Ask Cajungal Anything
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Cajungal
Staff member
I do not. I don't own any of the newer systems. What's RROD?
would the cajun like a brandy before she goes to bed?
warm milk?
ovaltine?
warm milk?
ovaltine?
Cajungal
Staff member
NOTHING. THANK YOU.
cajun, thank you.
would you like some more schnitzengruben?
Cajungal
Staff member
No thank you. Fifteen's my limit on schnitzengruben.
I do not. I don't own any of the newer systems. What's RROD?[/QUOTE]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_technical_problems#Three_flashing_red_lights
Three flashing red lights around the Xbox 360 power button (nicknamed the \"Red Ring of Death\" or \"Red Lights of Death\"), in lieu of the one to four green lights indicating normal operation, represent an internal problem that requires service.[7] Warning signs may include freeze-ups, graphical problems in the middle of gameplay, such as checkerboard or pinstripe patterns on the screen, and sound errors, and the console only responds to pressing the power button to turn it off.[citation needed] These events may happen once or several times until the hardware failure occurs, or not at all. If the console freezes occasionally, the error will not necessarily follow. When the error does occur, on the user's attempt to turn the console on the three red lights are seen and the console does not function.[citation needed]
This error code is usually caused by failure of one or more hardware components, although it can indicate that the console is not receiving enough power from the power supply, which can either be due to a faulty power supply or if the power supply cable is not fully inserted into the console.[citation needed]
Distinct from the General Hardware Failure is a similar-looking error warning where four red lights appear, in which case the console does not detect an AV cable is plugged in.[8] The four lights can sometimes also be seen when power surges or very brief power outages occur while the console is running, in which the console needs to be unplugged and plugged back in again to reset the error. Two red lights appear when the system is overheated.
Response to rate of failure
In the early months after the console's launch, Microsoft stated that the Xbox 360's failure rate was within the consumer electronics industry's typical 3% to 5%.[9][10][11][12] Nevertheless, Microsoft has not released its official statistics on the failure rate of the various versions of the console; the company's press relations policy is to focus on the prompt resolution of any technical problems.[13]
On July 5, 2007, the Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division published an open letter recognizing the console's problems, as well as announcing a three-year warranty extension for every Xbox 360 console that experiences the \"general hardware failure\" indicated by three flashing red LEDs on the console.[14]
A source that has been identified as a team leader and key architect in the creation of the Xbox and Xbox 360 and a founding member of the Xbox team[15][16] provided insight as to the high rate of failures. The interviews suggest that Xbox 360 units that fail early in their life do so because of problems in the system design, parts supply, material reliability, and manufacturing issues as well as a system not tolerant to faults. If your warranty has run out and you are experiencing the RROD (Red Ring Of Death), you will need to buy a new console or stop using the 360.[citation needed] These issues were alleged to be the end results of the decisions of management in Microsoft's Xbox team and inadequate testing resources prior to the console's release. A second source cited that, at one time, there was just a 32% yield of one of the test production runs. 68 of every 100 test units were found to be defective.[17][18]
On the 8th of February 2008, during the Game Developers Conference 2008, Microsoft announced that the \"Failure rate has officially dropped\", but without mentioning any specifics.[19] The same month, electronics warranty provider SquareTrade published an examination of 1040 Xbox 360s and said that they suffered from a failure rate of 16.4% (one in six). Of the 171 failures, 60% were due to a general hardware failure (and thus fell under the 3 year extended warranty). And of the remaining 40% which were not covered by the extended warranty, 18% were disc read errors, 13% were video card failures, 13% were hard drive freezes, 10% were power issues and 7% were disc tray malfunctions.[20][21] SquareTrade also stated that its estimates are likely much lower than reality due to the time span of the sample (six to ten months), the eventual failure of many consoles that did not fail within this time span and the fact that many owners did not deal with SquareTrade and had their consoles repaired directly through Microsoft via the much publicized extended RROD warranty.
On October 17, 2008 a class action lawsuit was filed in California against Microsoft over the RROD problem.[6]
On August 28, 2009, SquareTrade published a report saying that \"early indications point to the problem abating in 2009\", projecting that 1-year failure rates with the Jasper chipsets might be below 4%.[22]
[edit] Causes
Electronics industry newspaper EE Times reported that the problems may have started in the graphics chip. Microsoft designed the chip in-house to cut out the traditional ASIC vendor with the goal of hoping to save money in ASIC design costs. After the multiple product failures, Microsoft went back to an ASIC vendor and had the chip redesigned so it would dissipate less heat.[23][24]
One possible cause of the General Hardware Error may be cold solder joints. The added mass of the CSP chips (including the GPU and CPU) absorb the heat flow that allows proper soldering of the lead-free solders on the motherboard, therefore, the solder has not properly melted underneath these chips, which can lead to voids (air bubbles) and weak spots in the solder known as cold solder joints. Because of prolonged constant temperature changes inside the console, the voids cause cracking. Some people[who?] claim this issue does not exist, and claim it is caused by a confusion over this issue. They have suggested that the dull appearance only suggests that the joints are cold soldered, as lead-free solders, even when properly soldered, take on a dull appearance that non-professionals might mistake for a cold solder joint (as the older lead/tin solder solder-joints became dull when not heated sufficiently). This suggestion is, however, rejected by the majority of experts. Lead-free solder requires a greater amount of heat (213 degrees celsius) to solder properly when compared to older lead/tin solders (185 degrees celsius).[25]
The Nyko Intercooler has also been reported to have led to a general hardware failure in a number of consoles, as well as scorching of the power AC input.[26] Microsoft stated that the peripheral drains too much power from the console (the Intercooler power cord is installed between the Xbox 360 power supply and the console itself) and can cause faults to occur, and stated that consoles fitted with the peripheral will have their warranties null and void. Nyko has recently released an updated Intercooler that uses its own power source. Nyko claims this problem no longer occurs with new versions of this cooler. However, Microsoft still considers it an unlicensed add-on and will void the warranty of machines showing signs of its use. There is no data available to indicate whether the Intercooler decreases the chance of hardware failure.[26] However, if the Intercooler fails, it can hinder rather than help the overheating problems.
The game console heats up during use, and given enough time, the temperature inside can reach very high levels due to insufficient cooling. An overheated Xbox 360 is indicated by both left quadrants lighting up red. Because of the way the Xbox 360 is constructed, this may result in stresses building up between the delicate ball grid array solder joints of the CPU and GPU and the motherboard, causing them to break. The problem is exacerbated by the specific type of lead-free solder used, a type which is more brittle than the older tin/lead solder that was used in the past and the GPU's location directly underneath the DVD drive.[27] Microsoft needed to make room for the DVD Drive, so it shrank the heat sink.
German computer magazine c't, in an article titled \"Jede dritte stirbt den Hitzetod\" (tr. \"Every third One Dies of Heat\"), published in July 2006, blames the problems primarily on the use of the wrong type of lead-free solder, a type that when exposed to elevated temperatures for extended periods of time becomes brittle and can develop hair-line cracks that are almost irreparable.[28][29] Also, according to the same article, Microsoft has created an internal account, funded with more than $1 billion, dedicated to addressing this problem. The fund would only be fully depleted by $100 in repairs to every existing Xbox 360, or complete replacement of every third Xbox 360 ever made.[30]
The article also revealed that representatives of the three largest Xbox 360 resellers in the world (EB Games, Gamestop and Best Buy) claimed that the failure rate of the Xbox 360 was between 30% and 33%, and that Micromart, the largest repair shop in the United Kingdom, stopped repairing Xbox 360s because it was unable to fully repair the defective systems. Because of the nature of the problem, Micromart could only make temporary repairs, which led to many of the \"repaired\" systems failing again after a few weeks. At that time Micromart was receiving 2,500 defective consoles per day from the U.K. alone.[28]
The console's design utilizes heatsinks, vented openings, and fans to aid in dissipation of heat, but the potential still exists for excessive heat buildup inside the console if these measures become insufficient. Users are advised not to obstruct air flow to the enclosure vents or power supply. Problems associated with overheating include reduced system performance and instability that may result in crashing or hardware failure. Xbox 360s with \"Falcon\" motherboards, which use the smaller device geometry 65 nm CPUs, are reportedly less susceptible to these failures[citation needed].
According to the October 2007 issue of The Official Xbox Magazine, there are reports that new Xbox 360 Elites and newer Premiums, as well as officially refurbished units, have larger heatsinks. It has yet to be determined how far this fix has gone in alleviating the issues.
Some third-party manufacturers have also introduced external cooling devices that attach to the console, and claim to help prevent the console from overheating.[31] However, reports indicate that some such devices can do exactly the opposite, including the attachment melting on the console itself, possibly damaging the internal microprocessors, and voiding the product warranty. Also, when the attachment is powered by the Xbox 360's power brick, it might overheat the power brick, causing even more problems. Third-party cooling devices are available which use their own power sources.[32]
can you now fight half of a battle?
Cajungal
Staff member
Sure, now that I know.
What don't you know?
how do you feel about stalemates?
Cajungal
Staff member
gettin shit done, of course.
---------- Post added at 10:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 PM ----------
They're ok, but I prefer fresh ones.
cajun,
let's say you had me on my knees and I was begging darling please.
would you ease my worried mind?
let's say you had me on my knees and I was begging darling please.
would you ease my worried mind?
CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAJUN!
well, when I want to get down
I get down on the ground, Cajun
---------- Post added at 08:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:48 PM ----------
do you want to talk about the Olympian ideal?
I get down on the ground, Cajun
---------- Post added at 08:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:48 PM ----------
do you want to talk about the Olympian ideal?
what are the symptoms of the cajun contagion?
would there be a sudden wish for boiled mud bugs?
so why does the cajun contagion make you want crabs?
N
nufan
Allen loves you and needs to invest in a good IM program.
How did you get so sweet cajun?
How did you get so sweet cajun?
Cajungal
Staff member
Aw jeez, I'm not so sweet all the time, but----
A really really really good family, I think. They're my greatest gift, and they taught me to be loving. I feel happiest when I'm comforting someone.
---------- Post added at 12:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:14 AM ----------
Also, heheh, Allen's sometimes iming me WHILE doing this.
---------- Post added at 12:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:16 AM ----------
A really really really good family, I think. They're my greatest gift, and they taught me to be loving. I feel happiest when I'm comforting someone.
---------- Post added at 12:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:14 AM ----------
Also, heheh, Allen's sometimes iming me WHILE doing this.
---------- Post added at 12:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:16 AM ----------
not the tiny ones that you need to comb away, you silly thing....
if you could punch a train so hard it would fly off the tracks, do you like tea and if yes, what kind is your favorite?
if you could lift up a car, what did you want to be when you grew up?
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