Need a little advice on my sons xbox 360.It is 2 years old and been very stable,but lastnight and today the equipment is crashing every 5 minutes.This happens on any game.
Could this be the equipments CPU,the machine is not overheating.
Or could it be a HDD problem.
Sounds most likely a heating issue, but it could also be a drive. Try a dvd and see if that play's fine w/o crashing. Also check to see if both fans in the back are spinning.
Also are you getting any error codes when it crashes, or is it just locking up?
When i first saw the error it came up error 79 ,which i was hoping would be the HDD.I have removed this HDD and played a DVD.Again it played for 5 minutes then crashed/froze.
So it has to be something internal.Both fans are going around ok and in can tell you the equipment has never been modified in anyway.
Try clearing your hard drive cache. To do this go to the system blade in your dashboard go to memory and press Y on your hard drive, then press X , X, LB, RB, X, X (note this will also clear game updates, which you can just re-download through live if needed).
Also is it possible that you have a lot of dust or hair in the 360? this could cause a lack of ventilation which could cause it to overheat. If possible also try testing it in a location where it can get better airflow or someplace where it would be cooler.
Only open if you are sure you want to take the chance of voiding your warranty (your sticker can be saved, but opening is technically grounds for voiding your warranty no matter what you are doing, however if you save the sticker properly they can't tell).
There are tons of tuts for opening your 360, they did make it a little tricky, but as long as you have the tools for it its pretty simple. You will need something small and flat for the back, and something small and round for removing the side gray covers. Also a t10 (i believe) torx driver to open the metal lid. I would also recommend a hairdryer exacto (or fine tipped knife) and wax paper for saving your warranty sticker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dv_uoS9-as Here is a descent video, best one i could find quickly, there used to be a better one on youtube w/pictures that identified each hole for the gray pieces and each screw to remove.
Thanks for your help ,ive went for the easy option and will send it away.I didnt realise Microsoft are still doing the 3 year warranty on this problem.Only snag is it will take a while sending it away etc because it goes to Germany.
I found the sticker to validate the machine,it was under the clip/off front on the machine,and luckily it was intact.
I wonder if this fix that microsoft will do will last longer than 2 years.???
Well i wouldn't count on it too much, however it it will have a 1 year warranty, and will most likely be a refurb. You will probably be getting one of those falcons that fit the old cases, with a lite-on drive. Good luck w/everything and hopefully it doesn't take too long.
