What causes the "Red Ring Of Death" on the Xbox 360. And is there any way to fix this problem?
September 6th, 2010
Just a second ago I turned on my Xbox 360. All of sudden popped up the red ring of death. I already checked to see if all my cords were plugged in correctly. They were…. Is there anything I can do?
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RR OD is a result of your system overheating. Basically, the x clamps inside your console lost it’s connection to your graphics card once it became overheated. If your console is still under the manufacturers warranty then you can easily send it to Microsoft and they will fix it for free however, you are without an XBOX for 6-8 weeks or you can do it yourself. I have a husband, 3 kids and 2 XBOX consoles just to keep them from fighting over it so, I wasn’t about to send mine off for 6 weeks. I found this site online and believe it or not, my husband had us up and running within the hour. It was definitely worth the little bit of money when you have 3 kids complaining that their XBOX doesn’t work but, its your choice rather you can live without it or not. What I liked about the program we bought was that it had a step by step video that walked us through it. My macho hubby didn’t need it of course but, it made me feel better to know that he knew what he was doing. I’m just one of these that I am tired of MICROSOFT having total control of my life so to speak. They have our operating systems and now our video games! Anyway, good luck dear, this link really saved my life well, it saved my children’s lives because I was getting ready to take one of them out!
http://xbox360redlightfix.com/?hop=bestsave4u
This is where I buy all of our video games. After shopping around, they seem to have the best prices.
http://astore.amazon.com/beprsh-20
Don’t know the cause, but the best course of action would probably just be to get a new Xbox 360. No offense or anything, but I think you would probably just be wasting your time trying to find ways to fix it, delaying your time to start playing.
There is no defined reason why the red ring of death happens other than it’s a hardware error which could be any of the hardware components.
If it’s in warranty always send it back. If not then you can try fixing yourself. Check out the guides in the source box, they are pretty good with videos on exactly how to do things.
the cause is that solder on the circuit boards inside melts and loses connection.
quick fix is the towel trick wrap your 360 in towels so nothing is showing then switch it on a leave for 20 mins this is what i done about a year ago and mine still works.
theres videos on youtube on how to do this also there is a video which involves taken it all apart and changing something cant remember what it is.
or as the other person said you can buy a new one.
or send it to microsoft but they will have for about 2 months.
hope this helps
The Xbox overheats and Screws up some of the connections inside the xbox. There is no fix other than sending it in. And I do not recommend the "towel" thing, as it will make your xbox worse and play for 5 minutes then shut down. That is why i bought the Elite with the bigger Heatsink and Fan.
Hi,
The Red Ring of Death is caused by a failure in your xbox hard-drive or overheating of your xbox. I would not recommend sending it back to Microsoft because they charge $140, take 4-6 weeks, and give you a refurb one back. And Also don’t use the towel trick. It is an easy way to burn your xbox and YOUR HOUSE! I used this easy step by step manual which had videos and great techniques to safely fix your xbox. Hope I helped
Source(s):
http://4812b0q9qowi7lotgw80tn7sdp.hop.clickbank.net/
the red ring of death is where the solder balls for the CPU and the GPU melt as a result of overheating. the factory thermal compound for the CPU and the GPU are extremely crappy and very cheap, plus the heatsinks are like, 1/2 inch off of the CPU and GPU.
I’ve fixed my 360 and 4 other friend’s 360s red ring of deaths, so if you want me to fix yours, we can arrange for something to be done.
The three main causes of the RROD and how to avoid them:
1) Overheating: The fans might not work, or it might not be getting enough air. If this happens, two flashing red lights are on. Try to keep your Xbox away from any walls, and make sure nothing got in the fans.
2) System Error: A very irritating problem, which Microsoft has announced that new Xbox consoles and recently fixed ones will almost never get this. If this happens, one flashing red light will come on. If you do not have a recently fixed or new console: try not to move it around too much. It was meant to play games, not to be scooted around on the ground. It’s also not good for the Xbox to move around to different houses too often (I do this though. It’s too pain full to go without for two weeks) because every time you do, a little piece of something inside your Xbox gets chipped away.
3) Cables Are Loose: Sometimes your cables might get loose and you will get three flashing red lights. Do not panic, all you have to do is unplug your console, make sure all cables are in all the way, plug it back in and turn it on. This is not a serious problem at all, but can be annoying if your in the middle of a game. Just try and make sure nobody steps on the power cable, and it isn’t moved around while attached to the console.
Instead of the towel trick if you get a system error try sending it into Microsoft, or this method:
Look at the holes in the back of the console between the power cord and the AV cables. These are the fans. Stick two screwdrivers or sticks into the holes on opposite sides, about a half an inch away from any side (Make sure your console is off while you do this). After the fans are jammed, turn it on. The Xbox should make almost no sound, now that the fans are jammed. Wait until it overheats and two red lights come on. Immediately unplug everything and unjam the fans. Plug everything back in, and turn it on. It should work now.
Keep a close eye on it while your doing this. If the screen changes color, and something smells burnt, IMMEDIATLY unplug everything and let it set for a few minutes. Turn it on again (with the fans unjammed) and leave it there for about five minutes. Then try the process again.
I think you should ship it though, Microsoft just came out with new technology that gets rid of the RROD. That way, you won’t have to worry about it ever again
The same thing happened with my son’s Xbox 360. Fortunately we were still under warranty – his broke "just in time" because we only had about a month left on our warranty! I called Microsoft and they they mailed me a shipping box with foam padding and postage paid (nice!). I mailed the Xbox to them and had it back in around 3 weeks.
It has been 9 months since then and our Xbox is still going strong (knock on wood!) but we are always worried about that dreaded RROD coming back because we are no longer under warranty. When it happens again, I am going to try and fix it myself using some of the tricks I have seen on the internet.
Has anyone had luck with any of these DIY fixes? I have heard of people buying broken Xbox 360s dirt-cheap off of eBay, fixing them cheaply (or for free) and reselling them for more than double the price they paid! I might try that myself if I can find a reliable repair technique. I am thinking about purchasing this Xbox 360 repair video that also shows how to mod your 360:
http://www.boxmodx.com/?hop=wiizone
Has anyone else has tried this repair/mod and if so, did it work? Thanks!