Save Time and Money by Learning How to Fix Red Ring of Death

Feb 18
08:55

2010

Jack Bush

Jack Bush

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At least one-fifth of all Xbox 360 gamers experience the Red Ring of Death at least once in their gaming careers. The first instinct is panic, but it shouldn't be. If you learn how to fix the red ring of death, it is possible to fix the cause in less than one hour. Read the James Dean's Xbox 360 3 Red Light Fix Review for more...

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At least one-fifth of all Xbox 360 gamers experience the Red Ring of Death at least once in their gaming careers. The first instinct is panic,Save Time and Money by Learning How to Fix Red Ring of Death Articles but it shouldn't be. If you learn how to fix the red ring of death, it is possible to fix the cause in less than one hour. When the problem occurs, most new gamers will head directly to the Microsoft support website, which will eventually lead them to one solution, send the Xbox 360 console to Microsoft, wait about seven weeks for repairs, and pay about $100 to $150 dollars. Not necessarily the best or cheapest way of fixing Xbox 360 red ring of death.

The fact that you're reading this article means that you aren't particularly thrilled with the Microsoft repair option, and are looking for a less expensive, less time consuming way for fixing Xbox 360 red ring of death. The best way to see what options are available is to go online. When you do, you'll find many schemes for fixing the Red Ring of Death. In your rush to fix your system, you'll be tempted to grab onto the first option you find, but don't do that. Experienced gamers have learned that many of the quick fixes offered over the Internet simply don't work. Some procedures can actually make your problem worse; even destroy your Xbox 360. Not a good idea. Before you open up your Xbox console, you want to be sure that you know how to fix the ring of death in a safe and proper manner.

The fact that you're experiencing the Red Ring of Death means that your Xbox 360 has undergone a serious hardware failure caused by overheating. When your Xbox system becomes overheated the system's motherboard is also overheated. In fact it becomes so hot that the graphics processing unit (GPU), which is mounted on the motherboard, becomes loose as its connecting solder melts. This failure is what caused the three red light error on your console and freezes up your Xbox 360.

The plan of action for fixing Xbox 360 red ring of death is straightforward. Quite simple, actually, if you have a good professional Xbox repair guide to follow. The following procedures should provide you with that guide. Simply follow the steps given below.

1. Disassemble the Xbox 360 case. Using a fine tipped poker or some sort, poke the small rectangular and grayed out holes on the faceplate, and remove the faceplate. Move the DVD latch upwards as you remove it. Remove the metal case which is inside the plastic one.

2. Remove the motherboard. Unplug all of the cables connected to the motherboard and attached devices and take out the DVD. Gently remove the fan from the Xbox 360 case.

3. Carefully remove the X-clamp located under the sink located opposite the motherboard.

4. With the X-clamp removed, slowly and carefully unscrew the heat sink to gain access to the CPU and the GPU.

5. Clean the GPU and CPU using a silver thermal compound, which should be available ant any computer hardware shop.

6. Reassemble the console in the reverse order from that shown above.

If all goes well, you may have saved yourself a few bucks and some Xbox downtime. If, for some reason, the Xbox is still not running properly go back onto the Internet and do some more research. There may be other solutions out there for fixing Xbox 360 red ring of death. If there are not, and you've reached the end of your road and patience, you may have to bite the bullet and seek help from Microsoft to get your Xbox 360 up and running. Regardless of the possibility of failure, it's worth trying to fix the problem yourself. In most cases, once you know how to fix red ring of death, the self-fix works just fine.