Need help? Read here first! Xbox 360 Console FAQ

CM · 07-22-2008, 02:21 PM

Please have a look through these questions before making a thread to see if your problem is answered. If it’s not, then ask away.

I have a 20GB hard drive but it’s telling me I only have 14GB?

Space is used up for system files and software which have to remain. You need them to play your original Xbox games, use the HD-DVD drive and for the Dashboard to work etc. Expect the same for all hard drives you buy.

Elite, Premium, Core, Arcade – which one should I get?

Well, the Arcade has replaced the Core now so you’ll only find a Core second hand.
The best you can get is the Elite. This comes with a 120GB HDD. The Premium comes with a 20GB and soon a 60GB and the Arcade only comes with a memory unit. You’ll get a wireless controller in all three systems and an HDMI port in all three.

If you’re planning to play on Live then go for the Premium or the Elite if you think you’ll be downloading a lot off the marketplace and saving music and videos on your 360.

Go for the Arcade if you’re not bothered about playing online and just want to play casually. Although remember you won’t be able to play your old Xbox games without a hard drive. But don’t go for this just because you don’t quite have enough for the Premium. That’s a bad decisions because the HDD and Headset together aren’t cheap and you’ll end up paying more.

If you feel you’re going to need more than 20GB of memory and that the 120GB is just too much, wait for the 60GB to be released and get that.
Oh and Pro = Premium. They are the same thing.

Horizontal or vertical?

Firstly, the console is designed to be positioned both ways so there is no right or wrong answer, just what suits you best. If your 360 is on the floor, or you have pets or brothers and sisters who you think will knock it, then have it horizontal.

If the 360 is moved when on it WILL scratch your disc. If your 360 is on a TV stand and fairly safe then vertical will be fine. An advantage is having it vertical is more ventialltion but this doesn’t mean you’ll get the RROD if you have it horizontally.

Where’s the best place to buy my 360?

Your best option, is your local game store. They will always have new deals with the latest games and will hopefully give you a one year in store warranty. If you buy online, make sure you’ve heard of the place as you don’t want to get scammed. It’s better to pay more from somewhere you trust.

I wouldn’t recommend buying from eBay for obvious reasons, mainly because of lack of warranty and they may have technical issues.

I can’t fit my HDMI and component cable in the back of the 360?

This was a “mistake” by Microsoft. To get around it either remove the casing off the component cable with a flat headed screwdriver and wrap it in electrical tape so that they both fit or buy this cable:

Xbox.com | Accessories - Xbox 360 HDMI Cable

The latter will cost you $50/£25.

What the hell!? I have two red lights

Think of this as a warning. It means that your 360 is too hot so stop playing! Turn it off and let it cool down. Give it at least 1-2 hours. When you turn it back on it should be fine. If you still have the 2 red lights, turn it off again and wait for a longer time, say 5 hours. If it still occurs, you’re going to have to ring up Microsoft on 1-800-4MY-XBOX.

To prevent the two red lights, keep the 360 in a well ventilated place and try not to keep it on for extended periods of time.

If you have 3 red lights, please refer to the other FAQ by WelshDragon.

What happens if I mod my console?

If you are just modding the case of your 360, or maybe adding different fans, or lights or something to make it look visually better, or to prevent the RROD you won’t get banned from Live but if you break your warranty stick you will lose your three year warranty.

There is a way round this however – http://www.xbox360forum.com/forum/xb...-warranty.html

Firmware mods will get you banned. Although playing burned games and saving games to your HDD may seem good, you will be banned from Live and that means no COD4 and Halo 3!

OMG my game save has gone or is corrupted!

Simply put, there’s nothing you can do. A lot of people have lost a game save and the main cause is switching your 360 off from the plug while it’s running, taking the HDD off when the 360 is on or when transferring your data from the 20GB to the 120GB.

Recovering your gamertag will not help, as game saves are on the hard drive and not attached to your gamertag. One way round the problem is using cheat codes to get yourself to the level you were on as you will still have your achievements. That’s the best you can do.

My 360 won’t read my discs?

If you’re getting disc read errors when you try and play your games, but the same discs work on other consoles and you have tried replacing the discs for new ones and they still don’t work then your drive is broken. You will need to call Microsoft on 1-800-4MY-XBOX if it is under a year old to have it fixed or replaced.

“If you can't get Microsoft to fix it, your best bet is to open up the disk drive and clean the lens with a q-tip and 99.9% rubbing alcohol. And while you're in there, push in all of the tiny ribbon cables to make sure one didn't come loose."

If you’re having problems with just one disc that the Xbox doesn’t recognise, then check it’s the correct region and doesn’t have scratches. If you’ve cleaned it and it still doesn’t work get a replacement and it should work.

My games are coming out in odd colours / the 360 is not displaying anything on my TV

If it’s not displayed anything first check that everything is plugged in correctly and your TV is set to the right resolution by going to the System blade on the dashboard.

If you still have your year warranty, use it! send it back to Microsoft and have them fix it free of charge.

Otherwise, you will need to perform an “X-Clamp replacement”. Se7enSins Glitching Forums
If that seems too complicated or too much hard work, you can pay Microsoft to fix your 360.

Gamertags and Profiles

Not directly to do with console problems but thought I’d clear this up:

All profiles on the same console can have access to downloads from the Marketplace, such as map packs and Arcade games.

You cannot merge accounts.

You cannot send Microsoft points to other accounts.

Each account on the console has to buy Xbox Live separately.

If you delete a profile, you will NOT delete your downloads.

You can’t transfer game saves and achievements to a different profile. They can be transferred to another hard drive but only the original profile can use them.

If you recover your gamertag on a new hard drive you will keep your achievements but not game saves.

Hope this helps clear up some questions. I’ll update it if necessary. If you want answers to RROD questions then please go to WelshDragon’s FAQ