XBOX 360 Red Ring of Death FAQ: Soon to be known as the Red Dot of Death! :P

[quote name='CounterSeal']Just got my first RRoD. Had the 360 since June of 2007. I have a question though... is it ok to take off the faceplate when I send the unit in?[/quote]

Is it the original white one that came with the machine (or black if you got the elite) or a custom on you have?

They usually say leave it on if it is the original one that came with your machine. I believe if you send one in without the faceplate, when you get it back, the refurbished one won't have a faceplate
 
Looks like the RRoD will not be the first thing my 360 succumbs to. Months ago, I stopped using it vertically because it wouldn't read disks, and that seemed to prolong it. Tonight it wouldn't read disks until I shut it off 3-4 times and opened the tray just as many times. Submitted my repair request for a new DVD drive.

Question: Will they do things like put in a new heat sink while it is there? It is an Elite manufactured March 2007 so it was just before they added the new heat sink to "fix" the RRoD the first time. Anybody know if they will preemptively take these steps or if they just fix exactly what is wrong with it? I'd hate to get it back only to have it RRoD a month later.
 
I finally received my replacement back from it's vacation on Thursday April 2. So in total I was out of a working Xbox 360 for about two weeks. I received a refurbished elite 360 console with a service date for 03/26/2009.

The funny thing is when I turned on my replacement Xbox 360 for the first time it RROD. I went ahead and adjusted the power adapter correctly on the back of the console and it started working. It's a lot more quiet than my original Elite 360.

03/18/09 - Xbox 360 RROD
03/23/09 - Received coffin for 360 and sent it out the same day as well
03/26/09 - Console received at repair facility
03/30/09 - Console repaired and sent back to me.
04/02/09 - Received a refurbished 360.

I've played it for about 7 hours and it's running good and is way more quiet. I've kept the box in case anything else happens i'll use the same box and just print out a shipping label.

Just noticed the CPU Code Name sticker outside the box and it says Falcon Elite. Does that mean I got a Falcon again?
 
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[quote name='Luftwaffles08']Looks like the RRoD will not be the first thing my 360 succumbs to. Months ago, I stopped using it vertically because it wouldn't read disks, and that seemed to prolong it. Tonight it wouldn't read disks until I shut it off 3-4 times and opened the tray just as many times. Submitted my repair request for a new DVD drive.

Question: Will they do things like put in a new heat sink while it is there? It is an Elite manufactured March 2007 so it was just before they added the new heat sink to "fix" the RRoD the first time. Anybody know if they will preemptively take these steps or if they just fix exactly what is wrong with it? I'd hate to get it back only to have it RRoD a month later.[/quote]

I honestly think they just have a pile of 360s waiting that they just stick your shell on and send it back out. I sent mine in for a DVD problem as well and though my console came back with the same serial number (same shell), it was definitely not the same unit internally as it wouldn't let me run Fallout 3 that was installed on my hard drive.

Whether they added something to the unit to fix the RROD I'm not sure as I got a RROD the next day on the refurbished unit.

[quote name='jdeluis']I've played it for about 7 hours and it's running good and is way more quiet. I've kept the box in case anything else happens i'll use the same box and just print out a shipping label.

Just noticed the CPU Code Name sticker outside the box and it says Falcon Elite. Does that mean I got a Falcon again? [/quote]

Yeah, whatever is on the box is what they sent you back. I had a Falcon Pro and got a Falcon Pro back. I don't think you are always going to get the same model back, but maybe they try to match them if they have a matching reburbished unit lying around.

I also kept the box from my first replacement...and promptly used it to send it back the next day.
 
[quote name='ArthurDigbySellers']I honestly think they just have a pile of 360s waiting that they just stick your shell on and send it back out. I sent mine in for a DVD problem as well and though my console came back with the same serial number (same shell), it was definitely not the same unit internally as it wouldn't let me run Fallout 3 that was installed on my hard drive.

[/quote]
Hmm, I didn't think about that. No wonder my 'fixed' x360 keeps telling me to reinstall all my games before I can run them.
 
[quote name='The 7th Number']Hmmm i got another dirt disc error today. So i took my game out and it had marks on it. Like little marks, but they were able to be cleaned off. I dont know but they had to been from my xbox because i never took the game out since i last cleaned it off. But i dunno what could be causing it.[/quote]


The disc drive scratches your disc. There's no denying it. I've had consoles for the last decade, and I'm anal about disc care. My Pro machine, though, consistently scratches my discs to the point that some won't run anymore.

I'm glad the NXE allows you to install your games, as it's getting really annoying losing money just because this stupid drive was designed incorrectly.
 
Well today I tried to do the repair process on xbox.com, but it wasn't letting me. It said I couldn't do it at this time. So I called them instead. I had to call twice to get the issue resolved. They just gave me the shipping labels, but no box to send the xbox. Is that right? Shouldn't they be sending me a box? I asked the guy on the phone if they would be sending me a box and he told me I had to provide my own, which I thought was wierd. Anyways, I'll be shipping my xbox tomorrow. Hopefully I do have the rrod, because my standard waranty expired march 23rd. I'm pretty sure I do, but I've only seen it twice. When I turn on my console, it just freezes and the light stays green.
 
[quote name='dragonjud']The disc drive scratches your disc. There's no denying it. I've had consoles for the last decade, and I'm anal about disc care. My Pro machine, though, consistently scratches my discs to the point that some won't run anymore.

I'm glad the NXE allows you to install your games, as it's getting really annoying losing money just because this stupid drive was designed incorrectly.[/quote]

But mine werent scratches. They were more like smudges that came off pretty easy.
 
[quote name='saggypockets']Well today I tried to do the repair process on xbox.com, but it wasn't letting me. It said I couldn't do it at this time. So I called them instead. I had to call twice to get the issue resolved. They just gave me the shipping labels, but no box to send the xbox. Is that right? Shouldn't they be sending me a box? I asked the guy on the phone if they would be sending me a box and he told me I had to provide my own, which I thought was wierd. Anyways, I'll be shipping my xbox tomorrow. Hopefully I do have the rrod, because my standard waranty expired march 23rd. I'm pretty sure I do, but I've only seen it twice. When I turn on my console, it just freezes and the light stays green.[/quote]

They should be sending a box. I'd call them up If I was you and give them hell. The console problems are THEIR fault. They should be providing all necessary materials if the 360 is still under warranty :bomb:
 
If i didn't buy so much crap from Amazon, of course i would have called microsoft and demanded they send me a box. But since i do buy a lot of stuff from amazon, it's no biggy since i have a kajillion boxes from them. Today i shipped my xbox, but i didn't put the service request number on the outside of the box. Will they give me a hard time for this?
 
[quote name='saggypockets']If i didn't buy so much crap from Amazon, of course i would have called microsoft and demanded they send me a box. But since i do buy a lot of stuff from amazon, it's no biggy since i have a kajillion boxes from them. Today i shipped my xbox, but i didn't put the service request number on the outside of the box. Will they give me a hard time for this?[/quote]

No, I didn't put anything on my box on the first one I sent in. The service request number is actually on the shipping label so I don't understand why they want you to write anything on the box in the first place.
 
just got a jasper to hold me over while my baby is getting repaired. I kept my hard drive but my jasper seems to be reading my games from disk instead of hard drive. will I have to reinstall my games?
 
[quote name='ArthurDigbySellers']No, I didn't put anything on my box on the first one I sent in. The service request number is actually on the shipping label so I don't understand why they want you to write anything on the box in the first place.[/QUOTE]

Oh ok, thanx for clearing that up for me. I was reading their guide on how to ship my xbox and it said to put the service request number on the box. But since the shipping label already has it I don't have to worry about it.
 
Well after almost three years of use, my non hdmi premium finnaly died.

It only red ringed once, but now the av out is shot. Ive tried two different av cords and neither will work, but when i plug my PS2 into the same input on the tv it works.

It was weird i was watching a dvd on it a few days ago and then all of a sudden the screen went black. The system still turns on and off and i can even control it with the guide button but no picture and no sound, but no 4 red lights to show the av not being in either. I called microsoft on the off chance they might be able to help, and they offered to fix it for 100 or sell me a new arcade for 199. I said no to both. The real funny thing is the woman said that the new models are made much better and dont have problems like this. Man there not even trying to hide the fact that thie early models were crap now.

No money to replace it this month but next month i guess ill have to go buy an arcade.
 
[quote name='Mendoza']Well after almost three years of use, my non hdmi premium finnaly died.

It only red ringed once, but now the av out is shot. Ive tried two different av cords and neither will work, but when i plug my PS2 into the same input on the tv it works.

It was weird i was watching a dvd on it a few days ago and then all of a sudden the screen went black. The system still turns on and off and i can even control it with the guide button but no picture and no sound, but no 4 red lights to show the av not being in either. I called microsoft on the off chance they might be able to help, and they offered to fix it for 100 or sell me a new arcade for 199. I said no to both. The real funny thing is the woman said that the new models are made much better and dont have problems like this. Man there not even trying to hide the fact that thie early models were crap now.

No money to replace it this month but next month i guess ill have to go buy an arcade.[/quote]

When did you buy it? You could always try to red ring ring it if your 360 is still under the 3 yr warranty for that. Once that red rings, send it in and they send you a refurb
 
Its under 3 years, but they already know that the av is shot since i talked to them. If i made it red and sent it in wouldnt they already know that i must have done that. They to test the things to see if they work right?

I cant belive its the av out. Thats one of the few things i never heard about breaking on the system.
 
[quote name='SPELLPLAQUE']just got a jasper to hold me over while my baby is getting repaired. I kept my hard drive but my jasper seems to be reading my games from disk instead of hard drive. will I have to reinstall my games?[/quote]

Yeah, you'll have to reinstall your games to play them on a new jasper. What sucks is that if you reinstall the games on the new 360 and then switch back to your refurbed 360 when it gets back, you'll have to do it all over again.
 
Not to give y'all a play by play of my repair process, but I sent my 360 off on Wednesday. Checked my UPS status today, and found this:





THE RECEIVER REQUESTED A HOLD FOR A FUTURE DELIVERY DATE. UPS WILL ATTEMPT DELIVERY ON DATE REQUESTED

Should I...worry about this? Has this happened to other folks? Is the repair center flooded with 360s and can't keep up with demand? Is my 360 the chosen one that will free the refurbs from their bondage?
 
[quote name='Luftwaffles08']Not to give y'all a play by play of my repair process, but I sent my 360 off on Wednesday. Checked my UPS status today, and found this:





THE RECEIVER REQUESTED A HOLD FOR A FUTURE DELIVERY DATE. UPS WILL ATTEMPT DELIVERY ON DATE REQUESTED

Should I...worry about this? Has this happened to other folks? Is the repair center flooded with 360s and can't keep up with demand? Is my 360 the chosen one that will free the refurbs from their bondage?[/quote]

I googled it and found another person who reported that the same thing happened to them when they sent it to Microsoft. Maybe they are closed for Good Friday? That would suck for me too because my status is "repair in progress" and it has been that way since yesterday.
 
my guess is that the facility is closed for good friday. btw, my launch unit finally RROD'd earlier this week. microsoft sent out a coffin which arrived within 2 days and will arrive in mesquite on monday. hopefully it will be back within a couple of weeks.
 
[quote name='Luftwaffles08']Not to give y'all a play by play of my repair process, but I sent my 360 off on Wednesday. Checked my UPS status today, and found this:





THE RECEIVER REQUESTED A HOLD FOR A FUTURE DELIVERY DATE. UPS WILL ATTEMPT DELIVERY ON DATE REQUESTED

Should I...worry about this? Has this happened to other folks? Is the repair center flooded with 360s and can't keep up with demand? Is my 360 the chosen one that will free the refurbs from their bondage?[/QUOTE]

I have the exact same status. The xbox.com website is starting to piss me off. When I tried to do the repair process online it said i couldn't do it at this time, so i had to do it over the phone. Today i tried to check the repair status of my xbox, because i got the message from ups, and the damn page won't load.
 
WTF? My second 360 just died on me and I went through the repair process. They don't send you a prepaid box anymore? He said I had to print a label and provide my own box to send it back. I'm going to get the biggest box I can find and put that piece of shit in there with no packing peanuts. Hopefully it'll rattle around and get so smashed up on the delivery truck that they can't "fix" it and give it to some other poor bastard.

Hopefully the next one I get won't have a disc drive that sounds like a weedwacker.
 
Ya you have to provide your own box now, i guess. I had to also. You should package it safely though, because if it breaks during shipping, your going to screw yourself over, and you don't want that to happen lol.
 
It's already broke...that's the problem. ;)

Sucks because it's an older system. They won't use common sense and just give you a modern HDMI equipped one with the smaller processor. They just keep shoveling the old shitboxes out the door and wonder why they keep coming back. Are there any new things they're doing besides putting that heatsink on the GPU? I heard the dumbasses use thermal pads on the bottom (by the notorious "x clamps") and those are the secondary cause for RRODs with systems (like mine) that have the GPU 'sink.

I might just cave in and get an Arcade box. So at least I have it as a backup while the shitty Premium is on its annual holiday in Texas.
 
Well my xbox finally died after nearly 3 years of service. I was a bit freaked today when I checked the manufacture date (2006-27-03) but I remembered they start the 3 year warranty from when you purchased the console.

The 1-800-4MY-XBOX number is pretty useless now as the person on the phone just directed me to the online repair section. I've been trying to get ahold of someone via the 1-866-506-3826 number but it's always busy. As I type this it just rang once, and then gave me a busy signal :bomb:

Expedited shipping would've been great because I have a review to finish, but I guess I'll just have to settle for getting a shipping box via xbox.com.

At least I saved the $150+ an Arcade unit would've cost me
 
[quote name='Luftwaffles08']Not to give y'all a play by play of my repair process, but I sent my 360 off on Wednesday. Checked my UPS status today, and found this:





THE RECEIVER REQUESTED A HOLD FOR A FUTURE DELIVERY DATE. UPS WILL ATTEMPT DELIVERY ON DATE REQUESTED

Should I...worry about this? Has this happened to other folks? Is the repair center flooded with 360s and can't keep up with demand? Is my 360 the chosen one that will free the refurbs from their bondage?[/quote]

I think I mentioned this on my FAQ... I think there is a limit of how many they can receive a day, once they reach that limit (in some days that can be obtained quickly), then they *UPS* has to come back the next day.
 
[quote name='saggypockets']I have the exact same status. The xbox.com website is starting to piss me off. When I tried to do the repair process online it said i couldn't do it at this time, so i had to do it over the phone. Today i tried to check the repair status of my xbox, because i got the message from ups, and the damn page won't load.[/quote]

If you are having issues with the repair portion of the site, try logging out and then plugging in your request number and zip. When I am logged in, that page rarely loads and if it does, it doesn't show anything. When I put the info in while I am logged out, it usually works.
 
And here we go again, my new falcon I got last year froze while I was trying to beat Fable 2 today. Went to restart and the RROD. Freaking figures.
 
MS said today that they will now be extending the warranty to cover the E74 error. They need to just extend it to cover any problems that keep games from playing given how horrid the hardware is.
 
I found that I needed to use my 9 digit zip code when logging in, yours can be found

http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp

In addition my account displays a "System Error" whenever I try to track the repair status. However it has only done this while the system is in transit to Texas, and then while it has been on its way back to me. Moral of the story is, the website might be out of sorts, but it appears Xbox's are still getting fixed.
 
[quote name='Tuc250']I found that I needed to use my 9 digit zip code when logging in, yours can be found

http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp

In addition my account displays a "System Error" whenever I try to track the repair status. However it has only done this while the system is in transit to Texas, and then while it has been on its way back to me. Moral of the story is, the website might be out of sorts, but it appears Xbox's are still getting fixed.[/quote]

That is true about the zip code. The rep that set up my repair let me know that I needed to use my full zip code.
 
[quote name='Tuc250'] Moral of the story is, the website might be out of sorts, but it appears Xbox's are still getting fixed.[/quote]

The website has not been wonky for me, so I can assure you that xbox's (xboxes?) are getting fixed. Mine, as I frantically posted before, sat on a UPS truck over the weekend but was delivered on Monday. I got a message this afternoon that it has been repaired and is being sent back to me. So never fear, they are in fact doing something in Mesquite.

On a side note, I had two Apple stickers, one on both sides of it so it would be displayed while sitting vertically. I did this to symbolize the fact that my Mac using Connect360, was playing wonderfully with my 360. Am I to assume these will be gone when my 360 returns? I know I've read a few stories about people's autographs, art, etc. being removed.
 
I need advice.

I just got the E74 warning (with 1 red light). i looked it up and read that i might want to try to take off the hard drive and turn it back on. I did that and now when i turn it on i get no lights and nothing appears on the screen.

I am assuming that i have to contact the Xbox service site and request a repair. I have the warranty but does it work for E74 warning or are they going to charge me?

Is there anything i should know about this process? this is the first time i have had a problem with my xbox.


:cry:
 
[quote name='macontosh2000']I need advice.

I just got the E74 warning (with 1 red light). i looked it up and read that i might want to try to take off the hard drive and turn it back on. I did that and now when i turn it on i get no lights and nothing appears on the screen.

I am assuming that i have to contact the Xbox service site and request a repair. I have the warranty but does it work for E74 warning or are they going to charge me?

Is there anything i should know about this process? this is the first time i have had a problem with my xbox.


:cry:[/quote]

Hey

well good news... MS just announced the other day that ANY unit reporting the E74 will be treated as if it was a 3 red ring failure...which means you will get it fixed for free!!

The bad news is, your probably going to get a refurbed that will clank out in a few months:(
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']Hey

well good news... MS just announced the other day that ANY unit reporting the E74 will be treated as if it was a 3 red ring failure...which means you will get it fixed for free!!

The bad news is, your probably going to get a refurbed that will clank out in a few months:([/quote]

Well thats good news.:D

Thank you.
 
Requesting advice.

I am having an "open tray" error which according to a google search seems to be a common problem (system wont read discs, but tries for a few seconds while making noises that sound like a cross between when Al from Quantum Leap would hit his Ziggy machine and the millenium falcon would attempt to go to hyperdrive ).

I am wondering if it is likely that I could make a claim that it has RROD'd and they send a refurb without looking too closely? Many have reported this too be the case. But I suppose this would be lying at best and committing fraud at worst, which I don't feel comfortable with.

Any advice, either technical or ethical? Not sure what I should do.
 
Are there any graphical indicators that an E74/RLOD might be on the way?

I was playing RB and the picture got very "static-y" and looked like it was starting to lose v-hold. It did it for about 10-15 seconds and then returned to normal. Just wondering if it might've been some impressive interference, the 360, or maybe the TV.

First time I'd ever seen something like that. Weird.
 
[quote name='WhipSmartBanky']Are there any graphical indicators that an E74/RLOD might be on the way?

I was playing RB and the picture got very "static-y" and looked like it was starting to lose v-hold. It did it for about 10-15 seconds and then returned to normal. Just wondering if it might've been some impressive interference, the 360, or maybe the TV.

First time I'd ever seen something like that. Weird.[/QUOTE]
With my first RROD, I was playing Ghost Recon and I distinctly remember a "snow"type image (like you would see on a television that is not receiving any channel info). Although instead of the snow being black and white, it was many different colors (now it just sounds like I was drunk but I promise I was in my right mind). The RROD happened that day. My second RROD came after a couple of freezes, but no visual indicators that I can remember. Hope that your problem was just a minor glitch.
 
[quote name='rhofman']Requesting advice.

I am having an "open tray" error which according to a google search seems to be a common problem (system wont read discs, but tries for a few seconds while making noises that sound like a cross between when Al from Quantum Leap would hit his Ziggy machine and the millenium falcon would attempt to go to hyperdrive ).

I am wondering if it is likely that I could make a claim that it has RROD'd and they send a refurb without looking too closely? Many have reported this too be the case. But I suppose this would be lying at best and committing fraud at worst, which I don't feel comfortable with.

Any advice, either technical or ethical? Not sure what I should do.[/quote]

I'm not sure how likely they are to really look closely at what is wrong with your machine. I sent in my first 360 because of the exact problem that you are having (I was still within the 1 year warranty). The refurb they sent me still did the "Open Tray" a few times before it eventually went into an RROD the next day. I just got my 2nd refurb back and it is still occasionally not reading discs right so I don't know what the hell is going on. It sure doesn't seem like they are looking at what is being reported, they are probably just swapping my shell onto another system and shipping it back.

If you are willing to part with your 360 for a couple weeks and don't mind gambling on them charging you $100 for fixing something that is not related to an E74/RROD, then go for it.
 
So now that my xbox 360 is fixed and my status online is shipped. UPS status still says "billing information received" god I hope they pick it up soon. Haven't had my xbox since 4/13/09.
 
[quote name='ArthurDigbySellers']I'm not sure how likely they are to really look closely at what is wrong with your machine. I sent in my first 360 because of the exact problem that you are having (I was still within the 1 year warranty). The refurb they sent me still did the "Open Tray" a few times before it eventually went into an RROD the next day. I just got my 2nd refurb back and it is still occasionally not reading discs right so I don't know what the hell is going on. It sure doesn't seem like they are looking at what is being reported, they are probably just swapping my shell onto another system and shipping it back.

If you are willing to part with your 360 for a couple weeks and don't mind gambling on them charging you $100 for fixing something that is not related to an E74/RROD, then go for it.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the response. I claimed it was a RROD, ethical problems or no. I don't mind losing the 360 for a couple of weeks, but if I end up having to pay $100 for a repair I would rather have just bought a new arcade machine with hdmi and the new chipset and so forth. Is this a possible outcome, though? (that they see it is an open tray error and ask me to pay $100)? I'd rather just say no and have them keep it. It's kind of funny to think that I still have my original NES and it still works. I guess old people are right when they say they don't make them like they used to.

Thanks again for your response Arthurdigby, hope you get your own hardware problems sorted out.
 
My tracking number says something is being shipped back to me today. Xbox site says they didn't even get the 'Box I sent them even though it arrived in Texas three days ago.

Why even bother letting people check repair status if you're not going to keep the info current, or not even bother updating it at all?

If my same shitbox comes back to me, I'm going to flip out. "We tested your shitbox, it worked fine for us so you can have it back." I'll fucking drive out to Redmond and do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QjTIm-vSKg
 
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