XBOX One Software / Hard Drive Problems
XBOX One Software / Hard Drive Troubleshooting Faults
Difficulty Level - Medium
Whichever model of XBOX One console you have, troubleshooting software or hard drive problems starts here. The principles involved are the same.
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You will need to take it one step at a time, and adopt a process of elimination.
Be patient, follow the steps below, and watch the videos. Worst case scenario is you will need a replacement hard drive.
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You can buy them from our shop, pre-partitioned, or get a blank one from Amazon, and follow our XBOX One Partition Guide. Links to hard drives on Amazon are below, and you can then follow our guide to partition and install.
Software Symptoms
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- Console asking for Offline Update
- XBOX One Blank Screen
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- XBOX One Freezing on Dashboard
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- XBOX One Error Codes
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- XBOX One Stuck On Update
Tools Needed
Software issues are common with the Xbox One console, and it is highly likely you will encounter an issue at some point during the ownership of your Xbox, whichever model you have.
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Under normal circumstances, your Xbox One will automatically update your console, and you don't have to lift a finger. That's the way you would think it should be! But this isn't always the case.
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Due to software bugs, internet problems, hard drive issues etc, there may be a time when you have to perform an offline software update.
This will normally resolve your issue. But in some circumstances, this may not be enough, and your hard drive may have developed a fault that needs further troubleshooting. For all software and hard drive issues, the procedure is as follows:
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1. As stated above, if you've got an ethernet cable, plug it in to your XBOX One and router. Let your console stay on for a long time - an hour at least. If this doesn't correct your fault, move on to the next step.
2. Put the XBOX One into Troubleshooting mode. (To do this, watch the second video below, up until 2 mins 30) Click on "Reset This XBOX" option. You should get an option to keep your files. Select this option, and see if that works. If not, move on to the next step.
3. We will attempt to update the Xbox offline. See "Updating Your XBOX One" below, and watch the first video.
5. Finally, if all else fails, you will need to replace your hard drive, and I'll show you how to do that on the
XBOX One Hard Drive Replacement pages - (If and when you are ready to do this, choose your model below:)
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XBOX One Original Hard Drive Replacement
XBOX One S Hard Drive Replacement
XBOX One X Hard Drive Replacement
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Updating Your XBOX One Console Using the OSU1 File.
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As always, we need to go through a logical series of steps, so start with the video below where I will get you to go onto Microsoft's website and download the Offline Software Update File. You will need a USB Memory Stick to be able to do this, with a minimum of 8GB+ of memory.
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But first, if you are experiencing a blank screen, my advice before you do anything else is to leave the console on, and come back in a couple of hours.
Even better, if you've got a CAT6 ethernet cable, plug it into your console at one end, and your internet router at the other.
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Then just leave your console on, for a long time. This can often help the console to correct itself, without having to resort to any other further troubleshooting.
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But if this doesn't resolve the issue, you will need the Offline Software Update OSU1, check the video out below.
XBOX One Offline Software Update Tutorial Video - Part 1
STEP BY STEP
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The process is this:
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We are going to get the XBOX One software update OSU1 from Microsoft's website, and then download it on to a USB stick.
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Once we've done this correctly, we will then use this to update the console. This method allows us to manually force the console to update, or fix.
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1. Firstly, you will need a USB Stick, preferably 8GB+, but 4GB should normally do. You will also nee a PC or laptop.
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2. Plug your USB stick into your computer. We are going to format it.
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3. When File Explorer (Windows 10) opens with your USB stick contents, locate the drive letter, in the left hand column - usually Drive D or E.
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If File Explorer doesn't open up, click on the yellow folder on the task bar of your computer, at the bottom.
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4. Right Click onto the drive as shown in the left hand column, and click on Format.
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5. Make sure that NTFS is the file system selected, NOT Fat32 or ExFat. Click on Start.
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6. This will now prepare your USB stick for proper use.
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7. Now click on the link below for Microsoft's XBOX One Software Update page -
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https://beta.support.xbox.com/help/hardware-network/console/system-update-solution
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8. Have a read through.
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9. Then on this page, click on the link highlighted "Perform An Offline System Update"
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10. Locate the section "Download Offline System Update File OSU1", and this will download the OSU1 file.
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PLEASE NOTE -
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The OSU1 file is the main software file. This is MOST LIKELY the one you need. It fixes most problems, software bugs, updates, fixes, and also can be used to replace your hard drive with another (pre-partitioned) hard drive.
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11. The OSU1 file will take a few minutes to download.
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12. Once downloaded, it can be found in Downloads on your computer, in File Explorer. Go to Downloads.
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13. Double click onto the OSU1 folder, to reveal the file inside, called SystemUpdate.
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14. This is the file we want to transfer to our USB stick. Left click on to it, and drag it onto your USB stick (bottom left hand column) and drop it into your USB Stick.
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15. Your SystemUpdate file is now on your USB stick, and you can now remove the USB stick from your computer.
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We are now ready to upload the system file onto your XBOX One console.
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Proceed to the next video.
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XBOX One Offline Software Update Tutorial Video - Part 2
STEP BY STEP
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Once you have prepared your USB stick, it's time to upload the file onto your console.
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1. Put your USB stick into a USB port on your XBOX One.
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2. We need to boot the XBOX One up into Safe Mode (Troubleshooting Mode). Hold the Sync Button and the Eject Button down, with 2 fingers of one hand.
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While keeping them held down, with your other hand, switch the console on. Be sure to keep the 2 other buttons held down, for around 8-10 seconds, until you hear a second beep from the console.
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3. The XBOX should now boot up into Safe Mode. If it doesn't, try it again. If you don't hear a second beep, you may well have a faulty hard drive. You could try again WITHOUT the USB stick in. If you can't access Safe Mode after this second attempt, you need to look at Replacing Your XBOX One Hard Drive
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4. Now you are in Safe Mode, move the cursor on the screen across to the Offline System Update icon, and click on it.
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5. Your console should now start updating.
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At this point, problems can arise. If your console doesn't accept the update, its time to try again.
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My advice is this:
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- Firstly, switch the console off, and try again - Put the console into Safe Mode, and then try and upload.
- If this doesn't work, Format your USB stick again, making sure its formatted to NTFS. Delete the old OSU1 file from your Downloads.
Then go back to the XBOX One website, and download the update AGAIN. Make sure you select the new OSU1 file in your downloads, and drag it and put on to your USB stick again. Try the Update on your console again.
- If you still have a problem, its time to try Resetting your console to Factory Settings. You can do this by Booting into Safe Mode, and clicking on the Factory Reset icon.
- Failing that, you can download the Factory Reset Update from Microsoft's website here -
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- https://beta.support.xbox.com/help/hardware-network/console/reset-console-to-factory-defaults
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-If this still doesn't work, and you've got an XBOX One S or XBOX One X, then you need a new hard drive. To replace the hard drive, you will need a pre-formatted hard drive and OSU1 file, which you can buy from my shop, links at the bottom of the page. Please see my XBOX One Hard Drive Replacement page for more information.
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- If you've got an XBOX One Original, you may need to download the OSU2 or OSU3 file update first. Go to the XBOX One website, and CHECK YOUR OPERATION SYSTEM. This will tell you which of the 2 updates you need to do first. Download the correct file to your USB stick in the same way as you did with the OSU1 file, upload to your Xbox One, then once done, Format your USB stick, and put the OSU1 file back on to it. Then finally, update the Xbox using the OSU1 file.
You can check your XBOX One Original OS version here -
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Also, you can check my little video out below, for a bit of advice about OSU2 and OSU3 versions.
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If you still have problems after this, it's time to think about replacing your internal hard drive. See my XBOX One Hard Drive Replacement page for further info.
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If you have been successful with your update, then the console should revert back to normal, or if the Factory Reset is successful, the console will boot itself back up, and you have a brand new clean hard drive, and away you go!
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