started to play GoW and where it flashes EPIC it froze in the middle of that. So I shrug it off and do it again, same thing over and over again, I have no other games to try on it, I assume its the 360 due that my GoW disc has absolutly no scratches or smudges on it. I have also been looking alot on sites… I have my power supply lifted in the air and my 360 alone on a table. I’ve been to the support site MS provides, and did what they said, and it helped as much as nothing. I think kicking the damned thing out my window and running it over with my car would be a better solution than what MS provides. They should not have to make people send them back in. I don’t think the dashboard has been updated due that it still freezes, but it does automatically update, so I can’t think what MS screwed up now…
I got my Xbox 360 for Christmas in 2006. Every once in a while, while playing NCAA a tab would come up saying the disk is unreadable and I had to turn off my system. The past couple days all my games have been freezing about every 10 minutes. It usually freezes while at a saving or loading screen, or while I’m in a campaign / career / dynasty. None of my games have scratches and my 360 has never been hit in any way.
My date is still set to 11/22/05 for some reason. Would that have anything to do with it? How do I change the date?
hey guys….i’ve had my xbox 360 since jan 2006 and havent experienced any problems whatsoever with my console…and it is used a lot….also for cd’s and dvd’s. maybe i got lucky! u can change the date on the settings tab but if u have no storage device it wont store it (i think) and also if u have it connected to the internet (cable or wireless) then it automatically sets the date for you.
SUPERTOOL
Jan 26th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
3 RED LIGHT PROBLEM :
THIS MIGHT HELP IT DID FOR ME. TURN YOUR 360 ON AND WRAP IT UP IN 2 TOWELS SO IT GETS REALLY HOT. LEAVE IT FOR 20-30 MIN. THEN TURN IT OFF LET IT COOL DOWN FOR ABOUT 5 MIN. THEN TURN IT ON. IT FIXES THE BAD SOLDERING JOB MS DID.
it works when the 360 is really hot……
I kind of have the same problem discussed here. My 360 started out with one freeze during Oblivion when I first got it around Christmas time. Nothing really happened after that for a while, so I dismissed it as a glitch in the game, or one random system freeze. Hey, they all have them. However, as time went on it started doing it more and more frequently, and it was getting really annoying. Now, I can play a game/movie for about 5 minutes before everything freezes up, and I actually have to go over to the console to turn it off (controller does nothing). FYI, it even freezes with that game on the HDD, Hexic, i think it’s called. What’s funny about the last post is my 360 seems to work if I leave it on forever. It doesn’t freeze up if I leave it on for like 3 hours. So overheating is definitely not the problem. “more open air” won’t do ish for me, considering it’s in as open a space as it can be, and it hardly gets hot at all. Warm, but OMG overheating hot. Power supply same thing. I am not about to wrap it up in towels, and leave it on for a half hour though. Scares me. @ Neal, I have noticed that the games are jumpy when the time/date is not correct, it’s never frozen because of that. For instance, in Madden 07, when they show you the defense getting ready, it freezes for a second, but the whole system doesn’t freeze up. You can try going into the console settings in the dashboard, and change it, but I don’t think that’s your problem. However, you’ll be surprised at how smooth everything is running, if it’s always been wrong. I downloaded the update, didn’t do anything. If you don’t have a home network, you can plug the 360 directly into your modem to get the update, however, I doubt it will do anything. I’ve also never gotten the E71 message, or the rings of light. I personally just think it’s a junk part that MS uses, and whatever it is, they need to stop using it. The troubleshooting tips on the website are a joke, and did nothing for me. I am sending it in for repair, kind of mad because I’ve had my original XBOX for 4 years without any issues. I guess if MS fixes it properly, and quickly, no harm, no foul.
Oh, and I agree that they shouldn’t make you send them back in. I mean, they’re sending me a box, so I can send it UPS, or whatever they use, so it can get there, so they can fix it, so they can send it back. They say it will only take 10 days, but it’s already been 3, and it’s a Saturday. Also, can’t MS find some customer service reps that speak clear English, when I’m calling from America? I could hardly understand the guy speaking, and he could hardly understand me.
I sent my 360 back for the *second* time, so don’t get your hopes up. It came back after repairs a few months back and it appears they did nothing except wrap it up upon arrival and ship it right back out. I hope they aren’t doing the same thing this time after simply reseting the cache — a trick everyone now knows about. Unfortunately, that might be the case since they shipped a package back my way the same day they received my delivery. Will update either way once it’s back and has been played for a while.
this is my third xbox360 and i have to send this one back im very mad because i brought 16 games and cant play anyone of them i guess i should put my money in sonys pocket instead
Hmm…well, I told them I played it without the HDD on, and it still froze up. So, they told me to send it in, without the HDD even attached. It would be pretty hard for them to clear my cache, without the HDD. They just want the console, no wires or anything. I personally think it’s some problem with the video card in there, or bad soldering connections, considering the game on the HDD freezes up. Only thing I can think of. I’m really just pissed off about the fact the the customer service rep told me that I would have it back in 10 days, it’s been 6, the box to send it off in isn’t even here yet. It’s coming tomorrow. He also gave me the complete wrong tracking #. I even told him it was the wrong # of digits for a UPS tracking #, and the tracking # for UPS has letters in it. He was a complete tool. Oh well…I’ll update whether or not they actually fix it.
Oh, just to clarify, I did call back 2 minutes after the first customer service rep to get a new one. Guy spelled my name wrong and everything. Don’t know how much clearer I could have been with him.
Hey you guys i’ve been expierencing some trouble with my 360. Iv’e had my 360 since last april ( birthday ) and i’ve been getting these 3 red lights that will go on in the middle of my game ( Gears of War ) and it wont even let me shut it off by pressing the button on the xbox. I have to unplug it and let it sit for like 30 minutes. Then turn it on again. If anyone knows how to fix this problem I will greatly appreciate it if you help me, and i will reward you with a 3 month trial to xbox 360 live. ( if your theory of fixing it works ). Thanks again. If you wish to tell me on XBL my Gamertag is II MeTh0dz II. The o is a zero in the name, and there are spaces between the I’s……. thanks again.
my 360 is freezing when I sign onto ea server i attempt to start a game and it freezes and i have to shut it down…I hate xbox
Elliot,
Could be one of 2 things, otherwise it needs to be repaired. Your’s actually sounds like it’s overheating, since it works if you leave it off for a while. I’m going to assume you’re not a complete idiot, like MS doesn’t, and not tell you to put it out in open air. A lot of people have been having success with suspending their power supply somehow. Either stringing it up, or putting it on a box corner. Apparently it overheats more then the console.
The only other thing I can think of, is some people had a problem with a patch from XBOX live, and for some reason it makes their HDD connection all screwy. Some play with it vertically and put a book on top of it, and that seems to work out for them. However, that’s effing ridiculous, and if you have to do that, you should be sending it in anyway.
Other than that, I can only tell you that a bad AV cable connection is another cause of the 3 red rings, if that’s plugged in well to the TV and the XBOX, I don’t know what to tell you man. You can try going through Max’s BS troubleshooting tips, on 1-800-4MY-XBOX, but that usually doesn’t solve anything. Good Luck
Yea thats what i think it is. I think its overheating probably because I play it so much lol. My friends keep telling me to buy a fan or 2 that you can plug into the back of your 360 and that will keep it cool? The funny thing is that its -10 degrees here right now so my heat is blasting and thats what is probably causing it to overheat. If anyone knows about these fans and if they work good please let me know the price and where to get them, Wal-Mart,Best Buy, Gamestop, ETC. Thanks Again.
FYI, GoW and Madden 07 are the 2 main games that froze on my console, ALL THE TIME. I couldn’t get through a full quarter, or 5 minutes of play when playing either game. Oblivion never froze, except at the load screens sometimes, SvR 2k7 froze frequently, but sometimes not. Kameo froze after 5 minutes, and so did Hexic.
The Nyko fan apparently does nothing, because it uses the 360s power to work. Supposedly it causes it to overheat more then if you didn’t even have it on there, and MS does not like you having it on there, for some, the fan actually voided their warranty. One thing you could do, is buy a standalone fan, and point it at the 360, or obviously if you have one just use it. But from everything I’ve read, the Nyko fan is actually a bad idea.
well i had the three red lights hapeened constantly i never got to play it but i took the side panels off and the dust was about 3inch thick so i wiped that off and wrapped 2 towels round it for 45 mins or so it kept turning off but i turned t back on and its been ok for about 4 days now so try it. and see if it works for you
Does anyone know if my warranty is burning away while the repair center has my XBOX 360? Do I get a different warranty on my repaired unit? Or is it still just one year? Really doesn’t seem fair that they’ve had it, or it’s been not working for a month, if they don’t take that off my warranty time. I mean that is 1/12 of my warranty. Does anyone know how it works?
My Xbox 360 freezes up when i power it up. It doesn’t even make it past the entrance thing it does. I havent seen the dashboard for days. I heard that holding A while it starts up clears the cache off of it, which would make since because i was playing ES4 Oblivion and i heard that game takes alot to run so i might try it but i really dont wanna be dissapointed again when it doesnt work. I will probably just submerge it in water and end its life all together…….
Fred, clearing the cache is a little more involved than that. If you take the HDD off, and it still does that, it has nothing to do with the cache. Try running all your games in it, one after another. That’s supposed to “clear the memory”. It’s easy to see if it’s the HDD, just take it off.
my xbox has these 3 red lights. i have tried that the towel thing but that isnt helping. it doesnt even go to the xbox logo. it just stays blank. i need to know if i should send it in and get bit fixed or just buy a new one. just somebody tell me what to do.
“Hello, I called earlier and was told to send my xbox to the repair center… but I did not get any information about whether you are sending me a box or whether or not I have to pay to ship it myself. It would be great if you could help me with that.”
“You need address for repair center?
“Ummmmmm, no, i was wondering if you are sending me a box and whether or not i have to pay for shipping.”
“Ok mr. Anderson, address is 5700 South International Parkway Door #18 McAllen Texas 78503… You need me answer any other questions?”
JESUS TAP DANCING CRIST, I’M NOT A RACIST PERSON BUT IF YOUR JOB IS CUSTOMER SUPPORT ESPECIALLY OVER THE TELEPHONE, LEARN HOW TO FUCKING SPEAK AND UNDERSTAND ENGLISH. No exaggeration… i called them 9 times and got 8 mexicans… 8 of which i could barely understand and 6 of which couldn’t understand me. Please, please find any english-speaking citizen to answer your telephones. I don’t care if they are a crack addict, as long as there is a clear communication that I am asking them for help in a specific area, and they aren’t guessing as to what I am asking about, reading off a list of “Common Responses To English-Speaking Pissed-Off Teenagers”.
I will fix your xbox for you.
email me pumpkin7@ptd.net
help!!!!
MY XBOX ONLY WORKS WITHOUT THE HARDRIVE IN. I CANT SAVE!!!!
BUT WHEN THE HARDRIVE IS OUT IT SAYS “THE DISK IS UNREADABLE”
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IN**
NOT OUT SORRY
That’s a really crappy deal Rory, means your hard drive is trashed. It’s not all bad though, because replacing the hard drive is really easy.
First, I’d call Microsoft support and let them know your hard drive is dead. They may ship a new hard drive out to you if your Xbox 360 is still under warranty.
If your warranty has expired, go pick a new hard drive up at your local electronics store.
Hopefully you didn’t have a bunch of saved games and achievements on your dead hard drive. They’re pretty much lost forever.
The one good thing about hard drive failure is that it doesn’t require you to send your Xbox 360 into Microsoft for repair. MS can either send you a replacement or you can go purchase one by yourself.
When I was speaking to Microsoft support about my issues with the 3 red lights, the agent was confident my hard drive was to blame for the red lights. I popped the hard drive off and still got the red lights, so it wasn’t the hard drive. I was pretty disappointed when removing the drive didn’t fix the 3 red lights.
Have you seen the 3 red lights at all Rory?
Mine was fine until i started playing call of duty 3, now i have the freeze thing happening too, but no error codes yet. it’s not my psu because i blew that up 6 months ago and made my own with a 350watt computer psu, and everythings been fine until today. what a $400 piece of crap!! In case anyone is wondering how i blew up the psu, i plugged my 110volt xbox360 into a 240volt outlet. bought it in usa, took it to spain.
what if the game starts but frezzes on the game startup logo?
This has happened to all my games even the demos i have downloaded.
is it overheating?
………….
P.S:
Man, microsoft is f***ing up.
Hey. A big problem with my xbox 360. When i play Need for speed :Most wanted in it . it hangs after some time.I play this game on a crt tv(60 hz). The whole system hangs as the controllers dont even work. I think its only a prob lem with most wanted as i pplay CRACKDOWN, GOW,GRAW and PGR3 on it. Its also not overheatd . So please help.
i need help with the system i wanna know what error e67 is really about and if its possible to be fixed. error ocurred right out the box, console freezes after the 360 logo and doesnt even load the dashboard
I found Mr. Andersons comment very funny, however there Indians in India, not mexicans, and I completely agree. My xbox is also freezing. It veries on the time, and place. Sometimes in the screen logo, sometimes in the game. Really anywhere. I have found that in cases on the logo freeze, the machine will go quite. If the xbox revs (gets loud) it manages to get over to the set up. Also, it makes a wierd click sound when it first starts off, one that I cannot remember it doing when I first got it in December, 2006. It sounds like it’s cacthing on something. I also read in an Internet article that the intercooler cooling system might be messing withit, draining valuble energy from the xbox, and leaving scoorch marks. Also, Im wondering about this update. I beleive it does it manually for you, so should my xbox already have it? I’m going to try some of the tips people said and get back. Hopefully I don’t have to deal with those none English call centres!!!!!!
(no affence ment)
catching**
scorch**
non**
(spelling mistakes) :)
Ok, well, I got a completely different XBOX 360, and I think it’s brand new. Everything works OK, except for the fact that sometimes it displays everything too dark, sometimes too bright. It’s frozen twice already. Oh, I forgot sometimes it says “if you want to play this game, put it in a XBOX 360.” In case nobody could tell, I was being sarcastic when I said everything was OK. Sometimes it takes 10-20 minutes of ejecting, and powering on and off to get the thing to work. I guess I have to send this one off too.
Marck: From everything I’ve read, you’ve gotta send that XBOX to MS. Some people have been able to get it to go away for a while, but eventually their 360 crashes anyway.
I bought my 360 in like june of 2006 and i guess 3 months after that i started getting this message “unrecognized disc” and i thought i didnt take care of my games then i got FIFA 07 when it came out and i took very good care it i would take it out before turning the console off then the next week it stopped playing it wouldnt work at all and i noticed these scratches on it that look weird like squirlly lines and i tried my other games and not a single one worked WHAT DO I DO SOMEONE PLAESE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i have never connected to xbox live does it need to be connected to get updates would the updates help with my problem MOTAZ
Motaz- From reading some of the comments on this page, and others, I have found out that updates can be our Xbox’s live safer, or it’s ultimite down fall. I guess it depends.
My question after my first post is that after doing some of the tips, like removing the harddrive, I heard a slight sound. It sounds like something has come loose. does that majorly affect the condition of the xbox??? I know my remote for my t.v has something also loose inside, and it works fine!? If someone has a similiar case like mine, or knowledge on the subject, please make a comment back!!! Thanks!
hey i accidently sent in my hard drive with my comsole for repairs. they told me just to send the console. my friend has the exact same problem as my 360, and he sent his in. He got a entire new xbox. does anyone know if i get a new 360 will i get my hrd drive back? im a little worried because i got 8 arcade games on there…
My Xbox 360 has had freezing problems lately and I’ve been trying to get the top plate off so it might back able to cool faster. It seems to get very hot after awhile and freezes shortly after playing a game (I can get to the title screen and leave it on for hours without it freezing). What I want to know is how to get the plate(s) off.
-Nick.
My xbox is like sucking rihgt now ive tried it all. I unplugged all i put towels over it it worked but the stupid tv screen stayed blue from the V.C.R!!! ms dont help for crap if you want to have a 360 that works you might as well mail it in!! =(
Hey bout my last comment pleassssss mail me back if u know how to get that dumb blue screen like me and have info on how to get it right. THANKS!
Ok I’ma kinda got that but i got mine 3 months ago and I got the 3 red rings of doom fix that but now I got this freezing and blue screen thing and no one else as had and it keep freeze every 2 mins I don’t want to send it in but I have to it sucks b/c I got crackdown and I havn’t even played it yet so if you think you can help me!!!! -cries-
DJ: Best thing you can do is call Microsoft at 1-800-4MY-XBOX. I had to call today and finally convinced them my Xbox 360 is toast. I’m sending mine in to the repair center in McAllen, TX on Monday.
The support “agents” at Microsoft are pretty difficult to understand. First time I called the guy spoke perfect English, last two times I had real trouble communicating at all. Hopefully I got the address for the repair center correct.
I’d call MS and tell them you’ve tried all the fixes (you really should). They will probably then offer to repair your Xbox 360, assuming it’s still under the 1 year warranty.
Chris: Probably won’t see your hard drive again. The lady I spoke with earlier today told me there’s a good chance I wouldn’t get my hard drive back if I sent it in also.
I’d be interested to know if you get yours back, let me know if you can.
You almost never get the HDD back if you mail it in accidentally. Some people have gotten “free” HDDs because MS mistakenly put it in their box. That’s why you get that sheet in your “coffin” that says to take everything off that you don’t have to send in, in bold font. If you call 100 times, you might get someone who wants to work with you. However, it’s extremely hard to get someone you can even understand. I must have called the number 20 times, and gotten someone I could clearly understand once, and didn’t have to say “what?” at least 20 times. I’m not exaggerating.
Bean: Both 360s I’ve had sound like there is something free, moving around in there, near where the HDD is supposed to be. I’m not at all sure if it’s supposed to be like that or not (definitely sounds like something has broken off), but both I’ve had, I could hear it if I rotated it. I heard it on my second one while taking it out of the box.
Seven to Eight: Send it in. I didn’t want to either, but it’s sure better then sitting around with a XBOX 360 that doesn’t even work.
Motaz and Nick: My first 360 froze all the time too, every 5 minutes. If it happens with most games, your time and date are correct, and you’ve tried it without the HDD attached, there’s no magical cure. Something in the 360 has gone, or has always been bad, and you’ve gotta send it out for repair. FYI, the only game of mine that worked, on my first 360, was ES4 Oblivion, and it looked terrible, too dark, and tons of image smear.
I will…i just hope i will get it back..
Drew- That is exactly where the loose sound is coming from, right near the harddrive. I guess if it gets worse, I’ll send it in.
I live in Canada, any estimate on how much shipping and handiling, etc. will cost?? Any more tips or suggestions??
Hi I’m from Mexico city, the reason i’m writing right now i because i need help, i think that i have the same problems with the xbox 360, when i am playing, any game, the xbox always freezes, my xbox its always connected to xbox live because it has the wireless adapter and now i am frustrated because i already sent my xbox to MS three times and i don’t want to send it anymore.
If you’re in warranty (year) I think it’s free shipping. I know it was free for me, but I live in the US. I don’t see why they would make you pay just because you are in Canada. The only people I’ve read about having problems are people overseas or something, and only certain countries.
I just read your first post, sounds like you are having the same problems as my first one. However, mine froze once in the beginning of me getting it, didn’t do it for a month, and, all of a sudden, went from working perfectly to freezing every 5 minutes of gameplay. It was especially bad with GoW and Madden 07. If it’s in warranty, I wouldn’t deal with freezing problems. From my experience, nothing freezing up, magically gets better, it only gets worse. Give them a call, and see what they’ve got to say.
On a side note - people in the US pay around 8 dollars for 2 day shipping, and around 140 to repair. It varies.
http://forums.xbox.com/943579/ShowPost.aspx
If you’ve got time, you can read that thread. It’s the official xbox.com thread on return/repair/shipping. People’s experiences.
PLEASE HELP. I have a xbox 360. Since the time i have played crackdown on my console SOMETIMES i get this ERROR:
TO PLAY THIS DVD PUT IT IN A XBOX 360 CONSOLE.
PLEASE HELP ME .
Got it fixed but getting a new car so i have totally forgotten about my Xbox, thanks for all your help.
Yah man, my one is in the year warranty. The frezing is not that bad, I just have to turn it on and off about 5 times, each time getting farther. That eventually gets me to the game, where it seems to be fine. It’s only from start up to the dashboard where the problem is. Mabye it’s something to do with the hard drive. I don’t know, whatever. It just sucks because I can’t really watch movies on it. For Eg, i downloaded that South Park, video, and I can only watch about 5 mins, until it frezes. Thanks Drew
u can also try an hdd cache clear to see if it helps.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907586
btw, the loose thing u hear near the hdd side is not anything broken, its actually a sensor that tells the console whether u have the unit itself standing vertically or horizontal, its nothing to worry about.
I bought my 360 from a good friend and apparently he haven’t had this big of a problem with freezing screens, but for me it freezes up from time to time, sometimes it happens after 5 mins, sometimes after 5 hours. I think it’s only when I play games it happens, not necessarily ones I bought but demos and downloaded stuff too. So it might not just be the CD reader. I’ve left it on for several hours just downloading and nothing happens so.. When I started Project 8 (tony hawk) it first froze two or three times directly after I started to play, then I could play for hours without any problem, same with Oblivion. I mean what the? Why? My TV is pretty old though, it’s probably from late 80’s early 90’s. But why is it that it only happens sometimes? Yesterday I could play all day without a problem, but on the evening it happened pretty often. I’ve wanted Oblivion for so long and I don’t want any problems with it now when I’ve got it.
The xbox gets quite hot though, but as I said I’ve left it for several hours without any probelem, and sometimes it just freezes after 5 mins from being completely unplayed for a long time.
Mine has been having the same problems as daniel’s i had heard that the was a recall for xboxes sold in the last 3 months but have not been able to find anything about it on their site or anywhere else let
Ever since i have bought guitar hero 2 my xbox has been freezing and given my the ring of death
well mine was freezing with mlb2k7. froze, scrambled screen or weird colors and made funny noises. the freezing got more frequent and then the red lights.
it is not under any warranty so i decided to try the towel trick. worked ok for a while, then red lights again.
tried the towel thing again, and now i let it sit turned on for about 15-30min and then i use it as much as i want with no freezing, it is running as new once again.
ps. i have also turned the power brick upside down and over a cd spindle box.
im impressed on how well its been running, specially since thinking my 360 was dead.
Hello, my box keeps frezing after 3-6 mins. It has wiggely lines and makes wierd sounds. It is not over heated and does not have the three red lights. I can get passed the dashboard but when playing various games they all freeze. This is obviously not the games fault but the 360’s.
P.S HELP !!!!!! Either Tyler of others
or* not of
sorry to tell you bro, but it sound slike ur 360 is dying, mine started doing the same before it died.
soon enough ull get the red lights.
i suggest u start looking up the towel trick and prepare ourself to do it.
that is too say, if ur not under warranty, if u are, then u should contact ms.
Aaron: Sniperman is right, unfortunately. That’s exactly what mine was doing a few days before I started getting the 3 red lights like crazy.
Your Xbox 360 is most likely on its way out. It may be worth trying the towel trick once you see the 3 red lights. Seems to work for a number of people, I didn’t have much success with it though. I got the 3 red lights to go away for about 5 minutes using the Towel Trick. It’s by no means a cure-all for your Xbox 360’s problems.
Really, the best thing you can do is call Xbox Support at 1-800-4MY-XBOX and start troubleshooting with an agent. If they’re unable to get your Xbox 360 working, they’ll probably ask you to send it in for repair.
If you do end up having to send your Xbox 360 in for repair, check out my post about returning your Xbox 360 for repair.