I Am the Newest Member of The Club of Having had my 360 break on me. It sucks hard.

[garagesaleking!!]

I turned on my 360 this morning and it came up system error e74, please contact xbox support. I looked at my system and it had 1 red flashing light in the bottom right corner. I went to gamestop and bought a new av cable, but still had the problem. I called microsoft and my system is still under warranty and ill be sending it in and getting it fixed for free.

It just sucks it will be about 4 weeks before i have a working system again. I never thought this would happen to me. My system was made on 2/21/08. I thought since i had a new system all the problems were fixed, but i guess not.

I have heard that playing call of duty 4 and world at war is said to give you a higher risk of getting the e74 problems with your xbox. Is that possible that could be true. All i have been playing for the past week is nonstop call of duty wow.

It just sucks, im so bored and want to play my 360 and cant. It sucks really bad. Now i believe when i read everywhere that xbox 360s really do break all the time, and i even babied mine, and always was extra protective of it, but still get screwed.

The only way to describe my feelings is pretty much, damn.

[Oobgarm]

My DVD drive is failing, so I feel for you.

[sebastiankirchoff]

Amazingly, my Xbox hasn't broken yet, and I bought it October 2006. It has frozen up a couple of times, but I just restart it and it works again perfectly. I don't know how many hours I have played on it, but it is probably close to 150.

[Alfador]

I just got my first 360 and it came with a broken controller, is this a sign of things to come?

[G-Boobie]

I'm on 360 number four, so I feel your pain.

Good luck.

[boatofcar]

Go outside. Read a book.

[super nes]

I dont know how this happens my 360 is on almost 6 hours a day and i never had any problems with it i guess its because i keep it on the cold floor or im really lucky...

[jcalder8]

Now tell us how you really feel.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'm on 360 number four, so I feel your pain.

Good luck.

I'm on #6

3 on the FIRST DAY I bought one!

[NE146]

Now i believe when i read everywhere that xbox 360s really do break all the time

You mean you didn't believe it before?

I didn't know there were still people like you :p

[ProgrammingAce]

there's no truth behind the theory that some games increase the chances of a RRoD. If the system is defective, then it's defective. Not all systems are borked, but enough to be a problem. A vast majority of 360s will never RRoD, the failure rate is below 25%.

Though, i'm getting a bit tired repeating myself. I've expianed the RRoD situation in detail in about a dozen different threads.

http://programmingace.com/images/360Promo/MicrosoftMotivation.jpg

[nate1749]

When it breaks again and it will be out of warranty (since now that you've used your warranty once that period is now null and you get I think 90 days from when they fix it) there is a guy on eBay who fixes them the same day he receives them and ships them right back out. It was $50 when all was said and done, but he fixed mine RROD and I couldn't be happier, he was out of AL if I remember correctly.

Seriously what a great business plan, fixing microsoft's broken hardware - you know you'll always have work!

I also never thought mine would break since quite simply I never played it - it had a total of about 20 hours of powered on time (in an always chilly a/c apartment) over the course of a year and I hadn't used it in over a month and when I turned it on to play Mirror's Edge (only game I wanted to play since Gears Of War) I had the RROD.

Nate

[boatofcar]

A vast majority of 360s will never RRoD, the failure rate is below 25%.


I don't care where you say you get your data from, I call BS on this. Everyone I know IRL except me has had at least one RROD. Some have had two. Granted, this is only 4 other people besides me, but anecdotal evidence suggests the failure rate of 360s is well above 25%.

[aclbandit]

Go outside. Read a book.

What's "outside"? It sounds unpleasant. Isn't that where "The Sun" lives? He's mean, I've heard. I don't think I want to go there.

[monkeychemist]

why do you guys insist on still buying crap from that company? Just stop! Look at what they gave us: X360, Zune, OfficeX documents, Vista...all crap crap crap

[scooterb23]

TROLLING ROCKS!!!! Awesome work monkeychemist...

*Ahem*

Sucks garagesalesking, take the 4 weeks to enjoy the hidden gems of your collection, or take up board gaming or something for a few weeks :) Time will fly by, and you'll barely miss the thing.

[XYXZYZ]

It just sucks, im so bored and want to play my 360 and cant. It sucks really bad.

What did you do for fun before you got a 360?

[Oobgarm]

There's always black tar heroin. :)

[megasdkirby]

I'm on #6

3 on the FIRST DAY I bought one!

Ok, now that pretty much scares the shit of me purchasing one. :(

I've seen problems with the console before, but this one takes the cake!

[Trumpman]

My first one (a 4/2008) model was RRoD'd the moment I got it. That was rather disappointing.

[Garry Silljo]

I'm on 360 number four, so I feel your pain.

Good luck.

I refuse to buy a system that many times due to manufacturer incompetance. When you keep buying the system over and over, companies don't learn a consequence.

[FxMercenary]

i got an old 2006 model that still works! Of course as soon as the news began to fly around that they were all failing i reinforced to solder points and pasted the cpu and gpu with silver thermal compound. No problems yet!

[Jimid2]

Man, that sucks... My son and I just bought a new 360 Pro yesterday - we couldn't resist the Boxing Day pricing ($240 w/ two games). I know they're infamously unreliable, but I plan on using it heavily for three years - if it RRODs, Mickeysoft can send me a new one with the Jaspur chipset and board in it; I hear those are being put into the new Arcade units with the 256MB of memory onboard, so they should make it into the Pro models before too long... All that being said, I picked up Gears, Bioshock, PGR3 and Rainbow Six for only $60 total (used, EB's sales), and we're having a blast! Oh, and we got HALO 3 for $20 too! I think this thing will get the crap played out of it over the winter... ;)

[ProgrammingAce]

I don't care where you say you get your data from, I call BS on this. Everyone I know IRL except me has had at least one RROD. Some have had two. Granted, this is only 4 other people besides me, but anecdotal evidence suggests the failure rate of 360s is well above 25%.

The initial problem was a combination of two things, and sadly one wasn't diagnosed until sometime in 2007. There was an initial problem with the clamp they used to hold down the CPU. As the system heated up, the clamp forced the motherboard to bend and it would start breaking the solder joints.

Microsoft quickly discovered this and made corrections. Unfortunately this was just a symptom and not the real issue. After adding additional cooling and modifying the clamping system, consoles were still dieing. It wasn't until they asked a major electronics manufacturer for help that they discovered an issue with the soldering process and the RoHS solder they were using.

Basically the solder they were using was crap and melted at a lower temperature then specified. This wouldnt have been a major problem if it hadn't been for the clamping system. The reason the problem only effects a small number of consoles is due to the wave soldering process. The tolerances were off and the design spec didn't take into consideration the crappy solder. If your 360 was soldered well, it'll last for years without a heat related RRoD (the console can RRoD for 30+ reasons, including bad code in a game).

Any questions?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I refuse to buy a system that many times due to manufacturer incompetance. When you keep buying the system over and over, companies don't learn a consequence.

You mean the billions that Microsoft has openly gone on-record about losing due to non-stop warranty extensions, shipping costs, and repair parts & labor for RROD consoles?

While I do believe that Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sega have all recouped SOME money in the past off of consumers who have re-purchased their systems due to hardware failure (or simply purchased a "refresh" design of a console/portable)...

I think that regardless of how many 360s any of us buy, in this specific instance with the 360, MS learned their own lessons from their own poor R&D on the product and the time and money they've spent and lost on repairs/replacements.

[garagesaleking!!]

does one red light still qualify as being the rrod. I thought the rrod was when you had 3 red lights.

I am on break from college and just wanted to relax and play my 360, thats what sucks, i guess i will hook up my original xbox and play some campaigns.

I just bought an xbox live download card recently and wanted to download some new rockband songs for when im back up at college, but i cant do that now.

Will they fix my system, or send me a new one? does anyone know?

[Sudo]

I refuse to buy a system that many times due to manufacturer incompetance. When you keep buying the system over and over, companies don't learn a consequence.

You don't have to keep buying it, Microsoft will fix it for free.

[scooterb23]

Awww, Sudo, come on now...why take all the fun out of a completely fact-starved, misguided rant ;)

[Garry Silljo]

You don't have to keep buying it, Microsoft will fix it for free.

I don't keep buying them, I won't even buy one. Others in the thread mentioned being on box number 4 or even 6. They didn't say one box fixed that many times. They said that many boxes.

[chicnstu]

Mine quit working earlier this year, it was fixed and so far hasn't messed up again. Has there been a console worse than the 360? The games and features of the system are great but the system itself is crap. Compared to the other systems I own it seems like the worst made of them all:

1. Many die
2. Pick your 360 up, hold it. Then hold a Wii or PS3. The 360 feels so hollow, flimsy, and fragile. It feels like a Saturn. A Wii, PS3, DC, GC, etc feels solid.
3. Worst D-Pad I've ever used
4. Very stiff A/B/X/Y buttons, they feel like something from a late 80s toy.
5. Horrible Analog sticks, as bad as the ones on a Hyperscan. The "crater" in the top was put there to keep thumbs from sliding off, but it does the opposite.
6. Fat controller, but it's made by a U.S. company and I guess most people from the U.S. have larger hands than people from Japan.

Oh well, the 360 has the most games so we are stuck with it.

[eugenek]

there's no truth behind the theory that some games increase the chances of a RRoD.


According to this anonymous engineer interviewed by 8bitjoystick, there is:

Q: Does some games more than others cause hardware failure. Gears of War and Dead Rising were thought to be system killers when they came out.

Of course. Infant mortality, which is a weakened mechanical "thing" like a solder joint with a void in it, are exercised to failure by cyclic stress. The number of cycles and the amplitude of temperature change from low to high determine how quickly it will fail. Certain games will consume more bandwidth on the GPU, which has the most substandard thermal solution on the mother board, making it a lot hotter, warping the mobo and flexing the solder joints. Weak joints fail quickly. The better the game, the more often it will be played, again accelerating failures.

http://www.8bitjoystick.com/archives/jake_inside_source_reveal_the_truth_about_xbox_360 _red_ring_of_death_failures.php

Jake has terrible grammar, but I think he's pretty credible.

[PapaStu]

I don't keep buying them, I won't even buy one. Others in the thread mentioned being on box number 4 or even 6. They didn't say one box fixed that many times. They said that many boxes.

I'm on Number 3. Microsoft has REPLACED my two dead units with new (all be it refurbed) units. I can almost guarantee that our other posters who've had 4, 6, x number of systems die have had MS replacements vs going out and buying 4 or 6 new units.

@ garagesaleking
It depends on what the problem is with your unit. Mine have all had disc drives shit out on them. They've replaced my system with a 'new' system. Good buddy Dangerboy had his die within a few days of my last one, with something else dying, and they repaired his system and sent it back to him (serial #'s matched).

[Rob2600]

Has there been a console worse than the 360?

I'd say the Coleco Adam...maybe.



2. Pick your 360 up, hold it. Then hold a Wii or PS3. The 360 feels so hollow, flimsy, and fragile. It feels like a Saturn.

The Saturn is a durable, reliable console.

[j_factor]

The only problem Saturns seem to have is the cartridge port failing to recognize. But that's probably mainly caused by Interact's ridiculously thick cartridges that stretch out the contacts. I would say that the Dreamcast (or maybe Sega CD model 1) was actually Sega's least reliable console, although it's still pretty good. Game Gear has a lot of issues that have come out over time -- I don't remember hearing about anyone having problems with them 15 years ago, but nowadays, almost every Game Gear I come across has some sort of problem.

[ProgrammingAce]

According to this anonymous engineer interviewed by 8bitjoystick, there is:

I completely agree with what he says, but he's being too specific. Think more general.

If the console has bad solder joints, it'll fail. If the solder joints are fine then it won't.

The games you play have no affect on whether or not the console will fail. Individual games may cause the system to fail faster though. If you never take the console out of the box, it'll never fail...

[garagesaleking!!]

so the e74 problem is related to overheating?

[gepeto]

. Has there been a console worse than the 360? .

Well for what it is worth my original psx and everybody I knew that bought one of the 300 dollar units. The one with the av outs.

The cd lens went bad and the unit had video playback problems and needed to be turned upside down. Whether it worked was hit and miss. Repairs cost me 125 dollars. Then they was a class action where they offered money or a game of your choice.

At least for the most part MS is free.

[jdc]

We all know that the 360 has left many gamers with bad feelings towards Microsoft. The big question is whether those same gamers are going to be first in line with their $500 when Microsoft launches their next console? My money's on the fact that they will be, and Microsoft is most certainly counting on it.

[garagesaleking!!]

the 360 is just so superior to the ps3 in my opinion, and even the wii, that it is too hard to not still love it. xbox live just blows my mind.

[Gameguy]

We all know that the 360 has left many gamers with bad feelings towards Microsoft. The big question is whether those same gamers are going to be first in line with their $500 when Microsoft launches their next console? My money's on the fact that they will be, and Microsoft is most certainly counting on it.
Just hope the next one will be backwards compatible. I believe in 20 years the 360 will be one of the rarest consoles to find as most will break down by then.

I don't have a 360 and don't plan to get one anytime soon, I wouldn't spend hundreds of dollars on something I know has reliability problems. Even if the games are really good I wouldn't buy it for such a high price(older systems have good games and they're really cheap now, around $30). The 360 has pretty much become a big joke to most people, I've seen T-shirts making fun of it so it has to be pretty bad.
http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/4665/360wx3.jpg

I should mention that I don't have any current gen system(excluding portables), I'll wait until I find them at yard sales.

[Skelix]

Just have more than 1, that way when one breaks you can mail the other out and still have a system to play.

I'm playing one right now, have a broken one in various pieces and an unopened Elite still in the Amazon packaging.

I'll never miss out on free dlc again!

[unwinddesign]

Mine quit working earlier this year, it was fixed and so far hasn't messed up again. Has there been a console worse than the 360? The games and features of the system are great but the system itself is crap. Compared to the other systems I own it seems like the worst made of them all:

1. Many die
2. Pick your 360 up, hold it. Then hold a Wii or PS3. The 360 feels so hollow, flimsy, and fragile. It feels like a Saturn. A Wii, PS3, DC, GC, etc feels solid.
3. Worst D-Pad I've ever used
4. Very stiff A/B/X/Y buttons, they feel like something from a late 80s toy.
5. Horrible Analog sticks, as bad as the ones on a Hyperscan. The "crater" in the top was put there to keep thumbs from sliding off, but it does the opposite.
6. Fat controller, but it's made by a U.S. company and I guess most people from the U.S. have larger hands than people from Japan.

Oh well, the 360 has the most games so we are stuck with it.

The 360's controller is the best one I've ever used. Don't know where the hell you get stiff buttons and crappy analogue sticks, but it's really the opposite. Since I don't play 2D games, the DPad is of no consequence (although this obviously varies with the user). And calling it fat? WTF? It's about the same size as a Dual Shock, slightly smaller than the GC's pad, smaller than the original Xbox's pad...maybe it's massive compared to the Wii or SNES controller.

The console itself is fairly heavy, and does not feel hollow. It feels no "cheaper" than the plastic casing of the Wii or PS3.

They do break, but that doesn't give you a warrant to just make up a bunch of random shit to support your thesis that "the system build is the worst out of every system ever made." Worst out of this gen? Yes. Worst ever? Doubtful. The PS2 was a giant sack of ass when it came out, as was the PS1. The Dreamcast had a fair number of issues, the original Xbox had notoriously horrible drives...the list goes on. The cart based systems were nigh indestructible, but now it seems that all bets are off. That being said, the PS3 and Wii are well constructed, so Microsoft needs to step their game up with some revisions, otherwise people are going to get tired of this shit, good games or no.

[SegaAges]

Mine RRoD'ed on me once about 6 months or so ago. I havent had any problems with it since.

[darkhades]

I am curious, is there anyone here with a launch 360 system and has had absolutely no problems? Pehaps I may just be the luckiest mofo'n 360 owner around.

[NE146]

Since I don't play 2D games, the DPad is of no consequence (although this obviously varies with the user).

Well there you go. The 360 D-Pad is definitely the worst thing about the 360 controller. If they could only fix that one simple thing (I mean how hard can it be????) then the 360 controller would be one of the top of all time imho.

[garagesaleking!!]

hey, i have another question, does anyone know microsoft fixes an xbox sent in with the e74 problem? do they do a permanent fix on it? or just something that will break again at some point?

[Garry Silljo]

Just have more than 1, that way when one breaks you can mail the other out and still have a system to play.

I'm playing one right now, have a broken one in various pieces and an unopened Elite still in the Amazon packaging.

I'll never miss out on free dlc again!

People were telling me this doesn't happen?

[eugenek]

I am curious, is there anyone here with a launch 360 system and has had absolutely no problems? Pehaps I may just be the luckiest mofo'n 360 owner around.

I'm curious, about how many times do you switch the system on in an average week? There's some speculation that it's the number of power cycles (and not total playtime) that frequently causes RRoD. So maybe if you turn it on once every couple of days it may not matter if the system is on for 8 hours every time.

[G-Boobie]

Just have more than 1, that way when one breaks you can mail the other out and still have a system to play.

I'm playing one right now, have a broken one in various pieces and an unopened Elite still in the Amazon packaging.

I'll never miss out on free dlc again!

Even though I currently have two(MS 'lost' the second one I sent in, so I bought an arcade. The other one showed up two months later much to my[and MS'] surprise), that's nuts. Planning on buying multiple 250 dollar consoles because they're poorly engineered? Are you hiring?

[ProgrammingAce]

Well there you go. The 360 D-Pad is definitely the worst thing about the 360 controller. If they could only fix that one simple thing (I mean how hard can it be????) then the 360 controller would be one of the top of all time imho.

Patent issues, same reason sony uses the shitty D-Pads they do. Talk to Ninty, they hold the patent. I don't think anyone has found a better way to make them that isn't already owned by Ninty or the arcade manufacturers.

Sucks.

[Princess-Isabela]

you all lie - I'm on my launch 2005 360 and it plays perfect.
liars...

[darkhades]

I'm curious, about how many times do you switch the system on in an average week? There's some speculation that it's the number of power cycles (and not total playtime) that frequently causes RRoD. So maybe if you turn it on once every couple of days it may not matter if the system is on for 8 hours every time.

I guess on average I play it about 5-10 hours a week, probably turning it on once every couple of days. The last couple of months I've been playing almost every day, 2-4 hours a day.

[neist]

My DVD drive is failing, so I feel for you.

Me too.

I've just been installing every game on the HDD now, and uninstalling them after I'm finished with that game. It's annoying, but at least I don't get random disc read errors.

Apparently theres a new chipset coming out soon (Jasper? I don't recall the code name). Hopefully that one will be better. I'm really hoping that somewhere down the line they actually revise the 360 hardware into something more efficient, especially if they still want the thing around in 5 years.

[chicnstu]

The 360's controller is the best one I've ever used. Don't know where the hell you get stiff buttons and crappy analogue sticks, but it's really the opposite. Since I don't play 2D games, the DPad is of no consequence (although this obviously varies with the user). And calling it fat? WTF? It's about the same size as a Dual Shock, slightly smaller than the GC's pad, smaller than the original Xbox's pad...maybe it's massive compared to the Wii or SNES controller.

1. Press the A/B/X/Y buttons on your 360 controller

2. Press the A/B/X/Y buttons on a Nintendo controller and the Triangle/Circle/Cross/Square buttons on a Sony system

3. Notice the difference...? The 360 buttons feel like a 20 year old toy. Yes they work, I'm just saying they feel worse than other controllers.

Yes, the analog sticks on the 360 controller feel the same as what's on a Nintendo or Sony controller but all I said was that the dip (or having it round on top like the Dual Shock) makes a person's thumb slide off when held in one direction for a long period of time. The lines that are on the Wii controller keep that from happening. I'm playing Fallout 3 and Animal Crossing: City Folk right now. In both games you are constantly traveling. When I play Fallout 3 I have to readjust my thumb often, when I play Animal Crossing, I never have to.

And the 360 controller is fat, the part where palms and fingers wrap around looks and feels very bloated compared to the Dual Shock and GC controller. After years of holding those the 360 controller doesn't feel good, but maybe it does to other people...even though I have long hands.


The console itself is fairly heavy, and does not feel hollow. It feels no "cheaper" than the plastic casing of the Wii or PS3.

Yeah it's heavy, but what does that have to do with durability? And yes, the console does feel very hollow. You must have never held a Wii if you don't think it feels hollow.


They do break, but that doesn't give you a warrant to just make up a bunch of random shit to support your thesis that "the system build is the worst out of every system ever made."

Cussing at me because I pointed out faults? I never said it was the worst built ever, I asked if it was because I hated the problems I had with my PS and having to blow the NES cartridges every time I wanted to play a game.

And none of that is random, read them again, think about it, check it for yourself, it's true.


Worst out of this gen? Yes. Worst ever? Doubtful. The PS2 was a giant sack of ass when it came out, as was the PS1. The Dreamcast had a fair number of issues, the original Xbox had notoriously horrible drives...the list goes on. The cart based systems were nigh indestructible, but now it seems that all bets are off. That being said, the PS3 and Wii are well constructed, so Microsoft needs to step their game up with some revisions, otherwise people are going to get tired of this shit, good games or no.

I agree with all of that.

Most of the problems I pointed out are minor but having so many minor problems has made me hate the 360 console, not the games. If I sound like a Nintendo or Sony fanboy, I'm not, almost all I've played this generation is the 360, it has more good games.

[garagesaleking!!]

i actually dont like the ps3 controller, it is too small, it feels weird in my hands, and i just dont like the layout, i think the 360 controller is the best, everthing about it is perfect.

[j_factor]

Patent issues, same reason sony uses the shitty D-Pads they do. Talk to Ninty, they hold the patent. I don't think anyone has found a better way to make them that isn't already owned by Ninty or the arcade manufacturers.

Genesis and Saturn had perfectly good d-pads... better than any of Nintendo's IMO. The Turbo's d-pad was perfectly acceptable as well, and I didn't even mind the Dreamcast d-pad.

[alxbly]

Garagesaleking: Sorry to hear about your 360. My Elite died a few weeks ago... I know your pain.


1. Press the A/B/X/Y buttons on your 360 controller

2. Press the A/B/X/Y buttons on a Nintendo controller and the Triangle/Circle/Cross/Square buttons on a Sony system

3. Notice the difference...? The 360 buttons feel like a 20 year old toy. Yes they work, I'm just saying they feel worse than other controllers.

The only difference I notice is that they have slightly more travel than Sony/Nintendo controllers but I do prefer the reassuring click of the 360's buttons. The consoles I play varies quite regularly and I can't say I've ever picked up a 360 pad and thought "this feels old/bad/whatever". The d-pad isn't great, apart from that I find the 360 controller to be really good.


Yes, the analog sticks on the 360 controller feel the same as what's on a Nintendo or Sony controller but all I said was that the dip (or having it round on top like the Dual Shock) makes a person's thumb slide off when held in one direction for a long period of time.

Never had this problem with the 360 controller either. The only controllers I've had that kind of problem with are the Gamecube's c-stick. I've always been interested to hear why Nintendo went with such a crap design for that c-stick. Does anyone know why it was just a stalk without any real surface area at the top (or a proper thumb grip, like you get on every other controller). Seemed like a strange decision.

The only other time I had similar problems is when I have friends/family playing my games and they're eating in between games, so they end up playing with greasy hands. I always wash the controllers after cos I'm kinda anal about things like that.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I've never had my thumbs "slip off" of a dual shock stick either.

I think the 360 controller is the best design MS has come up with. Very balanced, very ergonomic ... but for my personal playing taste, I prefer my analogs next to each other, and a smaller over-all controller.

I've always thought that the Dual Shock design was perfection in controller engineering, and it remains my favorite controller design.

[graciano1337]

Just had my Elite red ring on me last week. And it does suck hard. Really hard.

[Streetball 21]

So I start playing COD 5 this morning on my 360, and I start getting these weird patterns/lines on my screen. I keep playing since it's not that bad, and then stop to mess with the wires, thinking there's a bad connection somewhere. Then I see one red line on my 360, and the first thing that comes to my mind is RROD. But then, I get a message showing "Error E74". After calling Microsoft, I find out it is $100.00 (I also saw it on the forums as well) which is ridiculous. My one year warranty expired on 12/26/2008. I'm thinking of claiming RROD, but I'm not too confident that will work. Not sure it will do any good to speak with a supervisor, it seems Microsoft is NOT set on replacing XBOX's with this error message. This sucks.

[mr obscure]

my 360 has problems with resident evil 5.
The screen freezes with loading screens and movies.
But no red rings,thank god.

25% is a lot.
Thats 1 out of 4.... think about that 1 out of 4...damn

[ProgrammingAce]

So I start playing COD 5 this morning on my 360, and I start getting these weird patterns/lines on my screen. I keep playing since it's not that bad, and then stop to mess with the wires, thinking there's a bad connection somewhere. Then I see one red line on my 360, and the first thing that comes to my mind is RROD. But then, I get a message showing "Error E74". After calling Microsoft, I find out it is $100.00 (I also saw it on the forums as well) which is ridiculous. My one year warranty expired on 12/26/2008. I'm thinking of claiming RROD, but I'm not too confident that will work. Not sure it will do any good to speak with a supervisor, it seems Microsoft is NOT set on replacing XBOX's with this error message. This sucks.

If you've *ever* had an RRoD, the system logs the error message and you can send the system in on that error message.

[Nature Boy]

If the console has bad solder joints, it'll fail. If the solder joints are fine then it won't.

That's not technically true - if the console has perfect solder joints it could still have a faulty drive, which I'm convinced I have.

(I know that's not your point, I just can't help myself sometimes...)

I've gotten "cannot read disc" errors on brand new games, and every once in awhile a game seems to give me trouble that shouldn't. I'm constantly thinking about what I'll do *when* it does finally kick the bucket.

I love my 360, and I will do what I have to in order to repair it, but *man* will MS have to have a seriously spotless product when they release their next Xbox, because I will NOT touch it if I even get a HINT it'll be faulty.

Anecdotally: Five 360 owners in my office. Three of them have had to send theirs in for repairs (one drive related, the other two I'm not sure ). Bottom line: nobody cares *why* the machines fail, only that they have.

[josekortez]

360s are like modern marriages.

That said, I'm glad I finished Bioshock because it kept freezing over and over again. My system will probably take its final bow soon.

[YoshiM]

My system just up and croaked tonight. Got the E79 and one light error and then the RROD when I disconnected everything and put it back together.

I bought it used from a DP member for a great deal and even though it died, I got a lot of use out of it so I'm not overly miffed. Just sucks I recently reupped my Gold account, though. I'll just pack rat it away and if the urge is strong to play, I might jump. By then the RROD problem might be wiped out. Maybe. Hopefully.

[s1lence]

360s are like modern marriages.

That said, I'm glad I finished Bioshock because it kept freezing over and over again. My system will probably take its final bow soon.

Sounds like a typical Bioshock happening.

[YoshiM]

Update: Microsoft said the paint job wouldn't affect the warranty, so they will repair/replace my system. Just gotta scrounge up a box to send it. Whew!

[s1lence]

Update: Microsoft said the paint job wouldn't affect the warranty, so they will repair/replace my system. Just gotta scrounge up a box to send it. Whew!

Thats good, the problem is that the one you have painted will most likely not be the one you get back.

[ProgrammingAce]

depends, they're better about that now. The replacement motherboards fit in the old cases now, so they have the option of reusing the old case. That's something they really couldn't do a few months ago.

[YoshiM]

Thats good, the problem is that the one you have painted will most likely not be the one you get back.
Probably, but I can deal with that. It'll keep the Wii company in the color department as everything else on the TV stand is black.

[Gameguy]

So I start playing COD 5 this morning on my 360, and I start getting these weird patterns/lines on my screen. I keep playing since it's not that bad, and then stop to mess with the wires, thinking there's a bad connection somewhere. Then I see one red line on my 360, and the first thing that comes to my mind is RROD. But then, I get a message showing "Error E74". After calling Microsoft, I find out it is $100.00 (I also saw it on the forums as well) which is ridiculous. My one year warranty expired on 12/26/2008. I'm thinking of claiming RROD, but I'm not too confident that will work. Not sure it will do any good to speak with a supervisor, it seems Microsoft is NOT set on replacing XBOX's with this error message. This sucks.
That error is now covered under the 3 year warranty, it should be free to get repaired.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/14/xbox-360s-class-leading-warranty-extended-again-to-cover-e74-er/

[Nature Boy]

Looks like I'll be humming Pallet Swap Ninja's "Three Red Lights" for the next few weeks.

Was playing Fallout 3 when my system froze. So I restarted it. Froze again. Lather, rinse, repeat. After the 3rd attempt I saw the RROD. Took a pic, mailed it to a buddy, then I hit the MS website and started the repair process.

My office is now 4/5 for RROD. That's 4 RRODs for 5 co-workers (including myself) who have purchased a 360. Bravo MS, bravo.

[Streetball 21]

That error is now covered under the 3 year warranty, it should be free to get repaired.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/14/xbox-360s-class-leading-warranty-extended-again-to-cover-e74-er/

I had just paid the $99.99 before they announced this. I had a feeling they were going to do something to correct this. I'm hoping to get my refund in the mail soon.

[The 1 2 P]

Was playing Fallout 3 when my system froze. So I restarted it. Froze again. Lather, rinse, repeat. After the 3rd attempt I saw the RROD. Took a pic, mailed it to a buddy, then I hit the MS website and started the repair process.

My office is now 4/5 for RROD. That's 4 RRODs for 5 co-workers (including myself) who have purchased a 360. Bravo MS, bravo.

The official Xbox magazine had a reader write in that he got the rrod and took his system to his friends house first. It worked fine there and he discovered that it was just his power brick that was faulty. I'm not sure if thats what you have but it doesn't hurt to check as long as one of your friends let you borrow or test it with their power brick.

[Nature Boy]

The official Xbox magazine had a reader write in that he got the rrod and took his system to his friends house first. It worked fine there and he discovered that it was just his power brick that was faulty. I'm not sure if thats what you have but it doesn't hurt to check as long as one of your friends let you borrow or test it with their power brick.

I might try that - thanks. My box has been flaky in the past (I get "cannot read disc" errors on brand new games for example. It's almost like they have to get worked in sadly).