Xbox Informational Articles

Xbox 360 Rings of Death

  No, don’t use the towel trick.

 Sure, some lucky Joe Schmoe stumbled upon this method once and was able to prolong the inevitable. Unfortunately, along the way, more damage is caused. The power source can literally melt if you overheat it too much. And then you are not only dealing with the Xbox 360 rings of death, you also have damaged parts.
 
Ok, so what are the Xbox 360 rings of death all about, anyway? It means that there’s a general hardware failure. Basically, three red lights flash repeatedly and your game is not working until you can get it fixed. There are tons of myths and facts about the Xbox 360 rings of death that I, for one, would like to lay to rest. 

The first myth I would like to lay to rest is that only Microsoft can fix the Xbox 360 rings of death. FALSE! Anyone can fix it with mere screws and washers. No, that’s not an exaggeration. Really, anyone can.

I mean think about what kind of idiots they have working in auto repair, for instance. You know most of those guys didn’t finish high school. Yet they can fix cars. We’re talking about a tiny little box with a few screws that you need to mess with. That’s it. And your Xbox 360 rings of death will be no more.

The Xbox 360 Rings of Death can be caused by any part (or lack of) on the console. The most common cause of the Xbox 360 rings of death is from overheating. When your console overheats, that can put strain on the soldier joints on the CPU and GPU. When they become separated, that is one way you can end up with the Xbox 360 rings of death.

Many ask what they did to deserve something as vile and unreasonable as the Xbox 360 rings of death situation. Much like a counselor would tell a child that their parents’ divorce had nothing to do with them, I am going to tell you that Microsofts’ poor design is not due to your past transgressions.

It’s simply the world we live in. They wanted the 360 out before the PS3. So they rushed design and production and thereby over looked the inevitable warping that would take place due to improper heat dissipation in the design.

That’s enough blaming. Blaming will not bring your game console to life. Nor will it fix your Xbox 360 rings of death. The only thing to do is to once and for all, fix it yourself with guaranteed, easy instructions.

Xbox Rings of Death

If you are experiencing the infamous symptoms of the red flashing Xbox rings of death, do not lose hope. This problem is incredibly common and luckily there are many before you who have experienced both the best and worst ways of fixing it. There are a few options for you to choose.

First of all, let me define exactly what the phrase ‘Xbox rings of death’ actually means.  The symptoms you will notice are when your three red lights on the front of your Xbox 360 console repeatedly flash on and off. The upper-right hand quadrant light should be the only light that does not flash red. This is how you know that you are for sure suffering from the notorious Xbox rings of death problem.

There are several factors that have lead up to the Xbox rings of death appearing. Usually, the console has been packed away, buried under DVD players and mounds of games and movies in cupboards. This restricts the air flow. While your 360 is not a living person, it still requires air to prevent the Xbox rings of death from appearing. Not only does your console require air, the power supply block also needs to be put in a breathable position as well. Restricted is one of the well known causes that leads to the sudden appearance of the Xbox rings of death.

Another reason one develops the Xbox rings of death is when they leave the 360 on for incredibly long periods of time. These games are meant to be enjoyed, but not for 12 hours straight. Usually the reason 360’s are left on for such long periods of time is attributed to carelessness. Simply remember to turn it off whenever you are not playing with it and it will be much easier on your power supply. Weak power supply is another leading cause of developing the Xbox rings of death.

One option for your solution to the Xbox rings of death is to send your console to Microsoft. They usually come with anywhere from one to three year warranty. If they do have a warranty, you are still required to pay for the shipping which can add up to as much as $140. Also, they generally take three to four weeks minimum to fix. However, because they are the manufacturer, you can rest assured that they have dealt with the Xbox rings of death before.

Another option that many have chosen to go with is to acquire an Xbox rings of death repair guide that shows them step by step exactly what to do to fix the problem. These are reasonably reliable because the causes for the Xbox rings of death are generally all the same. This option would save you both time and money from the other one. More specific repair info at the link below.

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