Finally! A Way to Fix the Red Rings on Xbox 360 Fault

By Vincent Moore

There is nothing more frustrating than being half way through your favorite game when your Xbox console suddenly freezes up and you are presented with that nasty display of red rings on your Xbox 360 or otherwise know as the "Red Ring Of Death". This article will help you understand why this problem occurs and show you ways to resolve the problem without busting the bank.

After completing a lot of research I finally found out from an expert the reason why the red rings on the Xbox appear after extended game play on the console. It seems its all down to a design flaw which occurred when Microsoft were rushing to release the console.

The design flaw which causes this fault stems from where Microsoft wanted to have the DVD drive positioned in the console. The Xbox console was originally supposed to have bigger heatsinks which are used to expel heat from the motherboard and its components but the DVD drive was to big to fit around these. So what did Microsoft do? Yes you guessed it they reduced the size of heatsinks to make everything fit. They also choose a strange way to connect the heatsinks to the processors which means when the console has been played for a longer period of time the system cant expel enough heat and starts to overheat which in turn will display the dreaded red flashing lights or the "Red Ring Of Death".

How not to fix you Xbox

In an effort to try and get their Xbox consoles working again some people have even resorted to putting their console inside a towel and wrapping it up and turning it on. This is known as the "Towel Trick" and is supposed to work by overheating the console. You are advised not to try this one as it does not work.

One thing you should always check first is the AV cable on your console, it is always worthwhile unplugging the cable and just giving it a quick clean to ensure the connection is good. While not really recommended you can still have the choice to send your Xbox console back to Microsoft for repair if it is still under warranty but will only get a refurbished system sent back to you again.

Learning to Fix an Xbox 360 Can Be Very Handy

By Robert Donahue

There you were, playing your Xbox 360. The hours were flying by and you didn't even realize how late it was. Then, all of a sudden, the game stopped playing, and you had the red ring of death. Microsoft has taken steps to improve the warranty, including covering most E-74 issues for three years. So you may want to send your unit to an Xbox 360 repair center. However, considering that your unit might not be covered, and if it is it will take two months to get back and might break again, it might be worth it to learn how to fix them yourself. If you think you can't learn to do this, please keep reading.

First I'll tell you a few of the reasons why you might want to learn to fix an Xbox 360 yourself. Then I'll tell you how easy it is to learn. I actually already mentioned a few reasons to learn to do it yourself when I spoke about how long it would take Microsoft to get you your unit back. Not to mention, if it's not covered under warranty, it will cost one hundred and forty dollars, plus tax, plus shipping and handling. Also, there's a good chance you will get a refurbished unit, so the chances of it breaking down again are probably not as low as you would like them to be. I wonder if you've considered getting rid of your unit altogether. If you have, did you consider selling it on eBay? Can you see where I'm going with this? If you can fix your own Xbox 360, you can buy other units that need an Xbox 360 ring fix. You would be surprised how many units you can find for sale. You have no idea how many units have had the same problem as you have.

Now to answer the part about how easy it is to learn to fix them yourself. First of all, let me tell you that I am the least mechanically inclined person that I know. I am not kidding! When my unit broke down, I didn't even consider this option. I was only concerned about the warranty situation. Then I, by coincidence, ran into a friend of mine who had just fixed his own unit. He told me that there are really good repair guides that you can instantly download from the internet. After we practically argued about whether I could learn to fix one myself, or not, he convinced me to try. I did try, and I couldn't believe how easy it is. I only wish I had more free time because if I did, I would buy Xbox 360's off of eBay, and make a few extra dollars by selling them. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The best thing about all of this is, if my unit breaks down again, I already know how to fix it!