XBOX360 General Questions - Setups/Hrdwr/Accessories/XBOX Live...etc.

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dont worry until its time to worry...just enjoy it...there is nothing you can do to extend the life of your xbox if its gonna die..

the best way to display it is next to a 1080p HDTV
 
Have it well ventilated. Don't stack it on top or below anything.

I'm amazed at the number of people who either throw their 360 into a tiny barely ventilated cabinet with a glass door, put it on carpet fuzzy carpet, or sandwich the 360 in between other equipment.

Yes, you can do that with a NES or even something like N64, but come on people, new consoles are much more powerful and generate a lot of heat compared to older consoles.
 
Indeed... Heat is the enemy. I have my PS3 on one level, and on a monitor stand rising above and to the right of my PS3 is my 360, laying flat with nothing obstructing its airflow (same for the PS3). The only consoles that I have 'stacked' are on a shelf. The Saturn, Dreamcast, and PS1 share a shelf. :)

Ventilate, and your machine will survive much longer.... perhaps even beyond its usefulness. ;)
 
Yeah, I knew about the whole ventilation thing, but after reading the responses it seems that everyone is suggesting that my current display of laying it on top of the actual box it came in is probably a bad idea.

I really want to lay it horizontally, because if I stand it vertically, I know that I or some other moron is going to stumble around and nudge the system while a game is running, thus ruining the disc.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

-B
 
I'd just put it on top of the entertainment center or some empty shelf, making sure to give it plenty of room to breath. If you're running low on shelf space, you could pick up one of those cheap TV dinner trays and place the unit on that.
 
IMO keeping it Horizontal will just be better in the long run, because "supposedly" having it vertical increases the chance of scratching the disc, and also wears down the laser over time (though this is true with any system/item that involves a laser, though this doesn't keep me from keeping my Wii vertical).
 
I had a few parts left over for my research, so I put them to good use:

http://img222.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1010013eq4.jpg

Both the power brick and the Elite sit atop a corrugated utensil holder (Wal-Mart, $5) that I was using to clean/rinse mosaic tiles for a larger mosaic of Zero (Mega Man X Series) I'm working on. The elite itself sits atop a 5" high, 10" diameter acrylic cylinder that was scrap from my Senior Design research. The acrylic cost a bit more than I think most people would pay for (but I didn't pay for it :)), but I think the utensil holder would suffice on its own.

~HotShotX
 
you really dont have to go to any extremes....i have a tv stand with shelves which closes up behind wood/glass doors...whenever i use my xbox i just prop the door open with PREY CE or something else bulky
 
[quote name='HotShotX']I had a few parts left over for my research, so I put them to good use:

http://img222.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1010013eq4.jpg

Both the power brick and the Elite sit atop a corrugated utensil holder (Wal-Mart, $5) that I was using to clean/rinse mosaic tiles for a larger mosaic of Zero (Mega Man X Series) I'm working on. The elite itself sits atop a 5" high, 10" diameter acrylic cylinder that was scrap from my Senior Design research. The acrylic cost a bit more than I think most people would pay for (but I didn't pay for it :)), but I think the utensil holder would suffice on its own.

~HotShotX[/QUOTE]

That looks dicey at best.

Just put it vertical with a couple inches on the sides and make sure the heat out back has somewhere to go. Should be all set...until it breaks.
 
Get yourself a board, and then screw two 1" boards along the top of the board. Then cover the 1" boards with thin rubber and set your box ontop it.

This maximizes the heat dissapation of the console, and is essentially getting all the benefits of a horizontile console with none of the problems.

dq0rbn.jpg


If you want to be absolutely sure, then you can go all out, spend $5 extra, and build up your box and set a small silent fan under it.

iyd8bd.jpg
 
I've had success streaming music from iTunes to my 360 using Connect360, but have had no luck streaming movies. The 360 recognizes them in the iTunes movies folder, but I get an "Unsupported Media Type" message.

If it helps, the status code is 69-04-C00D36C4. Any chance it's because the videos are from iTunes (purchased) and the DRM isn't allowing them to be streamed?
 
Keep it horizontal and well ventilatd and you should be fine.

**pittpizza goes to knock on wood his 360 still works**
 
[quote name='grundy']Yeah, I knew about the whole ventilation thing, but after reading the responses it seems that everyone is suggesting that my current display of laying it on top of the actual box it came in is probably a bad idea.

I really want to lay it horizontally, because if I stand it vertically, I know that I or some other moron is going to stumble around and nudge the system while a game is running, thus ruining the disc.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

-B[/QUOTE]

Put it horizontally on an upside-down black milkcrate on the floor. Best ventilation you could possibly get.
 
I just set mine on the floor (hardwood) beside my TV stand. Both because the stand is full with the receiver, cable box, DVD payer, Wii and PS2, and because the 360 is fully ventilated sitting there.
 
[quote name='ighosty']I believe it cost about 6 bucks or so to send the battery to them, and then you will probably have to wait 3 weeks to get another battery back.[/quote]

Hah, this is cheap ass gamer. When I say it's going back I mean that I'm taking it back to the store I bought it at and saying it's broke and I want a new one.

In fact, this is done.
 
while keeping my system vertical the cd rom gets stuck sometimes on it's way out , horizontal has never had a problem so i recommend that
 
I don't have any room to keep it horizontile, plus it looks much cooler verticle (that's how it was asthetically designed to sit). I have a warranty, so I'm not worried. Disk scratching does make me slightly nervous, though.
 
[quote name='JJSP']I've had success streaming music from iTunes to my 360 using Connect360, but have had no luck streaming movies. The 360 recognizes them in the iTunes movies folder, but I get an "Unsupported Media Type" message.

If it helps, the status code is 69-04-C00D36C4. Any chance it's because the videos are from iTunes (purchased) and the DRM isn't allowing them to be streamed?[/quote]

I'd suspect the DRM.

Also, does anyone know the proper resolution for custom wallpapers? I have an SDTV, an a 1080p-size wallpaper (1900x1080) leaves gaps on the top and bottom. I have some 1900x1200 wallpapers and others of the same ratio, and some work right, some leave a small band of color on the bottom- probably a pixel or two thick, but pretty annoying. Just curious if anyone else has fiddled with custom wallpapers and what they can suggest. I think the fact that I'm not doing HD will impact it somewhat.
 
[quote name='Charron']I'd suspect the DRM.

Also, does anyone know the proper resolution for custom wallpapers? I have an SDTV, an a 1080p-size wallpaper (1900x1080) leaves gaps on the top and bottom. I have some 1900x1200 wallpapers and others of the same ratio, and some work right, some leave a small band of color on the bottom- probably a pixel or two thick, but pretty annoying. Just curious if anyone else has fiddled with custom wallpapers and what they can suggest. I think the fact that I'm not doing HD will impact it somewhat.[/quote]

NTSC - 640 x 480 pixels (4:3)
720i/p - 1280 x 720 (16:9 Wide)
1080i/p 1920 x 1080 (16:9 Wide)

I believe.
 
So I'm thinking about buying a 360.

1. Should I wait until a certain date for any special deals coming up?

2. How can I ensure I get a new system that doesn't have the overheating problem?

3. Do all 360s still have the 3-year warranty, even the new *fixed* systems?

Thanks.
 
1. Should I wait until a certain date for any special deals coming up?

Its possible that there may be some deals coming up soon. Black Friday is just around the corner.


2. How can I ensure I get a new system that doesn't have the overheating problem?

The only way to know for sure that your getting the new chipset is to get the Halo 3 Xbox. Some of the newer regular 360's also have the new chipset, but I dont know if theres a way to tell for sure or not without opening up the box and looking at the actual console. I havent heard about any Elite 360's overheating, even tho they have the older chipset.


3. Do all 360s still have the 3-year warranty, even the new *fixed* systems?

I believe all 360's have the 3 year warranty, even the new ones, at least I havent heard otherwise.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']1. Should I wait until a certain date for any special deals coming up?

Its possible that there may be some deals coming up soon. Black Friday is just around the corner.


2. How can I ensure I get a new system that doesn't have the overheating problem?

The only way to know for sure that your getting the new chipset is to get the Halo 3 Xbox. Some of the newer regular 360's also have the new chipset, but I dont know if theres a way to tell for sure or not without opening up the box and looking at the actual console. I havent heard about any Elite 360's overheating, even tho they have the older chipset.


3. Do all 360s still have the 3-year warranty, even the new *fixed* systems?

I believe all 360's have the 3 year warranty, even the new ones, at least I havent heard otherwise.[/QUOTE]


The 360 does not have a 3-year warranty. C/P that to 50 people with instructions to do the same. Perhaps that will end that misconception.

The 360 has a 1-year warranty. It also has two additional years of protection against General Hardware Failure ONLY.

There are people on this board who have had their Elites fail already, check the Coffin thread.
 
[quote name='Troopa']That "general hardware failure" includes the overheating problem though, right?[/quote]

My interpretation has been a 1-year warranty and a 3-year Red Ring warranty. So I think so, but I could be wrong.
 
How do I delete my gamertag on an old profile permanently so I can use it on a DIFFERENT profile which has all my achievements on it?
 
[quote name='Spades22']How do I delete my gamertag on an old profile permanently so I can use it on a DIFFERENT profile which has all my achievements on it?[/quote]

You don't have to delete it, just recover it on the other console and it will unusable on the old console unless you recover it again at a later time.
 
I only have one console. Like right now I have a profile with the gamertag that I used awhile ago for a one month gold trial. Now I want to take that profile I used for that one month, and somehow use the name from that profile on my profile on the same console that I've been using to actually play the games and get achievements and stuff.

Basically I want to take one old profile on my console, strip the name off, and slap the name back on to a new profile on the same console.
 
[quote name='Spades22']I only have one console. Like right now I have a profile with the gamertag that I used awhile ago for a one month gold trial. Now I want to take that profile I used for that one month, and somehow use the name from that profile on my profile on the same console that I've been using to actually play the games and get achievements and stuff.

Basically I want to take one old profile on my console, strip the name off, and slap the name back on to a new profile on the same console.[/quote]

Hmm...you make it sound like you want to take your achievements to a new account...that you can't do. However you can change the name of your XBL Tag but you have to pay MS points for it, i forgot the price.
 
hmm no I don't want to change my achievements around. Here's what I got:

I have one profile (Profile #1) called "X" that has 3000 Gamerscore on it
I have another old profile (Profile#2) called "Y" that has 0 gamerscore on it and was used for a 1 month gold trial
I want to take the name "Y" on Profile#2, and use it in place of "X" from profile #1.

I just want to use the name I have on one profile on a different profile. All I want to do is switch the name...no achievement transfer/windows live id transfer or anything...just the name.

So, I was thinking if I deleted the old profile#2 since its of no use anymore to me, the name "Y" would become available for use which I could use on profile#1 in place of "X".

But, when I deleted, it didnt work and "Y" was still unavailable. Although I didndt try the delete option where it allows you to delete all items/saves too...wasn't sure if it would delete saves from my other profiles as well.

(Although I suppose flipping around achievements is a similar action...but that would require money for the name change so I was hoping I could just permanently delete the profile with the name I want on it so the name became available again.)
 
[quote name='Spades22']hmm no I don't want to change my achievements around. Here's what I got:

I have one profile (Profile #1) called "X" that has 3000 Gamerscore on it
I have another old profile (Profile#2) called "Y" that has 0 gamerscore on it and was used for a 1 month gold trial
I want to take the name "Y" on Profile#2, and use it in place of "X" from profile #1.

I just want to use the name I have on one profile on a different profile. All I want to do is switch the name...no achievement transfer/windows live id transfer or anything...just the name.

So, I was thinking if I deleted the old profile#2 since its of no use anymore to me, the name "Y" would become available for use which I could use on profile#1 in place of "X".

But, when I deleted, it didnt work and "Y" was still unavailable. Although I didndt try the delete option where it allows you to delete all items/saves too...wasn't sure if it would delete saves from my other profiles as well.[/quote]

Ooh...I don't think that's going to be doable. I would suggest to call 800-4-MY-XBOX to see if they can work that out for you.
 
Darnit so you can't just completely delete a name? Does it matter if I didn't enter the required info with care when I phone? i.e. my street name is 111 and my age is 40 or something? What will they ask for? I don't want to get in trouble or anything...lol

The only way other than phoning I could get it is do as you said and cough up 10 bucks for the name change of my old profile so I can use the name...but I don't really want to do that.

By the way I havent registered for XBL on Profile#1 yet...which is why I thought it would still work since I can select my name/account when registering with profile#1 still
 
[quote name='Spades22']Darnit so you can't just completely delete a name? Does it matter if I didn't enter the required info with care when I phone? i.e. my street name is 111 and my age is 40 or something? What will they ask for? I don't want to get in trouble or anything...lol

The only way other than phoning I could get it is do as you said and cough up 10 bucks for the name change of my old profile so I can use the name...but I don't really want to do that.

By the way I havent registered for XBL on Profile#1 yet...which is why I thought it would still work since I can select my name/account when registering with profile#1 still[/quote]

Even if you pay $10 online, it won't allow you to choose the other name, even if you delete it, because as far as I remember it stays on the MS system. This is why you would have to call them to take care of it. They'll probobly just ask for the email you used and as far as not having XBL Gold on it, it won't matter.
 
ok I'll give it a shot...so what do I say? Do I say I want to delete the entire windows live ID profile, or just switch the name...or what? I bet they'll get confused when I try to explain this...

Actually are they even open right now?
18004myxbox... says enter your numeric message. What the...
 
[quote name='Spades22']ok I'll give it a shot...so what do I say? Do I say I want to delete the entire windows live ID profile, or just switch the name...or what? I bet they'll get confused when I try to explain this...

Actually are they even open right now?
18004myxbox... says enter your numeric message. What the...[/quote]

I would just explain that you have 2 accounts one silver one gold and you want to have the silver name on the gold account and kill the other name.

If they number is not working, try their interactive support:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/?WT.svl=nav
 
You can't "kill" Live names.

Once they're used, no one else can use it.

Gone forever.

Shit's weak and the reason I have to have a stupid zero in my name.
 
That is pretty pathetic. Have you tried talking to someone too? I actually want to transfer a name that is now on a silver account to one that isnt registered for anything right now...if that makes any difference.

Anyway I'll try the interactive, if that doesn't work I'll phone tomorrow, and if that doesn't work I'll just...somehow...think of a new name. Gonna be tough...everythings taken
 
[quote name='Spades22']That is pretty pathetic. Have you tried talking to someone too? I actually want to transfer a name that is now on a silver account to one that isnt registered for anything right now...if that makes any difference.

Anyway I'll try the interactive, if that doesn't work I'll phone tomorrow, and if that doesn't work I'll just...somehow...think of a new name. Gonna be tough...everythings taken[/quote]

Yeah, I know what you mean.

BWT: Spades22 is currently available ;)
 
[quote name='Spades22']BWT? Not sure what that means but are you sure it is? I just tried it again :O[/quote]

Sorry, meant to say BTW (By The Way)...Well I believe its available but I could be wrong...basically searching for a name on xbox.com Spades22 came back as invalid.
 
Ya I tried it again and I'm pretty sure its taken :(. If anyone has any good names or thinks of any PM me or put em down here! Otherwise I'll have to go with...like "HotMist" or one of those random ones lol
 
[quote name='Spades22']Ya I tried it again and I'm pretty sure its taken :(. If anyone has any good names or thinks of any PM me or put em down here! Otherwise I'll have to go with...like "HotMist" or one of those random ones lol[/quote]

Pick something that means something to you, a nickname, an inside joke...etc.
 
Can't think of any heh, gah I just really want to play on live, but I'm too picky and have to find randomly/pick a good name first!
 
[quote name='Spades22']Can't think of any heh, gah I just really want to play on live, but I'm too picky and have to find randomly/pick a good name first![/quote]

Word play on your CAG name...

Spaids22
Spayds22
Sp4ids22
Espades22
22Spades
 
Let's say I have two gamertags, one has a year sub the other no sub. Can I switch the sub to the other gamertag?
I know you can buy a new gamertag, but is their a way for me to get my sub onto the other gamertag since I can't buy it (the other gamertag) since I already created it. I'm assuming if I wanted to buy it I would be told the gamertag already exists.
Hope this isn't as confusing as it sounds. Thanks for the help.
 
Quick question.
I know many people use there mp3 players on there 360s for music and i was wondering which one is easiest to operate through the 360 menu?
 
All of them should work more or less the same since the 360's music player is rather simple. The important thing is that the 360 is able to read the iPod's music structure without issue and reads the playlists that are on it as well. It can't read DRMed AAC tracks from the ITMS though.

By the way, I believe you can kill an Xbox Live account, but it'll cost you and the procedure to do so is pretty lame. Basically, once you change your name(for 800 MS points) you kill the name you had and you are free to make a new account with that name. I assume you can also rename yourself to that name too but I haven't checked that part. My friend had an account with nearly 50K GS but he got tired of 'cheesemint whoring and having all those shit games on there so he renamed that account and created a new one with the original name. Through that he was able to start from scratch.

TFN and Johnny changed their names recently so maybe they might be able to confirm this by making a new silver account with their old names
 
So when you change your gamertag name by using the MS points..it deletes your GS??..or am I mistaken?
 
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