What are the "chances" that an E 74 error could "happen" to turn into a red-ring of death?

What are the "chances" that an E 74 error could "happen" to turn into a red-ring of death?

My RROD started as an E74. But the very next boot after I got the E74 was a RROD.

6 days later and it hasn't changed to a RRoD.

I called Target (I bought an extended warranty) and the process sounds exactly like what Microsoft would do; they send a box, I send my 360 to them, they "fix" it, I get it back. However, the customer service rep I talked to said Target requires the hard drive to be sent in with the 360 and it's possible my saved game data could be erased so I should transfer the data to a memory card (I don't have one).

So even if I did have a memory card, how in the world could I transfer saved data from a console I can't even use?

6 days later and it hasn't changed to a RRoD.

I called Target (I bought an extended warranty) and the process sounds exactly like what Microsoft would do; they send a box, I send my 360 to them, they "fix" it, I get it back. However, the customer service rep I talked to said Target requires the hard drive to be sent in with the 360 and it's possible my saved game data could be erased so I should transfer the data to a memory card (I don't have one).

So even if I did have a memory card, how in the world could I transfer saved data from a console I can't even use?

What's the point of getting a Target warranty if all they have to offer is the same hassle as the Microsoft warranty? Actually, it sounds worse if they are making you return the hard drive. Now you have to purchase a memory card in addition to the useless Target warranty you already purchased.

6 days later and it hasn't changed to a RRoD.

I called Target (I bought an extended warranty) and the process sounds exactly like what Microsoft would do; they send a box, I send my 360 to them, they "fix" it, I get it back. However, the customer service rep I talked to said Target requires the hard drive to be sent in with the 360 and it's possible my saved game data could be erased so I should transfer the data to a memory card (I don't have one).

So even if I did have a memory card, how in the world could I transfer saved data from a console I can't even use?

That has to be the WORST "warranty" I have ever heard of

My understanding is, going this route saves me from an out-of-pocket expense to have Microsoft repair the console. The info I've read concerning the E 74 error states it is not covered by the 3 year warranty for RRoD, therefore the customer is billed for repair.

P.S. - I bought the warranty when I bought the console 14 months ago. It's not like I bought the warranty after the problem started. At the time I was under the impression the warranty was much like Best Buy's old set-up where the customer simply brought the console back and received a replacement.

What were the symptoms of your E74? Just curious as I was/am getting a green tint, flaky scaler & occasional freeze... however no red lights.

I called M$ and they said I needed to send it in - for an additional $99. I'm pretty sure I was on the fast track for E74 single red light as well. Sucks its not covered in the new 3 yr extended warranty.

Oh well. It gave me an excuse to crack the case open & do some hands-on tinkering...

What were the symptoms of your E74? Just curious as I was/am getting a green tint, flaky scaler & occasional freeze... however no red lights.

I called M$ and they said I needed to send it in - for an additional $99. I'm pretty sure I was on the fast track for E74 single red light as well. Sucks its not covered in the new 3 yr extended warranty.

Oh well. It gave me an excuse to crack the case open & do some hands-on tinkering...

The night before I was playing Halo 3 and the screen had a static-like disturbance to it. The dashboard was clear of this, but as soon as the game started up it began. That's the only thing that seemed wrong with the 360.

I checked on Llama for the error code and it said

E74: AV cable error... There is a problem with the AV cable, try using a different AV cable. If the cable is known to be working then there is a 90% chance it's a scaler chip problem (the "ANA" or "HANA" chip connected directly to the AV cable) in rare cases it is the GPU.

Is there a spare cable you can try?

I checked on Llama for the error code and it said

E74: AV cable error... There is a problem with the AV cable, try using a different AV cable. If the cable is known to be working then there is a 90% chance it's a scaler chip problem (the "ANA" or "HANA" chip connected directly to the AV cable) in rare cases it is the GPU.

Is there a spare cable you can try?

Tried a different HDMI cable and I still got the E 74 message.

Bummer...

On the plus side, I've already received the box and the center they send them to is less than 300 miles away.

However, the packing instructions specifically say to include the "AC Adapter/Cord" and to "place any accessories next to unit". The Xbox itself barely fits inside the box with all the foam it has so I don't know how the heck I'm going to get everything else to fit.

P.S. - Thanks for bringing that to my attention Dejected...I didn't think of trying a different cable. I tend to get too pessimistic when things go wrong with my electronics so I just accepted my only option was to send the thing in.