Red Ring of Death scare, I thought my console was a goner...

So I had a really bad scare this evening. I went to play some GRAW on my 360, watch the Transformers trailer again, and generally just mess with my console. Halfway through the Transformers trailer (first thing I did) it froze on me...restarted and got the Red Ring. "Oh no, this can't be happening" I thought. Tried a couple things, restarted a couple times, unplugged everything, removed the HDD, and it finally came back to life.

This is one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen as a gamer:


So I'm hoping that this is the end of the issue...I'll keep an eye on it over the next few days though...good thing that warranty just got extended...

This post has been edited by Knight667 on Jul 22 2007, 04:30 AM

Hopefully you don't get them again. It really sucks to have to send off your console for repair.

thankfully i havent experianced the red rings and iv hade my xbox since they first came out and never hade a problem. it crashes sometimes if the msn messanger sighns in but thats it. good luck with it mate hope it doesnt happen again

This post has been edited by II Methkilla II on Jul 22 2007, 12:24 PM

whew! that must have been quite the scare! (is that how it went?)...a few days ago i got the 3 red lights, but it was only for a few seconds and everything was ok...i cannot explain the feeling i had when i saw them, or the feeling i had when it went back to normal...i think it was a power outage so i thought something had gotten fried...but i'm with Methkilla in that i've had mine since close to when they came out (i have a second-wave box) and that's as close as ive come to that...however it has started to freeze a lot, which scares me

I had a little chat with it this morning, it says it's feeling better. I actually played for about 3 hours last night, eventually got a disc read error in Lost Planet, but then the console worked just fine afterwards (didn't play much beyond that, since it was very late/early by that time). It's getting plenty of ventilation, so I'm hoping this was just a fluke...that it got confused somehow. Gonna keep an eye on it, though...

Hipcheck, yeah, it was about like that...pretty darn scary. Got that cold empty feeling in my stomach, felt nauseous, panicy...but then it eventually came back, so I was very relieved.

I'd be freaking out nonetheless, especially after what my sister just went through.

I had a red ring scare but never reacted like most guys i just laughed lol.. dunno.. i laughed when my bike got stolen in the 2 minutes i left it outside the paper shop when i was a paper boy .. But hmm.. i'm glad your box is ok Knight, im sure it will be.. my box had red lights cos i kicked the power out by accident

This post has been edited by Xz Diamondz zX on Jul 22 2007, 06:05 PM

Take it from someone who knows, just keep a close eye on it, and make sure it's getting its daily dose of games and TLC.

Just like a woman, if you treat her bad she'll leave ya!

You are all displaying symptoms of addiction (Except Diamondz ). But that's ok, because so am I. Don't show me that scary picture again. You'll scare me and our 2 boxes.

lol...believe me, MG, if it was up to me, I'd never see that scary picture again either!!

I must be addicted because I am having withdrawal from mine...haven't turned mine on in at least week

Well, looks like I was being overly optimistic. It froze up on some other games today, so I tried them all...sure enough, it freezes on anything now. No more red ring, but it looks like my 360 has had a nervous breakdown and must be repaired.

I'm gonna call support in the morning (they're closed now) and see about RMAing it back to them to get a repair/replacement.

For those who have sent theirs in, a couple questions:
1. Do you get your original back?
2. Do you send in your HDD (I'd imagine not, since that's where everything's saved...)
3. How long is the turn around time?

Does anyone else get the red rings when the power decides to restart itself when your console is on? That's also something. And if you have a three-prong cord for your 360 and not the 2-prong that can cause problems

Yeah, I have had the "power goes out" red ring issue. But, I am not worried about that because it is also hooked into a surge protector, so I think that may have something to do with it. It starts back up and works great, so I am not too worried about it. But, I have thought about calling Customer Service and seeing if they would replace it under the warranty...just in case!

From all I've heard, keep your HDD because it will come back wiped/replaced as well.

I had a 'red ring of death' the other morning... but that was after quite a few pints and a 3am curry (I know, I know... I can already hear the groans)

Well, I called MS this morning and the gal on the phone heard "three red lights" and simply asked for my shipping info. So they're sending me the box (be here in 3-5 days) and she said 3-4 weeks turn around time. I wonder if I'll get the same box (I have my serial number written down), if they'll just replace the guts (new larger heatsinks, ftw!) or what'll happen.

They state right on the phone to remove the HDD and faceplate, so no worries there. I'll just be sad without it...at least I can check the status on the website. Guess I'll have to play my PS2 until then...woopety doo.

I have this theory that every gamer must see a "red ring" once every month or their xbox will take it upon itself to create one just to scare you. Hence why I have a spare (dead) xbox under my couch which does nothing but flash red at me and scare my kittens when they're exploring.

On a more serious note, my (new) xbox gave me the red lights once, I think it just happens occasionally if it over-heats, etcetera. I used to play it on a shelf which meant the vent at the back was partially obstructed, now I play with it on the floor and it's okay. Sadly this means I keep stepping on it.

You'll find the box is like a glove fit for the console, there would be no room for a HD or anything else really. (We been through it with all three of our consoles...4th one thus far hasn't had a problem.)

This post has been edited by Worried Weasel on Jul 24 2007, 01:27 PM

I bought one of the bundles that included the HDD and wireless controller plus a couple of games, the HDD was on the console in the box... maybe you can get different box compartmenty things.

Yes, 'Compartmenty things' is the technical term

Just got the email this morning (last night, really) that my empty box was enroute:

So the official word is 4-6 weeks turnaround. Not bad, really, when you consider how many are out there and how many repairs they're doing.

Just for kicks I powered it on last night and went into the C&C3 demo...crashed as soon as I tried loading the game, but no red ring anymore. Sounds like I've definitely got something wrong inside.

This post has been edited by Knight667 on Jul 24 2007, 02:59 PM

You have an odd last name.

Well, it looks like my box should have been here on Friday, but it's been delayed until Monday; bummer, because I was hoping to get it sent out on Saturday. Oh well, I guess 3 more days isn't going to make that much difference.

The "three red rings" is too scary for me, don't post like this haha!

Not if you are of German descent... The name was derived from the German word "burc," which means a "fortified town", the surname Bergquist was a name for a person who lived in a town. Funnily enough lots of people lived in towns therefore it became quite a common surname.

Not if you are of German descent... The name was derived from the German word "burc," which means a "fortified town", the surname Bergquist was a name for a person who lived in a town. Funnily enough lots of people lived in towns therefore it became quite a common surname.

Gryffyd, you're pretty close. It was my great-great-grandfather's last name...it's the name of the area they lived in in Sweden. It means "land near the lake and tree within view of the mountains". I did a glass etching of it once.

Back on topic...I looked at my Xbox this morning as I went past the living room on the way to breakfast...it looked so forlorn sitting there, unplugged...*sigh*

This post has been edited by Knight667 on Jul 26 2007, 02:43 PM

Okay, small update. My return box came last Friday, the 27th and I took it to UPS on Saturday the 28th. Went out via UPS 3-day on Monday the 30th, and it's arriving in McAllen, TX, today. So I'm hoping that this will be a quick turn around.

For those who don't know, they ship you a box with styrofoam end pieces, a bag, a RMA label and pressure sensitive tape to reseal the box. You remove your HDD and faceplate, put the 360 in the bag, put on the styrofoam end pieces, put it in the box, put your reference number on the 360 and the outside of the box, seal the box with the supplied "pressure sensitive" tape, apply the RMA label, and you're off.

While I'm still upset that my 360 failed, I have to give MS props for getting the return process down to a science.

More info as it becomes available!

This post has been edited by Knight667 on Aug 2 2007, 03:42 PM

Whew, accidentally hit Report instead of Quote. Glad I caught it before I submitted it!!!

Mine was delivered in McAllen, TX on the 30th. Gonna check the repair status tomorrow. But from what the rep on the phone told me when I got the repair order initially, it could be 4 - 6 weeks once they receive the 360 at the repair center.

Hopefully they are just padding the times they tell people so they can get the repairs done faster and look good to the customer by returning it faster than expected. That would be cool!

--Sai

James Tiberius Kirk: Mr Scott; Have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?

Mr Scott: How else could I maintain my reputation as a miracle worker?

James Tiberius Kirk: Mr Scott; Have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?

Mr Scott: How else could I maintain my reputation as a miracle worker?

And now we know that MS's repair policy is based on Star Trek methodology. We're doomed.

James Tiberius Kirk: Mr Scott; Have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?

Mr Scott: How else could I maintain my reputation as a miracle worker?

OMG! I thought I was the only person here who might be a big enough Star Trek geek to know Caption Kirk's middle name! Glad to know I am not the only one here!

Like I said, I seriously hope that is the case here. I may have to be moving out of my apartment at the end of this month. If my 360 isn't back by then, I am afraid it will get lost. I have heard too many horror stories where someone moved. They contacted MS Support and gave them their new address in plenty of time before their 360 was shipped out again. But MS still sent it to their old address. In one extreme case the person didn't get their 360....well, actually a replacement one...for 7 months!! Their original 360 was never recovered from the old address. That is not acceptable to me. I will go insane if I have to wait that long to get my 360 back. Seriously, you will hear about me in the news when the McAllen, TX repair site goes BOOOOOOOM, if I have to wait that long.

--Sai