CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

First of all, feel free to talk about 360 pricing/warranty, if you like here.
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Anywho....

Before recording the Gamecast (CAA's offical video game podcast you should listen to: Click! ), I used to say that a fair amount of 360s died by user neglect and claimed my 360 has been fine since launch. I can no longer claim that. -even despite my best efforts to always knock on wood after each claim. Heh.

As the title suggests, the disc drive on my 360 is not working. Nope, no three red rings of death. X-box Live Arcade, Marketplace, and the like still work just fine. The disc drive just stopped spinning during a game of Splinter Cell today. An error message popped up saying the disc needed to be cleaned. I checked the disc... only to find one or two very minor scratches. -Below the usually wear and tear. Nevertheless, I cleaned it and popped it back in. That's were the real fun started....

The Xbox 360 drive made the usual start-up noises, but a few seconds later the disc didn't start spinning. It would start and stop. Then, gave me the clean disc error again. So, I tried Hitman. After a few odd sounding clicks, starts, and stops, the game booted up. However, when it got to the first load screen, it took nearly three times longer to load. After the atrocious load time, the disc began to rattle in the tray. So, out of concern of the game being scratched to death, I ejected it. When I checked the bottom of the disc, it wasn't damaged. I proceed to check a few more games and movies. The drive simply started and stopped, then the system said "unplayable" for everything.

Interestingly, I wasn't really angry... just disappointed and almost laughing a little, because I pre-ordering Bioshock and Blueshock earlier today. -after trading in my PSP (going to get the new model next year --and it trades for $60 US, btw), non the less.

So, why did it break? Your guess is as good as mine. DVD movies wearing out the motor, rented games gunking up the laser, cheap/rushed manufacturing, Sony/Nintendo night gremlins, or even maybe too much Forza 2 (just kidding there -- too much Forza is impossible)... who knows.

I did, however, check xbox.com and like forums to see if others were experiencing this same problem. I counted at least a dozen or so reports from the last few days. Could this issue snowball into another issue like PS2's "disc read error"? ....time will tell. -Does make my tinfoil hat wearing side wonder why Peter Moore left recently, though.

Anyways, I'll be calling Microsoft tomorrow morning. The lines are pretty busy right now and it's late. I'll post more details on this situation as it happens for interested current and possible X-box 360 owners out there.

Til' then, I'll be playing UNO in HD!

I'm very happy because I did have the three flashing red rings lights and I got to send mine in on monday for repair. I've been so paranoid because I knew it was on the downswing for months that I'd got weeks and weeks and weeks (talkin' like almost a month at a go) not playin to keep it going longer. Now I'll have a 360 back!

they just replaced it tho... right?

Well, I did a bit of digging on the "internets" this morning and some people claimed the system worked after removing the hard drive. I tried that and it didn't work. However, I did found something that surprisingly worked! -The "secret" maintenance (cache/update clearing) code. Some might remember this from when a few people's Oblivion game was slowing down due to the cached data getting overly fragmented. -But, I'm sure most remember that you can hold down the "A" before Oblivion to just clear out the cache and fix the slowdown that way. This other so-called "secret" code, not only cleans out the cache, but the software updates as well.

Anyways, here's how it's done, for those who are curious: Go to the system blade -> memory -> press "Y" for more option -> then press - "X button, X button, Left Bumper, Right Bumper, X button, X button". -I'd probably recommend to only do it if you REALLY need to.

I hadn't had much time to really test it out, but the Ghost Recon 2 disc works just fine!

I'm very happy because I did have the three flashing red rings lights and I got to send mine in on Monday for repair. I've been so paranoid because I knew it was on the downswing for months that I'd got weeks and weeks and weeks (talkin' like almost a month at a go) not playin to keep it going longer. Now I'll have a 360 back!

Hopefully, you'll get it back soon before all the good games come out in August. I've heard they are trying to reduce the wait time, but the average still seems to be a month or so.


Slater, from my understanding, you call the tech line: 1-800-4MY-XBOX and (Etoh, correct me if I'm wrong) they send you a box in 2 to 5 days to ship the system to them with. If your system is under warranty, they pay for all the repair and shipping costs . -I think you even get a free month of live. The general warranty is one-year, but there is a special new three-year warranty for any three-red-light related errors (refunds are being sent out for those who've paid for those repairs, as well).

Now, if your not under warranty or the problem is not covered by the three-year one (like my disc drive breaking), the repair cost fortunately has just been dropped from $150 to $99. They still send you the box and all to ship it to them, but I'm not sure if you still pay the shipping cost.

Anyways, we'll see if the system keeps running.

Yep. Call that number, wade through a bunch of advice that doesn't help, then talk to the Indian woman until she sends you a box. Have your box's serial number on hand.

Sorry for your loss... My PS3's RSX died, and hopefully I get it back tomorrow, but it's a serious pain...

My friend has one, and with the 33% (microsoft's numbers, not mine) of failing 360s, I tremble in fear at the thought of his dying, but that extended warranty was great.

[spoiler=Side note]Ironically, PS3 is statistically more reliable than PS2 or PS1, but this is the first system I've ever had break on me...

Also the onlythings on Consoles that have ever crashed on me were folding@home on PS3 and Spiritual Warfare on NES...[/spoiler]

Statistics are a tricky thing my friend. Tricky indeed. In highschool, Statistics used to take my lunch money then throw me out on the lawn. Freakin' statistics. Still, I know what you mean .Technology has a way of breaking around me. Even the stuff that is touted as near invincible, I always end up being in the small fraction of people that it haywires on. Not that 33% is a small number in this case...

Wow. Now I'm really glad I don't have a next-gen console yet. XD

.rai//

Whoo! Three weeks, guys. I got my 360. What's more, they didn't just fix my system, they GAVE me a new one! Not only did they give me a new one, but it comes with (naturally) a brand new warranty on all things. How awesome is that? I am celebrating with the purchase of a Samurai 7 XBL theme. I'm also downloading demos for Wing Commander: Arena, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, and Blue Dragon... Now if I can just get a copy of the Eternal Sonata demo...