Xbox360 freezing constantly

[Silky Johnson]

Hi, my 360 has started to freeze when i play Perfect Dark Zero on it. I noticed that the cooling fan is blowing out hot air, is it normal?

Please tell me advice on how to fix this problem, thanks.

 

[Ghost-Dog]

The 360 runs hot, so it will always be blowing hot air out the back via the two exhaust fans. The main thing that causes systems to freeze is an inadequate supply of cool air to the system or the power supply.

Make sure your system has plenty of clearance around it, at least a foot on each side, a foot on the top, and a few feet in front and back. Ditto for the power supply. I'm not sure how your 360 is set up, but make sure it's not installed in an entertainment center where the ventilation is poor.

 

[MilkManX]

IF your 360 was made before Jan 5 2006 you get a one year replacement from Microsoft. Give them a call.

 

[Silky Johnson]

The 360 runs hot, so it will always be blowing hot air out the back via the two exhaust fans. The main thing that causes systems to freeze is an inadequate supply of cool air to the system or the power supply.

Make sure your system has plenty of clearance around it, at least a foot on each side, a foot on the top, and a few feet in front and back. Ditto for the power supply. I'm not sure how your 360 is set up, but make sure it's not installed in an entertainment center where the ventilation is poor.

Thanks for the tip.

Well, my 360 is vertically placed and it's on the middle of my Dreamcast and Xbox. My room is a bit hot, so it might be that the problem and the fact that it doesnt have much free space around it. Guess i'll open the windows when i'm not at home to see if i can ventilate the room a bit more.


@ milkmanX: This unit came from Microsoft last month, since my first one had it's dvd drive dead.

 

[68k]

Well, my 360 is vertically placed ...My room is a bit hot...

There's your problem. Placing the unit vertically is not recommended especially in a hot environment. The 360's fans draw air from the holes on that side of the console.

ALso, then placed vertically, the heat pipe on the CPU is positioned in a manner where it is difficult for the alcohol to evaporate.

Set it horizontally and see how that works out for you.

 

[omnedon]

This is not likely a user serviceable problem. Cooling will not likely help. If you have MS warranty USE IT NOW. Right Now.

 

[Xian Xi]

Set it horizontally and see how that works out for you.

Just not on carpet. Hard surface only.

 

[Neo Alec]

This is not likely a user serviceable problem. Cooling will not likely help. If you have MS warranty USE IT NOW. Right Now.

I agree. The system is meant to be set vertically, so if it's freezing like that, the system has larger problems. And it's silly to worry about operating it in a room that is a little hot -- the processors run at much higher temperatures already, and if it doesn't work in a room that humans are able to inhabit, there's something wrong with it.

 

[68k]

The system was initially designed to be set vertically, however, it does not cool as efficiently as it would horizontally.

I've seen this many times on Xbox 360s, and most times just setting the system horizontally can resolve the issue, sometimes it can't. If he has a warranty still in effect then he should definitely exersize it!

 

[Neo Alec]

The system was initially designed to be set vertically, however, it does not cool as efficiently as it would horizontally.

I've seen this many times on Xbox 360s, and most times just setting the system horizontally can resolve the issue, sometimes it can't. If he has a warranty still in effect then he should definitely exersize it!

Most people's 360's (like mine) operate fine when set vertically. If you've got one that doesn't, that could point to a problem, regardless of how much better the ventilation is when set horizontally.

 

[omnedon]

I've seen this many times on Xbox 360s, and most times just setting the system horizontally can resolve the issue, sometimes it can't. If he has a warranty still in effect then he should definitely exersize it!

My experience is based on having serviced more than 75 360's and still counting. If his console is freezing, system orientation is the least of his problems.

If warranty exists, Use It Now while you can. Motherboard level failures and heat damage to GPU and BGA memory do not fix cheaply.