Warning to any new 360 owner !

[custard]

okay been on the cae,for anyone who is unfortunate enough to have problems this supposedly brings the 360 back(untested by me)

Turn on your 360 from scratch.

No, Don't update - Go to dashboard

Wait for your auto LIVE login to happen and it brings up the screen we all love of UPDATE REQUIRED

for some reason my system won't allow me to redownload the update at the first screen but at this one it does.

Yes, update now - let it download completely but cancel the update as it looks like it is applying the changes to the 360. The first progress bar is for the download and the second is for the application of the patch. We want the patch to start to be applied but not finished. Hit B as you start to see the second bar.

You are back into the main dashboard again.

Join XBOX live - It will bring up the great screen of Update required again.

Yes, update now

For some reason it doesn't seem to start the update download this time. but the clock stays correct so it didn't actually hang just yet.

Hit B to back out of the screen and notice that the time in that screen doesn't change.

Finally I am happy that a Microsoft product locks up!!!!

Reboot again - because the startup option is set to DISC the system starts up and asks you if you want to apply the update but in the game instead of in the dashboard. In this update option it doesn't force you to the dashboard if you say no.

Say no and you still have all of your game saves and can play the system as if LIVE never existed.

No formatting of the hard drive no worthless calls to customer support.

Microsoft is all over this problem but in the mean time this will get you out of the security lockout of the failed update loop.

Happy gaming.

 

[Koa]

The 360's with the E71 error can't even get to the dashboard. It dies as soon as the logo's come up so how they gonna fix that one ?

P.S. Isn't it easier to just unplug the LAN cable while this problem exists ?

 

[Koa]

I also heard that putting a game in like splinter cell which has a recent update will bypass the installation of the full update and allow the patch to be added. Not sure if this is true as my machine has passed away

 

[custard]

seems to be hit and miss as to how far from freezing to brick your 360 goes
TBH i think brick will mean a replacement

 

[custard]

weeelll
seems the update has been updated

E66 Explained: DVD model/version Check - E71 Issue Fixed?
>> Well we got a bit more details, courtesy Commodore4eva, about the Error 66 some users with modified DVD firmwares got after the Fall 2006 Xbox360 Update.

It looks like Microsoft has implemented 'DVD DEVICE' and 'DVD VERSION' control in the new kernel, a bit similar to the Windows XP/VISTA device upgrade check!
Apparently Microsoft stores the original stock factory drive/version somewhere on the 360, and with the new Fall06 kernel it will give the user an E66 if it detects a drive model change or lower firmware version than the stock factory version (Update: it's possible that the hardware info has been stored on the 360 at a later time, like during a previous update, rather than stored from the beginning/factory).

What this means for Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 drives is that if the drive was originally loaded with the MS25 firmware (often referred to as an 'MS25 drive') it should work fine with C4E Xtreme v3.3 (based on MS25), but also with C4E Xtreme v4.2 (based on MS28) as MS seems to allow a version upgrade (probably so they can upgrade for repair etc). However on a drive originally loaded with the MS28 firmware (often referred to as an 'MS28 drive') anything below C4E Xtreme v4.0 will not work as v3.3 and below are based on MS25 ... which means a version downgrade for your drive.
There are a few users out there that reported E66 problems with an MS25 drive (which should normally work with all Xtreme releases), that could be because they swapped drive or maybe some bug/unknown device situation. Our E66 database suggests there is a certain (but not 100%) failrate with MS25 drives and Xtreme 4.0+ firmwares, while v3.3 and lower seems to work perfectly on MS25 drives. If you also have this problem, let us know.

It's unclear what Microsoft really tried to achieve here. Maybe they tried to lock out users with modified Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 MS28 drives. When MS wrote the fall update, C4E Xtreme v4.0+ (which is based on firmware MS28) was probably not released yet and C4E Xtreme v3.3 and lower would be no option for these users as those are based on MS25 ... which is a version downgrade and would thus result in E66.

Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L drives not affected? Well, modified firmwares for the Hitachi-LG don't reflash the whole firmware. Instead they patch small parts of your onboard DVD firmware which will obviously not change the version. Model and version don't changed, so you get no E66.
Exception here could probably be if you use a full flash replacement firmware modchip or if you manually removed the flashchip and flashed it with a firmware version below the version# stored in the console. I have no real data on this (few people do that), let us know if you fall into this category.

Replacement drives? That's something else we should talk about as it's now probably no longer possible to swap from a Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L to Toshiba-Samsung TS-H943 (or the other way around) as the model of your drive would no longer match the model stored on your 360.
Also, the FW version on your replacement drive should not be lower than your stock/factory drive. Actually to play safe (certainly for a Hitachi-LG as this drive does not allow to easily flash/upgrade the whole firmware like the Toshiba-Samsung does) I suggest you get a drive with the same version as your stock/factory drive if you ever need a replacement drive. Quick note for the new people here: if you ever plan to replace your drive yourself, keep in mind you also have to patch/flash it with your unique DVD drive key - the key-check is of course still there
I wonder if Microsoft did change the DVD model/version info stored on all repaired/refurbished Xbox360s when they swapped a DVD-drive or motherboard ... Let us know if this happened to you

I also have an update about the 'new/refurbished/replaced Xbox360 Error 71 issue' I talked about earlier today (which is totally unrelated to E66 or DVD firmware issues). According to Major Nelson Microsoft released the 'fix' to the Fall 2006 update:

An updated version of the Fall Update is now available on Xbox Live which has eliminated issues relating to new or refurbished consoles failing after applying the Fall Update. Users who have already applied the Fall Update and are seeing an error message should call their local Xbox Support telephone number. If you already have the update, you will not be prompted for another update.

Now ... Microsoft does not want to tell what they fixed exactly. But as E66 is probably on purpose and not a 'problem' for MS, and Major Nelson mentions new/refurbished consoles I'm gonna assume they fixed the E71 issue. Sadly if you already tried to update your brand new system before and got an E71, it looks like you're up for a(nother) swap/repair even before you could play your console for a second. heh.
Anyone out there with a brand new Xbox360 wanna test if it's really fixed?

luke,wanna be the tester?

 

[Luke]

The update i thought was the problematic one was actually just a game update for PGR3, so as far as i know ive already had that update and all was working fine

 

[custard]

The update i thought was the problematic one was actually just a game update for PGR3, so as far as i know ive already had that update and all was working fine

was probably the 'new' new update.luke do you even have a clue whats going on there you have it,then you dont and now you do

 

[Luke]

was probably the 'new' new update.luke do you even have a clue whats going on there you have it,then you dont and now you do

lol nope Ive only switched it on and had a nose around for about 10 minutes since i got it yesterday afternoon - been too busy working Im still in the stonePS2age, all this newfangled xbox technology's too complicated

I can only assume i have had it because ive logged on to live and i havent got any alerts to update anything. The one that came up today was an update for PGR3 not XboxLive (as i definately remember an update coming through yesterday for that).

 

[Phildon]

i work for DHL and the first month that the 360 come out, the amount of them that we were collecting from peoples houses was horrific, everyone had the same problem, "keeps crashing" i wouldnt have been happy after spending all that money just to find out that it was knackered

 

[custard]

i work for DHL and the first month that the 360 come out, the amount of them that we were collecting from peoples houses was horrific, everyone had the same problem, "keeps crashing" i wouldnt have been happy after spending all that money just to find out that it was knackered

overheating issue,well documented and hopefully a teething trouble though they do belt out some heat

 

[nate]

Right I bought one of the really early xbox 360's (which are known to be very faulty) well one day my green power button just turned red and my xbox wouldn't load anymore (it would be simple for some people, they just send there xbox back because its under warranty, me being an idiot decided to open it up which voids the warranty)

So i needed my 360 repaired so I sent it to GT Electronics http://www.gtelectronics.co.uk/ and my xbox came back working all fine...

I bought Dead Rising and it applied and update to my xbox and after that my 360 just started freezing during game play... Still under warranty with GT Electronics i sent it back to them to repair...

Came back fine and I started doing some online gaming with it and it started freezing during game play again

I think GT Electronics did a sh*t job at repairing it because its always been faulty since... They are now refunding my repair cost and sending my 360 back...

DON'T GET YOUR 360 DONE WITH THEM, THERE A BUNCH OF JOKERS!!!
So now I'm stuck with an xbox 360 that crashes... Does any body know of a place that repairs them and does a damn good job of it?

Thank You...

P.S - Excuse my language im just a little angry about it all now...

 

[Koa]

I can personally confirm the update problem is now fully fixed. I bit the bullet and tried it on a new console this afternoon with no problems at all.

 

[custard]

also for those who got error code 66 with modded firmware there is now a fix as well