advice on how to keep a 360 in good, working order

[psx95]

What are the best tips and do's or don'ts on how to prolong the life of a 360 console? Any advice would be helpful!

[garagesaleking!!]

What are the best tips and do's or don'ts on how to prolong the life of a 360 console? Any advice would be helpful!

I honestly think the more people worry about them, the more problems they have. Just put it somewhere and play it, and dont worry about it. Do not get an intercooler, if you are going to play for an extended time put a house fan blowing on it. Also putting it vertically allows it to cool off more. Mine red ringed when horizontal. Lastly try to keep it from being on carpet, a hard cool surface is much better. Hope that helps.

[Mianrtcv]

My advice is play your older systems more...

Just have it on a stabile surface and don't put it in too tight of a poorly ventillated spot.

[psx95]

Do not get an intercooler, if you are going to play for an extended time put a house fan blowing on it. Also putting it vertically allows it to cool off more. Mine red ringed when horizontal.

How long would you consider an extended playing time? I'm very confused about putting the system horizontally or vertically, as some people say its better one way and other people say the other way? When its horizontal it covers up the two vents on the bottom, but when its vertical it covers up the big vent on the end. I would prefer to place it horizontally, but I want it to be well ventilated.

[e4g]

How long would you consider an extended playing time? I'm very confused about putting the system horizontally or vertically, as some people say its better one way and other people say the other way? When its horizontal it covers up the two vents on the bottom, but when its vertical it covers up the big vent on the end. I would prefer to place it horizontally, but I want it to be well ventilated.

I've played my Xbox 360 for 5+ hours straight without any problems, and I know others who have used them longer. As far as console position I would say that horizontal is best. The system will have plenty of ventilation either way (provided you don't put it in a drawer or something) and placing the system vertically is just asking for it to get knocked over. Even bumping a 360 in that position, without knocking it over, can permanently damage a game if it is running at the time.

[Bojay1997]

What are the best tips and do's or don'ts on how to prolong the life of a 360 console? Any advice would be helpful!

I have a launch 360 which has never broken down or red ringed. I keep it cool by making sure I don't play it when it's super hot inside and if it is, I run the air conditioning. I also never go for longer than two hours at a time without taking a break and shutting down. Other than that, I just keep it on a wood cabinet next to the TV and make sure I keep it clean and dust free.

[PapaStu]

How long would you consider an extended playing time? I'm very confused about putting the system horizontally or vertically, as some people say its better one way and other people say the other way? When its horizontal it covers up the two vents on the bottom, but when its vertical it covers up the big vent on the end. I would prefer to place it horizontally, but I want it to be well ventilated.


If you look at the units, most of that area (be it on the sides, or the top/bottom) arn't actually open for air to circulate. It's just meant to look that way.

People recommend horozontal because the disc is at least laying flat and there is pretty much no chance of the unit falling over while on, which would gouge your disc if there was something in there spinning at the time if vertical.

There really is little that you can do to prolong the life of the unit. I've never had a RRoD, but I've had 2 units (including a refurb) shit the bed because of disc drive failures. My first unit lasted a year, the second one lasted 11 months, my current one I think will be 2 in November.

[megasdkirby]

I follow these steps:

1)Keep the unit cleaned at all times. Make sure any ventilation holes are not clogged with dirt.

2)Keep ample space between the console and other items. Air is your friend as good circulation prevents or diminishes overheating. I keep it horizontal for this very reason.

3) DO NOT PUT IT IN T SHELF OR EQUALLY SMALL, CRAMPED AREA. This will increase temperature due to poor air circulation and cause your system to fail at a much rapid pace.

4)I install all games to the HDD and play from there. I found that this may actually increase the lens life, and thus, not overheat as much (since there is no mechanical action being done while playing, or at least very little, at least when the optical drive is concerned).

5)I personally have my air conditioner on at "full blast" (very cold) whenever I play. I notice that the air exhaled on both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 is much, MUCH cooler than without the AC on.

6)I don't play for long periods of time. The most I've played is around 4 hours if I recall. After I am done, I make sure I have the console off for a few hours to make sure it cools completely.

7)I turn off the power on my Voltage Converter/UPS. This prevents electrical flow when the power is off, thus reducing heat.

8)I use a UPS battery on both my 32" Bravia, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. This may seem like overkill for some, but I want to protect my consoles from at least two situations: a)electrical issues (brown-outs and surges) and b)firmware upgrade (just in case I loose electrical power while installing a sensitive firmware upgrade).

Hope this helps.

[yoshilime53]

Whats with all these different threads about 360's? you...put them somewhere and play them. Its not like if you look at them wrong they will red ring.

[psx95]

I have a launch 360 which has never broken down or red ringed. I keep it cool by making sure I don't play it when it's super hot inside and if it is, I run the air conditioning. I also never go for longer than two hours at a time without taking a break and shutting down. Other than that, I just keep it on a wood cabinet next to the TV and make sure I keep it clean and dust free.

Do you have it lying horizontally or vertically?

[psx95]

I follow these steps:

1)Keep the unit cleaned at all times. Make sure any ventilation holes are not clogged with dirt.

2)Keep ample space between the console and other items. Air is your friend as good circulation prevents or diminishes overheating. I keep it horizontal for this very reason.

3) DO NOT PUT IT IN T SHELF OR EQUALLY SMALL, CRAMPED AREA. This will increase temperature due to poor air circulation and cause your system to fail at a much rapid pace.

4)I install all games to the HDD and play from there. I found that this may actually increase the lens life, and thus, not overheat as much (since there is no mechanical action being done while playing, or at least very little, at least when the optical drive is concerned).

5)I personally have my air conditioner on at "full blast" (very cold) whenever I play. I notice that the air exhaled on both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 is much, MUCH cooler than without the AC on.

6)I don't play for long periods of time. The most I've played is around 4 hours if I recall. After I am done, I make sure I have the console off for a few hours to make sure it cools completely.

7)I turn off the power on my Voltage Converter/UPS. This prevents electrical flow when the power is off, thus reducing heat.

8)I use a UPS battery on both my 32" Bravia, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. This may seem like overkill for some, but I want to protect my consoles from at least two situations: a)electrical issues (brown-outs and surges) and b)firmware upgrade (just in case I loose electrical power while installing a sensitive firmware upgrade).

Hope this helps.

What is a UPS battery? I use a surge protector with all my systems and unplug them when not it use. How do you install games to the HDD? How many games will fit? Are firmware updates necessary, as my 360 isn't connected to the internet and I'm not aware when there are new updates?

[megasdkirby]

Do you have it lying horizontally or vertically?

I would not recommend putting it vertically as this will block the air vents on the right side.

Heck, I even pondered putting a laptop cooler at the bottom, run by AC and not the Xbox's USB.

[megasdkirby]

What is a UPS battery? I use a surge protector with all my systems and unplug them when not it use. How do you install games to the HDD? How many games will fit? Are firmware updates necessary, as my 360 isn't connected to the internet and I'm not aware when there are new updates?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply

Basically, if the electricity either spikes, reduces, or just simply goes out, this will maintain the power going for a bit of time, enough to power off the unit properly. This is commonly used on computers.

Note that a UPS has to be a voltage regulator as well in order to protect against brownouts. A surge protector will NOT protect against this, which is usually the cause of something getting damaged in an equipment.

In most games, there is an option to install games to the HDD. You still need the disc in the drive to "run" the game, but for the most part, the game is run from the HDD and not the CD, which reduces wear and tear on the lens. Plus, loading times are much faster. You install by placing the game in the tray, pressing the Y button if I recall, and in the menu choose "Install". Not all games can be installed, though.

The amount of games that fit depend on two things: a)the size of the current game and b)the size of your current HDD.

Firmware upgrades are necessary if you go online...and pretty much forced if you plan on playing games via Xbox Live. If you just plan on playing offline, there MIGHT be a game that may require a firmware upgrade (like PS3 and PSP games), though I am not sure if this occurs on the Xbox. Plus, it's awesome to connect the Xbox to the internet, as you can do lot's of things besides play online.

[c0ldb33r]

how many threads are you going to make on this subject?

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1758101#post1758101

Also, it'd make more sense to post it in the Tech/Restoration subforum

[HurricaneAndrew]

My advice on properly maintaining your XBOX 360.

Never, EVER, touch it. Don't even play it. DOing so may cause it to overheat and/or RRoD.

[Robocop2]

Not even to plae teh Hal0z?

[garagesaleking!!]

wow I check back and 48 threads on the 360 exist haha

[Gameguy]

I don't have one, but I would assume that it would last longer if you keep it as comfortable as possible. Try keeping it wrapped up in thick cozy blankets whenever possible, it should also help absorb vibrations.

[Red Baron]

I don't have one, but I would assume that it would last longer if you keep it as comfortable as possible. Try keeping it wrapped up in thick cozy blankets whenever possible, it should also help absorb vibrations.

What, are you crazy?

It'll just go into sleep mode too quickly unless you pour an energy drink into the top vent first.

[ZombieK]

wow I check back and 48 threads on the 360 exist haha
I would rather keep this system outta my mind as much as possible.

The OP needs to learn some Google-Fu

This Shit = Annoying

[Peonpiate]

I got my 360 as a gift a year ago and it now gives me disk read errors on DvD movies, and I never gamed on it at all. It has always been ventilated and taken care of...Short story of it is MS uses cheap parts when they can [at your expense if they fail]. So some of the problems are not preventable. Using your 360 just for movies one time every other night should NOT kill a disk drive in less than a year. My 9 year old PS2 otoh is still alive and kicking...And it is still playing DvD movies and games when I want to.

Anyways all you can do is keep it ventilated and hope you didnt buy one of MS's $300 units that include cheapo parts in it such as the DvD drive. Im sure there is a way to check which units are the M$ cheapo part units by the BIN number and which are not, if you can find that out buy the good BIN number unit [If i ever buy a 360 again that is what I will do].

My 360 was the Arcade/Elite unit btw, 2nd best 360 you could buy at the time. So MS's cheapness doesnt discriminate on what model you spend your money on.

[duffmanth]

Buy the new slim if possible.

[RyanMurf]

This system really only has two main problems. The disc drive(just like any other disc based system, ps3, ps2, original xbox, and even gamecube.) and overheating/RROD issues. To handle both all I would do is a dvd lens cleaning about twice a year or as needed and for the over heating/RROD I would take the xclamps off even before it RROD's and replace it with whatever kit you can find online. I would also re apply thermal paste about twice a year also to the cpu and gpu. Going to a computer hardware shop and finding a good quality thermal compound is key. I have had mine for years and have followed these simple steps and have never had a single problem.