Xbox 360 Red Ring Of Death Repair Options

If your Xbox 360 warranty has expired and you have the well-known Xbox 360 red ring of death error (also known as xbox 360 3 red lights), it is important to find a proven repair guide for your Xbox 360. These types of X360 repair manuals teach you how to restore this hardware malfunction in approximately 60 minutes.
This repair option appeals to Xbox 360 owners because the 3 red light repair alternatives are more expensive and take a lot more time.

When the Xbox 360 console gets hot, one of the basic concerns is damaging one or more of the crucial components in the game console. By playing for long periods of time, the hardware inside the console gets increasingly hotter and this can affect some fundamental solder connections. The on-going heat build-up can become so bad that one or more of the electronic components end up breaking down either because they get too hot or some other part inside the xbox 360 gets too hot and breaks.

The Xbox 360 red ring of death repair on its own is quite simple and doesn't require any specialized tools or too much time. But you do have to be comfortable taking apart the entire console since the overheating problem area is hidden at the very bottom of the console. Do get too stressed however. Thousands of people have successfully fixed the "xbox 360 red ring of death" and not had any future problems.

In order to discover the best 3 red light repair guides, make sure to go online and search "Xbox 360 3 red lights repair guide reviews". You will be able to get a listing of Xbox 360 3 red light review web sites. It is essential to read these reviews carefully and compare the precise guidelines each one suggests that can fix your Xbox. Look for a repair guide that talks about the overheating hardware failure and one that also includes videos of the actual repair process.

"One Light, Two Lights, Three Lights More..."

The XBox 360 3 Red Lights Problem isn't limited to 3 Red Lights. Did you know that you can also experience a 1 Red Light Problem? How about a 2 Red Light Problem? Yep. Although these XBox red light error cousins of the Red Ring of Death aren't as common, they're certainly every bit as frustrating. Here's a little more about them.

First off, you need to see which of the red lights on your XBox are red. It's a diagnostic code that points you in the right general direction of the source of the problem.

One Red Light
If you see the lower-right light in the 4 light circle flashing red, you're having a hardware problem. More specifically, a hardware failure of some sort. Here's what you should try first. Turn the XBox 360 power off, disconnect all of the XBox's external cables, reconnect them and power the unit back up. If you still see the lower right light flashing red, disconnect then reconnect the XBox's hard disk drive cable and power the unit back up. If the same light is still flashing red, power off the XBox, disconnect the hard disk drive cable again and power the XBox back up with the hard disk drive cable disconnected. If the flashing red light goes away, more than likely the hard disk drive on the unit has crashed. You need a new one. With Microsoft's new extended warranty, you should be able to call them at 1-800-4MY-XBOX and arrange to ship the unit back for a no charge repair.

"Two Red Lights Anyone?"
If the 2 left lights in the 4 light circle are flashing red, it means that the temperature inside the XBox 360 unit has exceeded the "safe" temperature operating range. You need to power off the unit and let it cool down. If you don't, you're risking more hardware damage. Also, check to make sure that the cooling fans inside the XBox 360's main unit are operating (you can hear them whirring) and the system has ventilation. Sometimes it's just a matter of putting the XBox on a hard surface (it doesn't like carpeting; tends to reduce cooling), or taking it out of an entertainment console (this also reduces ventilation).

Three Red Lights (aka "The Red Ring of Death")
Three Red Lights is by far the most common of the XBox 360's "Red Lights" problems. What you will see is show in the picture at the upper left corner of this page. The light in the upper-right corner is the only light that does not flash red. This also indicates a hardware failure. A couple simple diagnostics are to check the lights on the power supply. When you turn on the XBox unit, the power supply light should be green even if the 3 lights on the front of the unit are flashing red. If the power supply light is red, you have an electrical problem. Try plugging the XBox 360 unit into another wall outlet and power it up again. If the power supply light is orange, it means that the power supply is not connected to the main XBox console correctly. Try disconnecting the power supply, them reconnecting it. If the power supply light turns green, but the 3 red lights still flash red you need to look into your options for fixing the 3 Red Lights problem (see articles below).

If you want to get your XBox 360 back up and running as quickly as possible, you may want to looking into downloading one of the XBox 360 3 Red Light fix-it guides that are available. I've reviewed the top 4 guides for you at this site.

Reliability - How does the XBox 360 Compare To Other Gaming Systems?

A survey of retailers has suggested that XBox 360 hardware problems (all problems, not just the 3 red lights problem) affect approximately 1 in 3 XBoxes. How does this compare with other gaming systems? A former EB Games store manager, Mathew Girard, says that...

"Failure rates for all other consoles were not high enough for EB to consider revising their policies. Most other console systems have a failure rate of less than one percent, including the PlayStation 3."

Another EB Games manager, who asked not to be identified, was asked if the store warranty was "worth the price". For the XBox he said "yes, absolutely". For its competitors, including PS3 and Wii "probably not". So what are the return rates for the PS3 and Wii? This manager's store location has sold hundreds of XBox 360's, PS3's and Wii's. Amazingly, not a single Nintendo Wii has come back defective. Only a handful of PS3's have come back. And what about the XBox 360? At one time, close to 30% of XBox 360's were coming back, mainly with the 3 red lights problem. That rate has since dropped way down as Microsoft has addressed the problem.

A Best Buy store manager, who also wished not to be identified, verified the XBox 360 failure rate as being in the 25% - 30% range early on.

However, even with it's "Red Ring of Death" problems, the XBox 360 is still the most successful game console worldwide. Why? Well, speaking for myself, I like the wide selection of games, XBox Live, the overall performance of the 360, and the fact that Microsoft has somewhere around $50 billion in cash on hand and HATES to lose to anyone. I have no doubt that Microsoft is in the game business for the long haul. Video games have always been on the cutting edge of both hardware and software development. Video games have driven huge advances in graphics technology. A lot of the special effects that you see on TV and coming from Hollywood are directly related to innovations that originated in the video game industry. It's a natural fit for Microsoft and a connection they really can't afford to give up, with Google and other companies chipping away at their domination of the computer desktop.

With all that said, Microsoft still claims that the overall XBox 360 failure rate is within three to five percent of total units sold. This, they claim, is well within the industry standards. This claim simply isn't backed up with what the people who should know best are saying. At this point, however, it really isn't important anymore what the failure rate is. The XBoxes being sold today are much better in quality than those sold 2-3 years ago, so the recent reliability is probably in the 3-5% range that Microsoft claims. One just kind of wishes that Microsoft would stop "playing games" with their game. The fact that they increased the length of the warranty from 90 days to 1 year kind of says it all. I mean, what kind of a company stands behind their product for 3 months? It's absurd.

Based on a poll of retailers nationwide, conducted by DailyTech, the Xbox 360 was unanimously voted the least reliable gaming console on the market. The high failure rate of the X360 has even forced retailers, most of whom sell extended warranties on their electronics, to revise pricing on their XBox 360 warranty. Extended warranties have always been a huge profit center for manufacturers. The profit margins are typically 80% or more. For the XBox 360, EB Games was actually LOSING money on their extended warranty sales. Unheard of. So they doubled the price of their one year warranty. That speaks volumes.

"We had 35 XBox 360's on-hand when the console was first launched. I know more than half of them broke within the first six months. Two of them were dead on arrival." - said former EB Games employee Matthew Girard.

If you have questions about your XBox, Microsoft has an "800" number set up for consumers at 1-800-4MY-XBOX. If you own an XBox 360 with the 3 Red Lights problem and you are out of warranty, read my reviews of the top 4 fix-it-yourself guides and see if fixing the XBox yourself is for you.

Xbox 360 Repair - Microsoft, Third Party Repair Service or Do-It-Yourself?

So your XBox 360 has the infamous 3 Red Lights Problem (or XBox 360 'Red Ring of Death' , if you prefer). What's your next step? You've got 3 options:

1. Send it back to Microsoft
2. Send it to a third party repair service
3. Fix it yourself


1. Send It Back To Microsoft?
This is a fairly straightforward decision. If you are still in warranty, bite the bullet and get it fixed by Microsoft. It won't cost you anything and their fix is a good one. There's no guarantee that you won't have any more problems with your XBox 360, but if you do, it probably won't be the 3 red lights problem.

2. Send it to a Third Party Repair Service
The third party repair services sprung up early on when people started having the 3 red lights problem and Microsoft balked at fixing it, throwing out some pretty bizarre statements and blaming everything on the customer. Like Microsoft, the third party repair services will give you a permanent fix (for the 3 red lights problem anyway). They've priced it low enough to make them a viable option, but only if your XBox 360 is out of warranty AND you are not a do it yourself'er. Expect to pay $50-$100 and be without your XBox for 7-10 days.

3. Fix It Yourself
If you are out of warranty and don't mind popping open the Xbox, there are some excellent guides for the do-it-yourself'er. The guides take you step-by-step through a permanent fix that will take you about an hour. The added benefit of learning how to fix the XBox 3 red lights problem is that you can now fix more than one. Many people have started a nice little side business for themselves buying broken XBoxes on eBay, fixing then, and re-selling them. You won't get as rich as Bill Gates. but you'll certainly make enough to finance your XBox 360 addiction (hey, there are worse things to be addicted to). Of course, you should only go this route if you're comfortable going inside your computer and working on it. Personally, I love doing that kind of stuff, but I know it's not for everyone.

I'm in the process of writing a guide that will explain step-by-step how to start an XBox 360 repair business. It's not hard at all, and as I mentioned, it's a nice little sideline to finance your game addiction. I'll post more information on it in about a week.

Here's the best of the XBox 360 Repair Guides.

Good Luck and Good Shootin' !

XBox 360 3 Red Lights - Preventative Measures

You may or may not realize this, but your XBox 360 is most likely substantially more powerful, in terms of raw computing power, than your desktop or laptop computer. It's a high-end desktop on steroids. And it's that power than is the central cause of the infamous XBox 360 3 Red Lights, or "Red Ring of Death", problem that so many gamers have experienced.

You see, all those electrons moving through that CPU and it's graphics chip cousins produce a tremendous amount of heat. Turns out, quite a bit more heat than the XBox design engineers planned on. But frankly, you can't place ALL the blame on them. After all, a computer chip only does what it's software tells it to do and years ago, when the X360 was on the drawing board, some of today's best selling games didn't exist. Fact is, the processing demands put on the hardware BY THE SOFTWARE are really the culprit. Think of it this way, your car in "park" at idle doesn't produce a whole heck of a lot of heat. However, your car running flat out on the Indy 2.5 mile oval probably wouldn't even last for a full tank of gas. It just wasn't designed for that level of operation, even though mechanically it can do it.

So the solution to the problem, aside from paying Microsoft $140 and being without your system for 2 weeks, is to improve the cooling. Here's some low-tech options:

1. Place you XBox 360 in an open area, not inside and entertainment console. This will help maximize the transfer of hot air out of the vents in the box.

2. Keep the XBox 360 unit on it's end and off carpeting. This also will improve the designed in cooling of the box.

3. Limit your playing time. If you're hard core and play your XBox 360 flat out, for hours on end, you can expect more problems than someone who takes a break after a couple of hours. Hey, there IS more to life than video games (I try to tell my son this on an almost daily basis)

4. Install an after-market cooling unit. This basically is a fan system that increases the airflow out of the XBox 360 and therefore keeps the inside cooler. They run about $30, but will save you more expensive repairs down the road. They're not a sure-fire fix though.

5. Here's a simple hint. Turn your XBox off when you're not playing it. Saves electricity too.

If you treat for XBox 360 well and try the above hints, you minimize your chances of experiencing the 3 red lights problem. However, for those of you who are still having problems, there are 4 good guides out there that teach you step-by-step how to permanently fix the problem.

Xbox 360 Red Lights - What is Microsoft Doing About It

So in the "real" world, if you put out a lousy product, the market tells you that by not buying it. So why is it that there are still so many XBox 360 red lights issues out there?

Well, my thinking goes something like this... the xBox 360 is not a lousy product. It is great product with a design flaw. To use an analogy with people, what's the first thing people do when they are accused of having a flaw, large or small? They deny it of course. Well, companies have "personalities just like people do. In Microsoft's case, their personality at the time the xBox 360 was being designed and built could best be described as arrogant. Too much success too soon does that to you.

So you can imagine what was going through everyone's heads during the design an launch of the xBox 360. Probably something like "We're Microsoft. We don't make mistakes. We make great products and we make a lot of money."

The xBox 3 Red Lights problem brought them back down to earth. It took a while, but the red Ring of Death became an undeniable reality for Microsoft and they've been forced, by their own customers, to take it seriously. It's not caused by misuse, abuse or neglect, It is caused by a design flaw, pure and simple.

In the case of the xBox three red lights problem, the design flaw is insufficient cooling. The xBox 360 is actually a very powerful computing platform. Most video game consoles have more computing power than their desktop PC cousins. Graphics is the reason, Those great graphics take incredible amounts of raw calculations. And anything that is working hard generates heat.

What Microsoft is doing with new xBox 360's is designing in a more efficient cooling system to dissipate that heat. The cooler the xBox 360 runs, the better it feels.

However, the vast majority of xBoxes out there still have the potential to suffer from the 3 red lights problem because they don't have the new design. That's why a small industry has sprung up around fixing the xBox 360 three red light problem. The Red Ring of Death do it yourself fix it guides. There's services that will fix it for you. And then of course there's Microsoft's $140 fix it plan (if you're out of warranty).

Personally, I like doing things myself. Popping open a computer and working on it is not something that scares me, as long as I have some sort of guide to tell me exactly what to do. There's a website out there that reviews the top 4 xBox 360 Three Red Light fix-it-yourself guides. Check it out. The guides are around $25-$30 dollars and the fix takes about an hour.

Xbox 360 3 Red Lights Fix - Can you really fix this problem yourself?

There are a lot of guides out there that claim to help you fix the XBox 360 3 Red Lights problem "in under an hour". Given the fact that we all must take what we see and hear on the internet with a grain of salt, is it really possible for a person to pop open their XBox 360 and fix this problem themselves? I mean, how many of you would "pop open" your television set and fix it yourself? Exactly.

However, where there is doubt, there is also hope. Fact of the matter is, the XBox 360 is a computer with easily interchangeable components. I used to build computers from scratch using the same parts that IBM, Dell and all the other manufacturers out there were using. The hardware is the easy part. It's the software that will really give you a headache.

Fortunately, the XBox 360 3 Red Lights problem is a hardware problem and if you don't mind opening up your XBox (and if you're out of warranty, there's no reason not to), you can fairly easily fix this very common problem.

The key is to pick up a step-by-step guide that tells you exactly how to do it. There are some excellent guides available out there. There's even websites solely devoted to the XBOX 360 3 Red Lights problem. (Ahh, I love the internet). I found one website that seems to do a very credible review of 4 "XBox 3 Red Lights" do-it-yourself fix-it guides. It seems to me, that these guides must be the real deal, because they've been available for a while now and the market would have said no to them if they were just blowing smoke. In any case, the guides range in price from around $25 to $30 bucks and some even include videos. So given that Microsoft and other outside companies want upwards of $140 to fix the "Red Ring of Death", these guides seem to be a very sensible alternative. Probably worth at least checking out my XBox 360 Red Ring of Death reviews.