The Red Ring of Death Guide

The Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death has become a famous term used around the globe from the millions of gamers who have had their Xbox rendered useless by the infamous 3 red lights. This terrible hardware failure has caused most gamers to be very angry towards Microsoft, being mad at them because they made the crucial mistake, which caused the error to show up in the consoles. Although they finally sort of fixed the problem with the new Xbox 360 slim, it hasn't been vanished completely.....yet.

Origin of the Red Ring of Death

The reason that the Red ring of Death shows up in consoles dates back to when the Xbox 360's were in development. They were dummies and completely miscalculated the amount of things that could fit in the really small Xbox, so they made everything, tried to fit them all in, and realized that the CD drive didn't fit. This forced them to decrease the size of a component of the motherboard. You can probably already guess which thing they belittled, yup, it was the heat sink. This is the essential component which maintains the heat and makes sure that your Xbox doesn't get the Red ring of death. So they just said what the heck and released the messed up Xbox. WALAH, the Red Ring of Death!

Now that I gave you that short little history lesson, let me explain to you the options that you have whenever you get the wretched Red ring of Death.

Red Ring of Death Repair Options

Option #1- Send it to Microsoft: This first option is the most recommended, only if the warranty on your Xbox is not expired. With an expired Xbox, you are forced to pay a completely overpriced fee of almost $150 dollars and torture yourself with a 4-6 week wait before your Xbox gets repaired and sent back. So definitely consider other options other than this one if you are in possession of a RROD Xbox that has its warranty still in effect.

Option #2- DIY Guide: If your consoles warranty is expired, I highly recommend that you follow through with this option. It is MUCH cheaper, easier, and time efficient. The easy Red Ring of Death Repair guide I will share with you only requires common household items that you can get anywhere VERY cheap. The 3 red lights do it yourself fix is definitely the way to go when it comes to a 3 red lights repair guide. The RROD repair guide that I personally recommend is at the bottom of the page. Before you scroll down to check it out, I want to share with you some of the reasons for the RROD to occur so you be better educated before you repair your 3 Red lights. Now I just want to clarify with you to make sure that you know, if your warranty is still valid and you choose to do the 3 red lights repair guide, as soon as you open the Xbox and break the seal, you automatically lose your warranty.

Reasons for the Red Ring of Death

Cause #1- Power Shortage/Surge: Sometimes an electrical short or surge can affect the current going into your Xbox 360. When the power brick feels the power surge, it automatically shuts down the Xbox 360 to protect it from the excessive electricity, kind of like a kill switch. This will always give it the Red Ring of Death. This is a very easy fix and you are very lucky if this is the cause of you 3 red lights. To fix this problem, just unplug and plug back in your Xbox 360, if this doesn't work; try another outlet in your house. That should solve your Red Ring of Death problem.

Causse #2- Hardware failure and cracking: Some of the time, this is the problem. This occurs when temperature changes in the Xbox mess with the solder points. This eventually leads to a tiny hairline crack in the points, and then eventually translates into a huge crack in the motherboard which gives the 360 a Red Ring of Death.

Cause #3- HEAT: Most of the time this is the issue when it comes to the RROD. When excessive heat comes through the Xbox due to the sissy heat sink, it can potentially melt essential components on the Xbox 360 giving you....you guessed it, the Red Ring of Death.

Cause #4- Other: There are actually many other causes, but they are hardly popular. A not so popular problem is the thermal compound on the heat sink, when ever heat is to intense, it melts the thermal compound which is the component that is supposed to keep the heat sink cool while the heat sink cools the rest of the assembly, whenever the thermal paste melts, it messes up everything in the Xbox which can result in lots of problems.

Another problem that could really bite you in the butt is the flawed X-Clamp design, the X clamp has very jacked up pressure distribution which causes the motherboard to constantly flex and reflex the motherboard when the GPU and the CPU heat up. This eventually snaps a part of the console which then gives you the Red Ring of Death.

Trouble shooting your Xbox 360

If your Xbox 360 is sick and not caused by hardware melting or snapping, I highly recommend using the guide mentioned below. Follow the highly detailed videos and instructions and fix your console fast guaranteed.

Before you attempt any repairing, you should first troubleshoot your Xbox to make sure that you have the permanent Red Ring of Death in the first place.

Troubleshooting #1- Cord: Make sure that all of your cords are properly plugged in snug, if one of your cables is hanging out of the socket that will be why you are getting your RROD. Make sure that it is properly plugged in to a good outlet that supplies enough power for the Xbox. If your cords are hanging out, take it to a local repair store and get them re-aligned (very cheap) that should fix your problem.

Troubleshooting #2- Restart: Try to restart your console. If it still doesn't work, wait a couple hours, let it cool down, and try it again. If this works, you're in luck; if not then you have the permanent Red ring of Death.

Troubleshooting #3- Restart everything: Take your hard drive out, and power cord. Then plug your power cord back in and turn on your Xbox without the hard drive, if it works, then you know that your Hard drive is the problem

If none of these troubleshooting steps helped you that you may be facing a more serious, but repairable problem....HEAT. Here are some tips to make sure that your Xbox always stays cool, which will prevent the Red Rings of Death.

Preving The 3 Red Lights With Heat Reduction Techniques

Heating Tip #1. Keep the Xbox well ventilated. Don't allow and obstructions in front of the fans of the Xbox, this could prevent crucial airflow from cooling down the Xbox that helps prevent overheating

Heating Tip #2. Lay the Xbox on its side instead of vertical; you do this because there are actually fans on the top and bottom of the Xbox which many people don't realize. This could definitely save you from the red ring of death.

Heating Tip #3. Avoid prolonged gaming. Don sit on your Xbox for 8 hours strait without giving it a little break. That tiny little heat sink can't take all of that game play and heat, sooner or later it's going to freak out and die on you.

Heating Tip #4. Don't get an intercooler. I have heard from a lot of console repair professionals that the intercooler actually blows the air back into the Xbox, basically reflowing the heat back into the Box, which is the start to all problems.

Conclusion

This whole article has been giving you tips on how to decide on what you want to do with your Xbox 360; it's definitely your decision. You can pack it up, wait a few weeks and get it back free of sickness.....or you can go the easier way and just repair it yourself. I have listed a very Red Ring of Death Repair guide that will quickly send you on your way to repairing your consoole very quickly and efficiently. Like I said, it's completely your call.

Here is another site that can provide you with more information so that repairing your Xbox is a breeze. Please check it out and see what you think!
http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-repair-the-red-ring-of-death