Sunday, October 16, 2011

How to Fix Red Ring of Death in Just a Couple of Minutes

By Allen Williams


Red ring of death is usually the most common problem associated with the Xbox 360. You can find hundreds and hundreds of articles discussing the error all over the net. In order to learn how to fix red ring of death error, we must go over some details causes it in the first place.

Hardware design is the main cause of the error. The Xbox 360s components have been jam packed inside small casing with little to no ventilation. High performance parts like the processor and graphic chip can generate a lot of heat and since it is left with no appropriate heat dissipation device and proper cooling.

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 ring of death involves three red lights around the power button lighting up. This error means that your console has general hardware malfunction. First, check if the power supply light is green. Otherwise, you have a malfunctioning power supply.

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.

There are two clamps holding down the heat sinks on the motherboard. You can unscrew the clamps and remove the heat sinks. The CPU and GPU chips are the ones under the heatsink you just removed. You can then wipe the thermal paste off and apply a fresh coating. Thermal compounds used for computers works perfectly with the Xbox 360. You can buy these any computer store. After applying the thermal paste, put everything back in its place. This is a common issue with the Xbox 360 and knowing how to fix red ring of death errors is a must.

You can easily fix your Xbox 360 by making use of videos and courses available online. This easy repair can be accomplished in mere minutes. Knowing how to fix red ring of death problem makes sure that your Xbox 360 is working perfectly every time.




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