Do you have an Xbox 360? Chances are high that you will meet or at least hear of the red ring of death. The Red Ring Of Death (big name) was caused by overheating inside the console. What is less well known is that the red lights on the front of the console can also indicate a series of fault codes or electronic codes such as the Xbox 360 error e79. E codes are so named because, hopefully, they start with an E and then they have another 2 digits after it, so we end up with E71, E74 and so on.
Unlike the normal 3 red light error, an E error is indicated by a single red light in the fourth segment of the ring, that is, in the lower left corner. You usually only get this type of error right after turning on the unit.
The most common E error is E74.
- E64, E65 and E66 – Problem with the DVD drive. Restart the system and sometimes this clears.
- E67, E68 and E69 and E79 – Disk Drive Problems Unplug the drive, reboot and see if this clears the error code.
- E73 – General Hardware Error – Usually network related. Disconnect from the LAN if connected and try again.
- E74 – Problem more difficult to diagnose. The first suspect is the AV cable; make sure it is positioned correctly. If this doesn’t fix the problem, then it’s overheating or a bad ANA / HANA chip. If this is the case, I am afraid you will have to open the machine and troubleshoot yourself. My advice is to get a good repair guide and give it a try.
The simplest error to try to fix is Xbox 360 Error E79 – Faulty Hard Drive. You don’t even need to open the case to fix this one. Fixing this bug doesn’t even involve opening the case. Just remove the hard drive and reboot. However, before disposing of the drive, try reconnecting it as it may have come off the connectors. If this doesn’t work, just get a new unit.
Well I hope I have shown you that the red lights error may not be caused by overheating alone. Hopefully you will now see that the little ring of lights on the front of your Xbox 360 can be very helpful in tracking down faults.
I recommend that if you get an E error, or any other kind of hardware failure on your Xbox 360, you get a good repair guide from the internet. They only cost a few dollars, but they can get your Xbox up and running in no time.
