Common Xbox 360 Questions

Xbox 360™ has moved on from the euphoria of launch to its first important steps in its lifespan, and like any piece of high-end tech, the questions from new-users have come flooding in. Whether at the game-store, among friends, or on the forums, queries and concerns are commonplace, with some questions much more prevalent than others.

I've decided to take a moment and address a few of the more high-profile questions, and while this one column certainly won't cover everything, you can be sure that updates will come from time to time, so keeping posting on the forums. You never know. Your questions might be highlighted and resolved.

Note: The issues covered here represent common questions with relatively simple answers. You won't find complicated product support advice here. You're best bet for technical support is in the Support section of Xbox.com, or by calling 1-800-4-MY-XBOX.

HDTV Doesn't Look Quite Right
The first time I sat down with an Xbox 360 debug kit and an HDTV, I had the exact same thought. You can turn on all the progressive scan options you want in the System menu, but if you haven't flipped the switch to HDTV on the bottom of the Component HD AV Cable (where it connects to your Xbox 360), your console won't output an HD signal.

Where is the Optical Out?
Again, I had a similar question for about fifteen seconds when first playing around with the system. I thought it would be a port on the console itself, but just like the HDTV switch, you'll find it on the AV cable. Also, make sure you switch your sound to Dolby Digital in the Audio options in the System menu.

I Thought I Didn't Need to Enter All My Info Again
If you just bought your Xbox 360, hooked it up to Xbox Live® and found yourself having to input your address, credit card number, and oodles more information to your gamertag set up, stop the process right now.

Instead, head to My Xbox on the Xbox.com website and link your gamertag to an MSN Passport account (if you don't have one, you can create one in a couple minutes). Once you do that, you'll only need to enter your Passport Username and Password to activate your gamertag on your Xbox 360.

I Can't Stream my Pictures and Music!
I've had more than a few friends pipe up and say "dude, that streaming music from my PC doesn't work." My response is to ask whether they visited the media setup page on Xbox.com. Make sure you run the program from that page to set up your PC properly to share files with Xbox 360.

If that still doesn't cut it for you, I have one more suggestion born from personal experience. Make sure you've run your Network Setup Wizard on your PC. Essentially, the Windows Media Connect creates a limited file sharing network between your PC and Xbox 360, but if the Network Setup Wizard hasn't been run on your PC, some options that need to be enabled may not be.

Why Can't I Voice Message Everyone at Once?
Actually, you can, though the option for it isn't obvious right from the start. After selecting someone to send a message to, you should see the Edit Recipients option at the top of the Guide Button menu. Select that, and you can add anyone you want from your Friends List and recent players list to receive the message.

I Want some Privacy
By default, your Xbox Live status, gamercard and ability to accept and send game invites, Friend requests, and Private Chat requests are open for anyone, but it doesn't have to stay that way. If you want to be invisible on Xbox Live, or only want your Friends to see, invite, and talk to you online, you can adjust your Privacy Settings to accommodate your wish. Here's how:

1. Hit the Guide Button to bring up the Guide Menu.
2. Select your Gamercard (top option).
3. Select Edit Gamer Profile.
4. Select Privacy Settings. All your privacy options reside here, so you can decide who can see you online, invite you to a game, invite you as a friend, see your gamer profile, etc.

Trouble with Voice Chat and Joining Friend's Games
Many people have complained about not being able to join a Private Chat with someone already on their Friends List, or even join a game their Friend is in. In many cases, the problem stems from the network router's NAT (Network Address Translation) setting is set to. If it's Moderate or Strict, you may have trouble connecting with other players on Xbox Live in Private Chat, or in games.

Why Are the Guide Button Lights Blinking?
This question is already a golden oldie. I've seen it countless times in the forums, and invariably it's answered rather swiftly. In case you've just stumbled across the phenomenon though, if two lights appear on the Guide Button and rotate around it means you're running out of battery juice.

If you're playing with a rechargeable battery back, plug in that Play and Charge kit and let it do its thing. If not, just make sure you have another set of batteries on hand and ready to go.

Article by Ryan Treit