Xbox Series X Disc Drive Loud

The Xbox 360 video game console is subject to a number of technical problems and failures that tin render information technology unusable. Yet, many of the issues tin can exist identified past a series of glowing carmine lights flashing on the confront of the panel; the three flashing red lights (nicknamed the "Red Ring of Decease" or the "RRoD")^[1]
[2]
being the almost infamous. There are besides other issues that arise with the console, such as discs becoming scratched in the bulldoze and "bricking" of consoles due to dashboard updates. Since its release on November 22, 2005, many articles have appeared in the media portraying the Xbox 360's failure rates,^{[3]
[4]
[five]}
with the latest approximate past warranty provider SquareTrade to be 23.7% in 2009,^[6]
and currently the highest estimate being 54.2% by a
Game Informer
survey.^[7]

There has been legal action taken attempting to agree Microsoft responsible for the Xbox 360's failure rate and provide compensation for those affected.^[8]

General Hardware Failure errors

[edit]

Three flashing reddish lights around the Xbox 360 power button instead of the i to four dark-green lights indicating normal operation represent an internal problem that requires service.^[9]
This error was soon nicknamed the "Red Band of Expiry", echoing Windows' Blue Screen of Death error. Alert signs may include freeze-ups, graphical problems in the middle of gameplay, such as checkerboard or pinstripe patterns on the screen, and sound errors; more often than not consisting of extremely loud noises that can be afflicted by the volume control, the console only responding when the power push is pressed to turn information technology off.^[x]
These events may happen in one case or several times until the hardware failure occurs, or not at all. If the console freezes occasionally, the fault will non necessarily follow. The technical problems seem to bear on some generations of consoles more than others, such every bit the Xenon or Zephyr. Those problems may besides cause some freezing screens.

This error code is usually acquired past the failure of one or more hardware components, although it tin can indicate that the console is not receiving enough power from the power supply, which tin either be due to a faulty power supply or if the power supply cablevision is not fully inserted into the panel. The 3 flashing lights tin can as well be caused by power surges; if the console is connected to an outlet that receives a power surge, it may accept a failure and the three lights will appear as long equally the console is plugged into the outlet. Turning off the console, unplugging all ability cables and plugging them dorsum in, and restarting the console may fix this result in some cases.^[11]
[12]

Distinct from the General Hardware Failure is a like-looking, but much less serious, error alarm where four red lights announced, in which case the console does non find an AV cable is plugged in; nevertheless, this error lawmaking is not generated on models equipped with an HDMI output. While the main cause is the AV cable, in rare cases, the 4 lights tin mean a serious problem with the panel. When the iv lights indicate a serious issue, it is followed by a ii-digit error code, similar to what will with one ring.^[thirteen]
The four lights can sometimes too exist seen when power surges or very brief power outages occur while the panel is running, in which the console needs to exist unplugged and plugged back in again to reset the fault. Two red lights appear when the system is overheated.

On the Xbox 360 Southward and East models, the ability button utilizes a different design that does not comprise the aforementioned mode of lighting that past models used.^[xiv]
A flashing red lite means that the panel is overheating, similar to the ii-light fault code on the original model Xbox 360; however, an on-screen message also appears, telling the user that the console will automatically power off to protect itself from overheating. A solid cherry calorie-free is similar to the one-light fault if an "Eastward 20" mistake message is displayed and a three-low-cal error code if the error message is absent-minded.

Response to charge per unit of failure

[edit]

In the early months after the console'due south launching, Microsoft stated that the Xbox 360's failure rate was within the consumer electronics industry'southward typical three% to v%.^{[15]
[sixteen]
[17]
[18]}
Nevertheless, Microsoft has non released its official statistics on the failure rate of the various versions of the panel.^[nineteen]

On July five, 2007, Peter Moore, the Vice President of Microsoft'due south Interactive Entertainment Business organisation division published an open letter of the alphabet recognizing the console's problems, as well every bit announcing a 3-year warranty from the original date of buy for every Xbox 360 console that experiences the "general hardware failure" indicated past iii flashing red LEDs on the console.^[20]
A source that has been identified as a team leader and key architect in the cosmos of the Xbox and Xbox 360 and a founding member of the Xbox team^[21]
[22]
provided insight as to the loftier rate of failures. The interviews suggest that Xbox 360 units that fail early in their life exercise so because of issues in the system design, parts supply, material reliability, and manufacturing issues likewise as a system not tolerant to faults. These issues were alleged to be the end results of the decisions of direction in Microsoft'due south Xbox squad and inadequate testing resources prior to the console'southward release. A 2d source cited that, at 1 time, at that place was but a 32% yield of ane of the examination production runs. 68 of every 100 exam units were found to be lacking.^[23]

Years subsequently leaving Microsoft, Moore recalled preparing to tell the CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, of his planned response to the incident, "we've got to tell Steve, hither's what nosotros have to do: nosotros need to FedEx an empty box to a customer who had a problem - they would phone call us up - with a FedEx return characterization to transport your box, and then we would FedEx it back to them and set up information technology. ... I always retrieve $240m of that was FedEx. ... It was sickening. I was doing a lot of interviews. ... Nosotros couldn't figure it out. ... In that location was a theory. Nosotros had changed our solder, which is the fashion yous put the GPU and the fans, to atomic number 82-complimentary. ... Nosotros think it was somehow the oestrus coming off the GPU was drying out some of the solder, and information technology wasn't the normal stuff we'd used, because we had to come across European Standards and take the lead out. ... He said, 'what's information technology going to cost?' I remember taking a deep breath, looking at Robbie, and saying, 'we recollect it's $1.15bn, Steve.' He said, 'practice information technology.' There was no hesitation. ... If we hadn't made that decision there and and so, and tried to fudge over this problem, and so the Xbox brand and Xbox Ane wouldn't exist today."^[24]

On February 8, 2008, during the Game Developers Conference 2008, Microsoft announced that the "Failure rate has officially dropped", but without mentioning any specifics.^[25]
The aforementioned month, electronics warranty provider SquareTrade published an examination of 1040 Xbox 360s and said that they suffered from a failure rate of 16.4% (one in six). Of the 171 failures, 60% were due to a full general hardware failure (and thus fell under the iii year extended warranty). And of the remaining 40% which were not covered by the extended warranty, xviii% were disc read errors, 13% were video card failures, 13% were hard drive freezes, ten% were power issues and 7% were disc tray malfunctions.^[26]
[27]
SquareTrade likewise stated that its estimates are probable significantly lower than reality due to the time span of the sample (half dozen to ten months), the eventual failure of many consoles that did not occur within this time span and the fact that almost owners did not deal with SquareTrade and had their consoles repaired directly through Microsoft via the much publicized extended RROD warranty.

People who feel the problem will discover that they accept to send the Xbox 360 away for repair or replacement and it may take upward to 3 weeks to repair or replace. During the time of the Xbox being replaced, Microsoft and UPS volition keep the client(south) updated with the current status of where the Xbox is and whether information technology is being repaired or replaced.

On Oct 17, 2008 a class action lawsuit was filed in California against Microsoft over the RROD problem.^[eight]

On August 28, 2009, SquareTrade published a written report proverb that "early indications point to the RROD trouble abating in 2009", projecting that 1-year failure rates with the release of the Jasper chipsets might be beneath 4%, with actual fail rates for RROD problems at slightly above 1% in Q109, and total failure rates for all hardware problems at about 12%.^[28]

In June 2010, Microsoft released a new "slimmer" Xbox 360. These models signal hardware failure differently from the original; The outer ring segments cannot plough carmine anymore. Microsoft has said that henceforth errors volition be displayed by the center of the ability button changing from green to red.^[29]
Additionally, Microsoft will no longer give a three-year warranty for "full general failure" errors, because the Xbox 360 slim "constitutes a whole new blueprint".

Causes

[edit]

Until December 13, 2021, the official cause of the problem was non revealed by Microsoft, leading tertiary parties to make many different theories about what the exact crusade of the problem was.

Electronics industry newspaper EE Times reported that the bug may take started in the graphics fleck. Microsoft designed the chip in-house to cut out the traditional ASIC vendor with the goal of saving money in ASIC blueprint costs. Later on multiple product failures, Microsoft went back to an ASIC vendor and had the chip redesigned so it would dissipate less heat.^[xxx]
[31]

German computer magazine
c't
blamed the problem primarily on the use of the wrong type of lead-costless solder, a type that when exposed to elevated temperatures for extended periods of time becomes brittle and tin develop hair-line cracks that are well-nigh irreparable.^[32]
The article also revealed that representatives of the three largest Xbox 360 resellers in the world (EB Games, GameStop, and Best Buy) claimed that the failure rate of the Xbox 360 was between 30% and 33%, and that Micromart, the largest repair store in the United Kingdom, stopped repairing Xbox 360s because it was unable to fully repair the defective systems. Because of the nature of the problem, Micromart could only make temporary repairs, which led to many of the "repaired" systems failing again later on a few weeks. At that time Micromart was receiving two,500 lacking consoles per day from the U.K. lonely.^[32]

Some manufactures also suggested that the hardware status may likewise be acquired past using the new Xbox Kinect with the sometime Xenon generation Xbox.^[33]

On December 13, 2021, as function of a half dozen-part documentary on the history of Xbox, Microsoft revealed that it determined the red-band issue to be caused by the cracking of solder joints inside the GPU flip chip packet, connecting the GPU die to the substrate interposer, every bit a issue of thermal stress from heating up and cooling back down when the system is power cycled.^[34]

Scratched discs

[edit]

Almost at the same time the Xbox 360 was released in late 2005, customers began reporting circumferential scratches plant on discs used in their Xbox 360 consoles. Almost two years after, in Feb 2007, the web site "The Llamma's Adventures" investigated the affair and concluded that some Xbox 360 disc drives lack a mechanism to secure the disc solidly in identify.^[35]
Tilting or moving consoles with these drives, when operating with a disc spinning inside, can potentially cause harm to the disc and in some cases rendering the disc unplayable as a event.^[36]
Discs accept also been scratched by stationary consoles during normal use.^[37]
One side of the disc can also be scratched by the disc tray if it malfunctions by closing with the disc in an odd position.^{[
citation needed
]}
Also, technical engineers already knew about the problem before release ostend this with Microsoft with a list of solutions.^[38]
Co-ordinate to Microsoft, decreasing the disc rotation would crusade games to take excessive amounts of time to load from the disc, and adding a bumper in the disc tray would cost 25 cents per console—a full of about 11 meg dollars and causing a delay of the Xbox 360 release.^{[
commendation needed
]}
In 2005, they were defendant of many technical Xbox 360 bug and a poor lack of solutions and warranty.^{[
commendation needed
]}
According to reports in news media, the new Xbox 360 S blueprint still scratches discs when the panel is moved while spinning in operation. However, the Xbox 360 S and Xbox 360 Eastward shipped with a sticker informing users that moving the console while powered on poses risks, effectively removing responsibility from Microsoft.^[39]

Disc replacement

[edit]

Although discs scratched by the Xbox 360 are not covered under its warranty,^[forty]
Microsoft'south Xbox Disc Replacement Program^[41]
volition sell customers a new copy of discs scratched by the Xbox 360, if they are published in countries where the Xbox was originally sold, at a cost of $xx.^[42]
The published listing of games that qualify, however, is express.^[43]
Halo 3 Limited Edition
was replaced at no cost until February 1, 2008 according to the Xbox Disc Replacement Program's main site. Other publishers tin can be contacted directly for a disc exchange, just it is unclear whether they will supercede discs at no cost. Game publisher Electronic Arts details a specific program for this problem which requires the disc and original receipt, with the requirement that the game must exist purchased within ninety days of the request for a replacement disc, or they volition request a replacement charge of $xx or $25.^[44]

In Dec 2005 (shortly afterwards the Xbox 360'due south release in the United States and Canada on November 22, 2005 and around its release in Europe and Asia in early December 2005), reports of unidentifiable noises from the Xbox 360 were appearing on Internet bulletin boards.^{[
commendation needed
]}
In response to the trouble, Microsoft offered in December 2005 to replace merely the
Perfect Nighttime Cipher
video game "even if information technology was not the game that was scratched."^[45]
The scratched disc problem reportedly affected only a small per centum of Xbox 360 units,^[45]
however information technology became credible in Dec 2005, through bulletin board reports and growing media coverage.^[46]

Often the problem is caused past the user ignoring the warning by the manufacturer that tells to avoid moving the console when there is a disc in the bulldoze.

Kassa’s February 2007 investigation

[edit]

The Xbox 360 scratched disc trouble received petty media coverage in 2006;^[47]
even so, in February 2007, the Dutch television programme Kassa investigated several complaints from Dutch consumers nearly circular scratches made in their Xbox 360 discs.^[48]
Some of these consumers claimed that their discs became unreadable.^[48]
Kassa investigation traced the problem to a blueprint defect in which the Xbox 360 optical lens was non restrained sufficiently.^[48]
[49]
In asserting that Microsoft or at least its chain of suppliers was aware of this problem, Kassa noted that Microsoft's "TSST"^[50]
versions of the Samsung DVD-drive lack rubber cushions around the optical lens while identical Samsung drives sold for PCs
did
have these rubber cushions.^[48]
[49]
Kassa also noted that the afflicted Xbox 360s all seem to have been produced towards the terminate of 2006.^[48]
[49]

Kassa’s Apr 2007 investigation

[edit]

During the February 2007 investigation report, Kassa stated that either not all Xbox 360s without protective pads would spontaneously scratch discs, or that the complaints were from Xbox 360 users who had moved their Xbox during use, or who used an unstable setup.^[48]
Kassa'south February 2007 investigation left open the question of whether consumers contributed to the rounded scratch problem by moving their Xbox 360 (TSST version) during the playing of a disc.^[51]
This resulted in Kassa receiving an additional 1,000 complaints over the subsequent two months, with many consumers denying the Xbox had moved when the scratching occurred, or that information technology had been placed in an unstable position.^[37]

Prompted past consumer reaction to its February 2007 report, Kassa performed several tests with Xbox 360 units from consumers who claimed their Xbox had the problem. Kassa stabilized these consoles and positioned them at a location remote from contact by anyone. The results of the laboratory conditions exam revealed that one of the ix tested Xbox 360 units had spontaneously scratched a disc after five hours of gaming. The consoles were also tested standing upright, and the test revealed that 3 of the ix tested Xbox 360s significantly scratched discs. The video of the complete investigation, meticulously documenting the methodology, and all the relevant details of the tests, was made ready to be aired on Apr xiv, 2007.^[52]
The videos are also distributed with English language subtitles, for those that are not Dutch^[53]
[54]
(Note that Kassa has produced and uploaded these videos itself, and therefore information technology is not a copyright violation to reproduce these links hither. They can also be found on Kassa's website^[55]
together with some press data about the case.) The examination setup details can exist constitute online,^[56]
and the complete movie of the Kassa Television set program meticulously documenting the methodology used for the exam tin can be found online (in Dutch)^[57]
Weeks before it aired, nonetheless, Kassa solicited input from Microsoft Netherlands.

1 twenty-four hours before the airing of the Apr 14, 2007 show, Kassa received a response from Microsoft Netherlands stating that "as a event of regular use information technology is possible that scratches on discs can ascend",^{[58]
[59]
[60]}
and that Microsoft Netherlands "would seek a solution for the Dutch customers with this problem".^[61]
Additionally, Microsoft released the following statement ten days later the prove, on Apr 24, 2007:

Due to the fact that we did not participate in the experiment done by Kassa and have niggling insight into the methodology that was used, nosotros cannot comment specifically on the effect. While we are aware that discs can potentially be scratched through normal wear and tear, nosotros accept not received any widespread reports of the issue highlighted here. That said, it is of import to us that all of our customers have the best gaming experiences possible, and these claims are plainly very concerning to the states. We encourage any Xbox client who believes that their discs take been scratched in the same way every bit identified by Kassa, to contact u.s.a.. We will examine the console and make appropriate repairs if necessary in society to restore the console to full working order, every bit well every bit provide customers with information on how to obtain replacement discs should they demand them.^[62]

Microsoft Netherlands now accepts these complaints from users (while within the warranty period), and offers to replace the Xbox 360 free of charge. Whether Microsoft Netherlands volition also replace scratched discs is still unclear. Afterward the official circulate, (in a continuation of the show which can be viewed on-line, nigh 28 minutes into the show) a customer is shown calling the Microsoft help-desk, who is told Microsoft volition supersede his Xbox 360 merely is denied a promise to replace his scratched games.^[63]
At that place are reports from some other regions that Microsoft will supplant scratched discs if published by Microsoft.^[64]

The European Committee’s June 2007 investigation of disc scratches

[edit]

On June i, 2007, European Commissioner for Consumer Protection Meglena Kuneva, after talking with the producers of "Kassa" and other Dutch consumer organizations,^[65]
appear that the European Commission would investigate the Xbox scratching bug, and would ask Microsoft for an Xbox replacement program for the whole of Europe. She expected Microsoft's answer inside a calendar week.^[66]
Informal sources now say that Microsoft's response was to deny the problem exists, stating that "the users are to blame".^[67]
But Kuneva did not react to that response, and 18 months later (fourth quarter 2008) the EC's (Meglena Kuneva'southward) news site was still silent about Microsoft'south response, or about the consequence of the "investigation".^[68]

Lawsuit

[edit]

A man has sued Microsoft claiming the Xbox 360 scratches game discs, saying the consoles are "negligently designed and manufactured." In the lawsuit filed on July 9, 2007 in a Florida federal court, Jorge Brouwer says Microsoft has received thousands of complaints but has not replaced all scratched discs. The lawsuit seeks grade action status.^[69]

Iii police firms in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Los Angeles, California; and Seattle, Washington are investigating consumer complaints regarding the Xbox 360. The constabulary firms have filed lawsuits in the U.s.a. District Court Western District of Washington at Seattle on behalf of a proposed nationwide class of customers who take suffered scratched game discs while using their Xbox 360. The lawsuit seeks grade certification and reimbursement for customers for the cost of games damaged by the console; reimbursement for customers who have paid a $20 fee to Microsoft Corporation under a express disc replacement program offered on ten Microsoft games; repair of consoles gratuitous of charge to prevent further disc scratching; and/or reimbursement for customers who have paid for an aftermarket repair solution.^[70]

BBC
Watchdog
investigation of Xbox 360 disc scratches (2009)

[edit]

On March 23, 2009, the BBC'southward consumer involvement programme
Watchdog
performed an investigation into how the console scratches its own discs, after Microsoft found no issues with multiple reportedly defective consoles. A sealed examination, protected from any outside interference across accessing games, found no problems with either console. However, a further test which attempted to simulate normal household vibrations produced a disc scratch on the previously problematic console.

Currently, Microsoft notwithstanding maintains that information technology is the user'southward fault when discs are damaged, because it "makes clear with multiple warnings not to move the console with the disc within." It also maintains that merely a minority of customers are affected by this issue. Nonetheless, the company did not comment on the lab tests.^[71]

Other

[edit]

November 2006 update

[edit]

An update patch released on November i, 2006 was reported to "brick" consoles, rendering them useless.^[72]
The most obvious issue occurs after the installation of the patch, after which the panel immediately reboots and shows an error message. Usually, fault code E71 is shown during or directly after the booting animation.

In response to the November 2006 update error that "bricked" his console, a California man filed a class action lawsuit against Microsoft in Washington federal court in early December 2006.^[73]
The lawsuit seeks $5 meg in damages and the free repair of any console rendered unusable by the update. This is the second such lawsuit filed confronting Microsoft, the beginning having been filed in December 2005, soon later on the 360'southward launch.

Following Microsoft's extension of the Xbox 360 warranty to a total year, from the previous 90 days, the California man's attorney confirmed to the Seattle Post Intelligencer that the lawsuit had been resolved nether confidential terms.^[74]

Video failure

[edit]

In mid 2007, applied science and gaming blogs began reporting virtually new problems with the Xbox 360 losing video output.^[75]
[76]
The problems are characterized past a blank, staticky, or grayscale video output with a proper functioning audio output and no flashing red lights on the console. The consummate video failure is sometimes preceded past other graphical glitches such every bit an irregular saturation of green and/or red colors.^{[
citation needed
]}

Others take complained almost non being able to view certain movies/DVDs on their HDTV using the HDMI cable. This is likely caused by the HDTV being non-HDCP compliant.^{[
commendation needed
]}

Nyko Intercooler

[edit]

The Nyko Intercooler has been reported to have led to a general hardware failure in a number of consoles, equally well as scorching of the power DC input.^[77]
Microsoft stated that the peripheral drains besides much power from the panel (the Intercooler power cord is installed between the Xbox 360 power supply and the console itself) and can crusade faults to occur, and stated that consoles fitted with the peripheral volition accept their warranties null and void. Nyko released an updated Intercooler that uses its own power source. Nyko claims this problem no longer occurs with new versions of this cooler. Withal, Microsoft still considers information technology an unlicensed improver and volition void the warranty of machines showing signs of its utilize. At that place is no data available to indicate whether the Intercooler really does decrease the risk of hardware failure.^[77]
However, if the Intercooler fails, it tin crusade more overheating problems. The Intercooler tin can also cook itself onto the 360, melt the powercord inside of itself, or make itself extremely hard to remove.^[78]

"New Xbox Experience" update issues

[edit]

On November 19, 2008, Microsoft released the "New Xbox Experience" (NXE). This update provided streaming Netflix adequacy and avatars; withal, some users have reported the update has caused their consoles to not properly read optical media.^[i]
Others have reported that the update has disabled audio through HDMI connections.^[79]
A Microsoft spokesperson stated the company is "aware that a handful of Xbox LIVE users are experiencing audio issues, and are diligently monitoring this issue and working towards a solution." Microsoft released a patch on February 3, 2009 for the HDMI audio issues.^[eighty]

E74 error

[edit]

An E74 fault is indicated when the lower-right quadrant of the band indicator flashes blood-red and displays an mistake message in multiple languages: "System Error. Contact Xbox Customer Support", with the code E74 at the lesser. The error is acquired by a failure in advice between the GPU and the eDRAM die on the GPU. This is unremarkably due to a failure in the flip fleck connection of the dies to the substrate, or a failing GPU or eDRAM. As of April fourteen, 2009, the E74 error is at present covered by the three-year extended warranty, and customers who previously paid Microsoft for out-of-warranty service to correct the E74 fault received a refund.^[81]
[82]

The E74 error has sometimes been described past many as a "Green Screen of Death" and a "Black Screen of Death" considering early on versions of these errors had an almost jet-black background with a hue of dark light-green. Later versions would show a completely jet-black groundwork. Reports of impending Q4 carmine-calorie-free failure stem from users who report an abnormal display with poor, grainy video equally well as black dots or artifacts actualization on the screen. Vertical green or carmine strokes on the screen can also signal a video system malfunction, preceding the RROD or the E74 error.^{[
citation needed
]}
The Xbox website states on how to set up the fault.^[83]

Secondary Error Code

[edit]

Xbox 360 consoles which have a hardware failure will brandish a secondary error code by blinking a sequence of LEDs when the sync button is held down and the eject button is pressed four times.^[12]
[84]
The number of lights represents a digit from 0 to 3 (4 lights is 0). An error code of 0001 may represent a defect in the power supply, rather than the Xbox itself, or a short within the Xbox, or a diddled capacitor.

Meet also

[edit]

• Microsoft Corp. v. Baker: U.South. Supreme Courtroom case based on the problems
• Bluish Screen of Expiry

References

[edit]

External links

[edit]

• 
  Microsoft Xbox Support official website