Even though the latest Xbox series’ boasts impressive features and the Microsoft team has clearly worked hard to incorporate revisions to fix some of the most common issues, the truth is that almost all game consoles will experience an issue at some point or another. Naturally, as a player, you want to focus on enjoying your gaming experience rather than wasting time learning about common problems you may (but hopefully won’t!) encounter. However, it’s wise to have a little background knowledge, if only to save you from panicking if the worst should occur.
Contacting support when you’re trying to troubleshoot your console when it’s jammed would be a reflex reaction. And, it’s always good to know there’s great customer care available. No matter what the problem is, having a helpful representative on the other end to guide you through encountered issues is always reassuring. It’s generally a factor many customers take into consideration when choosing a product or service. Heck! It’s even an important feature when playing at an online casino. No player wants to run the risk of losing their funds after bagging a win from a no-deposit bonus.
But, with all this said and done, we’ve decided to come up with a list of troubleshooting tips – before contacting the peeps at Xbox. So here goes…
1. Xbox Won’t Power On
First things first. There isn’t much worse than being ready to play and finding your Xbox won’t power on, or it only does so temporarily. This is either likely to be an issue with the console itself, the power brick or the internal power supply. After you’ve established that everything is connected, you should make sure the power supply displays light to show it’s receiving the electric current. If there’s no light or the light flickers, the power supply will need to be replaced.
If your power supply is working, but the console still won’t power up, there may be a defect with the system. However, if it’s an issue with the controller, try pressing the power button on your console directly, as it could just be a syncing issue.
2. Being Stuck On The Splash Screen
A common cause for concern with the Xbox one is the time it takes to fully boot the console. Sometimes when turning the console on from scratch (rather than rest mode), you may find the process takes almost 10 minutes. If, however, you find it’s taking much longer than this, you may need to perform a hard reset to get the machine working as it should.
It’s important to note that a hard reset will erase all your account information, so be sure to save any important data that’s stored on the system. If you’re an Xbox Live Gold member, you’re in luck as you save data that is probably already saved on the Cloud.
If you aren’t able to back up your save data before doing a reset, then power down the machine by holding down the Xbox button for 10 seconds. Once the console has been powered down, hold the sync, eject and Xbox buttons down simultaneously until you hear two beeps. Once you release the three buttons, you should see the factory reset menu.
If you see an error code such as E100, E200 or E305 – this is an indication that you may need to carry out an offline system update. In essence, this requires a USB formatted to the same file system used by windows. You should be able to download the update from the Xbox website and copy it to the USB. You can then press the sync, eject and Xbox buttons to boot the troubleshooting menu before plugging in the USB and performing the offline system update.
3. Xbox Won’t Update
Another reported issue is that some users struggle during the mandatory update phase, and they are unable to access the majority of the Xbox features. This could be an issue with the console, a poor internet connection or a problem at Microsoft’s end.
Start by eliminating any internet connectivity issues. To establish if it’s an issue on Microsoft’s side, allow some time before trying to download the update again. Sometimes you could struggle when there are too many users trying to do the same thing or as a result of server maintenance. The Microsoft Live Status page will alert you to any known issues at the Microsoft end.
Next up, check the hardware. If you’re receiving an error when using the Wi-Fi connection, try opting for a wired ethernet connection. You could try to clear the cache by holding down the power button for five seconds, unplugging the system and waiting 30 seconds before restarting the device.
4. Games Keep Freezing
It’s pretty frustrating to be playing your favorite game and having it suddenly freeze at a critical moment. This could be caused by a myriad of reasons, such as a bug in the game itself or server issues.
If this happens to you, the first thing to try is pushing the home button to return to the dashboard and then pressing the menu button, which will allow you to quit. This is faster than restarting the console. If it’s a more persistent freezing issue, you should carry out a power cycle, but if the problem applies only to a particular game, you might want to delete the game and reinstall the content. Failing that, you could consider rebooting the resolution settings on your console.
It’s also a good idea to check out some gaming forums as you might learn that you are experiencing an issue with the game itself. For example, some titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare have been reported to experience hard crashes on the Xbox One X.
5. Xbox Is Unable To Read Discs
Finding that your Xbox is unable to read discs is a problem, especially if your library is made up of physical games. Isolated disc errors aren’t always caused by damaged discs, but even if it’s an issue with the drive, this doesn’t necessarily mean all hope is lost.
Start by checking whether your disc is scratched or smudged. Use a microfiber cloth to give the disc a good clean. Superficial scratches rarely cause significant issues, but a deeper scratch might be a problem. If your console still fails to read a disc after you’ve cleaned it, try using a different disc to assess whether it is an isolated issue or a more widespread problem with the drive.
For more frequent disc reading errors, you should start by making sure the disc is going far enough into the console to be read by the laser. Eject the disc and tilt the console from the front to a 45-degree angle and reinsert the disc. This should allow the disc to move into a better position. Hopefully, you should now find that the game boots up correctly.
Generally, the tech support at Microsoft is excellent but save yourself time and effort by trying out these troubleshooting tips first. Fingers crossed, they will tackle the problem and allow you to get back into the game.
