Halo 3: ODST Forum
This topic has moved here: Subject: Disc Unreadable
  • Subject: Disc Unreadable
Subject: Disc Unreadable

You killed Flipyap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - unkown grunt

let go of my purse i dont know you - Bobby Hill

silly rabbit,trix are for kids - selfish kids
stranger danger - ralph wiggum
i lost the game - some -blam-ing -blam-er

what if mine doesnt work i will have to send it back to newegg no fair bungie or microsoft better fix this

  • 09.23.2009 9:05 AM PDT

Yarrrr~

I just got my disc replaced at the retailer. Still have the exact same problem, the goddamn game just dosen't want to load after the cutscene of the first mission. Installing it to the harddrive dosen't work either i might add. So i guess it's my Xbox. Unfortunately i don't have the money to go and spend on a brand new console.

I'm so annoyed... if this is going to be a problem with future Xbox games, then i don't see the point in keeping my console.

[Edited on 09.23.2009 9:08 AM PDT]

  • 09.23.2009 9:07 AM PDT

A friend of mine is having the same issues, in order to help further along the troubleshooting process I am going to list everything that will help.

Important info:
- His box is a first generation box
- The game freezes while loading the first firefight map and in the campaign after it plays the cutscene of opening the girls pod
- Important to note that it can load the map 1/3 times. (This is just an estimate, the actual success rate may be higher or lower)
- It seems that all of the other firefight maps do not give the error

Things I tried:
- Using my working disc on his 360
- Installing to HD
- Opening the xbox/dvd drive and cleaning the lens
- Tried with the HD removed
- Installed another working dvd drive from my old 360 into his.

This narrows it down quite a bit. My guess is that the issue lies in the first generation dvd drive.

Is anyone with a first generation 360 running ODST just fine? If that's the case can you do me a favor and try loading the first firefight map multiple times to double check.

  • 09.23.2009 9:11 AM PDT

I like BETAz.

they may have fixed it.

I just tried running my copy with the HD detached, which did work. but after i rebooted my box so i could reconnect the HD i was prompted to update my xbox and now ODST running fine.




  • 09.23.2009 9:12 AM PDT

Everyone in the hog:P

There was a console update earlier, Didn't fix it.

  • 09.23.2009 9:16 AM PDT

I like BETAz.

yep your right, i was able to play as far as the first flash back item, then it popped up with "the disc is unreadable" again.

  • 09.23.2009 9:25 AM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

Shouldn't a Mod Be Reading This By Now For God Sake

  • 09.23.2009 9:35 AM PDT

dont hate the player, hate the game

some one email bungie with the problemm!

  • 09.23.2009 9:38 AM PDT

IM GODS CHILD BUT YEA I GOT DEVILISH GAME

Posted by: Drumble
A friend of mine is having the same issues, in order to help further along the troubleshooting process I am going to list everything that will help.

Important info:
- His box is a first generation box
- The game freezes while loading the first firefight map and in the campaign after it plays the cutscene of opening the girls pod
- Important to note that it can load the map 1/3 times. (This is just an estimate, the actual success rate may be higher or lower)
- It seems that all of the other firefight maps do not give the error

Things I tried:
- Using my working disc on his 360
- Installing to HD
- Opening the xbox/dvd drive and cleaning the lens
- Tried with the HD removed
- Installed another working dvd drive from my old 360 into his.

This narrows it down quite a bit. My guess is that the issue lies in the first generation dvd drive.

Is anyone with a first generation 360 running ODST just fine? If that's the case can you do me a favor and try loading the first firefight map multiple times to double check.


My MFR date is 2008-07-26 (but i dont think that counts as 1st Gen right?) and Everything seems to be fine. I've played firefight on multiple maps and have played through the game on heroic.
My friend has problems with his game, specifically when we try to play firefight(he gets the disc unreadable error).Although i have not asked him his MFR date, he said he has had the xbox since it first came out.
Although, i doubt this is the problem, seeing as how multiple people have stated they have newer xbox's and are still having the same problem.

...Good luck everyone. Dont worry too much, i imagine bungie will have a patch or somethin eventually. Just give it some time =D
Although th

  • 09.23.2009 9:37 AM PDT

◘♪♫♪Flyin through your neighborhood at hyperspeed, astro travelin♪♫♪◘
Ω∞Hora Incerta Mors Certa ∞Ω
◘Rumble, young man, Rumble◘ Ω∞Muhammad Ali∞Ω
♠♣♥♦Gamertag♦♥♣♠ Guy La Deoche

Posted by: Pettifer7
Shouldn't a Mod Be Reading This By Now For God Sake


I have sent a PM yesterday afternoon to Foman ((ninja)super ninja)and directed his attention to this I really don't know who to contact but I imagine the ninjas know whos attention to grab. Just keep this up on the front page and keeping it civil...

no response as of yet... still crashing on me... sad face...

[Edited on 09.23.2009 9:41 AM PDT]

  • 09.23.2009 9:40 AM PDT

Posted by: guy la deoche
Posted by: Pettifer7
Shouldn't a Mod Be Reading This By Now For God Sake


I have sent a PM yesterday afternoon to Foman ((ninja)super ninja)and directed his attention to this I really don't know who to contact but I imagine the ninjas know whos attention to grab. Just keep this up on the front page and keeping it civil...

no response as of yet... still crashing on me... sad face...

POSSIBLE SPOILER: PLEASE SKIP IF CAMPAIGN NOT FINISHED!
I'm assuming the reason they aren't replying to this thread is because they are aware of the problem and working to fix it. I also have a gen 1 xbox.I have also noticed that when I play firefight with ANYONE on xbox live, it lags horribly. Problem with that is I know I have a good connection. I put Halo 3 in to make sure it wasn't my connection and it worked like a charm. Back to ODST and lag in FF. Only when playing on live though. Single and split screen don't lag. Also, you guys said you got the disc error after the first cutscene by the pod? Weird. I got mine after the flying section. Cutscene at the end. Had to start the level over.

  • 09.23.2009 9:47 AM PDT

How's life?

Takin' forever...

Sorry that I'm late to the party...Maybe you guys have resolved this already.

We had two folks come into GameStop with this exact problem after buying the game yesterday. I suggested clearing the XBOX's cache. It worked for one guy who called us back to let us know.

Go to your System Settings > Memory > Highlight your Hard drive > press 'X X LB RB X X' > Perform Maintenance > Enjoy ODST.

Hopefully this helps some of you. The discs are pretty much all identical, so if you're getting this 'Cannot Read Disc' error, try the above steps at your own risk. Don't just return your discs over and over to GameStop or Best Buy or wherever else...we can't do much about it other than give you copies that could be going to people with the patience to try other options.

Bye Bye.
<3 Puga

  • 09.23.2009 10:02 AM PDT

I did that before I even tried to play the game, actually. Obviously that didn't help me, but it may help others. Thanks for the tip.

  • 09.23.2009 10:04 AM PDT

Minor sucess ..now have firefight working with HD attached , but still no luck with Campaign - note this is after having installed the game to the HD.

  • 09.23.2009 10:04 AM PDT

How's life?

Takin' forever...

[Edit]
I'm dumb.

[Edited on 09.23.2009 10:17 AM PDT]

  • 09.23.2009 10:06 AM PDT

How's life?

Takin' forever...

I did that before I even tried to play the game, actually. Obviously that didn't help me, but it may help others. Thanks for the tip.


You also tried it after playing the game? It must have to do with the game putting some of the work on the HDD, and the HDD gets corrupted data or something...I'm talking out of my butt here...but it makes sense to people who don't know better.

Anyway, I hope that you get a chance to play soon.
Lights off. Sound up. Eyes on. Pants down.
Er....um...

[Edited on 09.23.2009 10:15 AM PDT]

  • 09.23.2009 10:14 AM PDT

Well I'm happy for you guys that it's just ODST that isn't working for you guys.

I had to sent my Xbox 360 back to Microsoft because I had a permanent RRoD. It is caused by either the update released earlier today, or Halo 3: ODST. Of course it could also be the saddest coincende ever, but I say it's been the update or ODST.

  • 09.23.2009 10:16 AM PDT

I like BETAz.

thanks for pointing out the cache clearing bit. i tried it yesterday but it provided no result.

The really annoying part at least from a retail standpoint is as of yesterday if you called in to MS for support their response was continuously "just return the discs". when i advised the MS rep i spoke to that we did try out my replacement disc on the in-store 360 kiosk, and that it worked perfectly there yet not it my home system, the MS rep still insisted that i needed to exchange the disc.


  • 09.23.2009 10:17 AM PDT

Clearing the cache will not fix this problem; I would be willing to bet the person whose problem you "fixed" will be sorely disappointed when trying to play the first firefight map multiple times. If you read through the posts here you will see that the problem persists even with the HD detached.

If you were having this problem and think you fixed it, try loading the first firefight map 5 times. Chances are you just happened to get lucky when it loaded the first time.

[Edited on 09.23.2009 10:23 AM PDT]

  • 09.23.2009 10:20 AM PDT

Everyone in the hog:P

Tried cache clearing no luck.

You know whats really annoying me, the fact i don't know if its my xbox or game or what! Just wish someone from bungie will just come and say

"Yeah we know and were working on it"

That would make me happy.

  • 09.23.2009 10:26 AM PDT

◘♪♫♪Flyin through your neighborhood at hyperspeed, astro travelin♪♫♪◘
Ω∞Hora Incerta Mors Certa ∞Ω
◘Rumble, young man, Rumble◘ Ω∞Muhammad Ali∞Ω
♠♣♥♦Gamertag♦♥♣♠ Guy La Deoche

The Cache clear didn't work for myself either... I did get to play another level though... only to have it do the same disc unreadable thing and start me back a level then do it again immediately after...

  • 09.23.2009 10:34 AM PDT

Yarrrr~

Nope, clearing the cache didn't work here either. Now i can't even load the first mission, lol!

  • 09.23.2009 10:38 AM PDT

Posted by: Every Puga
I did that before I even tried to play the game, actually. Obviously that didn't help me, but it may help others. Thanks for the tip.


You also tried it after playing the game? It must have to do with the game putting some of the work on the HDD, and the HDD gets corrupted data or something...I'm talking out of my butt here...but it makes sense to people who don't know better.

Anyway, I hope that you get a chance to play soon.
Lights off. Sound up. Eyes on. Pants down.
Er....um...

It seems I was a little luckier then some of you. I was able to complete the campaign. I only the got the disc read error once. My big problem is the framerate with online FF. I saw a hunter leap at me, and nothing moved for like a minute, then I was dead. And again, I'm sure Bungie is working on it. You gotta remember that they have some secret machine analyzing the system. I'm sure they saw a something weird when players were all dropping at some random point near dares crash site. And if not, they do watch the forums and the ninjas know who to talk too. I wonder why I haven't seen one in this particular thread yet?

[Edited on 09.23.2009 10:42 AM PDT]

  • 09.23.2009 10:39 AM PDT
  •  | 
  • Exalted Heroic Member

I think I may agree with most who say that the older Xbox's have this problem with reading the disk. Over the year with mine every so often I have to go and delete some of the content that I have downloaded, and I have a 120 gig on my xbox, which I never get to far over 30 or so filling it when it starts to act up. Also if you have ever checked to see how much dust you get in your xbox, and pet hair for those of you who have pets. I take an air hose, like compressed air 80 lbs or so, and blow out the entire xbox through the fins and back through the fans and into the disk area. I have had the overheating problem in the past and that has cured it every time.
My disk also gave me the (unreadable) at the first cut scene. tried loading to hardrive and still locked up again. Took it and blew it out although there was not much dust this time as I had just cleaned it 2 or 3 months ago. Then deleted the copy of halo ODST that I had put on previously and then reloaded to hard drive. Worked fine until the 3 cut scene but then made it through that as well. Wasn't sure if the update today helped or not because it was playing fine for a bit but then the xbox itself locked up.

Making sure that it is clean and dust free does help so maybe this will help some of you.

I work at a Body Shop so I just take an air blower and blow out the housing of the xbox every so often. The first time I had done it I could not believe how much dust and crap came out and after that it solved alot problems with locking up and freezes and disk reading. If you just move the air back and forth over the vents and fans without holding too long in one spot. You will notice that the dust comes out very quick and then when the dust kinda quits coming out it should be clean. If you worry about how nuch air preasure you use just start out lite and see how much crap you get out of it.

Hope this helps.

[Edited on 09.23.2009 11:01 AM PDT]

  • 09.23.2009 10:56 AM PDT

Everyone in the hog:P

Well just said to my dad how about i trade my xbox (since it is working) and then you give me the remainder for an elite and take it off my xmas.

Swear if it doesn't work I will be like RAWR!

  • 09.23.2009 10:58 AM PDT