Xbox One Factory Reset (USB Method) Failed with 'update.log' Errors Back to USB Drive

Tim#Fisher · Aug 20, 2023

I have followed the steps in How to reset your Xbox console to factory defaults. This is the USB-based method, to be clear. This was in response to my Xbox One producing no output on the TV. I followed other standard troubleshooting to ensure the issue was with the Xbox, not my TV, cable, etc.

I get the two "power on" beeps while holding the pair and eject buttons but then I quickly get the "power down" sound, indicating that something about this process did not work.

I was about to recycle my Xbox hardware and move on with life but happened to stick my USB drive back into my Windows PC and I noticed a new file in the "$SystemUpdate" folder: update.log. I opened this file in Notepad in Windows and found two lines:

0000000000002b26 00000004 0000000000000502 8000000a ffffffff

0000000000003299 00000004 0000000000000504 8b050041 00000018

I can't be sure if there are two lines because I tried twice with this USB stick (can't recall - I did a bunch of stuff with several drives / downloads of the restore file) or if it produced both as part of a single fail. Regardless...

Does this mean anything to anyone? Maybe a memory issue reference (I remember long strings of these sorts of things on older PC hardware when RAM would fail)? Maybe a specific set of codes that tells someone in the Xbox dev world what's wrong?

:)

Mae Sev.

Hello Tim#Fisher,

Welcome to Xbox Forums. We appreciate you for sharing your concern with us.

We understand the situation that you currently have regarding with experiencing issues with resetting your Xbox One console to factory defaults using the USB method. From the information provided, it seems that the factory reset process is not completing successfully. Unfortunately, the error codes you mentioned in the update.log provide any specific information about the cause of the issue.

One of the possible solutions to this issue is to try performing an offline system update using a USB flash drive. This can help resolve issues caused by an unsuccessful update on your Xbox console. You can find detailed instructions on how to perform an offline system update on the Xbox Support website.

Also. I recommend trying the following steps:

1. Make sure that you have downloaded the correct version of the Xbox One OS file for your console. You can check the version of your console by going to Settings > System > Console info & updates.

2. Format your USB drive to NTFS file system and make sure that it has enough space to store the OS file.

3. Download the OS file again from the official Xbox website and copy it to the root directory of your USB drive. Make sure that the file is not inside any folder.

4. Disconnect all accessories and external storage devices from your console, except for the power cable and the USB drive.

5. Press and hold the Bind button (located on the left side of the console) and the Eject button (located on the front of the console), and then press the Xbox button on the console.

6. Continue holding the Bind and Eject buttons for 10-15 seconds or until you hear two power-up tones.

7. Release the Bind and Eject buttons after the second power-up tone, and the console should start the update process automatically.

If the above steps do not work, you may need to contact Xbox Support for further assistance. They may be able to provide additional troubleshooting steps.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Kind regards,

Microsoft Community Moderator

Mae Sev.

Hello Tim#Fisher,

We haven't heard from you in 72 hours, so we will consider your issue resolved. If you do need further help, please create a new thread to discuss your concerns through this link: Create a new question or start a new discussion (microsoft.com), as we will not be monitoring this thread going forward.

Thank you for understanding.

Respectfully,

Microsoft Moderator

Twizted Team

Sorry to hear that, the only thing I can think of currently is to try the USB factory reset method found here: support.xbox.com/.../reset-factory-defaults-using-usb-flash-drive

Twizted Team

I see, if you were able to skip the update and get into Settings app we could reset the whole console

support.xbox.com/.../reset-console-to-factory-defaults

But, since your not able to the only thing I can think of currently is to use the USB method of factory resetting the console

support.xbox.com/.../reset-factory-defaults-using-usb-flash-drive

You mentioned attempting to USB update but have you tried USB factory resetting?

Does anyone else have any ideas before taking this drastic step?

skylaar

If all else fails, I have had luck with the USB option for a reset. It really puts you back to a clean slate. There is some work involved but it worked for me on one of my past consoles.

https://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/console/reset-factory-defaults-using-usb-flash-drive

Xbox One Factory Reset (USB Method) Failed with 'update.log' Errors Back to USB Drive