Yep. I also lost my receipt so I can't return this junk. Tried emailing about my problem but I just got the usual useless advice (replace batteries, don't be near wireless routers, microwaves, etc) It worked once and when I reconnected it later in the day it refused to sync ever since. Tried on two different PC's and nothing..
I've tried almost every solution i've found except for the usb hub which I might consider buying now.
Though I'm not sure if the hub might make a difference since the receiver seems to be properly powered. It reports using 260mA out of 500mA. It's also the only device on that usb port. I did encounter some altered xbcd 3rd party drivers by some japanese guy but those don't seem to work either. So it's been a week since I've bought it and my new 360 guitar is collecting dust. sigh..

An update.
By sheer luck I managed to find my receipt and exchanged it. So far i've had zero problems. Even on different PC's. Syncs instantly as soon as I press the xbox button on the guitar to turn it on. I just hope it stays that way. If you can't get it working on multiple PC's and you are past the exchange period/lost receipt I really suggest you call microsoft and demand an exchange for their faulty hardware. No updated driver helped me and in my case it was not a power issue.

It's all down to whether the USB connector you're plugging the receiver into is powered or not.

Every USB connector on your computer is powered by 5V, but the Amperage decreases when you plug in other peripherals to the same USB tree.

The Receiver is quite sensitive to the power it receives, so, this means that if you have multiple devices plugged into USB next to the Receiver, there's a good chance the Receiver will not work at all.

Best solution: get a USB-Hub with its own powersource (adapter), This completely fixed the problem for me.

Hey. Sorry to post so long after you have posted but did you sort out your problem in the end? I have exactly this problem with the sound. My controller works fine and so on but when i plug in my Logitech headphones and mic then the sound through this is totally distorted. The sound through the speakers is fine though.

Please let me know if you have had any luck and if so, what the problem was.

 chococheese8 wrote:

My reciever worked perfectly when I got it for quite a while. At one point I needed an extra usb port so I unplugged the reciever and set it aside. My sony computer then decided it was time again to *** up my harddrive which has failed 4 times total. I finally bought a new harddrive. After plugging the receiver into the computer again after so long, the reciever doesn't work at all. No lights no detection in windows, no found new hardware wizard. Tryed this on my other computers to and it just seems to be dead. Anyone else having this problem?

I've got a similar problem, I've bought the receiver on saturday, installed & plugged it in on sunday, played Guitar Hero for an hour, and monday it's stopped working. Green led doesn't light up, pressing the connect button doesn't seem to do anything at all, the controller seems to be in fine condition though, it's RoL lights up after I press the button, but pressing the connection button on the controller makes no difference, it won't connect and the led on the receiver still doesn't light up. I figure this is because the receiver doesn't work and has little or nothing to do with my controller. But what is going on here? I figure my receiver can't be broke after just one hour of use, so it must be something else but what? Any thoughts?

P.s. Tried the powered hub idea, didn't work either.

P.p.s. I've got a Logitech MX310 mouse & a Logitech Internet Navigator ketyboard, both continued to work after I plugged in the receiver the first time, so anyone with mouse or keyboard issues it's probably fixable with another keyboard & mouse.
(I agree you shouldn't have to go through the trouble of getting a new set, but it seems to help)

N.B. I've got no other USB devices connected to my pc, my keyboard and mouse are USB but I connected them to the normal PS2 ports using adapters, maybe this is a solution for some.

G.L. CLS Vengeance

I've been having problems with this and just though I'd add my 2 cents.

When I brough mine i was running vista everything worked fine. I downgraded (for various reasons) to xp and when I went to use it, it seemed to be working but nothing would connect to it. Then I remebered one of the reasons I downgraded (one of many) was to use my scanner which due to issues with twain in vista had become unusable. I then realised that my scanner was USB powered and would be draining a lot of power from the USB. I removed the scanner and rebooted everything was fine.

So it would seem that the 360 wireless reciever drains so much power from the USB that in order to use anything else your going to need a powered USB hub. This seems to cover the majority of problems.

I know there are a few cases where people have had it stop working (completely dead no light at all) and even trying a powered USB hub won't bring them any joy. Maybe these cases are actually bad unit that need replacing.

As far as i know microsoft still isn't admitting there is a problem. clearly the reciever draws a lot of power from the USB and this should be the first thing to address on any tech support calls. Also wouldn't hurt MS to say that there is an issue with power consumption and customers experiencing issues should first try removing all other USB equipment (apart from your mouse any keyboard if thats of the USB flavour) rebooting and trying again. They would sooner pretend there is no issue than admit the only way people can use there wireless reciever and other USB equipmet is to have to buy addition hardware in the form of a powered USB hub. Well MS there is a problem evidence of which can be seen across many forums and even product reviews on the internet, and the solution has to be obtained from other users because of your inaction on the matter.

Hey,

Just got xbox 360 wireless receiver for pc; i'm running vista (just got a pc and my old xbox got the red ring of death).  Got the controllers to sync but only the buttons and triggers work; LS and RS will not move my character or allow me to look around.  It seems like there are a lot of issues with the wireless controller but any solutions other than ranting and raving?

Thx.

Hey,

Just got xbox 360 wireless receiver for pc; i'm running vista (just got a pc and my old xbox got the red ring of death).  Got the controllers to sync but only the buttons and triggers work; LS and RS will not move my character or allow me to look around.  It seems like there are a lot of issues with the wireless controller but any solutions? I too have tried to reboot and re-sync.  If I go to the controller to check calibration, the game pad seems perfect; but it won't seem to control LS and RS to move the cursor or work in a game.

Thx.

My receiver worked without a hitch for about two weeks, after which I started having some problems in GRID (it would seem to lock up for ~30sec at a time, then resume)...after many attempts to isolate the problem (including reformatting), I played the game with only the keyboard (had the wireless controller turned off), and I didn't have any more problems.  I removed all other USB devices from my mobo, save for the mouse (which wouldn't work with a PS/2 adapter for some reason), and tried GRID with the controller again...the problem came right back.  So the controller and receiver went back to Amazon, and I'm waiting on a wired 360 controller to arrive. =P

Buying a powered USB hub to use exclusively for the wireless receiver sounds like the most retarded solution ever imo.  Controller (~$40) + receiver (~$15) + decent hub (~$25) compared to $25 for a wired controller?  nothx.

Hey Guys, Been troubling over this myself, just got hold of an adapter and it wouldnt connect atall, even after i tried unplugging all other devices in the PC. As a last resort i tried plugging in my controller via its play and charge kit and low and behold it grabs a connection the second i do. Even after unplugging it the controller is still connected. So if you have a play and charge kit for your pad give it a go, sorted the problem for me!