How to Fix Red Ring of Death in Under Hour

Posted by The Popular News Today on Sunday, December 18, 2011

By Sam McDonald


The most prevalent problem that has affected the Xbox 360 console since its debut is the Red ring of death. There are practically a limitless number of website throughout the about this issue. In order to figure out how to fix red ring of death errors, it is important know the cause.

The main culprit that causes the red ring of death is hardware design flaws. A gaming console is a fundamentally a high performance PC that has been customized and designed specifically for gaming. The components have been packed into a confined space with very little ventilation. As we most us of know, high performance components can generate lots of heat. The lack of ventilation and small heat sinks is a recipe for disaster.

The processor and GPU in the Xbox 360 are the two components that produce the most amount heat. Prolonged heat exposure to high temperatures will lead to long term damage and render the console useless. There is actually enough heat make the solder brittle and crack. These cracks can obstruct the electrical flow and ultimately damage the motherboard. The red ring of death is usually an issue with the hardware, which can be fixed in few minutes. Absolutely no experience is required. Just about anybody can learn how to fix red ring of death error in just an hour or less.

The red ring of death is three flashing red lights. This light code means there is general hardware failure or error. If you get an error like this, the first troubleshooting step is to check your power brick or power supply. Make sure that status light on power supply is green. If it is yellow or red, this means you have a faulty power supply and there is no need to open up the Xbox 360 console.

If the power supply looks fine, unplug power cable and try it on another wall outlet. If it does not work, check if all cables are securely in place and make sure the power supply is properly ventilated. If it changed to two red rings, this means that your console is overheating. You need to give it a few minutes to cool down before trying it out again.

After letting the console cool and you are still getting the red ring of death, the next step is disassemble the case and check the internal components. Dismantling the unit will void the warranty. If it is still within the warranty period and you are willing to wait, it is highly advisable to send the unit back for repairs.

Taking off Xbox 360 case is extremely easy to do. You can release the locks using screw driver or any pointy tool and carefully take off the bezel. After removing the bezel, you can remove DVD drive by pulling the latch. Once the DVD drive removed, you can start unscrewing the metal base on the bottom and slowly remove the motherboard from the back panel.

The two clamps on the back motherboard can be removed by unscrewing them from the back and let you remove the heat sinks. The processor and graphical chip are ones located directly the heat sinks. You can then remove the thermal compound off and spread a new layer of coating. Thermal pastes or compounds designed for desktop computers are perfect for the Xbox 360. These are available in any major computer store. Speared and evenly apply thermal compound, assemble the Xbox 360 back again and turn it back on. Learning how to fix red ring of death error is something any Xbox 360 owner should learn.

You can easily repair your Xbox 360 with the help of instructional videos and guides. This simple repair can be done in minutes. Knowing how to fix red ring of death errors ensures that your Xbox 360 is well maintained and will work flawlessly.




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