Gamernode: News - 360 DVD drive failures--"new" problem surfacing?

My Xbox360 I always thought of as not too loud... maybe its because I've been next to a full-fan-speed CPU and GPU in a computer that at 100% speed can vibrate a computer desk, and my X360 is a launch one.
Drive errors, yeah, sometimes my dvd drive will automatically close itself after I open it, giving me a race to see if I can put in a disc fast enough before it closes again, and some freezing does occur which I believe to be drive-related as well, and there are read errors though alot less in recent games compared to the first year of titles so maybe that was fixed in an update along the way.
I did get 1 scratched disc, my Guitar Hero 2 disc, but that got scratched after - without thinking - I moved the Xbox 360 whilst the disc was still inside it, whilst the Xbox 360 was still on and whilst Guitar Hero 2 was playing; so the disc was actually rotating at the time. It's unplayable now, but my own fault; not the X360.

I've never thought of my 360 as loud. Though, that could just be because I was use to the near deafening sounds emanated by the original Xbox.

Last year my Xbox 360 died because of the red ring of death. Microsoft sent me a brand-new one to replace it because it was still under warranty. But last week after three months of playing on the new machine, the DVD tray was stuck and refused to open. Finally I had to take off the face plate of the 360 and manually eject the DVD tray. But the problem wouldn't go away and the tray would get stuck and not open.

I called Microsoft and told them about the problem. They said the tray failure wasn't covered in the extended three-year warranty for red ring of death. They said it would cost me a hundred bucks to fix it. I asked if there was another solution and he said "Well, you could always go out and buy an Elite. I hear that they're pretty dependable." I said no thanks and hung up on the guy.

I went back to the 360 and manually grabbed the tray and pushed it back and forth for about two minutes. After that the tray worked perfectly. I figure if I could fix this problem on my own, maybe I should open my own Xbox 360 repair center and charge only half of the fee Microsoft would charge. lol.

They actually suggested you buy an elite because they're dependable? I'd have asked for their supervisor.

The problems on my launch 360 up to yet, apart from that time that cod2 got scratched to death, but that was years ago.

And the 360 is LOUD!!! VERY LOUD!!! I can't even hear the computer, with the computer being next to me and the 360 being 3 metres away...

*No problems.

Wheres that edit button?!?!

I have a major problem with unreadable disc errors. But it only ever happens when im playing Oblivion...

The 360 is quite loud, but it's usually quiet enough to be made inaudible by the sound of the TV. And if that mention of fried video cards is true, then that's the culprit behind my recently killed 360. I figured as much when everything worked except for my video...

I am absolutely positive that one particular brand of drive that they used is/was responsible for the ungodly noise, the DREs, and the general failure common in some (but not all) 360s, and it's the drive my last two systems had. My first (and second) consoles were incredibly loud right out of the box and both began failing within 3-6 months. And both had identical drives. The Hitatchi drive.

My new Elite has what I think is the latest BenQ drive they've been using, and is almost whisper quiet. A few months after getting it, the drive is as quiet and reliable as it was day one.

Compared to the tragedies above, I can only wonder....

Hmm...

I've had no problems except for it being stupidly loud.

My friend's 360 also has problems with the CD drive not opening, and scratching CD's sometimes.

Kind Galaxy--"They actually suggested you buy an elite because they're dependable? I'd have asked for their supervisor."

rtanger--"My new Elite has what I think is the latest BenQ drive they've been using, and is almost whisper quiet. A few months after getting it, the drive is as quiet and reliable as it was day one."

So maybe that Microsoft rep was onto something after all. But considering that I've already got so much invested into this present 360, buying a brand-new elite doesn't seem to be a feasible solution at the moment.

No problems here, but I have to knock on wood when I say that. Clearly, the things are fragile, under-designed. Kotaku reported today that one of the 360s on the GDC floor RROD'd. How embarrassing is that? I do know that some games freeze because of missed disc reads, but I place the blame for that squarely on the shoulders of the developers. That's a contingency that can be acted upon. Bad read? Do it again. Pause the game momentarily of need be. If it never works, tell the user there's a problem with the disc. Let him save and exit. I've been playing Burnout Paradise, a constantly streaming game, for over 80 hours without a single hard crash. I wish I could say the same about Oblivion.

Because MS need another problem with their 360 hardware.

I was reading some of the commentgs above me and wanted to share my thought and help a few gamers out. I have had the Pro 360 until i got 6 Red Rings Of Death and then decided to get the Elite. Although i have not had one RROD with the Eilite, it is still very obnoxiously loud, to the point that i have to wear headphones to drown out the noise. So if there are any prospective Elite buyers out there with the hope of a quieter Elite system, it's non-existent. More dependable = possibly, because i have not had any problems so far, but that could be luck; quieter = no. I agree, i defintley would of asked for a supervisor because that is just plain bad business to suggest to go out and buy another product.

Sorry for the 2x post, but i wanted to add that the loud 360 has altered my game buying decisions. The reason is, the system is so loud, i almost hate to turn it on. So now i almost always purchase the PS3 version of a multi-platform game because at least the system will be quiet and not annoyingly loud when i play a game.

My 360 is very quiet.

To say "a quieter Elite system, it's non-existent." is just plain wrong.
I'm curious, when did you buy your Elite? Mine was manufactured in 11/07, it's almost as new of a model 360 as you can get. Very quiet.

It doesn't run like a whisper, but it makes a hell of a lot less noise than my PC, and is about comparable to the noise from my PS2.

No disc drive is 100% silent. Either you have entirely too high of standards on what is acceptable noise, or you have very bad luck buying a reliably built console.

I think, after reading all the comments about the DVD drives either being loud or quiet, it seems that it's all a matter of quality control for the game consoles. If two people buy the same model Xbox 360 and one claims it's loud while the other says it isn't, it boils down to shoddy manufacturing and the luck of the draw as far as if you get a "good" one or a "bad" one.

Not really great news for Xbox 360 fans or new comers.

RT i purchased mine a few months ago and have the same man date as yours. This thing is loooooud! Believe it.

Yep, this article is right on. I have had 3 xbox 360's with RRoD, and just today "unreadable disc" and this is just 4 months from my last repair. Microsoft is telling me now I must pay $100 to get it repaired and no way I am doing that. I have disputed and am awaiting for a return phone call from a supervisor. If Microsoft still demands $100 from my wallet for their poorly made product then is goodbye 360.