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| ===Overheating=== | ===Overheating=== | ||
| Because of its high power consumption, the Xbox 360 console poses a moderate risk of overheating if users do not follow the guidelines prescribed by the user manual. Users are advised not to obstruct air flow to the enclosure vents or power supply. Problems associated with overheating include reduced system performance and instability that may result in ] or hardware failure. Some Xbox 360 owners have even installed custom cooling solutions in their consoles to prevent this from happening. It has been reported by IGN Games that if the heating vents are blocked for a prolonged period of time black smoke may disperse from the rear of the Xbox unit and it could possibly catch fire. | Because of its high power consumption, the Xbox 360 console poses a moderate risk of overheating if users do not follow the guidelines prescribed by the user manual. Users are advised not to obstruct air flow to the enclosure vents or power supply. Problems associated with overheating include reduced system performance and instability that may result in ] or hardware failure. Some Xbox 360 owners have even installed custom cooling solutions in their consoles to prevent this from happening. It has been reported by IGN Games that if the heating vents are blocked for a prolonged period of time black smoke may disperse from the rear of the Xbox unit and it could possibly catch fire.{{fact}} | ||
| Microsoft has been working with a ]-based company, ], to create new ] chips. These new ] will have reduced power consumption and in turn, will run cooler. They will also be cheaper to manufacture than the current ] chips. Because the logic design and clock speed will remain unchanged, performance will not be affected. | Microsoft has been working with a ]-based company, ], to create new ] chips. These new ] will have reduced power consumption and in turn, will run cooler. They will also be cheaper to manufacture than the current ] chips. Because the logic design and clock speed will remain unchanged, performance will not be affected.{{fact}} | ||
| ===Disc scratching=== | ===Disc scratching=== | ||
Revision as of 15:53, 5 September 2006
Technical difficulties
Diagnosing errors and troubleshooting
The Xbox 360 will display a "Screen of Death" if the system experiences a serious error. In such instances the user is prompted to contact Xbox customer support.
In the case of certain specific errors the Xbox 360 system will display a diagnostic pattern of red lighting in place of the standard green "Ring of Light" around the power button. These patterns indicate the following:
| Quadrants lit in red | Indicated error | Troubleshooting |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | The A/V cable is either not properly connected to the Xbox 360 system, or is not being detected. | Check cable and connector. |
| 3 | Console is experiencing a hardware failure | Contact Xbox customer support |
| 2, left | Console is overheating | Turn console off, unplug power supply |
| 1, bottom left | General hardware failure | Contact Xbox customer support |
Overheating
Because of its high power consumption, the Xbox 360 console poses a moderate risk of overheating if users do not follow the guidelines prescribed by the user manual. Users are advised not to obstruct air flow to the enclosure vents or power supply. Problems associated with overheating include reduced system performance and instability that may result in crashing or hardware failure. Some Xbox 360 owners have even installed custom cooling solutions in their consoles to prevent this from happening. It has been reported by IGN Games that if the heating vents are blocked for a prolonged period of time black smoke may disperse from the rear of the Xbox unit and it could possibly catch fire.
Microsoft has been working with a Singapore-based company, Chartered Semiconductor, to create new 65-nanometer chips. These new chips will have reduced power consumption and in turn, will run cooler. They will also be cheaper to manufacture than the current 90-nanometer chips. Because the logic design and clock speed will remain unchanged, performance will not be affected.
Disc scratching
When a user moves the Xbox 360 from a vertical position to a horizontal position, or vice-versa, the inserted disc may brush against the drive's pickup-assembly and incur scratches to its reflective coating. The Xbox 360 owner's manual specifically warns against moving the system while a disc is inserted. However, some users also reported that their disc got scratched without moving their consoles, until questioned about moving it with a disc inside the DVD ROM drive. Microsoft does not replace scratched game discs, by simply replacing the media, because they do not own the rights to some games. Until recently, they offered a free copy of a Microsoft Game Studios Xbox 360 title as a replacement for scratched disks. Microsoft conducted its own research into this topic, and concluded that without moving the console, discs cannot be scratched, and therefore no longer issues replacements. Note: Consoles equipped with the Toshiba-Samsung manufactured drive may experience dislodging of the disc when the console is tilted with a game inserted. This could damage your disc as well as your drive. Users with drives manufactured by Hitachi-LG have only reported damaged discs. The most sensible advice is to not risk it and simply not move the console while it is in a powered-up state, or with a disc inserted.
References
- "Xbox 360: Four lights flash red on the Ring of Light", Microsoft, 24 November 2005
- "Microsoft Xbox 360 refuses to replace scratched discs", gameshout.com, 1 December 2005
External links
- Possible cache clearing workaround for games that have lock-up errors such as NCAA Football '07 and Oblivion
- "How do I clear the cache on the Xbox 360?"