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Xbox 360 Warranty Cover Extended for E74 Error
By Tom Ivan
April 14, 2009
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"We have determined that the E74 error message can indicate the general hardware failure that is associated with three flashing red lights error on the console"
Microsoft has extended its three year Xbox 360 warranty policy to cover E74 errors.
The company said that the E74 error message some users have encountered “can indicate the general hardware failure that is associated with three flashing red lights error on the console”.
As well as extending its warranty coverage, Microsoft will refund customers made to pay an out of warranty repair charge after running into the fault.
“While the majority of Xbox 360 owners continue to have a great experience with their console, we are aware that a very small percentage of our customers have reported receiving an error that displays “E74” on their screen,” the company said in a statement on the Help and Support section of its website.
“After investigating the issue, we have determined that the E74 error message can indicate the general hardware failure that is associated with three flashing red lights error on the console,” it added.
“As a result, we have decided to cover repairs related to the E74 error message under our three-year warranty program for certain general hardware failures that was announced in July 2007. We have already made improvements to the console that will reduce the likelihood of an occurrence of this issue.”
Back in July 2007 Microsoft upped its warranty coverage for Xbox 360 from one year to three years for the well-publicised three-red-light hardware failure, a move resulting in charges of over $1 billion for the firm.
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I think we can all agree that the 360 is a piece of shit.
Xbox360 ROCKS!!
its better than PS3!
PS3
The plus sides are that its free for online use. Some exclusive games.
The down side is that you cannot change your name unless you start again & delete everything. Also DLC you have to pay for. HAHAHA. Little girly pads that are too sensative in the thumb sticks. Your finger easily slips off triggers if you dont have then trigger finger things that cost bout £4.99.
Xbox 360
The plus sides are we get most of the exclusive games (including Halo & Too Human). MS make new stuff for Xbox Live (New dashboard Experiance). We get Xbox Insider that lets xbox users watch videos from xbox presenters (SuperKalo, AceBongos & MrPointyHead), i would like to say i love it! We use the MSP system. Man sized control pads!
The downsides are that we have to pay for online use. pay to change our names. Breaks down easily.
so we have a debate weather the xbox rules or Ps3! I would say 360!
My finger doesn't slip of the thumb sticks and I've had loads of DLC that's free and stuff that's cheaper than the stuff on the 360.
Also since when has Too Human been a selling point? Are you high?
Yeah, I'll have to disagree with you there. Because of the range of quality games on the system, any hardware issues it has, can be overlooked. And I've sent my current console in 3 times and had it replaced once. I love my Xbox 360. And if this one dies outside the warranty, I'll head right over to Best Buy and get a new one without regrets.
"If you build it, he will come."
The games are there and so worth the occasional headache of hardware failure. They're making an effort, which I appreciate. It's a costly mistake they won't make again.
PS3: Who cares?
Well, i had 360 up until my 3rd system (which i sold on for obvious reasons) and it was an experience i'd rather forget.
There's other sources for playing great games.
So let me make sure I have this right; After your 3rd system died, you sent it in for free repair, then upon receiving the new/refurbished one, you sold it and all your games/excessories and moved to PS3/Wii/whatever?
Or, you opted out of your free replacement and the value you would have received from selling it then sold everything else? In the end losing out on money cause you were "mad"?
I can understand if people want to sell it after 3 break down, but the least you can do is make some of your investment back.
That is an example of console bashing. My posts are never that useless. When my posts start looking like a 5th grader put them up, then you guys can start accusing me of bashing the PS3. Thanks Whisky for the thought provoking post. You must have put a lot of time into that one.
Like the 360/MS doesn't deserve it. It's the worst console ever in terms of reliability. And who's to say it isn't.
MS are setting a bad example. Simple as.
Also, you aren't seriously saying the 360 isn't a piece of shit. If so, then you're just kidding yourself on.
I'm seriously saying it's not a piece of shit. 1 of the 6 360s that have gone through my home have broke, meaning 5 have been fine. My Elite sounded like a jet engine, but I have a Jasper and Falcon 360, they both work flawlessly and are completely silent (I install all my games sans Halo 3 since it fucks up the loading time). I have no reason to think perfectly working, silent consoles are anything but that.
I have a PS1 that still works, N64 that still works, PS2 that still works, XBox that still works, NES that still works, and PS3 that still works. I didn't buy a 360 because of the numerous reliability issues that kept cropping up. Nothing against MS or the 360 fans, but it was too much money for me to spend and not know whether it would power on the next time. I agree the issue has been beaten to death, but it still puzzles me how some come rushing to the defense of MS who clearly released an under-developed and buggy console with overheating and reliability problems that surely must have showed up in pre-release testing. It was completely unconscionable, and it honestly kept me from buying one (and I enthusiastically owned the first XBox), but that's just me.
Fair enough.
But one thing people have to remember is there were many people like myself who bought a 360 launch day. We stood outside at 2 a.m to make sure we got one. Invested 500$-700$ or more into the system at launch, only to find out a number of months later there were RRoD problems. My system worked perfectly fine until the elite came out and I traded that one in. My wife bought her 360 at Halo 3's launch and it died about 6-7 months later. So, I personally had no problems whatsoever for the first 19 months or so. Am I supposed to chuck all my 360 stuff, probably over 1k dollars or more at that point? It isn't loyalty as much as it is financial. Of course that's lame MS released hardware they knew was buggy, but they did the right thing after the fact by offering repairs for free and in most cases up to 3 years. I think I'm fair defending that action. And if you ask me if I could either have a perfectly fine system and games for 19 months and had to go 18 days without it once, or have waited 6-12 additional months for a more reliable system which would I choose? I would choose the former. 18 days was an easy price to pay for the great game experience I had during the time in which I would have been waiting for MS to properly QT the system. But I'm impatient. ^^
"Of course that's lame MS released hardware they knew was buggy, but they did the right thing after the fact by offering repairs for free and in most cases up to 3 years."
Personally (and I own a 360) I'd say it was bloody criminal and shows a complete attitude of contempt towards the consumer. Microsoft yet again putting profit and market dominance above everything else.
"I think I'm fair defending that action."
You can defend it if you want to but they only extended the warranty after 18 months of bad press and constant denials that something was wrong- even though they knew from day one that there was a quality issue. Even when they did extend it they only did so because it was looking increasingly likely that a couple of European member states were getting ready to ask the European Union to investigate the issue. The extension is also woefully inadequate as there are several other faults that should also be covered but aren't.
People take the piss out of your position because it's an absurd thing to defend nick- it is indefensible.
"18 days was an easy price to pay for the great game experience I had during the time in which I would have been waiting for MS to properly QT the system. "
The point is nick that MS should have completed quality testing before release and only the very smallest percentage of people should have to wait 18 days if they are unlucky enough to have a faulty console. As it is far far to many people have problems with their machines and it's just not on really, we laugh and joke but lets pray that MS never go into air craft manufacture.
It's not rampant fanboyism to call this situation out for what it is, a unmitigated mess. MS deserve the bad press, they deserve the piss taking and they deserve to be highlighted for the incredibly arrogant way they've treated their customers. It is fanboysim to act like this is ok and should be tolerated, it isn't ok and shouldn't be tolerated.
Well said Arron. It's funny though, my posts on this story prior to the post you replied to I didn't even defend MS lol. But because I have in the past I just automatically assumed I did. After I replied I realized that I hadn't even defended MS for that in any of my posts today. But it's ok.
I'm sure is was a hard choice for MS to make, do they delay a worlwide launch of a new console to QT it, pissing off a ton of people and most likely turning them off to the 360, or release it as planned and clean up the mess afterword? Put yourself in their shoes, they would have lost a lot of customers, and out of spite they may have chosen the PS3 instead. I think either way it would have been risky and who knows, maybe they would have sold more 360s releasing it 6 months later with no RRoD problems. People wouldn't be worried about it and buy it instead of the PS3. On the other hand, they would missed the holiday season, pissed off publishers and gamers, it could have been a disaster.
"I'd say it was bloody criminal and shows a complete attitude of contempt towards the consumer. Microsoft yet again putting profit and market dominance above everything else."
I don't think MS was out to deliberately screw the customers. I think it was an unplanned unfortunate situation and they chose the best course of action (maybe best for them). I would think there's quite a few customers who don't regret buying 360s at all, and also didn't mind RRoD either. If the owners are still buying games and systems are still selling (8.2 attach rate, still leading the PS3 in US by 2:1, andworldwide by some 7-8 million) it must not have been THAT big of a deal to consumers. It seems the non-owners are the ones that are more frustrated than the owners, which is really weird.
Clearly it must be cheaper for MS to extend warranties rather than build decent hardware. That's a shame because it would be nice to have a console that lasted more than a week.
"I'm so tired of us talking about the same RRod crap over and over."
Well, in the words of Christian Bale..."shut the f*ck up"
Wow, Jude is the next Kim.
//does a runner!!
The 'misunderstood' Kim Naroz? Sure, He's my wife.
I love the way people jump on this bandwagon. Particularly those who don't own a 360. While a lot of consumers never even experience RROD or this E74 thing, those who have are still using their (repaired) 360.
What does that tell you, class?
Nice going fanboy. Stiring shit up as usual.
Yawn.
There's nothing wrong with someone wanting a reliable system.
Jude, you're an idiot of the highest order! Go back to RLLMUK.
Rider, Top, Wall_e,
Do you guys just show up when it's MS bashing time?
They show up just like you show up with the Sony bashing. It takes one to know one!
That would make sense if I bashed Sony. I haven't really been critical of Sony in a long time, and when I do, I at least include some kind of cognitive thought and an intelligent sounding opinion instead of blatant shit-talking. There's quite a big difference between the two. Like the guy who said 360s don't last more than a few days or whatever he said, what's the point of a waste of a post like that? And any time I leave small comments jabbing at Sony, it's usually meant in jest, unlike most of the MS haterade drinkers.
edit: I also post on all kinds of stories, I don't just stick to ones that let allow me to hate on Sony. That's the difference.
Not a surprise, considering they all probably work in the same office for the viral marketing firm Sony contracts with. ;)
Thus is the fate of the internet. So sad, it had so much potential. ;)
I didn't say there was. You've missed the point. But I'm glad you felt the need to weigh in.
There are plenty of people who love the games available on the 360. But there are also plenty of people who would have bought one had all these hardware failures not been so frequent.
I for one would like to be assured that my console will last more than just a few years. I still play games on my original SNES and PS2. I still have a working PS1. I would like to be confident that if I pick up a 360 10 years from now, there is more than a 1 in 10 chance it will work.
But hey, if you are just playing games today and as soon as the new shiny comes out you forget anything that came before, then I guess the 360 is a good fit for you.
Agreed. There are those who are put off by the 360 issues, but those are the unfortunately 'vocal' and tiny minority, which you are a part of.
Yeah, I still crack out the oldies sometimes - Zelda, Mario, Sonic, et al. But I'm not a purist and am quite happy playing them on a console they weren't released on originally. Mostly because it makes no difference whether you play Sonic on the Mega Drive or the Xbox.
In fact where the fuck were you lot when I would hyperventilate trying to get my copy of NHL 94 to play?! blow, put cartridge in, reset. blow, put cartridge in, reset. blow, put cartridge in, reset.
I was complaining just as much as many people are today, just without the megaphone known as the internet.
The difference however is that the NES blinking power button of death was not a general hardware failure due to bad design. It was hardware failure due to normal wear and tear on frequently used parts. It also didn't effect NES consoles at a seemingly random rate but most every console after several years of use.
Zach, you and Jude talking about the whole blow-in-the-cartridge/cartridge slot of the NES days thing makes me wonder if the NES were to be released during a time where the internet was what it is today, if that issue would have appeared bigger than it actually was? With information being able to be shared as quickly and on such a large scale as it is now, I can see people complaining about the cartridges not working quite right alot of the time. Maybe not?
I have no doubt that the problem would have been escalated beyond what it actually was had the internet been as available then as it is now. Not sure how that would have effected the issue though. Perhaps they would have released the top loading NES years earlier than they did and actually supported it.
It's more to do with common sense. The consumer who is on there 3rd/4th/5th 360 clearly hasn't got any!
I wonder what percentage of the 360 base has had to have it replaced more than once. I'll bet it's rather slim.
It has nothing to do with common sense at all. If you had a 360, with say 5-6 games, couple of controllers, a bunch of DLC, maybe a headset - you're telling me you would forget all of that and abandon the 360? Wouldn't that be completely lacking in common sense?
Well Saint with a failure rate above 30% quite a few you do the math. I think you might be in some kind of XBOX fanboy denial I know ppl on there 4th Xbox and so do many others.
I agree with a lot of the Microsoft bashing. They really should have been more thorough with their quality checks from the start. I'm one of the lucky ones(so far). I have a first round "Elite" and it has not broken down yet. So no bad 360's here yet(Knock on plastic ;-) )
I have all 3 systems and enjoy them for differents reasons and they all have things better or worse than the other. I enjoy the 360 the most and use it the most. It has a FANTASTIC game library, but even so Microsoft should be berrated and embarrassed by the continuing hardware issues. I may not have had a single one, but really feel for those who have had. I would be pissed too if I had to send my console back repeatedly.
You're right ryda, I'm on my 6th or so 360, but only one of them was RRoD. My launch 360 (that never died) I traded in for an Elite, then I bought my wife a pro 360 when Halo 3 came out, her's died, MS sent us a replacement, sold that one to my bro-in-law when his died, got her another pro 360 (falcon) when the price dropped to $299 when the 60 gigs were about to come out, then I traded my Elite in sans-HDD for a Jasper arcade model. Only one of the 6 that have come and gone in my home have died. That for me isn't 30%, not nearly. And as far as your 30% claim, I don't think it has ever been THAT high.
I think the 30% failure rate was early estimates based on launch hardware. I don't think there was a 100% certainty to the number. AS they have released new models and hardware configurations that number has dropped considerably.
So 1 in every 3 consoles died? That's a hard pill to swallow. Although, of the 2 launch hardware versions I owned, 1 died...
Please don't call me a fanboy. I'm too old to be called a fanboy. You were still at your mother's teet when I got started.
And the point of my post was that Microsoft have a captive audience, quite literally. If you have spent tons of cash on your 360 and it dies, you are likely to stick with it anyway. READ: criticising Microsoft.
They should just go for broke and extend the warranty to cover all of the myriad of faults.
I agree. While they are taking care of the most universal problems and repairs, there are still plenty more problems being reported. They should just go with 3 year warranty on all system failures.
This is exactly the reason i'd never buy the 360 at the present moment. Why should i? The console is literally a piece of shit and is never without ambiguities.
Because you will miss out on Halo.
What, one of the most over rated games in the history of videogames.
If i want a decent FPS, there's plenty to be had on my PC.
Halo...tut, tut.
You know, I think that Halo might just be a tiny bit over rated. Lost Odyssey however is definitely a must buy for the 360.
I was just trying to bring out an allergic reaction in him.
Mission accomplished by the looks of it you naughty scallywag.
But you make it so easy, Barla.