Zune and Xbox Still Circling Down the Drain After Long Downtime

Dr. Roy Schestowitz

2009-06-22 11:15:07 UTC
Modified: 2009-06-22 11:15:07 UTC

American toilet

Summary: Microsoft's latest case study in technological incompetence

IF a Google service goes down for a few hours, then the pro-Microsoft press makes a lot of noise about it. When Microsoft's Azure goes down for 22 hours, hardly anyone cares. Frankly, whereas Google gets slammed harshly if GMail is unavailable (as a Web interface) for a short period of time, the press seems surprisingly apathetic or even apologetic when Microsoft suffers worse issues. The definition of a "hypocrite" (by some sources) is one who applies to others the standards he or she won't apply to him/herself. This makes Microsoft a true hypocrite.

“The Xbox exodus is a real ongoing problem and the same goes for Zune as well.”Anyway, on with the new story. The Xbox exodus is a real ongoing problem and the same goes for Zune as well. Both suffered from the departure of those who ran these abysmal projects. To make matters worse, several days ago Microsoft took down XBox and Zune services for a whole day. When the services came back they did not even work properly. It bodes poorly for Microsoft's already-poor reputation when it comes to reliability and uptime. Here are some reports on the subject:

i. Xbox Live Marketplace in Coma, Needs Wake-Up Call

Yesterday, we reported on the maintenance of Xbox Live, which brought down the service for a full 24 hours. Xbox Live came back online just a few moments before midnight PST. Playing online is functioning just fine, as are most of the features of the service. The marketplace, however, is in rough shape.

ii. Typical: Xbox Live downtime leads to Xbox Live problems

After spending all of Tuesday offline, Xbox Live is back with a bang ... or is that a whimper? Reports are coming in from all over the Internet of Live Marketplace not working properly and games disappearing off the face of the Earth. Oh Microsoft, will you ever win?

iii. Xbox Live returns after being off all day yesterday, but now some things are broken

After Microsoft shut down Xbox Live for over twenty-four hours yesterday, their online gaming service for the Xbox 360 is back online, but it's not working correctly for many users.

iv. Xbox Live having issues after maintenance

After yesterday's 24 hour maintenance session for Xbox Live, the service is operational again but appears to have some problems. Certain games from the marketplace have a purchase option, but not an option to download

v. Xbox Live still a little funky after those there updates

Hey there, amigo. Have you logged onto Xbox Live today? Don’t! Well, not unless you’re looking forward to dealing with a few post-maintenance glitches.

vi. Xbox Live's Return Brings Xbox Live Issues

At least we know they are aware of the problem. I'm just hoping they fix things soon, as I am starting to feel the shakes of pre-emptive Magic withdrawal.

vii. Xbox Live Still Down- Microsoft May Have Surprises

Some issues are pending and needs to be wind up before they close the scheduled maintenance so you are asked to hold on to the panicking mails which are being send across.

And yes, it's also a Zune issue:

viii. Xbox Live STILL Down On June 16th: Microsoft Says It Could Take 24 Hours

According to Yahoo News, "there will not be Zune Social, Zune Marketplace or Zune.net forums in that time either..."

This will serve as another important lesson in Microsoft's failures with technology. ⬆

Comments

pcolon

2009-06-23 01:47:24

Win 7 is not RTM; so what is it then?
contextfree

2009-06-22 17:31:45

The Azure services are currently at CTP stage which means alpha. I don't know that it would be appropriate for the press to slam MS for an interruption to a service that isn't even claimed to be at beta stage yet.

Andrew

2009-06-22 19:26:17

So if you can't slam MS for a beta, then why the praise for vista7 which is nothing but vaporware.

Roy Schestowitz

2009-06-22 19:34:49

I suspect it's a PR agent. They usually come from Comcast, based on other people's experience.

contextfree

2009-06-22 22:20:35

I'm not affiliated with MSFT, though I am currently employed as a Windows/.NET software developer. In the past I have developed on Unix as well.

contextfree

2009-06-22 22:16:34

Did you read what I wrote? It's not a beta, it's an alpha. As for W7, the exaggerated praise is an attempt to compensate for their previous exaggerated bashing of Vista, it's one of those weird press groupthink wave things. Vaporware strikes me as an inappropriate classification for an OS I have been running every day at work for a month though.

pcolon

2009-06-22 11:26:37

-"When Microsoft’s Azure goes down for 22 hours, hardly anyone cares."

Who uses it to even notice it's not there?

David Gerard

2009-06-22 11:51:32

Yeah. Gmail going down for two hours is news because people actually use it. Like the Facebook TOS change appearing ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE METRO! Because journalists and bored office workers are its main userbase ;-)

(I already live in my Gmail. I type stuff I need to remember into an email to myself specifically so I can search for it later.)

Roy Schestowitz

2009-06-22 11:54:36

You might want to put personal information on a personal server.

David Gerard

2009-06-22 11:57:05

*cough* well yeah. But it's OK! Google are Not Evil! And they'd never give information to an oppressive government unless they, like, asked for it or something!
Roy Schestowitz

2009-06-22 12:08:44

Indeed.

Lantos, to Microsoft: Is your company ashamed?

Microsoft: We comply with legally binding orders whether it's here in the U.S. or China.

Lantos: Well, IBM complied with legal orders when they cooperated with Nazi Germany. Those were legal orders under the Nazi German system...Do you think that IBM during that period had something to be ashamed of?

Microsoft: I can't speak to that. I'm not familiar in detail with IBM's activities in that period.

Lantos: You heard (Rep. Christopher Smith's) speech (click for PDF). Assuming that his words are accurate, is IBM to be ashamed of their action during that period?

Microsoft: Congressman, I don't think it's my position to say whether IBM should be ashamed.

David Gerard

2009-06-22 11:52:25

“there will not be Zune Social, Zune Marketplace or Zune.net forums in that time either…”

I'm sure both users will be very upset.

Roy Schestowitz

2009-06-22 19:35:41

And there I was thinking I was the only user. ;-)

European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Czech Mate: EPO Kingmaker or Merely a Pawn in the Game?: recent "missions" of the EPO President
SLAPP Censorship - Part 131 Out of 200: A Big Win for the Media in the United Kingdom (UK) Today: In a democratic society the Right to Know, which is closely connected to freedom of the press (or what one might label "blogging" or "blag"), comes above all else, except where there are lives being put at risk
IBM's Fedora Plans to Integrate Slop Into "Fedora Workstation as a Default Feature.": IBM does not care whether the community wants this or not
The Media Talks a Lot About XBox Layoffs, a Closer Look at the Data Shows Microsoft 'Bloodbath': 'Bloodbath' is the term insiders use
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 07, 2026: IRC logs for Tuesday, July 07, 2026
Links 07/07/2026: Microsoft Cuts Doom "id Software" and Turkey Detains Journalists: Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/07/2026: Old Computer Challenge (OCC) and Hardware Tests: Links for the day
A Break From the Routine: What matters is what whistleblowers keep feeding information to us
SLAPP Censorship - Part 132 Out of 200: When You Cannot Pay a Million Pounds (1,335,520.00 United States Dollar) to Lawyers But Have a Strong Community: Techrights compensates for its fiscal poverty with a wealth of community spirit
Fame is Not the Goal: "Fame" kills
Mental Health in Free Software Communities: clearly there is a subject that merits debate and it ought not be a taboo anymore
The Era of Sponsored Spam: There is no "era of AI", there is era of BRIBES to PRETEND there is an "era of AI"
Gemini Links 07/07/2026: Cleaning, Old Computer, and More: Links for the day
Links 07/07/2026: Le Monde Combats LLM Slop Plagiarism, "ACLU Launches Largest Ever Midterm Electoral Program": Links for the day
Extremism in the Free Software World is Mostly a Myth: Only the firm belief that justice applies to all will produce a just society
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 06, 2026: IRC logs for Monday, July 06, 2026
Links 07/07/2026: Kernelized Secure Operating System (KSOS) and "Exploiting Thoughtcrime in LLMs": Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 130 Out of 200: Jealousy, Envy, Hubris: This site is primarily about Free software
Gemini Links 06/07/2026: Still Mostly Dry, GoToSocial, and More: Links for the day
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Effective Dispute Resolution… But Not For EPO Staff: Slovenia fielded one of the few Administrative Council delegations which managed to maintain its own independent line against the tyrannical EPOnian "Sun King"
Community Sites Need Genuine Collaboration and True Autonomy: People who want to communicate, federate and organise for effective change need to evolve
Free Software Foundation (FSF) Covers Quibble, Free Software for Secure Communications, in the FSF Summer Bulletin: The Georgia Tech folks are bringing Free software education and contributions to one of the better known Computer Science hubs in the US
Microsoft Layoffs Include Windows, Bing, Slop (CoPilot etc.) and There Will More More Rounds (or Waves) to Come: "43% of Xbox laid off"
Obscene Contradiction in Microsoft's Layoffs Tally ("Official" Numbers Do Not Add Up): Notice how they treat "LinkedIn" as separate
Preserving Comments About the Real IBM Before They Get Deleted: IBM in the 1980s is not what it is right now
Cybershow on "Escaping Prisons For Your Mind": "THE CYBER SHOW: Stealing technofascism's boots, and stomping on its own face with them."
Links 06/07/2026: At Least 20% Staff Reduction in XBox (Microsoft), Taiwan Sees Uptick in Chinese Aggression/Provocation, Senator Rodante Marcoleta Arrested: Links for the day
Confirmed: Microsoft Layoffs Come in Two Waves, Just Like Last Summer: To us, what stands out is the admission from Microsoft that there are two (or more) waves
In Praise of the UK's Stance on Free Speech (but Some Reservations): At the moment there is a healthy discussion going on with the objective of disrupting attacks on British press
Exposing Corruption at the European Patent Office (EPO), a Call for More Whistleblowers: We predict that, provided enough whistleblowers speak out, António "the unready" won't even finish his current term
Leaving Our Pets for Several Days: This week our pets will be worried that "mommy and daddy" are away
Dating Trees and Dating 'Apps': several high-profile stories in the news about scandals in "dating apps"
DW Documentary About Julian Assange Turns 2: It was released just days after Assange had turned 53 and about two weeks after he had left the UK
Independent Media is the Only Form of Legitimate Media: Independent media is, indeed, what we need to demand more of
The Story of the European Patent Office (EPO) Wagging the Dog (EU): The aim of the series is to properly inform the world - not just Europeans - how Europe's second-largest institution is run [...] How did a corporate hub of monopolies become so detached from the Rule of Law?
GNU/Linux Up to New High in Libya, Windows Down to All-Time Low: GNU/Linux touches 5% there, based on statCounter
Links 06/07/2026: Artists Reject Slop (or Even de Facto Bribes to Market/Endorse Slop): Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 129 Out of 200: Iranian Tactics: Hunger for revenge compels people to do overzealous, irrational things
Quiet Week: Many in the US are still enjoying an extended weekend
The Media Needs to Speak of Slop as a Climate Issue Like It Did With Bitcoin: But the slop industry keeps paying the media to play along with the hype
IBM's Fall: IBM's fate is closely connected to that of the Free software movement because of the salaries
Social Dialogue at the European Patent Office (EPO) is Dead, the Strikes and Work Stoppage-Like Actions Carry on: What next for the EPO?
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 05, 2026: IRC logs for Sunday, July 05, 2026
Links 05/07/2026: Shadows of the Upper Peninsula and 2026 Old Computer Challenge: Links for the day

Zune and Xbox Still Circling Down the Drain After Long Downtime

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts