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360 disc errors, common?

EgoEgo Registered User regular
edited February 2008 in Games and Technology
Hey everyone,

I bought my 360 for Halo 3, and pretty much just played it multiplayer. In all the Halo 3 matches I played, I remember having one disc error (the error where it says the disc might be dirty and the game crashes) when a map was loading. I bought NHL08, didn't really play it a lot but I remember getting a disc error there right at the end of the first game I played. Both discs are spotless.

Now I rented Mass Effect, and the disc looks pristine, but I've already had two disc read errors from the start of the game up to the first bit of the council ship thing.

Is this just something that happens? Do you guys get errors like this too or should I be worried about my 360?

Erik
Ego on

Posts

  • VaregaVarega Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Do you have your Xbox Vertical or horizontal? If it's Verticle, move it to horizontal, less chance of a DRE.

    Before I RROD'd, they were increasingly common. This doesn't mean it will happen to you, just anecdotal evidence. It's entirely possible you have a bad disc drive, quite a few people on here have complained about them.

    Varega on
    League of Legends:Varega
  • EgoEgo Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    It's horizontal, but that's good to know, I'll make sure it stays as is.

    If I get the HDDVD drive, can I play regular games through it or is it only for watching HD-DVDs?

    I guess I can just spray a bit of compressed air through it, maybe it just has a spec of dust in exactly the wrong spot.

    Ego on
    Erik
  • Rigor MortisRigor Mortis Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Ego wrote: »
    It's horizontal, but that's good to know, I'll make sure it stays as is.

    If I get the HDDVD drive, can I play regular games through it or is it only for watching HD-DVDs?

    I guess I can just spray a bit of compressed air through it, maybe it just has a spec of dust in exactly the wrong spot.

    Getting the HDDVD drive would be a bad idea. Bluray has won the war.

    Rigor Mortis on
  • greeblegreeble Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Ego wrote: »
    It's horizontal, but that's good to know, I'll make sure it stays as is.

    If I get the HDDVD drive, can I play regular games through it or is it only for watching HD-DVDs?

    I guess I can just spray a bit of compressed air through it, maybe it just has a spec of dust in exactly the wrong spot.

    No you can't play games on the HD-DVD drive.

    greeble on
    PSN/steam/battle.net: greeble XBL: GreebleX

    Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
    I’ll tell you what happens in Demon’s Souls when you die. You come back as a ghost with your health capped at half. And when you keep on dying, the alignment of the world turns black and the enemies get harder. That’s right, when you fail in this game, it gets harder. Why? Because fuck you is why.
  • Dharma BumDharma Bum Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Ego wrote: »
    Hey everyone,

    I bought my 360 for Halo 3, and pretty much just played it multiplayer. In all the Halo 3 matches I played, I remember having one disc error (the error where it says the disc might be dirty and the game crashes) when a map was loading. I bought NHL08, didn't really play it a lot but I remember getting a disc error there right at the end of the first game I played. Both discs are spotless.

    Now I rented Mass Effect, and the disc looks pristine, but I've already had two disc read errors from the start of the game up to the first bit of the council ship thing.

    Is this just something that happens? Do you guys get errors like this too or should I be worried about my 360?

    That's really weird. I got my second disc read error today, also on a rented disc. I've got a launch console, and the only other DRE I can recall was when I popped in Gears of War about a year ago, but that was because my disc was all nasty from having gotten lost behind a desk for a month. I don't think disc read errors are particularly common on 360s, so you might want to double check the discs are pristine. Good luck.

    Dharma Bum on
    olgafjpg.jpg
  • Screaming RavenScreaming Raven Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I have around 3-4 disk read errors a week playing Gear of War multi player, most of the time during a ranked match no less, I know a lot of people have had similar disk read errors happen during certain games.
    Seems to be a fairly common thing, my 360 is horizontal.

    Screaming Raven on
  • MyNameIsWalrusMyNameIsWalrus Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I don't believe I ever had a disc read error on my first or second 360. For some reason though, my current 360 was getting DREs quite often. Probably around 3-4 a week. One thing that I've noticed is that it almost exclusively happens when I turn the 360 on with the game already in it. I started taking out the disc before I turn off my xbox and it seems to have helped a whole lot. If I leave my NHL 08 disc in the drive, I get a DRE pretty much every time. I'd suggest you start giving that a try, maybe it'll help you too. ;-)

    MyNameIsWalrus on
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I was getting them. It happens a lot with the older Samsung & Hitachi disc drives. Basically all Xenen 360's are guaranteed to self-destruct. The BenQ drives that are currently in the 360 are a bit better. But when they wear out you need to be careful as they can and more likely will grind the disc.
    xbox-360-dvd-drive.jpg

    Dark Shroud on
  • KageraKagera Imitating the worst people. Since 2004Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I was getting them. It happens a lot with the older Samsung & Hitachi disc drives. Basically all Xenen 360's are guaranteed to self-destruct. The BenQ drives that are currently in the 360 are a bit better. But when they wear out you need to be careful as they can and more likely will grind the disc.
    xbox-360-dvd-drive.jpg

    Boy I keep felling better and better about buying a 360. :roll:

    Kagera on
    My neck, my back, my FUPA and my crack.
  • EgoEgo Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I don't believe I ever had a disc read error on my first or second 360. For some reason though, my current 360 was getting DREs quite often. Probably around 3-4 a week. One thing that I've noticed is that it almost exclusively happens when I turn the 360 on with the game already in it. I started taking out the disc before I turn off my xbox and it seems to have helped a whole lot. If I leave my NHL 08 disc in the drive, I get a DRE pretty much every time. I'd suggest you start giving that a try, maybe it'll help you too. ;-)

    I always leave the game I'm playing in whatever is playing it, so I'll give this a try. Thanks for the advice, hopefully it'll work for me too.

    Ego on
    Erik
  • greeblegreeble Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Kagera wrote: »
    I was getting them. It happens a lot with the older Samsung & Hitachi disc drives. Basically all Xenen 360's are guaranteed to self-destruct. The BenQ drives that are currently in the 360 are a bit better. But when they wear out you need to be careful as they can and more likely will grind the disc.
    xbox-360-dvd-drive.jpg

    Boy I keep felling better and better about buying a 360. :roll:

    Its all part of the xbox experience, though seriously you must have known what you were getting yourself into. Its part of the reason I wait till the first price drop to buy a console, they usually have the hardware issues sorted about by then. (Microsoft didn't in this case, I would have bought a 360 if it wasn't for the horrible reliability problems)

    But its not all doom and gloom MS support is pretty decent and the turnaround usually isn't too long. (now)

    And remember:
    "Microsoft stands behind its products and takes responsibility to ensure that every Xbox 360 console owner continues to have a fantastic gaming experience." -- Peter Moore

    greeble on
    PSN/steam/battle.net: greeble XBL: GreebleX

    Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
    I’ll tell you what happens in Demon’s Souls when you die. You come back as a ghost with your health capped at half. And when you keep on dying, the alignment of the world turns black and the enemies get harder. That’s right, when you fail in this game, it gets harder. Why? Because fuck you is why.
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    greeble wrote: »
    "Microsoft stands behind its products and takes responsibility to ensure that every Xbox 360 console owner continues to have a fantastic gaming experience." -- Peter Moore

    :lol: As long as it's still under warranty. Otherwise you have to pay around $125 US + shipping to get it repaired. And no DREs (the second more common problem) are not covered by the 2 year extension.
    Kagera wrote: »
    Boy I keep felling better and better about buying a 360. :roll:
    Other than getting louder like a jet engine you'll be fine with the BenQ drive. If it starts making a grinding noise stop the console. The BenQ drive has little rubber pads to keep the eye from grinding into the disc but those pads get worn fast if the drive is malfunctioning.

    Dark Shroud on
  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I have the same issue as the OP when it comes to disk is unreadable errors. The quick-fix that I've noticed is this:

    Before logging into whatever game you want, open the CD-ROM up and close it. That seems to fix all those problems. For me, at least. Hope that helps you sir.

    urahonky on
  • RizziRizzi Sydney, Australia.Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I seem to be second guessing myself about buying a 360. :/
    I don't want to spend that much cash on something that will break sooner, rather then later..

    Rizzi on
  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Rizzi wrote: »
    I seem to be second guessing myself about buying a 360. :/
    I don't want to spend that much cash on something that will break sooner, rather then later..

    Eh. Just get the warranty and you wont have to worry about it. I tend to forget the issues while I'm enjoying those vidja games.

    urahonky on
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    urahonky wrote: »
    Rizzi wrote: »
    I seem to be second guessing myself about buying a 360. :/
    I don't want to spend that much cash on something that will break sooner, rather then later..

    Eh. Just get the warranty and you wont have to worry about it. I tend to forget the issues while I'm enjoying those vidja games.

    The only place that still sells warranties is Best Buy and yes it's worth it (never thought I'd be saying that). The only issues is that if you buy any games off market place you'll need to be signed into live to play them if you do a console swap. So if your internet connection or live is down you can't play any of them. This also happened to people who upgraded to the Elites.

    Dark Shroud on
  • unknownsome1unknownsome1 Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I don't think that disc reading errors are as common as some people might think. I probably shouldn't say much since I don't own a 360 yet but I have played on a few and I think the cause of the problem is leaving the disc inside the system after turning it off. I saw disc reading error messages on my brother's first 360 (got sent in for free replacement) when I turned it on with the disc still inside so I always took out the disc after each time I played on it and never received a disc reading error message again.

    My brother has left discs inside his new 360 (his second) and they played just fine though. Also, I have never seen disc reading errors on any of the other 360 units I've seen and played on.

    The only thing that concerns me about buying a 360 is money. Hardware failures don't concern me cause of both the free 3 year warranty and hardware reliability revisions (better heatsinks, better security for the motherboard, etc.) and I believe taking the disc out after each time playing will reduce the chance of disc read errors although there are 360 units that don't have the errors even when discs are left inside.

    (For those who don't know, the two examples of hardware revisions mentioned were made at the same time as the smaller CPU. I mention them since the smaller CPU wasn't the only revision and they seem to be more important.)

    unknownsome1 on
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    unknownsome1, thank you for being honest about not actually own a 360. Now let me explain a few things.

    First off yes the DRE is a very big issue. Leaving a disc in the drive won't hurt the drive. MS just used cheap drives that break down from wear & tear. Core units had the biggest problem because they couldn't cache to the hard drive. I expect Arcades models to follow suit.

    Now onto your other statements. Only the CPU has a new heat sink and 4 screws to replace the X-Clamp and a 65nm core. The GPU is still the same and they removed the cooling pipe from the CPU heat sink because "it isn't needed." So it will be another year at least before they get more of the hardware issues cleared up. Meanwhile the free 3 year warranty only covers RRoD. If you get a DRE or any of the other errors like console freezes (this happened to me) you have to pay MS around $130 (US) + shipping to fix it.

    Dark Shroud on
  • unknownsome1unknownsome1 Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I'm aware that the 3 year warranty only covers RRoD. I mentioned the warranty since it backed up why I'm only concerned about money when it comes to buying a 360. Although, from what I hear, the first year of warranty covers DRE and other hardware issues.

    I never mentioned that taking out the disc after playing will completely stop DRE. I mentioned that I believe it will reduce DRE based on my experiences with my brother's first 360. I also clearly mentioned how there are 360s that don't have DRE even though a disc is already inside.

    Also, I remember seeing images of the inside of a revised 360 and don't recall seeing any X-clamps. I also remember reading that the X-clamps are gone. (The images and information were on IGN.)

    unknownsome1 on
  • ZombieXZombieX Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I've never had a disc error and I game on my 360 a fucking lot

    ZombieX on
    Undead+Hero%20X.png
  • chronoboundgearchronoboundgear Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I get them all the time

    chronoboundgear on
    Xbox 360 Tag: Earthbound King

    Every fights a food fight when you're a cannibal.
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Also, I remember seeing images of the inside of a revised 360 and don't recall seeing any X-clamps. I also remember reading that the X-clamps are gone. (The images and information were on IGN.)

    Ok, from what I've been able to find online is that they still use some type of modified x-clamp on the bottom of the board that has little springs with the screws. There are also mods you can buy to replace the x-clamps. Information seems to get sked here. Most sites seem to use the same pics showing the new heat sinks (both are slightly redesigned) with minor little changes on the mobo here and there. For some reason the guy never took pics of the bottom of the board.

    So while yes it's better than the Xenen & Zephyr models I'll still wait for the Jasper model with a 65nm GPU before I consider buying one again. As reports are already coming in about the Falcon getting the RRoD. D:

    In regards to the DRE issue MS supposedly is using different models of the BenQ drive. I misread your post before. But I got my first DRE with the disc in the drive. The BenQ drives don't fail like the previous drives did. The BenQ drives are a lot quieter as well, my Samsung sounded like a jet engine. The problem is when they do fail the go all out with making noise and possibly grinding the disc.

    Just keep 360's horizontal to help prevent RRoD & DREs.

    Dark Shroud on
  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Mine has started making growling/grinding noises now whenever I turn it off. Should I worry? It happens whenever I turn it off, 100%, but none of the disks are getting scratched.

    Magic Pink on
  • limitbreakerxlimitbreakerx Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Disc errors are the worst. I have a different kind though. I put in a game disc and a white screen comes up telling me to put the disc in a xbox 360 console in 10 different languages. Sometimes I stand there with my finger on the eject button for 5-10 mins pushing it in and out until the game finally loads. I know it will load because the drive will spin up like a jet engine. Sometimes after this episode, I get into an online game and the DRE will pop up and I have to start the whole process over again. It's worse than RRoD because at least I could get it fixed.

    limitbreakerx on
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