Performing a Black Hole Blowjob with an XBox 360.

[KodiaX987]

Today, I brought an XBox 360 home and attempted to set it up with everything it needs to connect to Live. For this report, I will be using my Nintendo Wii as a baseline, going by the following specs:

Connection type: Wireless
Cost to connect: 0$
Time to setup: 5 minutes
Connection reliability: Excellent

Now for the 360:

-Wireless is available - so long as you want to buy an extra device that costs you 100$.
-The console is unable to recognize any PC on the network.
-Here's a better joke: All four PCs on the network is able to recognize the 360's presence on the network.
-Attempting to share a media library over the network makes Windows Media Player crash. On all four PCs.
-The 360 somehow reads MP3s but refuses to copy them, forcing one to burn an audio CD and then rip it back into file form on the console itself.
-The 360 also claims that it will have trouble connecting to the Internet but specifies no reason as to why other than some generic "there is a problem with your connection".
-Half the connection attempts are successful. On the other half, it claims UPnP isn't enabled.
-By the way, UPnP is enabled.

Connection type: Wired
Cost to connect: 0$ - but 100$ if I want to upgrade to wireless.
Time to setup: 4 hours and counting
Connection reliability: Poor

Message to the 360's setup interface: you suck. You fucking suck dick. You suck even the light around you. You are the most excrutiatingly painful process I've ever went through. And the kicker: even after trying every trick in the book, you still don't work properly.

[Shadowpawn]

Mmm...blackhole blowjobs...*drools*.

...

Oh right, dude that sucks. What operating system are all of the PC's running on? Vista or XP? Besides the XBox 360 software being a piece of crap, that might have something to do with it.

[Zarode]

http://ps3mediaserver.blogspot.com/

Use it. I know it says PS3, but use it. It works. TVersity works too, but PS3 Media Server is a bit more lightweight.

Also, Microsoft loves their moneys.

[Kylie]

It might be easier to connect your Wii to the Internet, initially, but the 360 trumps it in every other category. I really never had trouble with it though; that is, until I switched out my routers. I had more trouble with my PS3 than my 360 for that though. Oh, and I've never really used the media extender. After reading about it, I really wasn't interested.

[amtalx]

IMO, Wireless ALWAYS fails compared to wired. Wireless is basically a built in bottleneck and PITA. Sucks you're having issues though. 360's can be pretty picky about which computers it recognizes. TVersity Media Server is probably the best 3rd party app I've used for media sharing. PlayOn allows for streaming of video sites (Hulu, youtube, etc.) and I think it allows for media server capabilities as well.

@Kylie: The Zune software has the same features and is MUCH easier to use than the media extender. Just leave the Zune software running on your PC and you can access all your music through the network.

[Volcompat321]

I use the Zune software. :D

[Kent]

...Wow, really? I just plug my 360 into the network and it just works. The only thing that doesn't is trying to use Windows Media Center on the thing, but only my laptop has that, so it's pretty pointless...

But yes, Zune software pretty much just wins.

[OrangeTippedGun]

My Xbox 360 used to stream media excellently. That was, until it went straight to crap after it got this virus. It was eventually fixed, but now I'm having the same freakin' problem you are with streaming my media. My Xbox 360 can't find my PC (yes it's in the same network and all that crap).

[Lance813]

Today, I brought an XBox 360 home...

Well, I've found your problem.

Actually, I'm just pissed because my most advanced console is a Gamecube...

[Nitro Vordex]

Well, I've found your problem.

Actually, I'm just pissed because my most advanced console is a Gamecube...
When everyone had PS2's, Gamecubes, and Xbloxes, I had a Dreamcast.

But I wasn't complaining. :wacko:

[Volcompat321]

I had my PS2 forever too.
Actually, until Christmas last year, the only system I had was PS2.
I had a PSP, but I don't think that counts as a system, does it? If so, then PSP and PS2 it is.

[W0LB0T]

When everyone had PS2's, Gamecubes, and Xbloxes, I had a Dreamcast.

But I wasn't complaining. :wacko:

Why would you be complaning. You had a fucking Dreamcast. Thats like having a 6 pack of beer, while everyone else has to make do with soda.

Now back on topic.

The only way I've ever been able to get an Eckswbacksfreesickstea to connect to the internet is connect that fucker directly to the modem.

[KodiaX987]

Update


-Zune software didn't make my playlist any more visible on the network. In fact, its service crashes on startup.
-Nor did PS3 Media Server
-TVersity managed to work after I restarted its service about four times.

End result:

Connection type: Wired
Cost to connect: 0$ - but 100$ if I want to upgrade to wireless.
Time to setup: 20 hours
Connection reliability: Poor

[Zarode]

Jesus. :/ That's all I got. Something isn't going right. What OS are you running?

[OrangeTippedGun]

Update


-Zune software didn't make my playlist any more visible on the network. In fact, its service crashes on startup.
-Nor did PS3 Media Server
-TVersity managed to work after I restarted its service about four times.

End result:

Connection type: Wired
Cost to connect: 0$ - but 100$ if I want to upgrade to wireless.
Time to setup: 20 hours
Connection reliability: Poor

Maybe Microsoft just hates you because no one is having as hard of a time as you are.

:-)

[Nitro Vordex]

If Kodia can't get it running, that probably means it's not his fault.

Poor guy. ;-;

I wish I could help, but I'm running the more reliable wired connection. :sad:

[amtalx]

If ALL of those programs aren't working, its the network. Check firewall settings and open ports.

[KodiaX987]

No firewall, and the router has UPnP enabled.

Too bad the 360 never caught on to that fact. :wacko:

[Outrider]

I would really love to see one of these situations in which the Zune software works like it's supposed to, because I've used it or seen it used on a variety of machines over the past few years and I've yet to see that ever.

I use my Zune with my computer and it starts duplicating files and having trouble adding a podcast that it already added five seconds ago.

And then I come to this forum, and everybody's like, "Oh man, Zune is so awesome, it baked me cookies while giving me a high five!"

Basically, I would like to visit the world everybody else is living in, even if just for a few minutes.

[amtalx]

No firewall, and the router has UPnP enabled.

Too bad the 360 never caught on to that fact. :wacko:

Not sure if UPnP is necessary. I have it disabled on my router and everything works fine. Try turning it off and see if that works. It may be a hardware compatibility issue if disabling UPnP doesn't solve it. I know PS3s have an issue with the WRT54G series of Linksys routers. Every time I turned on my f*cking PS3 it would reboot my router and blow out my routing table. Maybe 360s have a similar issue I'm not aware of.

@Outrider: A lot of the issues were ironed out with v3.0. You should have it though since I believe it forces the update. You might just have bad luck. If iTunes didn't have a larger library of music I would have uninstalled it long ago. The Zune software interface is much better for managing large amounts of music. Aside from having to resubscribe to podcasts on occasion, my experience has been largely positive.

[Outrider]

@Outrider: A lot of the issues were ironed out with v3.0. You should have it though since I believe it forces the update. You might just have bad luck. If iTunes didn't have a larger library of music I would have uninstalled it long ago. The Zune software interface is much better for managing large amounts of music. Aside from having to resubscribe to podcasts on occasion, my experience has been largely positive.

I know. I accepted the fact that I'm the unlucky odd man out long ago.