Red Ring of Death

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Red Ring of Death! Oh no!

You turn on your Xbox 360 only to be greeted by three flashing red lights around the power button. What does this mean, and what do you do now?

Okay, don't panic. You CAN survive the red ring of death. Please see RedRingOfDeathCure.com for the most comprehensive instructions on how to fix the Xbox 360 red ring of death.

What Is the Red Ring of Death? 

It's when three flashing red lights appear around the power button of your Xbox 360, and it indicates that your Xbox is experiencing a general hardware failure.

But wait, why me?

You're not alone. In its rush to launch the Xbox 360 in 2005, Microsoft didn't get all the bugs worked out first.

If you've read enough and you just want to get to the solution to the red ring of death, please click here to go to RedRingOfDeathCure.com.

What Causes the Red Ring of Death? 

If you're experiencing the red ring of death, there are any number of things that could be wrong with your Xbox 360. However, the most common cause of the red ring of death is GPU and/or CPU failure resulting from overheating.

Okay, here's a short explanation of what kills most Xbox 360s.

The x-clamps that hold the heatsinks to the CPU and GPU don't function properly. The heatsinks are not tightly clamped to the CPU and GPU so they don't dissipate the heat adequately.

The chips overheat and the motherboard warps a little and disconnects from the chips. You may have intermittent problems such as freeze-ups prior to the red ring of death as the process of heating and cooling slowly begins destroying these connections.

If you'd like to know more about what causes the red ring of death, please see this article.

Red Ring of Death T-Shirt 

Are you a victim of the red ring of death? Click here to get your cool rrod t-shirt!

Red Ring of Death Fix 

Okay, you've got the red ring of death. Now what?

First, call Microsoft. If your Xbox is still under warranty, you'll want to have Microsoft honor that warranty and fix it for you.

Important: opening your Xbox 360 will void the warranty. Do not proceed if you're not comfortable with this.

If your warranty has expired and you're okay with opening the box, the next step is to replace the hardware that holds the heatsinks to the GPU and CPU. The heatsinks are held in place by x-clamps. You'll need to replace the hardware that holds the x-clamps to the motherboard.

I know it sounds complicated, but it's not that hard if you have the proper parts, tools, and instructions. Just purchase the kit and follow the instructions. This will permanently fix your Xbox 360.

If you'd like video instructions for the x-clamp fix, please see RedRingOfCure.com.

Xbox 360 X-Clamp Kits 

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Xbox 360 Towel Trick: Red Ring of Death Fix? 

If you've done any research on fixing your Xbox 360, you've probably come across the towel trick. Apparently there are some people who have been able to get rid of the red ring of death by wrapping their Xbox in a towel and letting it run for 15 to 20 minutes. No one is sure why this works, but it's supposed to melt the solder that connects the GPU and CPU to the motherboard and re-establish the connection.

DO NOT DO THIS TO YOUR XBOX 360!

Even if it provides temporary relief from the red ring of death, it'll do much more harm to your Xbox than good. Unless you really hate your Xbox and want to destroy it, stay away from the towel trick.

Other Problems With Your Xbox 360 

What if it's not the red ring of death? What if you have two flashing red lights, or just one, or all four?

What about other error codes on your screen? E 74 system error? Disc read error? No video? Freeze-ups?

Well, you can spend $150 to send it to Microsoft, wait 4 to 6 weeks, and hope they send you a functioning box back. Or, you can go to RedRingOfDeathCure.com for the step by step guide that allows you to easily and quickly fix your broken Xbox 360.

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Red Ring of Death Websites 

Everything Xbox 360
All about Xbox 360, accessories, games, and more.
Xbox 360 Overheating Problems
Prevent Xbox 360 overheating.
Fix Xbox 360 Errors
Repair Xbox 360 errors.
Fix My Xbox 360 Site
Fix your Xbox.
Fix My Xbox 360 Site
Fix your Xbox.
Fix My Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death
Help for the red ring of death.

Xbox 360 Articles 

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Are You Suffering From the Red Ring of Death?

You can have your Xbox 360 up and running again in under 1 hour!

See RedRingOfDeathCure.com

More Xbox 360 Resources 

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