Need help with Xbox 360 error

[frauschieze]

A friend of mine is having problems with his Xbox 360. It plays DVDs, CDs and regular xbox games just fine, but it will not play any 360 games. When he tries to, it says, "Put this disc in a Xbox 360 console."

Any ideas on what is wrong? He does have issues with overheating but otherwise, we've got no clue.

Thanks guys!

[Shazam!]

Use a cleaning disc with a brush on it. Saturate the brush with alcohol or windex and run it for 10-20 seconds. Unplug it and leave it for a few to let it dry. Remove and reinstall the HDD (if equipped). Then power it up and reboot/setup for the first time, or restore factory settings. This can be found in the Settings panel.

Also, make sure the game discs aren't dogged out and messed up, and that they're clean. Multiple discs may be messed up, it's a long shot but it's possible. Wipe with a soft, lint free cloth.

If the problem persists, then I think it's a problem with the Driver.

This could also be a console on the way to the Red Ring of Death... Other failures come sometimes before the complete hardare failure. If the console runs hot this may indeed be the case, unfortunately.

Call 1 800 4MY XBOX. Any 360 purchased new they'll fix it for free within 3 years of purchase. Even if it isn't covered, chances are they'll repair it anyway if you cry the blues. They don't pay initial shipping charges on your end anymore, you'll have to box it and send it yourself, but that isn't a big deal. A typical repair takes 1 day at their facility, with round trip shipping about 7-10 days. Not bad.

EDIT- If you are calling for service and you don't have a warranty, tell them your console Red Ringed of Death (Three Quadrants) earlier, and it never happened before but seems to be working fine now, but what should you do. DON'T MENTION THE OTHER PROBLEM. If there isn't a warranty the chances are very good they'll fix it anyway. When you get it back, it will run like new.

Their customer service I find to be pretty good and very reasonable.

I also advise investing in an aftermarket platform/vertical cooler (not the Intercooler 360) to aid in lowering the operating temp.

[MasterShake]

Use a cleaning disc with a brush on it. Saturate the brush with alcohol or windex and run it for 10-20 seconds. Unplug it and leave it for a few to let it dry. Remove and reinstall the HDD (if equipped). Then power it up and reboot/setup for the first time, or restore factory settings. This can be found in the Settings panel.

Also, make sure the game discs aren't dogged out and messed up, and that they're clean. Multiple discs may be messed up, it's a long shot but it's possible. Wipe with a soft, lint free cloth.

If the problem persists, then I think it's a problem with the Driver.

This could also be a console on the way to the Red Ring of Death... Other failures come sometimes before the complete hardare failure. If the console runs hot this may indeed be the case, unfortunately.

Call 1 800 4MY XBOX. Any 360 purchased new they'll fix it for free within 3 years of purchase. Even if it isn't covered, chances are they'll repair it anyway if you cry the blues. They don't pay initial shipping charges on your end anymore, you'll have to box it and send it yourself, but that isn't a big deal. A typical repair takes 1 day at their facility, with round trip shipping about 7-10 days. Not bad.

Their customer service I find to be pretty good and very reasonable.

I also advise investing in an aftermarket platform/vertical cooler (not the Intercooler 360) to aid in lowering the operating temp.

I'd agree with Shazam on this one. Don't ask me, I just rip the damn things apart and try to fix em! :lol:

Its much easier to send them in than to void the warranty. As a matter of fact, its advisable to send it in regardless if its still under warranty because they will update the heatsinks, xclamps, and heat solder making the Xbox 360 run much better overall. I did that all myself with mine, but it would have been better just to send it in. Only takes about a week to get back, as well.

[frauschieze]

I'm pretty sure he bought it used, so no warranty. :(

Thanks a million for your responses though and I'll have him give your solution a try, Shazam. I'll keep you posted.

The failure rate on these machines just blows my mind. I couldn't imagine pushing a product that fails more than half the time.

[Shazam!]

You're right, but they're good about fixing them. Tell them it RROD'ed and there is an excellent chance they'll fix it.

[MasterShake]

You're right, but they're good about fixing them. Tell them it RROD'ed and there is an excellent chance they'll fix it.

Or, you can wrap the sucker in a towel and force a RROD and send it in. Chances are the machine is under 3 years old (enter the serial number here to find out if its covered: https://support.xbox.com/support/en/us/xbox360/myinformation.aspx) Even past warranty, they will fix it good if there are the Red Rings. Also, I did some research just for the sake of knowing. The last two generations of Xbox's have added new heatsinks and smaller GPU chips (The Falcon and Jasper chips, repectively) and the failure rate has dropped below 4%. I just brought my elite back from the dead a few weeks ago, but the overheating was just a matter of time before it struck again. I traded in my "fixed" elite and just got an Xbox arcade package (ran about $120 after the trade in). The new Jasper chip and heatsink array make a much cooler and quiet machine. If he's not interested in sending it in, he could trade it in towards a newer xbox that is quieter and has less chance of dying. They won't try to run a game in it, they just check to see if it turns on. He just has to make sure it is a Jasper chip system: http://exophase.com/xbox360/how-to-spot-a-jasper-xbox-360-9366.htm

Most newer ones are Jasper chipsets. I highly recommend them. Not only that, the new power cord is down from 250W to 175W and there is 256MB of internal flash memory built into the new ones. Makes the games a little faster, as well. I just migrated my old HD and everything is better than ever.

[Shazam!]

I wouldn't RROD it intentionally. I think they should call XBox CS, tell them it RRODed, but seems to work OK now.

My 360 RRODed, but I used the Towel Trick and sure enough it worked again. I told them it RRODed, but seemed ok, and they sent me the 'coffin' (they don't do that anymore) and I sent it in and got it back in 8 days.

Frau, that's what I advise- Call them and tell them it RRODed and that now it works but you have that current error. Chances are they'll tell you to ship it to them and they'll fix it for free and it'll work better than ever.

[MasterShake]

I wouldn't RROD it intentionally. I think they should call XBox CS, tell them it RRODed, but seems to work OK now.

My 360 RRODed, but I used the Towel Trick and sure enough it worked again. I told them it RRODed, but seemed ok, and they sent me the 'coffin' (they don't do that anymore) and I sent it in and got it back in 8 days.

Frau, that's what I advise- Call them and tell them it RRODed and that now it works but you have that current error. Chances are they'll tell you to ship it to them and they'll fix it for free and it'll work better than ever.

If you intentionally RROD it they have to fix it for free, warranty or not (well, 3 years from purchase date anyway). Otherwise you're out $100 for the repairs at which point you might as well trade in the "working" xbox for a newer, cooler, quieter one.

EDIT: But, chances are they don't even check. They guys who fix them get paid by the box so I'm sure they just fix whatever comes in. They usually don't fight it due to the PR nightmare the failure rate has been from what I've heard.

[broncohead]

Whats RROD?

[frauschieze]

RROD = red ring of death

[Shazam!]

If you intentionally RROD it they have to fix it for free, warranty or not (well, 3 years from purchase date anyway). Otherwise you're out $100 for the repairs at which point you might as well trade in the "working" xbox for a newer, cooler, quieter one.

EDIT: But, chances are they don't even check. They guys who fix them get paid by the box so I'm sure they just fix whatever comes in. They usually don't fight it due to the PR nightmare the failure rate has been from what I've heard.

They don't have to do anything. If you told them your console RRODed but works ok after you restarted it, will they tell you 'No it didn't'? of course not.

In Frau's case, I think that's the best course of action. Call up, tell them it RRODed, now it works but won't read discs. They're good at XBox CS and from all my experiences very reasonable. I believe they'll tell her to just pack it up, ship it to the address, and if next day is used, she'd have it back in a week guaranteed, good as new.

Frau, if you do call (or your friend), I want to know what they say. Please post the outcome here.

[gnomeflinger]

If all else fails do this:


:smash:

[Shep]

I've had to send mine in at least 3x. Based on the turn around times I've experienced, I don't think they really fix your unit and send it back. I think they verify the cause of the error, and send you back a refurb.

[frauschieze]

They don't have to do anything. If you told them your console RRODed but works ok after you restarted it, will they tell you 'No it didn't'? of course not.

In Frau's case, I think that's the best course of action. Call up, tell them it RRODed, now it works but won't read discs. They're good at XBox CS and from all my experiences very reasonable. I believe they'll tell her to just pack it up, ship it to the address, and if next day is used, she'd have it back in a week guaranteed, good as new.

Frau, if you do call (or your friend), I want to know what they say. Please post the outcome here.

Absolutely. I'll let you know what happens. His roommate has a genuine RROD, so I think the comparison ought to be interesting to say the least.

[Shazam!]

I've had to send mine in at least 3x. Based on the turn around times I've experienced, I don't think they really fix your unit and send it back. I think they verify the cause of the error, and send you back a refurb.

I've sent mine in 3x too, once for the RROD. The other times were for Disc Read Errors, similar to what Frau has experienced. I didn't have to send it in those 2x, but I figured it's covered so WTF. The 1st repair I got a refurbished one, the other 2 I got were the same serial-numbered system. The last repair I did get (March 09), I got all new 'guts'. It runs cooler, quieter, and load times are faster even without the install.


Absolutely. I'll let you know what happens. His roommate has a genuine RROD, so I think the comparison ought to be interesting to say the least.

1 800 4MY XBOX is 24/7 full customer support.

[Davii]

I had the same problem with mine while in Iraq. Send it to Microsoft. It needs a new drive. The nice thing is, it costs 100$ but adds another year to warranty. If it's still in warranty it's free.

[Shazam!]

I had the same problem with mine while in Iraq. Send it to Microsoft. It needs a new drive. The nice thing is, it costs 100$ but adds another year to warranty. If it's still in warranty it's free.

Right, I thought it was the driver. Since RROD is covered for 3 years, I think if someone tells them it RRODed, but it works now but their are additional problems with it, they'll fix it for free. Also, if they run the serial number and it has a manufactured date of the last 3 years, they may fix it too. There's a great chance they'll come away with a good deal here.

[Shep]

I've sent mine in 3x too, once for the RROD. The other times were for Disc Read Errors, similar to what Frau has experienced. I didn't have to send it in those 2x, but I figured it's covered so WTF. The 1st repair I got a refurbished one, the other 2 I got were the same serial-numbered system. The last repair I did get (March 09), I got all new 'guts'. It runs cooler, quieter, and load times are faster even without the install.



1 800 4MY XBOX is 24/7 full customer support.

Must only get refurbs for RROD. That was my issue all 3x.

[Shazam!]

Interesting. My RROD (the last repair I sent in) got all new guts and was the same machine. Maybe they stopped refurbishing them or something...

[MasterShake]

Interesting. My RROD (the last repair I sent in) got all new guts and was the same machine. Maybe they stopped refurbishing them or something...

Since March or so of last year its all new heat sinks and cooling compound on the chips.

[gnomeflinger]

All this talk of Xbox repairs is convincing me to not get one.

[MasterShake]

All this talk of Xbox repairs is convincing me to not get one.

If you read my previous post, the newer ones all run cooler, have brand new graphics chipsets, and are much quieter. They have dropped the failure rate from 12% to about 3-4%. Mine breaks again I'm gonna get a Wii.:mad:

[Shazam!]

All this talk of Xbox repairs is convincing me to not get one.

Aside from the most complete library of games in all genres, Micrsoft has the best coverage easily now. Buy a new 360, it's covered for any reason aside from pouring water in it or dropping it... then again, even if you did drop it and the damage isn't visible, or poured water in it and let it dry out, they'll fix it!