GSOD, BSOD and the ongoing nonsense with System Updates

Chromium Red · Dec 15, 2021

Buckle in kids ... it's a rant.

First off, this is not a request for help ... too many Xbox One owners - not just myself - know what the issues are and have been dealing with them for months. Do a few searches across Reddit, Twitter and the internet in general - you'll find enough evidence to let you know that it's not truly an isolated problem.

For me, it began with the August 2021 update - shortly which after performing, my system (an Xbox One S) was hit with a GSOD ... the Green Screen of Death, where the green loading screen stays on seemingly forever. After several minutes of this, I instinctively held the power button on the console down long enough for a hard power-down. A restart seemed to have fixed the problem and away I went.

A few days later the issue returned, but not sure why this was happening again I wound up waiting - and after what must have been 10 to 20 minutes, the GSOD suddenly became the BSOD - the Black Screen of Death, where all you see is a black screen (I hadn't learned the Guide Button trick just yet). Several attempted hard power-downs and restarts did nothing save meet me with a random start-up error code once or twice (though not always). I was fearing a hardware failure and even contemplating hard drive surgery since my system is out of warranty - but first I bit the bullet and did a full system reset. Things were amazingly back to normal with nary a hiccup in the system. Must have just been a bad update that the reset fixed, I stupidly thought.

Over the course of the next few weeks, the GSOD and BSOD brothers would show up again several times to batter my sanity - bringing with them insanely delayed start-up times. By now I'd learned that this possibly wasn't a hardware issue because it wasn't just happening to me - it was a wider-spread issue happening mostly to Xbox Insiders (which I was not at the time but had previously been) and owners of Xbox One S consoles (though other models were not immune). Microsoft even openly acknowledged it for a time by placing a specific notice on their main support page regarding 'black screen' errors and how to fix them (by performing a system reset ... their 'catch-all' answer).*

* That notice has since been removed ... I guess it's bad for business to acknowledge system software issues that you can't or won't bother to fix right before the holiday shopping season and the release of Infinite.

I had also picked up the trick of hitting the Guide Button once your system loaded to the so-called BSOD, to bring up either the power down / restart window - or the Guide itself. Oddly, bringing up the Guide often resulted in a partially-loaded home screen appearing - complete with ... erm, I mean incomplete with missing / blank tiles and UI input lag the likes of which I'd never seen. Switching tiles or trying to call up a sub-menu that usually took a second could take upwards of a minute or longer?!? If one was patient and persistent enough, sometimes getting an app to load (ie: Settings or the Store) and fiddling around in it would, for whatever reason, bring the system back to normal functionality without a reset.

Then the September update hit and I was hopeful that this nonsense would be done with. But no, no, no young Bucky said Microsoft's software engineers. GSOD, BSOD, partial home screen loading, missing tiles, UI input lag all came bundled with this update too - never with an error message of any kind to speak of, save for apps failing to load (due to input and system lag). As with the August update - I discovered that waiting for the BSOD to load would let me call up the guide and sometimes ... eventually ... maybepossiblyperhaps ... access the System app where - if I could then get the Network Settings screen to load (it could take a LONG time - I started bringing snacks and a book to read while I waited) - disabling and re-enabling the network connection could sometimes bring the system back to normal functionality without a reset.

Along with the aforementioned technical oddities - I noticed that whenever things went wonky with the system, at least two of the three ad tiles on the home screen would not show up at all, and my online status 'could not be determined' via the profile window in the Guide. When one of the 'get an app to load' workarounds attempted during a GSOD / BSOD / UI input lag 'event' was successful, those tiles would magically reappear and my online status suddenly showed as intended, with the UI input lag disappearing in-turn. It was really beginning to feel like there was some sort of random communication issue with Xbox Live servers that was somehow causing all of these problems that I - and apparently a good number of other Xbox One owners - was being repeatedly hit with (just a theory).

Then came October's update ... and with it, the trick of disabling network access before shutdown was "fixed". Yup - the only thing they seemed to have changed was that disabling your network before shut-down was no longer a guaranteed way to prevent these issues on start-up. In fact, during a related test I repeated several times - simply plugging in my network cable during an extended GSOD / BSOD sequence would now actually cause things to load faster than without the network cable plugged in (albeit still in partial form). Though at least the other tricks one could employ after loading to a black screen still worked and I could avoid the necessity for a full system reset now and then - though not always.

The first update of November was a sad, sick joke that resulted in three system resets and now added the fun of UI input lag showing up while the system was running and working normally. A simple shut-down and restart would fix this, but the fact that it was showing up in such a manner at all led me to believe that this update was not one to be pinning any hopes on. The second update of November was slightly less of a sad, sick joke - just slightly depressed and a little run-down ... but it still did not eliminate this recurring set of bugs and glitches. BTW - two updates in a month, little more than two-weeks apart? Yeah, that sounds like a potential sign that something got really mucked-up in the first one.

And that brings us to December's update. Guess what folks ... it's the same old (out-of-tune) song and (rhythmless) dance. I was so hopeful that things were going to be fixed in this on - I did a full factory reset before updating to give my system as fresh a start as one can without popping open the casing and giving the insides a sponge bath. Things were great - for a bit. Then yesterday ... BAM - GSOD! BAM - BSOD! BAM - partial home screen loading, missing tiles, UI input lag! BAM! (that last BAM was just me punching something in anger and frustration). I was forced to do a system reset just to submit another error report from the 'Report a Problem' app ... as I have done throughout this series of seemingly botched updates.

As I said when I started out writing this mini-manifesto, this is not a request for help. I do not want a Microsoft rep. to lazily copy-paste me the scripted solution of "perform a system reset" with obligatory links. That is a band-aid on a bullet wound 'solution', at best. I don't want them to offer to set me up for system service that will likely be nothing more than an overpriced trip for my system to somewhere where a ham-fisted tech. will gouge open my limited edition console with a butter knife, then send it back to me with the same software issues - and casing scratches to boot. Though as an aside - it would be incredibly helpful for Microsoft to provide some sort of disc / system scan tool that system owners could load on a USB drive and simply check their own hardware in a customer-friendly way.

It seems extremely likely that there is and has been an issue with your Xbox One system software updates for months. You even halfheartedly acknowledged it openly for a time yourself. As mentioned earlier, a simple search of the internet will result in most people finding enough current references to things like GSOD, BSOD, black screen, system update issues, required system resets and so-on to at the very least suggest that this isn't just one person's (mine or anyone else's) isolated and weirdly specific recurring hardware / software issue. **

** I feel the need to reiterate that error messages during these 'events' are extremely rare if they occur at all - so pinning this on an undiagnosed 'hardware failure' just doesn't cut it for me, especially given the incredibly similar reports I've seen online from other Xbox One owners.

I don't have any faith that you are genuinely and actively trying to fix these issues. With what admittedly may be only an overall minority of Xbox One system owners being hit by these problems (though I suspect it is still a large number of people) ... and with new Series X|S systems to 'push' going into the holidays and forward ... I'm guessing that fixing this issue is either a low priority, or not even one at all.

But at least have the decency to acknowledge it again. Put the notice back up ... and tell us all a nice little lie about how you're "working on a fix". It'll probably make some people feel less swindled when they give up on their mysteriously malfunctioning Xbox One and just buy a Series system. Me ... I'll get what use I still can out of my One for the occasional game (though I'm giving up on it for media apps, replacing it with a Roku) - but I probably won't be 'upgrading' to a Series system, regardless of how much I already have invested in the Xbox ecosystem. If you can't fix an issue like this on the One after it being out for all these years - what's to say you can if / when it or something similar hits the X|S?

I'm sure I've left out a detail or two (as well as a lot of profanity) here or there - but that's the general gist of things. So to anyone also dealing with these issues - I know you're out there ... good luck!

:)

SauerKrapp

I use wireless for my network connectivity. The primary use of my xbox is for online streaming, Netflix, Prime, HBOMAX, Hulu...etc...etc... and one online game, World of Tanks. I also get a fair amount of use from the built-in Blu Ray player. As I mentioned I have gotten the GSOD several times now. I have had to do a console reset as outlined below at least three, maybe four times. It works but eventually the xbox crashes. I did have it clear up on it's own in once. I got the GSOD and decided to deal with it the next day. I shut it down and came back roughly 24 hours later and the damn thing worked. The day before yesterday got the GSOD AGAIN, and did the following:

Reset Console:

You can reset your console from the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter. From the Something went wrong screen, use the D-pad  and A button  on your controller to select Troubleshoot to open the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter.

If you need to manually bring up the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter, follow these steps:

Power off your console, and then unplug the power cord to ensure that the console is completely powered off.
Wait 30 seconds, and then plug the power cord back in.
Press and hold the Pair button and the Eject button on the console, and then press the Xbox button  on the console.

Note The Xbox Series S and the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition do not have Eject buttons. You can bring up the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter on this console by holding only the Pair button (steps 3 and 4) and then pressing the Xbox button .
Continue holding the Pair and Eject buttons for 10-15 seconds.
Listen for two “power-up” tones a couple of seconds apart. You can release the Pair and Eject buttons after the second power-up tone.
The console should power up and take you directly to the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter.

To reset your console from the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter, select Reset this Xbox. When prompted, select Keep games and apps. This option will reset the OS and delete all potentially corrupted data without deleting your games or apps.

If this works, you should be returned to the Home screen after the console resets. Your console should function correctly now.

As noted, I have used this method before with good results but the problem always returns in a couple of months. If it weren't for time and money invested into World of Tanks, I'd throw this thing in the trash and buy a more reliable streaming device and couple it with a 4k Blu Ray and be done with Microsofts xbox.

Chromium Red

Hey SauerKrapp!

I am genuinely sorry to hear that. The frustration that these issues have caused me over the last 6+ months isn't something I'd wish on anyone even for a day. It shouldn't be happening and for MS to have just swept it under the rug is neither fair nor respectful to anyone who has paid for hardware, software and services, foolishly expecting them to work.

On my end - since my last update here back in early January, I begrudgingly did another full factory reset, also removing all my non-gaming apps - switching to a Roku for that aspect of my entertainment (which has worked flawlessly, reminding me how nice it is when something just works and you spend your time using it rather than fixing it).

As for my Xbox One - after the January reset, I resorted to the original trick of using the network settings module to switch my system into offline mode before shutting down. Save for the first start-up where I had to login to Live and start up all my games once so I could then play them offline - I now only switch the system back into online mode if I know an update is available or if I really want to play a game that requires me to be online. No matter what though - I start up in offline mode and shut down in offline mode.

Since I've been doing that - I have not had a single GSOD or BSOD incident ... further leading me to believe that this problem is somehow related to how the system connects to Live, particularly / specifically upon start up. It's not a true solution and I'm not saying it's a guaranteed way to stop the system from going wonky again - but so far it has been over a month and I haven't had a problem.

That said - the other day, while in online mode, I signed out by accident and upon signing right back in - the far right 'ad tile' was missing... So I quickly switched things back into offline mode, shut down and restarted. Once the system was up and running, I took a chance and switched to online mode and thankfully everything was fine.

Long story short:

- do an offline update or system reset

- 'activate' any games you have on the first start up

-switch to offline mode and stay there unless you need to be online to play (I don't play online much these days, so your mileage against these issues may vary here)

- ALWAYS make sure to be in offline mode to shut down and start up - ALWAYS!

- Find a better, more reliable way to use entertainment apps / services (the offline / online approach MAY make things usable here too - but after 6+ months of system resets forcing me to log back into or re-register with a number of apps and services ... I'm just not willing to chance the frustration and am quite happy with using a simpler, more reliable device for that aspect of my entertainment)

And a couple of quick questions:

- Is your system using wireless or a cable to connect?

- Did you know that the Xbox won't even let you change a (custom) background 'wallpaper' if you're in offline mode? To say nothing of transferring apps / games from an external drive to internal... Maybe this is common knowledge to most, but I never realized it till I began using my system in offline mode more than not - and denying someone even the simple ability to change their background seems weirdly petty and controlling of MS.

Anyway, I hope that helps a bit and again, sorry that you - and many others - are still dealing with this too! Especially without any proper acknowledgement of the issues from MS.

Chromium Red

It's time for another update kids, so crack open a cold one and pull up a chair.

Since the last time I logged in here back in February to rant and ramble, I have been consistently doing what I recommended to someone else here (SauerKrapp) to try in order to minimize / avoid "GSOD" and "BSOD" incidents - make sure my system was in offline mode to shut down and start up - ALWAYS! And for the better part of two bloody months, it has worked without fail ... figuratively AND literally! Since my last system reset in early January to recover from yet another visit from the XBOX OS Gremlins, I have consistently put my system into offline mode to shut down (thus insuring it also starts up in offline mode, natch).

The only guaranteed variances in this were the February and March updates, where I allowed them to be performed while in online mode (vs waiting for them to drop as offline update files), meaning there was a required restart each time.

And for those two months - my system has *GASP* consistently worked, with no hints of GSOD/BSOD nonsense!

Last night, however, I let myself get distracted and accidentally shut down while still in online mode. An hour later I crossed my fingers and turned things back on again. Well ... after a 10+ minute green loading screen followed by a blank black screen - I uncrossed my fingers and 'offered' up the middle one to Microsoft for yet another GSOD/BSOD kick in the nerts.

Stubborn little mule that I am, I let the system run and tried to call up the guide. This 'sort of' worked, and eventually led to the home screen appearing - also in 'sort of' form. But upon trying to open the Settings app, things froze up and the system shut itself down. So once more I hit the power button and waited (refer to "Stubborn little mule that I am" as to why). Another 10+ minute green loading screen followed by a blank black screen. No surprise there, sadly.

This time, upon trying to call up the guide, it showed up in 'mostly there' form (woo?), followed shortly by a 'mostly there' home screen - minus the three ad 'blocks' ... a recurring theme throughout these issues. After a couple of tries I managed to get the Settings app to open - though the Network Settings module refused to load, claiming that it 'needed to be reinstalled' (another recurring theme and possible clue, MS, hint hint).

Oddly, upon exiting the Settings app, I noticed that two of the three ad 'blocks' reappeared - and, after flipping a mental coin - decided to give a restart a try, since it appeared that my system was once again on semi-speaking-terms with Xbox Live. I actually got lucky (bow chicka wow wow?) and the system restarted and logged in ... though only two of the three ad blocks were still showing. I hopped into the Settings app, tried the Network Settings module - and it opened, no problem. I went into offline mode, exited the app, re-entered it and popped things back into online mode and exited again. BAM! All three ad blocks appeared (this always seems to signify the issue - and need for another unwanted system reset - has been averted).

I've tested several times since, shutting down and starting up in offline mode (and switching to online once the system is up and running) ... and have had ZERO problems, just like the last two months.

So to ANYONE who can actually pass the word along to the relevant people ... this is NOT an isolated hardware issue that is still mysteriously affecting a fair number of users on a far-too-frequent and recurring basis. And simply telling people to do a system reset (or offline update) every damn time it happens is NOT a real solution. Neither is my 'offline start up and shut down' approach - but at least it has kept my system working normally for two months, instead of having to reset it at least once a week for the last half-a-bloody-year plus while MS seemingly continues to ignore the problem.

And for anyone out there still dealing with this absolute and utter garbage too - ALWAYS make sure to be in offline mode to shut down and start up! I can't promise it'll be 100% effective, but for the last two months it has made my system usable again, rather than nothing more than a source of ongoing frustration and the cause of an unnatural urge to buy a sledgehammer!

R-5z_93#TL(S)'70[X]&

Hi I too have seen the numerous woes of the pc and console users I have come to the conclusion that they have turned their backs on us gamers so much so as to make you believe that there is a fault with your system all of a sudden you find you can't play your games. Here is what I think is happening They are hoping that you will get tired of your pc/consoles in favor for the new monthly subscription only service and play nearly any game you want so long as you don't miss a payment and play everyday to make the subscription worth paying, however I am not sure what happens if your late with a payment maybe they just stop you from accessing the website or game which could prove challenging depending on the type game your playing. so they are no longer interested in supporting the pc/console community. As I was about to buy a PS5 or XBOX series X I started to see if there was any issues with these and well there are loads of you with issues of one thing or another and all have said its a recent thing your playing your games everything going well and you go to bed wake up switch on and nothing happens or there is a fault with your system that was not there before! and like me you go through all the procedures under the sun to get your system to allow you to play your games uninterrupted and continue your game/games from the point at which you last saved them only to find you can't do so no more! Now bear in mind when a game gets updated if its on the subscription service there are issues with the so called ball of cotton wool known commonly as the cloud as its been found that there are bottleneck issues with data this in turn slows down the speed at which your system gets it sometimes called 'lag' this in turn can cause 'timeouts' if your system is waiting for a response for example a game then it will 'terminate' or 'connection lost' for what ever reason followed with maybe an error code or maybe not like system shutting down whilst playing your game As in my case someone is remotely forcing my game to quit accessing my external drive and shutting it down It happens throughout the day and is variable sometimes before I start to play a game or just started to play a game or maybe 30 mins or so into a game and nearly always before I can save my game. There are people who can help me but not in this way a route I would not like to take. I got such an error code but cannot find a corresponding match. it does not exist. maybe fake. And so like your good self I too have a good fiber network connection but still it is claimed that it is my system at fault and on checking with my ISP (Internet Service Provider) found out there is nothing wrong with my service or equipment. I checked my hardware for the XBOX ONE and there is no issues with it also my games and also my cables no issues with them so I can only presume that I am being forced to leave my console in favor for the subscription service only...NO WAY!!! As for the games lets hypothetically say COD for example when its gets updated all games of COD of whatever version get the update but there is a rule hey to play this game you must be subscribed to the subscription service well most of us have a copy and we are not so the computer thinks that we should not be allowed to continue to play our version of the game as we are not on its register of being a subscriber on a particular website in order to play it. because your version is technically obsolete and also your device because of the new subscription service the only way its going to get subscribers is to kill off the pc and console users think about it for a moment. I am amazed but not surprised that good people have spent loads of money on either old or new systems only to find a minutes down the line there system dose not work the way it should or there not getting much help with there issues This might well be due to they are moving to subscription only website where you can play any almost any game for a monthly fee not sure but I think for my area its about £40.00 per month could be a bit less or could be much more! As for me that equates to buying 1 game per month without being subscribed or tied to a contract and could play the game anytime I want and I have no subscription to worry about there will be times where you either don't feel like playing any game for awhile no so with a subscription running as if you have not played for a month you still have to pay the subscription fee something to be aware of. I am wondering that if I subscribed to such a service that any of my games I already previously own would play without incident bear in mind it would be a bit silly to ask for a subscription and find you can't supply what the subscriber is paying for without incident. They may get you just to keep re installing the game from fresh the only problem with this any saved game data is/maybe lost as its a fresh install and you have to un install the previous version or it is done automatically and you may or may not be able to play your saved games. If playing a game that has its own dedicated servers you may find your game becomes slower as a result of the load/demand placed on the server your linked with and again 'lag' and 'timeout' issues also arise here to messages like Sorry server is down due to maintenance or Sorry No internet connection error code Blahblahblah and so on even when you know there is nothing wrong on your side of the fence. I suppose you could google something are pc and consoles being phased out for the subscription service or visit https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...ove-cloud-obscure-console-systems/4261137002/ This is why I think We as pc and console users are experiencing the issues we have. How else are they going to get subscribers? They have to prize all of us from our systems and games to become so fed up with the issues we are currently facing hence the lack of support. The next console wont be a console the way we know of it it will be just a box to hook up to the net so that you can subscribe and play nearly all the games you could ever want to play but bear in mind if 1 channels has lets say Minecraft but dose not have Halo for example because its exclusive to channel 2 you could be paying for another subscription just so you can play it and also the format of the game and platform could also lead to more subscription's for example PC, XBOX, Playstation etc. let's say it costs £40.00 per month for the PC and then you want to use the XBOX that may cost you another £40.00 per month and what about the PS that may also be another £40.00 with 3 systems that's £120.00 per month You might still be able to just pay £40.00 if the website allows multiple devices. The price you pay depends on where you live though I for one will not be forced to subscribe in order to play my games not keen on multiplayer games as I like my stand alone 1 player games. Years ago you were able to buy a game insert the tape/ floppy disc/cartridge or later the 3.25in disc and then CD's depending how long it took to upload the game and away you go no addons no in game purchases if a game did not work you took it back to the retailer either get a replacement or a refund. tape based games was a nightmare you never know if the tape machine was hungry and will chew up your new game tape and the noise of the modem screeching away and when it goes silent never knowing if it has fully loaded into the pc and then moments later starts again or the dreaded stop as it came across a problem with the tape or the tape headers needing cleaning and another couple of hours to wait before you can play as you try to reload the game. what do you think I'm gutted as was thinking about getting a PS5 or the XBOX series X until I found out about the issues with them and finding out about the future of pc and console gaming =( Stay safe everyone and Happy Gaming to you all! =)

SauerKrapp

I’m experiencing the same exact ****. I have done numerous hard resets and even the system reset that saves your games and apps but to no avail. I’m not sure if doing an offline update will fix things. Seriously considering going the route you mention of getting a 4k box that I can load all the apps onto and ditch the xbox.

GSOD, BSOD and the ongoing nonsense with System Updates