After several games freezing and my system overheating I began to wonder what options exist to fix freezing xbox 360. Do I have to purchase a new system? Did my games cause this to happen? I really did not know what the source of the problem was or what my options were to fix my xbox. One thing I did know was I wanted the problem solved and my xbox running ASAP!

The Problem:

One third of all xbox gaming systems have problems related to overheating and faulty cooling systems. It is an internal hardware problem. The system freezes itself in order to cool down. This is sometimes referred to as Error e74 also known as the Red Rings of Death. Three red lights will appear on your console and you know there is a problem. Your system has overheated and it is not your fault. You do not need to purchase a new console it is possible to fix and repair your system back to 100% health.

The Solution:

Microsoft’s solution is for you to ship your console to them and they will gladly fix the problem for you for a lot of money and six weeks worth of waiting. I decided for myself that since Microsoft caused the problem they would not be getting any more money from me on this issue. I learned that it is possible to fix this internal problem by myself with a few household tools and it would only take about an hour. A clear repair guide walked me through the procedure from start to finish and my xbox console was fixed. I did it all myself and Microsoft did not get any money from me!

The Xbox 360 is a video game console where multimedia game software can be installed and played in the console. Now-a-days, almost all the devices that are built today are designed with the latest technologies available in the market. These technologies have reduced the size of the gadgets and showcases improved features in them. The Xbox type consoles are the latest consoles that are built with advance processors. The processors working speed is much greater than that of a personnel computer. With advance graphical processors the multimedia games looks great and looks very real. Though there is much applause for these devices, feedbacks from users are not satisfactory. The reason is the hardware problems in the console. Such a case has been reported with the Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

FEEDBACKS FROM USERS

Xbox 360 was introduced in the market in the year 2005. Since then many changes were made within the consoles hardware. Even the Xbox 360 comes with three different types of motherboards. The latest motherboard pattern has been reported with major hardware problem. The users have complained about the consoles overheating problems. The console gets overheated within a short period of time and pops up an error message on the screen. This error is accompanied with glowing of red lights in the power ring area. The error is known among gamers as the “Three Red Light Error”. This is also famously known as the “Red Ring of Death” or RRoD.

RED LIGHT ERRORS

The console is programmed to display error messages to the users then and there. When any problem occurs, the console operation is interrupted and an error message is displayed on the screen along with red light glowing in the power ring. The power ring is a thin ring shaped LED lights placed around the power button. There are totally four LED lights placed in four quadrants. The number of lights glowing during an error depends upon the type of the error. Generally, the number varies from error to error. The three red light error occurs because of the overheating of the console. The console consists of heat sinks which are placed over the processors to cool the hot air that are radiated from the region. The heat sink collects the hot air and cools them. The heat sinks are attached to the motherboard by means of two X clamps beneath the motherboard in order to give a firm support. Apart from the three red light error there are also other red light errors. These errors are not considered as serious as the 3 red light error as they do not cause much damage to the motherboard when compared to that of the three red light error.

REMEDIES

The possible solution to this problem is to provide enough air supply to the console, so that they always run in a cool environment. You can send your console to Microsoft by paying around $125 for the repair work and you need to wait for up to 3 months. Recently, many have tried to repair the console on their own with the help of a repairing videos and guides. These video guides are available in the internet and you can watch them and repair your console on your own with the help of normal household tools. These videos will be dealing about the various ways with which you can repair your Xbox and also about the removal of the X clamps from the motherboard. This is highly recommended by gamers instead of sending the console back to Microsoft.

Video gamings have grown drastically with the help of technology. They are having advanced processors that are similar to that of the personnel computer processors and come with inbuilt graphical cards. Xbox is one such gaming console introduced by the software giant Microsoft. The latest version is called as the Xbox 360 which has increased its processing speed to several mega hertz’s than the previous version and has come with increased storage space and DVD drive to change the game. The Xbox 360 has also shown improvement in the external interfacing of gadgets like joystick, guns, USB, etc.

HARDWARE CONFIGURATION

The Xbox 360 looks very slimmer than the Xbox and is very elegant, light weight and stylish. The outer surface has all the ports and DVD drive with power button surrounded by four quadrants of LED lights. The inner configuration of Xbox is that there will be two “X” shaped clamps over which the graphical processing unit and the central processing unit are mounted. Above which a part of the inner space is covered by the DVD and the rest are covered by the hard disk and the memory components making your processors jam packed. The processors are provided with inter coolers by means of a fan.

HARDWARE PROBLEMS
Since the Xbox 360 is introduced in the market there has been lot of complaints about the hardware failures. The most common complaint is the overheating and making the LEDs to glow red in color. You can play with your console only if the lights are green if not then you have a problem. There are also simple problems like the AV cable not connected properly with the console may also result in error. Now, the common problem occurring is the error called as e74. During which three red lights will be glowing. This kind of error may cause serious problems to the hardware. They call this as ‘red ring of danger’ or ‘3 red light error’.

RED RING OF DANGER

This problem has been taken to the Microsoft, and several attempts were made to solve this problem. But in the consoles which Microsoft has already sold, this problem exists. If it is under the warranty period then Microsoft itself fixes the error at free of cost. But, for other consoles you have to spend more than $125 and also along with the shipping charges to the Microsoft service centers. All the above you have to wait for about three or four weeks to get it back.

However, there is a solution to this problem. You can also repair the console by your own with simple devices. Only one thing you have to do, you need to watch the online videos which will show you how to do the repair work.

These videos comes with a ebook which will be very useful. Video tutorials and online demonstration of how to open the console is also there to help you. This gives a step-by-step process to remove each and every component from the console. The red light problem is due to lack of air flow to the processors. This may also due to reduced external ventilations also. Therefore, always keep your device in a cool surrounding. Now, you just need to remove the “X” clamps and keep the remaining components as such. By doing this enough air flows and cools your processors.

After finishing this close the console, restart it. Now you will see all the lights in green. Try this simple method instead of spending more money and wasting time.

Xbox 360 is a video game console introduced by Microsoft Corporation in the 2005. The Xbox 360 version is an advance version when compared with that its previous version. Basically, the Xbox 360 has been released with three different kinds of motherboard such as Xenon, Zypher and Falcon. The Xenon type of motherboard is the latest type released in the market. Many users have reported about hardware failure in the xenon type of motherboard. The xenon type motherboard has been affected by frequent overheating causing the GPU to fail and thus disturbs the working of the console.

RRoD

The RRoD stands for the Red Ring of Death. RRoD is a condition where your console stops working and displays an error E74 on the screen and accompanied by red lights glowing near the power button. The Xbox 360 has been loaded with some set of error codes in order to warn the user about its working obstacles. One such type of error is the E74. This error means that the hardware has been overheated due to long working hours or failure in the components in the motherboard due to weak solder joints. Apart from the three red light error there are also one or two or four red light errors. But, these errors do not affect the console very much when compared with that of the three red light error. The three red light error is considered to be the worst as it may permanently cause damage to the motherboard.

CAUSES FOR RRoD TO OCCUR:

The primary reason for the RRoD to occur is because of the overheating of the console. It is caused because of large power consumption by the inbuilt intercooler. As the power supply to the intercooler is taken from the motherboard’s main supply, the entire current flows through all the components of the motherboard. Another possibility to occur is because of weak solder joints resulting in failure of the processors to work in the motherboard. But, the major fact is that the heat sinks over the processors do not provide enough cooling as the heat developed over the surface is more than expected. The X clamp that holds the heat sinks are very tightly fixed to the motherboard causing less air to flow.

SOLUTION

The only way to solve the problem is to provide enough cooling to the processors. The X clamp are removed and fitted again by screw and bolt to the motherboard. This can be done by giving your console to the Microsoft service centers or you can do this at your own.  When you give your console to the service centre the cost for repairing is over $100 excluding shipping charges and moreover you have to wait for up to three months to get them back.

There is one more way to get rid of red lights in your Xbox 360. You can repair it on your own and hence the cost of repairing is very less. Moreover the repair work will not take more than an hour. Do not worry if you have not repaired any electronic consoles or gadgets before. All you need to do is remove the X-Clamps. You can learn about this with the help of a repair video. This video will explain each and every step to repair your Xbox and hence you can repair your Xbox in just one hour and start playing the games again today itself.