Technical Help Needed

[DMShade]

Posted in Off-Topic just to be safe.

Anyone familiar with the Xbox 360, I have a problem.

...No, it hasn't red-ringed.

For some reason, a few of my games can no longer detect a hit, and my controller, at the same time. It started with hitting lampposts and signs in Saints Row, and with experimentation has moved onto the discharge of firearms or use of weapons in it. I also can't actually attack or take major damage in Crackdown or Left 4 Dead without it suddenly saying my controller was disconnected. Oddly, playing Soul Calibur 4 has shown no problems.

Any idea what the issue could be...because playing Xbox 360 games as a Pacifist is NOT an option. Nevermind there are a few new titles coming I want to play with no risk of needing to restart my controller every time I attack. It's also not the controllers power themselves, or the attack button. I can play for half an hour without hitting anyone (it ain't fun but I can, but the second there's an interaction between myself/what I'm driving and the world, "Please reconnect controller" appears on the screen.

Please help. I certainly can't afford costly repairs, and I don't think overheating is the issue (Never done this before, and plus, I dusted out everything I could recently._

PS: I'm looking for Help or Theories here. Telling me it's dead or to buy some other system is NOT Help.

 

[Gitsnik]

Have you modded your XBox at all? My first thought/theory would be that maybe the system can't keep up (i.e. Internal CPU running at 100% all the time).

A good test would be to run online play, especially with Soul Cal. to see if the memory or the system is dodgy.

I'm not certain it's hardware at fault, but at least eliminate the option.

 

[DMShade]

I am not connected right now (My Xbox Live is Silver, and I currently have no net in my home, thanks to genius roommates' money management)

Also, the Xbox is not modded in any way. I could barely install the new toilet correctly on my own, I'm not about to crack open a system.

 

[Niyx]

Sorry if this is already answered in the post itself (I did have a quick re-glance to check) but have you tried using different controllers, It seems like most of the actions you describe use the rumble feature of your control pad, so trying to play with the rumble feature turned off, whilst trivial, might be a good place to start.

 

[DMShade]

Ah, I didn't mention that. I don't play with Rumble, and I tried a second controller before I suspected maybe it was the one game. I also tried fresh batteries and leaving the system alone for a full day to cool.

I should have listed everything, I'm sorry.

I also switched to HDTV just before this, because I learned my new TV was compatible...then went back when the issue started. No change in results.

It really does seem like the system is dropping hints it's going to die.

 

[Niyx]

Just a few questions then, does the controller just "drop" connection or does it actually turn itself off, if its the first one, and it does it on multiple controllers the receiver is, for lack of a better word, buggered, or you have some sort of radioactive interference in the background. Have you tried using a wired controller and does this work at all?

 

[DMShade]

We have a sort of adapter that was for a rechargable pack (Which did not recharge at all)...While connected, the Controller powered up as soon as the system did...and it seems to have solved the issue, at least short-term! Thank you!

But as long as I have your virtual ear, do you know of any way to analyze or solve the original problem? I don't know the different between turn off and disconnect. It just says "Please reconnect controller", I look down, and it's off.

Could the fact that it's standing upright (With the power button on the lower half while upright) be putting any undue stress on the system or it's components? It's atop a peripheral fan-cooling unit like that (We have an intercooler in the back, too, the owner is paranoid).

Also, I disconnected both power and general connection to the TV for my 2 other systems, with no affect on the disturbance, if that helps. And my PC has never caused this problem in the past. So unless the weak network (20% as efficient as mine) I'm currently subsisting on is strong enough to interfere, I think you're right, whatever recieves and processes signals in the 360 is crying for help.

 

[Gitsnik]

When you dusted everything out, you used an air-compressor from at least 1 foot and/or 30cm away right. You didn't touch static-vulnerable-electronic components inside the unit at all right? Solved as it is now if you've slightly damaged a component on the inside one would surmise that anything is possible.

The difference would be if you left the controller on and walked out of the house with it, down the street whatever.

 

[DMShade]

By dusted, I mean I blew on the holes all around the outside, removed the cooling fans and cleared them of dust and such, touched no inner workings, and was even anal enough to swab some junk with a qtip of a sheet of toilet paper. At no point did I mess with any inner workings or vitals.

 

[Niyx]

The difference would be if you left the controller on and walked out of the house with it, down the street whatever.

If your controller can handle long distances then your connection doesn't seem to be the problem. If however, you have any wireless or infra-red objects lying around your 360 room it might be a good idea for you to remove or turn these off, just for the purpose of testing of course. Any type of charger, cell phones, microwaves; items like this are often major culprits when it comes to controller disconnections (I think that the controllers run on a 2.4Ghz BW so if your a technerd and can find out if any items around you run on these, its a good idea to turn them off too)

 

[Gitsnik]

If your controller can handle long distances then your connection doesn't seem to be the problem.

My bad for not articulating properly, it's a Friday night, I meant disconnection would be if you walked out, turning off is just power loss.