Xfinity Box Says Boot: 5 Ways to Fix

Kerry Souder
by Kerry Souder

Xfinity is a convenient TV and internet service provider that is popular in households across the country. Despite their longstanding success, you are bound to experience some issues with your cable box from time to time. One of the most common problems people experience with their Xfinity box is it saying “boot” constantly without turning on.

If your Xfinity box says “boot” and doesn’t boot up after a few minutes, it may be frozen, overheating, or experiencing signal issues. If it does this continuously, there may be a bigger issue. Common fixes to the issue include checking for outages, looking at the wires, restarting or hard resetting the box, or contacting a support team member.

Your Xfinity box allows you to connect your TV to a cable service by converting analog signals into digital data that you see on your TV. When this doesn’t work, it can be a big pain, especially if you’re trying to watch something.

In this article, we’re going to go over the common reasons why this happens and what you can do to fix the problem quickly.

Why Does my Xfinity Box Say Boot?

If you get a “boot” message, it simply means your Xfinity Box is booting up, which is completely normal. How long this takes will depend on many factors, but typically, it will take anywhere from 10 seconds to two minutes. After a hard reset, it might take up to 15 minutes. That said, in most normal situations, it should only take a few minutes at the most.

If your box says “boot,” there’s a chance the system might just be frozen. Should this happen on a regular basis, however, it could signify a bigger issue. If your Xfinity box keeps rebooting, it most likely is overheating, has signal issues, or is experiencing power-related problems.

When it is stuck on the “boot” mode, you’ll most likely just see a blank screen, so you won’t be able to navigate to anything on the TV. So, how can you resolve the problem?

What to Do When the Xfinity Box the Says Boot

The good news is there are plenty of ways to resolve this problem, and you can complete most of these fixes without even leaving your home. Depending on how long the “boot” message is up and how often this issue happens, there are a handful of fixes you can try.

Here’s your ultimate troubleshooting guide.

Check for Xfinity Outages

Sometimes, there may be a bigger issue with Xfinity in general. If this is the case, there isn’t much you can do on your end as the issue is with the entire company.

Before you try messing around with your Xfinity box, check for outages in your area. All you have to do is sign in with your Xfinity username and password.

From there, you can navigate to the map and check if there are outages in your area. If there is an outage, you’ll see a red symbol over your region.

Check Connectors and Cables

If there isn’t an outage in your area, it’s time to look at your Xfinity box. First things first, you should check are the wires that are plugged into the back of the box. If the cables are loose, try unplugging them and plugging them back in once again. Make sure all the connectors are in as tightly as possible.

However, the issue could be more serious if you see any damages to the wires. Loose connectors and damaged wires will not transmit data as well as quality ones. Plus, they can become a fire hazard. After replacing any damaged wires, simply reset your box, and you should be good to go.

Restart the Xfinity Box

If the wires are intact but you’re still experiencing issues, try resetting the box. Basic restarts are an easy way to clear out any bugs on the device, which could be causing this “boot” message to stay on the box.

Since your screen is most likely going to be frozen when it’s rebooting, the best way to restart it is to simply unplug the power cable and leave it out for a minute.

There are other ways to restart the Xfinity box, including:

  • Saying “restart TV box” into Xfinity voice remote.
  • Through the My Account App.
  • From the Help menu.
  • Using the power button.
  • In the Device settings.

That said, you’ll most likely just want to unplug the box itself to restart the system since you may not be able to access the screen at this time.

Reset the Xfinity Box (Yes, this is Different Than Restarting)

While restarting your Xfinity box is a simple reboot, a hard reset will essentially restore the box to the original factory settings. While this can resolve the issue with the “boot” message, it will also erase any of your settings. So, you’ll have to set up any custom settings again. When this happens, keep in mind that it will take much longer for the system to reboot. Typically, it can take up to 15 minutes.

Contact a Xfinity Support Team

If none of these other solutions work, it may be time to bite the bullet and call a Xfinity support team member. The box itself may need repairs or you may need to replace it altogether.

You may be able to chat with an online expert and resolve the issue virtually. If not, you can take the box to a local Xfinity outlet for repairs.

So, Why Does Your Xfinity Cable Box Say Boot, and What Can You Do?

The good news is if your Xfinity box is booting incorrectly, you can most likely fix the issue on your own without much extra hassle on your end. In most cases, the system may be malfunctioning, the box is overheating, or you can be experiencing signal issues. In more extreme cases, the box itself might have sustained damages.

Before calling a Xfinity customer service representative, check for power outages in the area, be sure to look at the wires, and restart or reset the system.

If none of these things work, you’re not out of luck. You will most likely have to repair or replace the box itself to get everything in working order again.

Kerry Souder
Kerry Souder

I am a copywriter and editor based in the Las Vegas area with nearly a decade of experience under my belt writing landing pages, cost guides, blog posts, newsletters, case studies, and social media content. I have a degree in Strategic Communication and experience working in both the account and creative spheres. My goal is to always be discovering new interests and bettering myself as a writer and editor along the way.

More by Kerry Souder

Next