The Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death Fix.

We've all heard the horror stories about the Three Flashing Red Lights. You just never expected it to happen to you. Now you're staring straight at those 3 evil little red lights wondering what the heck to do.

Yea, I've been there. This little glitch has cost Microsoft more money and gamers more trouble than anyone would have ever guessed.

The Red Ring of Death (RROD) goes by many names, but ultimately it boils down to the fact that while your Xbox 360 is flashing 3 lights, you can't play it.

Learn why this problem happens, all about the Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death Fix, and even methods that you can repair your Xbox 360 at home with some help.

Have you opened up that case yet?
If you open up the case of your Xbox 360 you void the warranty for your console. If your warranty has already expired, then it's no big deal. But it's something to take into consideration before you do any type of manual repair on your console.

What causes the Red Ring of Death on Xbox 360?
I hear this question more than anything
There are a handful of problems that lead to the Xbox 360 RROD, but to put it in simple terms: Microsoft didn't spend enough time working the bugs out of the system before they launched in 2005.



9 times out of 10 those nasty 3 blinking lights are caused by 1 or a combination of the following 5 problems:
#1 Too Much Heat
Is it hot in here or is it just me?
Electronic components get very hot when current passes through them. Just keep a notebook computer on your lap for any length of time and you'll start feeling that sucker heat up!

Your Xbox 360 is basically a computer that hooks up to your TV. Because of design flaws, the Xbox 360 doesn't get proper ventilation and gets too hot--and most of the time this leads to those 3 blinking red lights we all hate so much.


#2 Bad Heat Sink Clamp
If only flexing gave you more muscle
Since the Xbox 360 gets much hotter than it should, this usually leads to another problem.

Inside your Xbox 360 there is a clamp called the X-clamp that holds the GPU and heat sink in place. Because of poor design from a very weak alloy, this clamp is will often flex and "vibrate" causing the motherboard and GPU to flex. This flexing leads to yet another problem...

#3 Lead Free Solder
Lead free, but not problem free
Microsoft decided to use lead-free solder. Solder is the metal that bonds two electrical connections together on a circuit board. Although lead free solder is much less toxic, it is also much weaker than normal solder.

When the X-clamp flexes it causes brittle solder joints to crack which interrupts the flow of electricity and current. The Xbox 360 sees this as a hardware malfunction and starts flashing a trouble code--the three red lights of death.


#4 Leftover Foil
Foils your plans for playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Believe it or not, some of the red ring of death issues can be attributed to "leftover foil" on the heat sink. Microsoft accidentally didn't remove the foil on some of the Xbox 360 units. This prevents heat from dispersing out of the heat sink, causing even more excessive heat.

#5 The GPU Gets Too Hot
Microsoft should just stick with software
Aside from the general overheating problems the Xbox 360 has due to the undersized heat sink and poor case design, the GPU (or Graphics Processing Unit) gets much hotter than it should.

Instead of sticking with a third party manufacturer like ATI or Nvida, Microsoft designed their own GPU to save money. The problem comes from (yet again) poor design and has ended up costing them much more money in repairs than was saved by manufacturing the chip themselves.

Combined with the overheating problems the console already has, this just spells out disaster for any Xbox 360 owner and has been the reason nearly 10% of consoles manufactured have gotten or plan to contract the red ring of death.

You can read more about the Xbox 360 GPU Here.
How to Troubleshoot your Xbox 360
Follow these steps to see if you can get the console working without expensive repairs
1 - Turn the Xbox 360 off and let it cool off for about 30 minutes to an hour. Now retry the console and see if it will play for any amount of time. If it boots up like normal and then gives you the red ring of death after a short while, chances are that your X-clamp is causing GPU flex. Try step 4 and see if it allows you to play uninterrupted.

2 - Check all your cords. A bad cord can sometimes lead the red ring of death. The best way to do this is borrow a set of cables (AV and power brick) from your buddy and try them out. If you don't have any friends willing to lend you borrow a set of cables, simply look over your cables very carefully inspecting them for visible damage.

3 - This may seem odd, but insufficient power has been noted to cause 3 blinking red lights. If you're plugged into a surge protector or power strip, plug directly into the wall. If you aren't using a power strip or surge protector, plug it into a completely different wall outlet and try it.

4 - If none of the above work, then your console is most likely getting too hot. Make sure that the console has plenty of breathing room. Don't stuff it into a tight space and MAKE SURE not to set it directly on the carpet. Carpet (especially if it's shaggy) can act like an insulator and can only intensify the heat inside the Xbox 360. A hard, flat surface works best for this.

5 - Is your Xbox 360 dusty? Clean it out. Dust, like carpet, can trap heat inside and prevent it from getting proper ventilation. Take the console outside and dust it off or (even better) get a can of pressurized air and blow the dust out.

6 - Try standing your Xbox 360 up on it's side instead of laying it down. This can give the ventilation system more surface area so it can "breathe" better.


*Note: Make sure you keep a check on the power brick too. Many people forget about this component completely, but the Xbox 360 can flash 3 red lights if your power brick gets too hot.


One last thing. NEEVER NEVER NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER USE A INTERCOOLER!!!!!!!! I Was told by Microsoft themself that all the intercooler does is blow hot air into the system causing even faster overheating which will result in the Fateful Red Rings of Death.