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Xbox360 Forums => Xbox360 Hardware Forums => Xbox360 General / Hardware Chat => Topic started by: Draeconix on September 17, 2006, 11:34:00 AM

Title: Strange Crash
Post by: Draeconix on September 17, 2006, 11:34:00 AM

So you all remember the pink screen of death that usually accompanies old 8-bit nintendo games? Well my X360 is doing something similar, at least it seems that way to me. I've had my 360 since release and it has been working fine. I had a few hangups here and there but much more stable than Win98 or ME (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Anyhow, I am a hardcore gamer and I play my 360 A LOT. Around 4 hours per day or when I am not sleeping whichever is longer. Just recently it started crashing on me in the middle of Oblivion. I know the reputation of the game so I opened the drive and pulled out the disc and turned the machine off and then back on a few seconds later. The crashing I am getting is a square pixelation or checkerboard effect. Larger than your standard video pixelation but small enough to have a couple hundred on the screen. So far, I have tried different power sources, with and without the HDD, leaving it sit for sometime, loading oblivion from a different point or using a different route, checked all the cables including the video selector on the video cable and still nothing. I had it back for a bit but then I started playing Oblivion again and after 20 mins or so it did it again. I have it switched off right now and I am going to go try another game to see what happens. If that doesn't work, I don't know what I am going to do since I already attempted to open the case and took the little sticker off the front. Maybe M$ will be nice and won't charge me to fix it. Ha! Yeah fat chance. If anyone has any insight into what may be causing this problem please leave a post. Thanks.

Title: Strange Crash
Post by: hignaki on September 17, 2006, 12:09:00 PM

sounds like overheated GPU.  Since it's already opened (and MS is stepping up on checking for the sticker, so it's a no-go on returning it, warranty voided and all...), you may try replacing the thermal compound.  Remember, never, NEVER run it without that plastic duct.

And I know you said you ran it w/o the HDD, but this is still worth a shot; go into the system blade, then memory.  While the HDD icon is highlighted (don't press "a" on it, just highlight it), press XX LB RB XX.   It removes L!VE updates.

This post has been edited by hignaki: Sep 17 2006, 07:15 PM

Title: Strange Crash
Post by: EllsinoreOutlaw on September 17, 2006, 12:27:00 PM

QUOTE(hignaki @ Sep 17 2006, 12:40 PM)

Remember, never, NEVER run it without that plastic duct.

What you mean by Plastic Duct? You mean the case?

Title: Strange Crash
Post by: Jelly4000 on September 17, 2006, 12:54:00 PM

QUOTE(EllsinoreOutlaw @ Sep 17 2006, 06:58 PM)

What you mean by Plastic Duct? You mean the case?

I would assume he means the plastic "air tunnel" between the fans and the heatsinks, directing the airflow.

Title: Strange Crash
Post by: hignaki on September 17, 2006, 08:42:00 PM

Yeah, the white shaped piece of plastic connecting the fans to the HS

Title: Strange Crash
Post by: Draeconix on September 18, 2006, 10:25:00 AM

Update: Well I went to start up my box after letting it sit for a while and got three red lights now. It wasn't giving me them before so I am off to check the error codes. The lights were in the following config:

 1 |
 4 | 3

Title: Strange Crash
Post by: absolutejerk on September 28, 2006, 05:38:00 PM

I was having the same problem.  The first time I saw the checkerboard lockup was when I was watching a DVD.  I heard an unpleasant noise followed by the checkerboard.  The system would not respond.  I tried to reboot the box a few times and could not get the DVD to play.  It would lock up after about 10-15 seconds.  I removed the DVD, started an arcade game from the hard drive and it seemed to work ok.

About 1 month later, I got the same lock up when playing Jewel Quest.  I tried different arcade games and they all locked up.  Tried a DVD and it locked up.  Tried a DVD game, Table Tennis, and it worked great...  

The next time I tried to play, I got the 3 red leds...

So MS is sending me the cardboard coffin to ship my shit back for repair.  There are all kinds of people with this issue posting on the xbox.com forums.  Seems to be a common problem.  There is even a menu option for this issue in the IVR when you call support...  MS will repair your system for free if it was manufactured before Jan 1.

I have a core system (with strap on HD) manufactured on 12-3.

Title: Strange Crash
Post by: thax on September 28, 2006, 08:02:00 PM

There seems to be a pretty high correlation of people that open their cases and people that have console problems right afterwards.

Title: Strange Crash
Post by: spinr34 on September 29, 2006, 02:18:00 PM

QUOTE(Draeconix @ Sep 18 2006, 08:56 AM)

Update: Well I went to start up my box after letting it sit for a while and got three red lights now. It wasn't giving me them before so I am off to check the error codes. The lights were in the following config:

 1 |
 4 | 3

i was going to break the bad news to you, that you were going to end up with the three red lights if you kept playing, but there is really no way around it, once it freezes like that, it's doomed.  go to the sticky in the Xbox 360 General forum and look up error codes.  you'll hold down the button to synch the wireless controls and press eject on the drive. the lights will start to flash in pretty patterns and basically give you a 4 digit code. once you read the error codes thread it'll all make sense.  if you get an "unknown error" or "memory error" the most common fixes are heat gun, replace thermal paste on heatsinks, better flow of air to gpu and putting heatsinks on the ram/southbridge, or all of them at the same time. i've brought mine back to life by heatgun and putting heatsinks on ram/southbridge. i didn't want to take off the thermal pad and put compound on the gpu because i figured if it keeps dying i don't want to have to re-apply thermal paste all the time. i'm 99% sure the problem with my 360 is a bad solder point under one of the aforementioned chips.