Troubleshooting The Xbox 360 Problem

By Alexander Thompson

Three red lights and here it goes: the Xbox 360 problems known as the Red Ring of Death, 3RLOD, X-Clamp Fix or the Red Lights of Doom. This is every Xbox 360's user worse nightmare, because it could turn into a very costly business, especially for those with low technical skills.

Microsoft tells you that when the lights 1, 3 and 4 of the ring of light are flashing red the problem with your Xbox is a hardware failure, and sure Microsoft would like you to send your Xbox in for repair. Microsoft does not tell you what the possible cause of the failure is. Knowing the cause means knowing the fix, and if you know the fix there is no reason for you to pay Microsoft big money just to learn that the only solution is throwing even more money out of the window to buy a new system.

The 3RLOD problem is mostly related to the graphics processing unit (GPU) - but unfortunately the three flashing lights cannot really tell you what is going wrong.

The hardware might fail because of overheating. This malfunction is probably caused by the employment of the wrong type of lead free solder in the construction of the Xbox. Xbox 360 Elite and Xbox 360 Premium have better heat sinks, and some third party manufacturers even introduced external cooling systems, but the overheating problem is still existent for most of the Xbox 360 users.

The fix is not easy for such a problem - you obviously need to cool down your system. So turn it off and try to expose the Xbox to a very low temperature. Other users report success by using a "towel trick" - wrapping the Xbox in a towel for 10-12 minutes while still on, then turning it off for 15-20 minutes. There are pros and cons for this approach, and most of the users report that this is just a temporary fix, as the problem might recur. The situation is not desperate however. The towel trick is just a quick fix, but other easy DIY fixes are available for those with some tech skill.

The hardware might fail because of scratched disks. Some Xbox 360s lack a mechanism to secure the disc solidly in place. Unfortunately you cannot fix this issue alone, but Microsoft provides support for this problem in its Microsoft Xbox Disk Replacement Program - available solely in the countries where the Xbox was originally bought.

Alexander Thompson is an expert on hardware and software within the games industry.

View his recommended Xbox 360 repair guide by clicking on the link below:
Xbox 360 Repair Guide

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexander_Thompson

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Posted by mbuhlah, Tuesday, August 19, 2008 1:14 PM

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