Gears of War 3 (disc dirty errors)

[Shannon]

I'm just curious if anyone heard anything about this issue. My son plays alot of Gears of War 3 on xbox live and he has been getting this error alot recently. I did the usual... gave him a lecture about keeping the disc in the case, cleaned the disc. But the problem persisted. Finally I took the disc to a place to have it resurfaced. Still the same error. I even mentioned installing the game to the HDD which apparently he had done already but the error would continue to happen. He would set it up for an online match and when certain matches would start the error would come up.

 

So we decided to go ahead and get a new copy of the game.. of course this time I paid the extra few bucks to Best Buy in case I need to return it. The problem occured right away. He joined this thing called "Season Pass" or something.. so I had him go ahead and delete three map packs in case maybe something got corrupted on the hard drive. As well as erasing the hard drive installed GOW 3 so that it would be forced to read from the new disc. Same problems. Finally I tried clearing out the hard drive cache. No luck.

 

So I had my son hook up his older xbox (white arcade edition) and try the game for a while (different hard drive). Still the same problem. So I just kind of gave up at the point and told him I would look into it and see if there were any reports of similar issues with other GOW 3 gamers.

 

I had completely forgot about this but after a quick readup I did see mention that GOW 3 was on of the first games to use the new XGD3 discs... Which somehow manage to store more data on a standard DVD. Nightmares of sega's GDROM format began to resurface.

 

So anyone see anything?

Edited April 10, 2012 by Shannon

[Mayhem]

Not heard anything about this yet, no issues with the GoW3 disc I have, or the one my brother has. The only byproduct of the new format is that it spins in the drive for a couple of minutes after boot now, even when installed to the HD.

[onlysublime]

I remembered a friend having a problem with the gears season pass dlc and the updates they released along the way. If you download them in some particular order, it'll mess up and keep making you redownload something even though you should've already downloaded everything. So he erased everything Gears, ran GoW3, let it do everything on its own (rather than being proactive and downloading things manually) and it worked after that.

 

But I don't think he had a disc read error. Your 360 drive may be dying.

 

AFAIK, the XGD2 used up to 1 GB of space for security and other purposes. The new disc format freed up this space (which can now be used by newer games) by doing the same previous things in a smaller space. The only systems really affected by the XGD3 were modded systems. If your system is modded, you're SOL. If your drive is dying, you may be SOL.

[Shannon]

Sorry... I forgot to mention.. His main xbox (the one the problems started on) is the Gears Of War Edition xbox and it came with Gears 3.

 

I suppose what I could do is (if it will let me).. backup his season pass update junk over to an external (as backup).. delete them and have him redownload it again. See what happens.

 

Odd thing he does not have this issue with any other game. Just GOW 3.

 

Thanks guys.

[Mendon]

Two of my son's play GoW3 extensively on their old 20gb models and neither have mentioned any problems at all such as you describe. I have an Elite model and have played the game for maybe two hours (only in campaign) and haven't had any problems.

 

 

Mendon

[Shannon]

Sorry if I did not provide any updates. But it seems my son decided to give up on gears of war 3. And the issues seemed to be too much trouble to bother with troubleshooting. However we have a new issue. Now, when we insert a new game the drive makes a bunch of beeping noises and then it says unrecognized disk.

 

Has anybody heard of this issue? We got this Xbox for him for Christmas so it is possible that it might still be under warranty does anybody know how long the warranty is for the new Xbox slims?

 

Thank you.

[onlysublime]

you have a 1 year warranty on the 360S systems so just exchange it and don't worry about diagnosing it.

[RARusk]

This definitely sounds like a dying DVD-ROM drive. When I started having disc issues with my previous unit it only happened with a couple of games but not with others which led me to believe that it had to do with those games only. But eventually it started happening to the previously unaffected games and I put two and two together and figured out that it had to do with the DVD-ROM drive. I had no choice but to use the drive because when I first got it it only had the 20GB hard drive. Even when I upgraded to the 120GB unit I was still using the DVD-ROM drive which eventually wore it out.

 

With my current unit I always install my games to the hard drive before playing and I now even install them to flash drives to further reduce wear and tear on my unit. I only wish that MicroSoft will allow you to use larger flash drives to install more games, especially since it seems likely that GTA V may be multi disc.

 

So your game is probably not the culprit after all. Either get the DVD-ROM drive replaced or just get a brand new unit.

[Shannon]

you have a 1 year warranty on the 360S systems so just exchange it and don't worry about diagnosing it.

Exchange as in call microsoft or as in go to where I purchased it..

 

Hopefully my wife can find the receipt...

 

But yeah I guess I should have elaborated a bit. It cant ready ANY disc at this point and it did start with trouble reading some discs (like GOW 3, etc) but I always associated that with possible the newer disc format.

 

Thank you..

[Shannon]

ok.. well the xbox still falls under warranty so I printed out my pre-ship label and I will be mailing it out to microsoft on monday.

[Protoplasym]

 

So we decided to go ahead and get a new copy of the game.. of course this time I paid the extra few bucks to Best Buy in case I need to return it.

 

Hello, I'm sorry... but this was the most interesting aspect of your post for me. I'm trying to figure out why you paid extra "in case you needed to return it".

 

 

If you EVER have an issue with a product at a store, and you paid with Credit... then you have the right to return it (as long as you don't criminally pull a switch of some kind/etc, or do something else fraudulent)... plain and simple. You DO NOT have to pay anything extra to be able to return a game. It sounds to me like you literally paid that, "extra INS cost" which is not worth it for a myriad of reasons.

 

 

Hope you got your problem sorted, but I had to take issue with you "paying for the right to return an item" - that scares me to think people 'might' believe that one has to pay for the right to return an item. That is simply not true.

[Shannon]

The extra few bucks is supposed to cover any physical damage that may occur to the disc. Something I believe that is NOT covered by the normal return policy.

 

I should be receiving the 360 back today (aka Wednesday). So it will be interesting to see if some of the weird problems my son was having with some games goes away.

[Protoplasym]

The extra few bucks is supposed to cover any physical damage that may occur to the disc. Something I believe that is NOT covered by the normal return policy.

 

I should be receiving the 360 back today (aka Wednesday). So it will be interesting to see if some of the weird problems my son was having with some games goes away.

 

Fair enough. Imo, INS for video games is not worth it. If one takes care of his/her games, there should be zero issues long term.

 

 

I hope you get your issue sorted.

[Shannon]

I normally do not do that anyways. I only did it specifically for Gears Of War 3. Anywho.. Oddly enough my son said that all the problems he was having went away during the period that his GOW3 SE xbox was being shipped to microsoft to be fixed (he was using his old xbox). Which makes me wonder if Epic released some type of patch that actually fixed the problem. Because it was acting up on both xbox's back when I posted this message.

 

The xbox came back today and we are running it thru it's paces. Not really sure if they just replaced the 360 or replaced the DVD drive.

[Protoplasym]

I normally do not do that anyways. I only did it specifically for Gears Of War 3. Anywho.. Oddly enough my son said that all the problems he was having went away during the period that his GOW3 SE xbox was being shipped to microsoft to be fixed (he was using his old xbox). Which makes me wonder if Epic released some type of patch that actually fixed the problem. Because it was acting up on both xbox's back when I posted this message.

 

The xbox came back today and we are running it thru it's paces. Not really sure if they just replaced the 360 or replaced the DVD drive.

 

They didn't specify to you which repairs took place...?

[Shannon]

Nope.. Just got an update disc that said run this first and a letter stating that when I first log into xbox-live it will ask to transfer the license to the console which it never did.

[onlysublime]

it doesn't matter what was fixed because that console is not your original console. they don't swap out parts and send back your console. as soon as they get your console, they give you another console from their inventory to expedite the process.

[Protoplasym]

it doesn't matter what was fixed because that console is not your original console. they don't swap out parts and send back your console. as soon as they get your console, they give you another console from their inventory to expedite the process.

 

If I ever sent a Console off for repairs, I would expect the company to tell me what was fixed and why.

[onlysublime]

well, then you've never dealt with Sony or Microsoft.

 

the bottom line is you get a console that works. that's all that really matters. you're an awfully sour grapes type of person. that's cool and all... rant on, my brother!

[Protoplasym]

well, then you've never dealt with Sony or Microsoft.

 

the bottom line is you get a console that works. that's all that really matters. you're an awfully sour grapes type of person. that's cool and all... rant on, my brother!

 

As a Customer, one who has supported a Company or individual by giving them my money for a product or service, I expect a certain level of respect and service with regard to my purchase. I think that's fair, and I also feel that most Consumers agree with that.

 

That is unacceptable, I keep my gear in mint condition, and the thought of them sending me something random in '???' conditon all in the hopes of sufficing for my repair would not do. Some people like myself are simply impossible to please, by the same token... I think it's reasonable for someone to expect their Electronics to exercise a certain level of reliability... considering, so many people bought 360s that failed prematurely due to a host of reasons M. is blatantly guilty of, I feel that an itemized receipt/Invoice would not be asking too much in said situation.

 

 

I'm a bottle of wine at the end of the day... I simply want to game in peace.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Protoplasym

[Metal Ghost]

In all fairness, the process that onlysublime speaks of is how every consumer electronics company I've ever heard of deals with warranty repairs. In all reality, it's the only practical way that such a company could deal with it. And while I sympathize with keeping your gear in mint condition and now you end up with an item that you haven't babied since new out of the box, the flip side is that if a company didn't pull a previously refurbished item from stock to send to warranty customers then people would be waiting for long periods of time to get their stuff back while it went through the repair process. I think the latter situation is worse than not getting back the same exact item that was broken, and would result with many, MANY more consumers complaining while they waited 4-8 weeks to use their new gadget.

 

And from experience, it's not as if you get back an item that's all beat up when you sent in this beautiful pristine item. If it's that bad, you send it back for another one. But I've never seen that happen, and I've had a few warranty claims over the years:

• Microsoft: Xbox 360, E74 error RRoD. Ironically it wasn't my launch system that served me for several years dutifully, but was one of the first HDMI equipped ones that I purchesed to replace my non-HDMI launch console. In any event, sent it in using their own prepaid box that they sent me, and within a week (from the time I called customer service) I had a newly refurbished one. Couldn't tell it was different from the one I sent in.
  
• Motorola: Xoom tablet. About 3 or 4 months ago it just froze up and couldn't get it to reboot. Called customer service (and I was really worried too, since I wasn't sure if it was still under warranty) and again a box was sent and maybe in about a week or so we had a newly refurbished one. Looked brand new.
  
• Nokia: Lumia 900 WP. Gosh, I wish this phone was mine, but it's my wifes. Regardless, the phone audio worked fine but the 'outboard' speaker stopped working. Same process as above. Except that the phone we got back from Nokia, while looking new, kept randomly shutting off on my wife. Called customer service....warranty on the 'new' phone was either 90 days or the remainder of the original phone's warranty period, whichever was greater. Perfect! Send it back in, and got a new 'new' one . Again, can't tell the difference from a brand new one (and in fact didn't have the scuffs from the one we sent in!).
  
• Sony: Bravia Television. This one's not mine, but my next door neighbors. Purchased a brand new 55 inch LED. This was maybe 4 years ago, so this thing was a $3K TV. About a month later his wife turns it on and it starts smoking on the wall! I'm not exactly sure of the return process in his case, but I know that they too sent a refurbished TV back to him, looking brand new. The only thing in his situation was that it was mounted on the wall and he didn't want to take it down himself, so he called back the installation company to dismount the old one and mount the new one. He may have had to pay for that himself, which if that's the case would have made me a bit angry (but I think is spelled out in the warranty as not being a covered cost). I'm just guessing now though.
  

 

I would probably say that assuming that a refurbished warranty return is in some 'random' condition is incorrect. I'm sure these companies have guidelines on the condition that something goes out in. All of my previous experience has been that a warranty claim returned item comes back to me in as good if not better condition than the broken item I sent in.

Edited August 16, 2012 by Metal Ghost

[Protoplasym]

In all fairness, the process that onlysublime speaks of is how every consumer electronics company I've ever heard of deals with warranty repairs. In all reality, it's the only practical way that such a company could deal with it. And while I sympathize with keeping your gear in mint condition and now you end up with an item that you haven't babied since new out of the box, the flip side is that if a company didn't pull a previously refurbished item from stock to send to warranty customers then people would be waiting for long periods of time to get their stuff back while it went through the repair process. I think the latter situation is worse than not getting back the same exact item that was broken, and would result with many, MANY more consumers complaining while they waited 4-8 weeks to use their new gadget.

 

And from experience, it's not as if you get back an item that's all beat up when you sent in this beautiful pristine item. If it's that bad, you send it back for another one. But I've never seen that happen, and I've had a few warranty claims over the years:

• Microsoft: Xbox 360, E74 error RRoD. Ironically it wasn't my launch system that served me for several years dutifully, but was one of the first HDMI equipped ones that I purchesed to replace my non-HDMI launch console. In any event, sent it in using their own prepaid box that they sent me, and within a week (from the time I called customer service) I had a newly refurbished one. Couldn't tell it was different from the one I sent in.
  
• Motorola: Xoom tablet. About 3 or 4 months ago it just froze up and couldn't get it to reboot. Called customer service (and I was really worried too, since I wasn't sure if it was still under warranty) and again a box was sent and maybe in about a week or so we had a newly refurbished one. Looked brand new.
  
• Nokia: Lumia 900 WP. Gosh, I wish this phone was mine, but it's my wifes. Regardless, the phone audio worked fine but the 'outboard' speaker stopped working. Same process as above. Except that the phone we got back from Nokia, while looking new, kept randomly shutting off on my wife. Called customer service....warranty on the 'new' phone was either 90 days or the remainder of the original phone's warranty period, whichever was greater. Perfect! Send it back in, and got a new 'new' one . Again, can't tell the difference from a brand new one (and in fact didn't have the scuffs from the one we sent in!).
  
• Sony: Bravia Television. This one's not mine, but my next door neighbors. Purchased a brand new 55 inch LED. This was maybe 4 years ago, so this thing was a $3K TV. About a month later his wife turns it on and it starts smoking on the wall! I'm not exactly sure of the return process in his case, but I know that they too sent a refurbished TV back to him, looking brand new. The only thing in his situation was that it was mounted on the wall and he didn't want to take it down himself, so he called back the installation company to dismount the old one and mount the new one. He may have had to pay for that himself, which if that's the case would have made me a bit angry (but I think is spelled out in the warranty as not being a covered cost). I'm just guessing now though.
  

I would probably say that assuming that a refurbished warranty return is in some 'random' condition is incorrect. I'm sure these companies have guidelines on the condition that something goes out in. All of my previous experience has been that a warranty claim returned item comes back to me in as good if not better condition than the broken item I sent in.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your history in such depth. It gives me solace to see positive stories like yours. At the end of the day, for me anyway... I think having a choice is the best route to take when it comes to servicing a Customer in need. It goes without saying that giving customers, choices can possibly present a host of issues for a Company offering and enforcing Warranties. I understand that as a business, they have to streamline their services less they'll either have to cut back on said services or downgrade their level of quality entirely.

 

If it were up to me, and it's not , I would offer the Customer the choice of having their unit refurbished, or receiving another refurbished replacement. I don't believe that offering those options to the customer would cause any negative issue with the Company executing the Warranty.

 

Perhaps I'm oversimplifying this situation, but that's how I see it at this point.

Edited August 17, 2012 by Protoplasym

[Shannon]

Reminds me of when I had to send my 2600 in for repairs when I was a kid. I think I had to wait two months for it to get repaired and sent back! Boy those were some long months!

[Metal Ghost]

....and I've had a few warranty claims over the years:

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your history in such depth.

 

It was actually almost fun recouting all those time (can you believe that?!?). You know, the worst experiences that I've had with Customer Service organizations have always been when there's a software issue or some other problem that wasn't an out-and-out hardware failure, now that I think of it. Those have always been pretty straightforward, simple, and ended with me happy. Trying to work through some clerk to figure out why my computer can't connect to my printer? Or why when trying to change the TV channel in Media Center through my Xbox 360 MC Extender but it resulting in a frozen channel every time (which turned out to be a bug that was later fixed)? Those almost always ended in frustration for me.

[Protoplasym]

Reminds me of when I had to send my 2600 in for repairs when I was a kid. I think I had to wait two months for it to get repaired and sent back! Boy those were some long months!

 

I bet! I assume you would have rather had it sooner...

 

....and I've had a few warranty claims over the years:

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your history in such depth.

 

It was actually almost fun recouting all those time (can you believe that?!?). You know, the worst experiences that I've had with Customer Service organizations have always been when there's a software issue or some other problem that wasn't an out-and-out hardware failure, now that I think of it. Those have always been pretty straightforward, simple, and ended with me happy. Trying to work through some clerk to figure out why my computer can't connect to my printer? Or why when trying to change the TV channel in Media Center through my Xbox 360 MC Extender but it resulting in a frozen channel every time (which turned out to be a bug that was later fixed)? Those almost always ended in frustration for me.

 

For sure, I hear you

 

ditto - Most of the issues I've had with Devs and Pubs over the last 10 years have been strictly due to software related issues.