elroy head dot com blog: Adventures in Tech Support I: The Shocking Revelation

Adventures in Tech Support I: The Shocking Revelation

Published Tuesday, April 11, 2006 by Mike A. | E-mail this post

Tuesday morning. April 11th. Eleven o'clock.

I ease into place in front of the television, turn it on, and switch over to Component 1. The Xbox 360.

I'd left it downloading some content from the XBLM. That's the Xbox Live Marketplace, naturally.

I attempt to access the content eagerly.

"Wh...what?"

Black screen. No sound. Can't access the Xbox Guide.

"Okay okay, don't panic. I SAID DON'T PANIC."

I turn it off and turn it back on. It freezes during the logo at the beginning.

"...DON'T PANIC"

I do this repeatedly, each time with the freezing starting at some other random time.

"Maybe it's overheating."

I give it a couple hours in front of a fan, careful not to blow dust into it. I try it again.

"TOP SPIN 2 IS L--darn." It freezes again. I try various combinations of cable setups and other things, I try it with the HDD off, I try it with everything. I try everything and it gives me nothing.

Until it gives me those three red lights.

"...okay, now I can panic."

I try it again and again. Three red lights. It goes through once, only to freeze and THEN give me three red lights.

"It's over," my inner nerd screams. "She's dead, Jim!"

I agree, and my name isn't even Jim.

I decide to place my call to tech support the next day.

Labels: Adventures in Tech Support, Xbox 360