How to Fix Xbox One Error Code E305

Some Xbox One users are encountering the System Error E305 whenever they attempt to boot up the console. Some affected console owners are reporting that this problem is intermittent while others say it’s occurring at every startup.

After investigating this particular issue, it turns out that there are several different causes that might trigger this startup error on Xbox One:

Method 1: Power-cycling your Console

One of the most common fixes that are known to fix the system error e305 is to power cycle the console and allow it to boot without any leftover data left behind by a previous startup.

This operation will end up clearing the majority of issues that are caused by firmware issues or temp file inconsistencies. What this does is it removes every file that’s currently stored in the temp folder of the console.

If you haven’t tried this yet, follow the instructions below to perform a power cycle procedure on Xbox One:

1. Ensure that your console is fully turned on (not in hibernation mode).
2. Next, press and hold the Xbox button on your console – Keep it pressed for about 10 seconds, or until you see the front LED stop flashing.

   

3. After your console is fully turned off, wait for a full minute before attempting to turn it back on. It’s recommended that you also physically disconnect the power cable from the power outlet to ensure that the power capacitor is completely cleared.
   Note: After you disconnect the power cable, wait for a full minute before plugging it back in.
4. Connect the power cable once again and start your console conventionally to see if the system error e305 is fixed.

If the same problem is still occurring, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 2: Resetting your Console

If a simple power cycling procedure didn’t fix the issue in your case, the next thing you should do is to go for a console reset. However, since you are most likely not able to get bast the initial boot-up screen, you’ll need to do it from the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter menu.

Several affected users have confirmed that by doing this reset procedure and wiping every firmware file they managed to allow their Xbox One console to boot up without the 305 error code.

If you want to go this route, follow the instructions below to reset your console to their factory defaults:

1. First things first, power off your console completely, then unplug the power cord to ensure that the power capacitors are completely drained.
2. Wait for a full minute before plugging the power cord back in.
3. Press and hold the Pair + the Eject button on your console at the same time, then short press the Xbox button.

   

   Note: If you have the Xbox One S All-Digital edition, you’ll obviously not going to have the Eject button. In this case, you only need to press and hold the Pair button, then short press the Xbox button.

4. Continue holding the Pair and Eject button for 10 to 15 seconds until you hear the 2 power-up tones (a couple of seconds apart). Once you hear the two tones, you can release the pair and eject buttons.
5. Next, your console should restart itself directly in the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter.
6. From the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter menu, access the Reset this Xbox entry and confirm the operation to get it started.

   

7. Next, you’ll have the option to remove everything or opt to Keep games and apps. The recommended procedure is to go for the full reset.
8. Wait until the operation to complete, then initiate a conventional boot-up and see if the same problem is still occurring.

Method 3: Performing an Offline Update

If none of the methods above have helped you resolve the 305 system error code, you should start considering an issue that’s affecting the onboard console flash – This usually occurs when the OS version stored on your HDD or SSD drive is newer than the recovery flash drive.

If this scenario is applicable, you should be able to fix this problem by visiting the Xbox Support website and download the newest OSU1 files, then use them to reformat your hard drive.

However, in order to be able to do this, you need to put the new $SystemUpdate folder on your recovery flash drive so that the console OS can boot from it instead. As soon as you do this, you should be able to perform an offline system update and should fix the issue.

Here is some step by step instructions on how to perform an offline update:

1. First things first, you need to prepare the flash drive for the operation that you’re about to do. Insert the USB drive (with a capacity of at least 7 GB) in a PC and ensure that’s formatted to NTFS.

   

   Note: To format it to NTFS, right-click on your flash drive and choose Format… from the newly appeared context menu. Next, set the File System as NTFS, then check the box associated with Quick Format before clicking on Start.

2. Once you have correctly configured your flash drive, visit the Xbox Support website and download the latest version of the Xbox One console’s OS.
3. Wait until the download is complete, then use a qualified utility to extract the contents of the archive on the flash drive that you previously prepared.
   IMPORTANT: Ensure that you paste the OS files inside the $SystemUpdate folder (in the root folder of the flash drive)
4. Safely remove the flash drive from your PC and plug it into your console after ensuring that is powered off.
5. Next, press and hold the Bind and Eject button at the same time, then short press the Xbox button on the console.

   

6. Next, listen for the 2 power-up tones, and when you finally hear the second one, release the Bind and Eject buttons. After you do this, your console will enter the Xbox One Startup Troubleshooter.
7. Once the menu Troubleshoot menu finally comes up, select the Offline system update menu, and press X to access it.

   

8. Wait until the operation is complete – Depending on the read & writes speed of your flash disk, this might take over 30 minutes.

   

9. Once the operation is complete, your console will restart automatically and boot conventionally

Method 4: Submitting a Repair Request

If none of the methods above have allowed you to fix the issue, you might need to start considering the fact that you might be dealing with a hardware issue.

In this case, the only thing you can do is turn your console in for repairs (if you’re still under warranty) or you can submit a repair request.