The Xbox 360 was launched with “backward compatibility” and received a series of updates from Microsoft from its launch in 2005, right up till 2007, which enabled it to support select games from the earlier Xbox.
It’s a bummer when you’ve been waiting to play your favorite game and just as you get the disk out, put it in your device, and the Xbox 360 won’t turn on. If you’ve faced that problem or if you’re still facing it, keep reading as we bring you easy fixes to help solve issues with the Xbox 360.
Common reasons why Xbox 360 won’t turn on
The Xbox 360 console may not turn on because of 3 broad reasons:
- There could be issues with the power supply, which affects the power going into the console.
- ‘Red Ring of Death’ lights on the Power Supply – More on this in the following sections
- The red blinking power button suggests that the Xbox is not getting enough ventilation
Now, let’s look at each in detail.
Check the Power Supply
The power supply light of your Xbox 360 power brick is a good indicator to figure out what’s wrong with the console.
If the power supply has no light, it means that no power is coming in from the power outlet.
If the power supply shows a solid green light, it means that the X box 360 is on and it’s working properly.
An orange light indicates that the Xbox 360 is off and the power supply is working well.
A red blinking power button means that the Xbox is heating up.
If you see a solid red light or a flashing orange light, it means that the power supply of your Xbox 360 is overheated. First, unplug the power supply and let it cool for about 30 minutes before plugging it back in. Then, press the power button to see if the device turns on.
If you’re facing any issue with the power supply, try any of the below methods.
- Turn off the Xbox 360 console off
- Unplug the power cord from the console
- Unplug the power supply from the electrical outlet
- Remove the short cord from the power supply
- Plugin the cord to the Xbox 360 console and connect the power cord to the electrical outlet for the power supply
- Check if all the connections are firmly in place. Check for a lost contact.
- Then, turn on the console via the power button
- Try using a different power cable if the issue persists
If the power supply is broken, you might have to replace it with a new power supply outlet.
Check the red light in front of your Xbox 360 console
Different combinations of red lights and flashing lights mean different types of errors.
One red light means that the Xbox 360 console is facing a hardware problem. A code would also indicate this on the TV screen.
Two red lights mean that the console is getting overheated. Let it cool for half an hour and you should be ready to go on a gaming adventure again.
Three red lights are when you should be worried. This occurs due to major hardware failure. For example, the motherboard could be heating up because it lost contact with the heatsink.
Four flashing red lights means a faulty or unsupported A/V cable is plugged into the Xbox 360 console.
Basic fixes to turn on the Xbox 360
In case Xbox 360 won’t turn on, try any of these basic fixes to get it back to life.
- Press the power button and turn off the console. Allow the power supply to cool down
- Let the console cool down by turning it off. This will prevent greater damage due to overheating
- Use a different power cable
- Try decreasing the load on your Xbox 360 console by disconnecting any peripherals attached to it
- Try looking out for bent pins in the USB cable connecter or damage to the USB ports. A damaged USB port or connector may be causing a short circuit, which means the Xbox 360 won’t turn on even if it’s connected and receiving power.
Red Ring of Death (four red lights) and how to tackle them to fix the Xbox 360 won’t turn on
If you see a single Red ring, an error code – E 74 – will show up on the TV screen. You can fix this by unplugging the Xbox 360 console and plugging it back in. However, if the problem persists, you might have to visit a Microsoft store to get a professional repair.
Two red rings light means that your Xbox 360 is overheating. Unplug the console to let it cool down. Try putting the console in an area that has good ventilation to avoid overheating.
If you see three red rings on your console, this light means that the issue is due to the power supply. You can try fixing this using the steps given above. However, if the issue persists, try the following.
When the Xbox 360 console is on, press the sync button. Next, press and release the eject button while still insisting on the sync button. Finally, note down the flashing light counts and press the eject button again. You can check xbox-experts.com/errorcodes.php to see what the secondary code implies.
Four red rings come up when your console faces issues connecting to your TV. First, try disconnecting the A/V cables from the TV and Xbox 360 console. Then, if you still face a problem, try using a different A/V cable.
If you’re using an Xbox 360 slim or an Xbox 360 E console, you’re not likely to face the Red Rings of Death. If you see an error on your TV screen about your console suffering from insufficient ventilation, turn off the console and keep it in a place with good air circulation.
Other malfunctions:
The disk drive won’t open or close
This could be due to debris stuck in the disk drive. In this case, you will have to manually eject the disk. Remove the faceplate, manually eject the drive, remove any obstructions and plug the console back in. If the eject button fails to work, it might be one of the general hardware problems. Time for a replacement!
Xbox 360 won’t read disks
If case Xbox 360 isn’t reading the disks you put in, it would be a good idea to check the backside of the disks. If the back is heavily scratched, the disk is the problem.
If the problem is not due to a scratched disk, it could be due to a dusty optical drive. Therefore, remove the optical drive and clean it thoroughly to solve the issue.
If the above steps fail to help, it could mean that the optical drive of your Xbox 360 is faulty. Visit a Microsoft store to get it repaired.
Xbox 360 won’t save game data
If your console isn’t saving in-game data, it may be due to the internal hard disk being full or damaged. So first, check if the hard disk is connected firmly and if there is enough free space to save data. In case neither is working, it means your hard disk needs replacement.
Here are some common error codes that you can refer to:
E64 (DVD Drive Error) – Drive timeout or incorrect firmware
If you are using scratched game discs, this issue might trouble you.
E65 (Error due to DVD Drive)
This error code often comes up due to an incompletely closed disc tray
E67 (Error due to Hard Drive)
This error comes up due to a fault in the hard drive. You will have to take out the hard drive from your console and try to log in to troubleshoot this.
E68 (Error due to Voltage)
This error arises because peripherals are draining the power supply due to excessive power requirements. Let go of the accessories you don’t need from the Xbox console and try.
E69 (Error due to Hard drive)
This error may be due to a faulty hard-disk drive or connection. To know for sure, try playing without the hard disk drive.
E70 (Error due to Hard Drive)
This error comes up if the console cannot detect the hard-disk drive.
E71 (Error in the Dashboard)
In case of this error, try to wipe out the dashboard (hold the sync button as you try to boot the Xbox 360 console). If you get failed updates, clear them during the booting process.
E72 (Error due to Dashboard)
This error is mainly caused by the loose pin in the connector or a NAND chip that might be missing.
E75: (Error due to unreadable PHY vendor in Ethernet)
If you are receiving this error, it would be because the DVD drive isn’t properly connected.
E76 (Error due to Ethernet)
If you’re receiving this error, your Xbox 360 likely has a dead network chip. The only solution is to replace the faulty network chip
E77 (Error due to Ethernet)
Like E76, this one also occurs because of a faulty network chip. Shorting between the resistors and heat sink may also cause this issue.
E78 (Error due to Dashboard)
This error comes up when the ASICID check has failed. The only solution is to take the console to the Microsoft repair store.
E79 (Error due to Dashboard)
This error occurs because the console failed to start xam.xex, caused by a malfunction of the hard-disk drive. To verify the cause, try restarting the console minus the hard-disk drive.
E80 (Error due to Dashboard)
In case you have upgraded the Xbox 360 dashboard, but the R3T6 resistor is missing, you may get this error. The easiest fix for this is to shift your console to the previous version of the dashboard, solder in the resister, and finally, upgrade your Xbox console.
We hope all the fixes discussed above were helpful. These fixes will prove to be quite helpful in most cases, and your Xbox 360 console should turn on. However, in the unfortunate event that it does not turn on, or if you notice noise or a beeping sound coming from the console, you should visit a Microsoft store for Xbox support to get your console repaired.
