Xbox Dirty Disc Errors

[CitizenWhite]

Wouldn't you know it? Right after I get Xbox live, I start having a ton of trouble with my Xbox. In any case:

I got my Xbox for christmas last year (meaning I have had it for a year and two months). All of a sudden, in the past week or week and a half, I started getting major disc reading problems with it. It wasn't a gradual thing at all, its just stopped wanting to work. This sudden onset leads me to believe that it is something (a piece of dust probably) that has gotten in front of the lense. I was just wondering if you guys knew any good ways to dust this thing out.

If its not dust, I am officially pissed about the lack of quality in the area of video games these days. A year and two months should be a very easy run for a "modern" console. Hell, I have a year and two months worth of Xbox Live subscriptions left, if I can't use them, I am out that cash.

[Dahne]

Is the GameCube the only system that actually works consistently these days?

[Half Japanese]

Is the GameCube the only system that actually works consistently these days?

Pretty much. I'm on my 2nd Xbox (original stopped taking S-vid/Component) and I won't even get near a ps2 due to quality control issues that Sony needs to get together. Gamecube is this generation's hoss....like N64 was last generation's (due to the format, but regardless...).

[spoon]

Man, I feel you. I got mine almost three years ago and it is doing the same thing. I hear the new ones have good lens' in them.


And yes, the Gamecube is the only system that works(reliable). I have had mine since launch day. I have never had a problem with it. I went through 4 PS2s and I am on my second X-Box. I would love to own a PS2 again, but, I will just wait untill they release a "newer Ps2, or the PS3. If it lasts longer then 30 1/2 days.

[Ed Oscuro]

Heh, no lens based system I've owned (or has been in my household) has gone bad, though the CD-i I bought from a forumer has had a dodgy lens since it arrived. I think it's partly how you treat your systems, and maybe partly due to how much you use them. I can say that I've swapped few discs in and out of my various CD-based systems indeed.

Anyhow, Morrowind on the XBox is pretty terrible about giving "Dirty Disc" errors even with a perfect disc and a new XBox; the fault lies with the software not being able to handle when the user makes big changes (i.e. moving lots of stuff in the world, stealing from folks' houses etc) to the game world. Bethesda Softworks has the decency to acknowledge that this is indeed due to RAM issues, but it would be nice if there was some way to have the system reset on an error properly and do it regularly; sometimes it does let you know there's been an error and that the game has to restart, it'll even save for you, which is nice -- too bad this seems to be the less seen cause, and for the work that must've gone into this feature it's a shame there's not a higher rate of success, or better yet a complete elimination of this issue.

Of course, my character (as of when I quit playing) can do a running jump and the game will have to load multiple times as he enters new sections of the world; I thought the hang times possible in Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire on the N64 under developer cheat mode were crazy but you can't break that game with what essentially amounts to being really highly leveled up. o_o

[LazingBlazers]

When I had my XBox, purchased in April of 2002, I too had those problems with Morrowind. I would eject the disc, slightly rotate it, and then it would work fine. Eventually it happened so frequently, subsequently getting me extremely pissed, that I returned it for another copy and everything was fine from there on. I also had this same problem with NFL Fever 2002. The rotating of the disc position seemed to eventually rememdy this, but sometimes it took a more than a couple of tries. I probably owned close to 30 games when I had my system, and these were the only two instances that I ever encountered... but I could always count on those two games acting up. My other games would work fine.

I don't know if you're one of those Boycott China types, but the XBox I had was made is Mexico. I was actually pretty shocked when it didn't say Made In The USA.

[SoulBlazer]

There are some games you just need to play on a powerfull PC with the problems fixed. Morrowind is one of them. :D

Although I wonder if the re-release of the game under the Game of the Year edition helped any?

[PapaStu]

Ive been getting alot of DDE's from Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy lately, It starts to lag bad, and then the DDE. Ive had my system since Jan of 02. There have been the DDE's around from almost the beginning, but I have noticed that there are some games that just Burn bad and they appear more often. Also those that are heavy loaders show it too, especially Morrowind 3.

Ive noticed that XBox discs are incredibly finickey, that never helps the situation.

[CitizenWhite]

The games I am having problems with are Rainbow Six 3, Unreal 2, and Unreal Championship doesn't do it a whole lot, but the xbox thought it was a movie one time. Rainbow Six 3, with its large amount of sound effects, textures, and whatnot, as well as Unreal 2 with its large maps, are easy to understand I guess. Crimson Skies, however, has not had much of a problem at all. Halo, although not nearly a RS3 graphics wise, hasn't had any problems either. Sounds like it has a problem streaming data off of the disc.

I have also treated my xbox perfectly, although it is pretty dusty even on the tray. I also just got new carpet in my room, which has a negative effect dust-wise (more of it). How would the xbox do if I just shoved a duster in there while the disc tray was open?

[Half Japanese]

Just the other day I had this odd shit:

I put in a game (either Sega GT Online or Unreal 2, I forget exactly which) but the Xbox reboots to 480p (this is normal) and then it brings up an unusual splash screen that says, first in English and then in many different languages, something to the effect of "this is an xbox game disc, please put it in your xbox." That's the first time I've ever had that problem, but that's the first I've ever heard of it...

[Nature Boy]

I had my first problem with this just within the past week. Eerily timely subject...

With me it was my "Official Xbox Magazine" demo disc. The one with the third "Splinter Cell" level (part 2 of a previous level). I actually brought the mag back to Walmart and exchanged it, not believing that the disc could possibly be dirty (I had just opened it!)

Sure enough the second disc didn't work either. I humoured the machine and wiped it quickly and voila! Now I just have to start playing Splinter Cell again :)

[brykasch]

Well mine went down in July, was playing KOTR and it started freezing up, pressed reset, same thing, then it went to a white screen, and then nada, could read music cd's but not game ones, I think the hard drive got corrupted, but since I don't have one of those magic reset discs that they refuse to sell, and run about 50-75 on ebay, I sold mine for 95, traded in some worthless junk and got one with the new drives, has worked like a charm. And I took great care of my box, always do, I think sometimes it just happens. But nextime I am definitly spending the extra 50 on a protection plan.

[CitizenWhite]

Alright guys. I got it opened and cleaned (holy living.... stuff there was a lot of dust in there). No word yet on if it fixed it or not, going to have to play a few games on it, itll probably take a few days. If any of you getting errors want a step-by-step on how to open it PM me and I'll let you know what you will encounter.

[Ed Oscuro]

There are some games you just need to play on a powerfull PC with the problems fixed. Morrowind is one of them. :D

Although I wonder if the re-release of the game under the Game of the Year edition helped any?

I'm also wondering. It would be impressive if it did, seeing how the GotY Edition has all the expansion packs included :P

[SoulBlazer]

I don't know -- I bought the expansions for the PC as soon as they came out. :D

[jonjandran]

Well mine went down in July, was playing KOTR and it started freezing up, pressed reset, same thing, then it went to a white screen, and then nada, could read music cd's but not game ones, I think the hard drive got corrupted, but since I don't have one of those magic reset discs that they refuse to sell, and run about 50-75 on ebay, I sold mine for 95, traded in some worthless junk and got one with the new drives, has worked like a charm. And I took great care of my box, always do, I think sometimes it just happens. But nextime I am definitly spending the extra 50 on a protection plan.

All you have to do is call the Microsoft Xbox # and give them your serial # and they will give you the code to reformat the hardrive and reset the Xbox..

I've done it several times. :D

[Gnarkill]

My xbox did that right after I stuck in my freedom fighters game, and hasent worked since then. End up having to get a new one along with another PS2 cause it screwed up to!... and it seems my GC is the only thing that still wants to work.

[The Manimal]

My GameCube actually was screwed up right out of the box. This was my only "disc" based system at the time, and it made me mad. My second one worked fine. The first one kept having errors that about loading or crashes or something, I don't remember exactly. It was something listed in the manual troubleshooting, which the fix to the problem was to take it in for service as it is a mechanical failure.

Since then, I've bought a PSone (no problems), 2 Dreamcast's (no problems), and I think that's it for disc systems currently.


I wish there was an INDIGO GBA SP :(

Bought an INDIGO GBA and GC so that they would "color match"...then what happens....GBA SP comes out and there's no INDIGO! Really makes me wish I would have bought a BLACK GBA (the TRU exclusive) and GC instead...argh...then things would have worked out. Figured "INDIGO" was the way to go as Nintendo was pushing that color.

The black GP doesn't bother me because on the base of any GC it doesn't look bad, as there is black already on the controller ports and I think the handle also...

[spoon]

Alright guys. I got it opened and cleaned (holy living.... stuff there was a lot of dust in there). No word yet on if it fixed it or not, going to have to play a few games on it, itll probably take a few days. If any of you getting errors want a step-by-step on how to open it PM me and I'll let you know what you will encounter.

How did it end up working?

[CitizenWhite]

Alright guys. I got it opened and cleaned (holy living.... stuff there was a lot of dust in there). No word yet on if it fixed it or not, going to have to play a few games on it, itll probably take a few days. If any of you getting errors want a step-by-step on how to open it PM me and I'll let you know what you will encounter.

How did it end up working?

Alright, here is what I have noticed since I did the cleaning job:

it didn't fix jack crap, at least as far as I can notice. I am glad I opened and cleaned it, because it was dusty as crap, but so far the results don't seem to be better. When I put in Rainbow Six 3 (only an hour or so after posting this) the intro movie skipped somewhat, and I am pretty sure I got a DDRE. Also, I have dropped out of two online Unreal 2 sessions due to DDRE's.

Keep in mind I havn't played it as much as usual since then also, school work keeping me busy. Basically, although I am sure it had to at least help the problem lessen (mainly because of the sheer amount of dust... it was like a cat died in there), I have not noticed a change in performance.

Such is life.