I *think** I am trhough with console gaming...

[roland]

This is kind of a...
...venting frustration
..."didn't make em like they used to..."
..."wish I didn't do this again..."
..."what to do now..."

post rolled up into one. But it is related to other gaming topics.

When I was growing up, I took care of what I had. I didn't have much, but I had enough to keep me entertained. When I was 5 or 6 I got my first Atari. Then a few years later - I got Colecovision when it first came out. Then there was the C64, and then the Commodore Amiga. These consoles and computers lasted me a good 6 to 7 years each. And, if it was not for the explosive growth of technology, they probably would still be in my game room being played on.

My desktop lasted me 6 years worth of gaming before I got a new one. It would not run WARHAMMER that well. It would run WOW ok, and LOTRO with all the bells and whistles turned down.

This evening, unexpectedly my XBOX 360 shut down. Now I have had this machine not even 2 years yet - but still outside of the warranty. I like the strides that technology has made in the gaming industry. But can there ever be a console that can last longer than 2 or 3 years without being forced to buy a new system that is identical to the one already purchased? The price of the XBOX 360 that I got at Wal-Mart was the same exact price of the cost of out-of-warranty repair.

So what is wrong with my 360? After about a maximum of 15 minutes, it completely shuts down and I get 2 flashing red rings. Not 3, but 2. No errors pop up on screen. I checked every possible piece of information I could find that causes the problem. No one seems to know what it actually is. The website says it is "due to overheating" - and the solution is to "let it cool for several hours." However, this happened at 6:30 pm. I tried again at 10:30 pm and it still has 2 flashing red rings. How "long" is several hours? No one really knows. It could be 2 or 3 hours, it could be 24 hours - and from other stuff I read, there is no guarantee this will fix the issue. I am hoping maybe in a few hours - or maybe in the morning - it will work again...

..But if it doesn't, why do companies not make consoles like they used to?

I can't afford a repair, that is why I took very good care of this machine.
I can't afford a new machine, it costs as much as an out of warranty repair.

Maybe its just back to the old PC only games - and online grinds...and forgetting about consoles altogether and eBaying the games I have for 360. I am sure someone will pay reasonably for 10 games. Or I can wait until June and get a new machine...relatives still remember my birthday ...but that money can be used better elsewhere.

(PS - I am not open to PS3 v 360 - PS3 has had their share of problems too).

(PPS - No I am not going Wii :P)

[Landro]

This is just a easy to fix issue. Basically there is a solder inside that "comes lose" with the heat in some of the newer, last 2-4 years XBox 360's. FYI I have had mine since day one with ZERO issues.

My brothers did this about 4-5 months ago and we did the towel trick fix.

Look here... (http://hubpages.com/hub/The_Xbox_360_Towel_Trick)

Basically you unhook your HDD and every other plug aside form the power. Wrap your XBox up in a towel, be sure to cover all the vents.

Then turn it on, through the towel, and let it run for about 10 minutes or so. Then unwrap it. IT WILL BE HOT TO TOUCH! So do not leave it alone, as in go to the store or something. Let it cool off. Then hook everything back up. Turn it on. If it was the normal overheat issue then it should work. My brother's still works now almost 5 months later.

I know people are going to flame on this, but I have seen it work personally. Plus, what do you have to lose? It already doesn't work and is out of warranty anyways...

Of course you could take it to Wal Mart, if you have the box, and tell them you just got it as a gift and it doesn't work, lol.....seriously I know a guy who does this....

[roland]

I can't return it since it is over a year old.

And if I take it apart, I will break it. You're talking to someone who can break RAM when I try to install it. I am "heavy handed" when it comes to this stuff.

I heard about the towel thing, but I have doubts that it would really work. I mean, I looked everywhere...I even saw videos / articles about the thermal paste issue. Again, it involves me taking it apart and doing something to it that I am not "comfortable" doing.

I realize the flip side of this argument is the darn thing isn't working anyway, what else could I do to it? But I would rather leave it alone than cause more harm to it.

[Demari]

No disassembly required for the towel thing. All you are doing to preventing the system for cooling itself. While this in itself is very not good for the components the idea it that the super heating "pops" the board back into place without you have to open the box. It is basically a flaw in the board mounts and gpu heatsink mounts. when the board heats it expands poping the heatsink out of contact with the gpu. it then cools in this position. the towel thing is supposed to heat the board again so it'll pop back into contact, ironically restoring heat dissipation by restricting it in one gnarly incident.

[cluck]

after two xbox 360's kicked the bucket on me, i sold the third. I then decided that ps3 was the way to go.

it still is.

[Landro]

Roland. Read mine again. I did it for my brother worked wonderfully. i know about 20 other people who have done this...

just saying. :)

[Landro]

No disassembly required for the towel thing. All you are doing to preventing the system for cooling itself. While this in itself is very not good for the components the idea it that the super heating "pops" the board back into place without you have to open the box. It is basically a flaw in the board mounts and gpu heatsink mounts. when the board heats it expands poping the heatsink out of contact with the gpu. it then cools in this position. the towel thing is supposed to heat the board again so it'll pop back into contact, ironically restoring heat dissipation by restricting it in one gnarly incident.

Exactly.

[roland]

OK let me give an update on mine...

Keep in mind I purchased this in December 2007...

I researched and read about the towel thing, and many people say it works for a few times, but then soon they get the 3 rings and have to send it back. When I looked closely at the console - without taking anything apart - it looked like something was "pushing" on the side of it.

But I do not understand this "overheating" issue. I never play the console for more than 3 hours at a time without turning it off and taking some sort of break. One of my recent game purchases - MLB 2k9 - you can actually save a game you are in the middle of now (MLB 2k8 you could not do this). Yes it is in a well ventilated area.

So this morning I went to EB Games and got into a conversation about this. I was thinking about turning it in for "store credit" along with all my current games toward purchase of a new system at a later date (maybe Christmas?). When it came to the part about what is going on with my system, he told me that Microsoft just changed the E74 error to include EITHER the 2 rings OR 3 rings of flashing red. When I talked to Microsoft this morning, I mentioned that I had the E74 error. They put in a repair request for me, and I printed out the UPS label. They told me if it is not the E74 error, I can still pay for repair on the system.

But I also read that with older models, the E74 error only displays 2 red rings, not 3.

So I shipped it out today. Hopefully it is the E74 error that is covered under the extended warranty.

The best part too is that they told me if they have to replace the system, I can purchase a 1 year warranty for 30 bucks.

[Briarthorn]

I hope this works out for you. Good luck.

[roland]

Thanks...

If not, I might get an elite system Christmas time. We are supposed to move in July and hopefully to a place where I can find work.

Meanwhile I am contemplating Fallout 3 on the PC. I tried it on XBOX and love the game.

[Landro]

Thanks...

If not, I might get an elite system Christmas time. We are supposed to move in July and hopefully to a place where I can find work.

Meanwhile I am contemplating Fallout 3 on the PC. I tried it on XBOX and love the game.

DO NOT GET THE ELITE SYSTEM!!!

It's been about 1 in 4 failing withing a few months. They rushed it's production...Just like when the Wii first released...

You do not need to pay that much extra for just a HDD...there are other ways to increase the HDD, very easy too. Mine has a 200Gb in it :)

[roland]

DO NOT GET THE ELITE SYSTEM!!!

It's been about 1 in 4 failing withing a few months. They rushed it's production...Just like when the Wii first released...

You do not need to pay that much extra for just a HDD...there are other ways to increase the HDD, very easy too. Mine has a 200Gb in it :)

Um....december 2009 is like...7 months away....and I am not going to be THAT guy who doesn't purchase the warranty ever again. They are supposed to make an improved version by then.

I didn't even know they sold 200g HDDs. I know you can attach external drives to the machine, but you cannot save xbox stuff to external drives...just music and video and whatnot.

Also consider what you get with the Elite system. WiFi adapter ($100 seperate), wireless headset ($100 seperate), 120 gig HDD ($125 seperate).

I don't know...this is just a thought if mine cannot be repaired.

And sorry Landro, I know you are just trying to help. But trying to cure an overheating device by overheating it...well, that spells "Fire Hazzard." :D

Hopefully MS will fix this and I can get back to my MLB 2k9 league :)

[Texicon]

"I *think** I am trhough with console gaming..."

Congrats, I bailed after my 1st generation PS2. PC all the way and no regrets.

[Namoric]

And sorry Landro, I know you are just trying to help. But trying to cure an overheating device by overheating it...well, that spells "Fire Hazzard."

Worked for mine for a while.

Then it died again.

[Enosh]

If you're going to shop for a new unit, look for the 'jasper' based boards. The easist way to tell is to look for the power rating on the back panel, which is visibile through the little window int he box. The jasper boards are 65nm for both CPU and GPU and thus throw out a lot less heat.

Jasper boards will have a power rating of 12v, 12,1amp 5v 1amp (see: http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3472&p=2)

When I received my second referb with the original board in it I waited for the next trade in bonus deal from Gamestop and traded up for a Jasper based arcade unit.

Funny thing about this thread is that when my daughter was born I basically said the opposite and turned my back on PC gaming forever. Console gaming, on a 19" or 24" monitor actually works out much better for me than PC gaming would when kids are around. In general I find console games are more readily paused, shared with kids, and consumed in small bits. Then again, my PC gaming has been almost exclusively MMO's for the 10 years prior to my daughters birth, which has something to do with that. :)

[Landro]

[QUOTE=roland;9094]I didn't even know they sold 200g HDDs. I know you can attach external drives to the machine, but you cannot save xbox stuff to external drives...just music and video and whatnot.

And sorry Landro, I know you are just trying to help. But trying to cure an overheating device by overheating it...well, that spells "Fire Hazzard." :D/QUOTE]

lol first it's not a fire hazard you set there for 10 minutes, I have done it so many times I can't keep count to people's xbox's.

also the 200gig thing is changing out the sata HDD in the xbox, theres a article about it. i will have to find it on old forums if i can.....

Though i still brag that mine is from the first week release, original release. I have had zero issues, not freeze ups, no rings of death, nothing :)

[Lostinthewood]

If you're going to shop for a new unit, look for the 'jasper' based boards. The easist way to tell is to look for the power rating on the back panel, which is visibile through the little window int he box. The jasper boards are 65nm for both CPU and GPU and thus throw out a lot less heat.

Jasper boards will have a power rating of 12v, 12,1amp 5v 1amp (see: http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3472&p=2)

When I received my second referb with the original board in it I waited for the next trade in bonus deal from Gamestop and traded up for a Jasper based arcade unit.

Funny thing about this thread is that when my daughter was born I basically said the opposite and turned my back on PC gaming forever. Console gaming, on a 19" or 24" monitor actually works out much better for me than PC gaming would when kids are around. In general I find console games are more readily paused, shared with kids, and consumed in small bits. Then again, my PC gaming has been almost exclusively MMO's for the 10 years prior to my daughters birth, which has something to do with that. :)

Yeah, though I don't do many console games, I find I am tending more to the pc games that can be paused and/or turning down groups in War or EQII at times when I think I mioght get interupted