Xbox360 - Red ring of doom!

streako

Aargh! My 360 has broken down. It has got the dreaded red ring of doom (3 segments of red LEDs lit around the on button) and is not switching on.

Its just over 3 years old.

Any advice, fellow 360 users?

supersonic

I get that after a vindaloo.

Tartanyak

Call 'em up. They might still repair the damn thing. Happened to mine (over a year old at the time) and it was back in a week

Either that or wrap it in a towel, turn it on and leave it heating up for 45 minutes, then turn it off and wait for an hour. See if that fixes it.

Anonymous

Tartanyak wrote:

Either that or wrap it in a towel, turn it on and leave it heating up for 45 minutes, then turn it off and wait for an hour. See if that fixes it.

really? :shock:
I feel blessed, my 360 is still going strong even though all my friends with PS3s (except one) have been through at least two consoles.
Mind you, now that I've said that, it's bound to go tits up later tonight :roll:

psymon

i got this.

go on the official website and register.
i think they send a dhl bag for it.

mine went to germany - fixed - and back in 3 days, really quick.

plus i got a free months xbox live voucher too.

Tartanyak

That's what happened to me. It took 4 or 5 days though. (boo ) - I got a free live voucher too.

As for the wrapping in a towel, yes, it can sometimes work. A lot of the time the xboxes die (I'm led to believe) is due to a contact losing its solder. Heating it up actually causes the solder to run back along its track and re-make it.

Of course, it can go hideously wrong, so it's a last resort!

schmako

There is also a trick on youtube that involves wrapping it in a towel or something. My mate done this and it fixed his, but yeah I'd personally send it off.

chedabob

The towel trick is really a temporary fix. It's a ghetto repair, but it doesn't eliminate the root of the problem (the clamps for the heatsinks expand when hot, causing the board to flex, damaging the connection between the chip and the board). Most of the time it only lasts a few days/weeks.

If it's older than 3 years, you're SOL. Warranty is 3 years, and only applies from RRoD. Otherwise it's a bog-standard 1 year. Ebay it and buy a new one.

psymon

its an excuse to buy a shiney sleek black one!

Kiblams

I have heard of this, can use thermal paste to bridge the gap and keep it going, though you will need to do a little dismantling to get beneath the heatsink where you put the thermal paste.

Tolk

There's a kit you can buy for it too, about £3 or so. Not sure how well it works though.

streako

Would you believe its 3 years and 1 day!

I have been looking on YouTube and there is a fix that involves either a spacer system or taping pennies over the overheating chips.

Its looking around £60 to get fixed by a store, or its a new console!

lawman

new console, its amazing, among the best £200 i ever spent, well actually i traded my old elite in so only paid £100 at the time

matt581

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/81091538/

The Northern Monkey

my ps3 is currently dead

Bloody 60g original version, 2nd one i've had!

Can't afford a new one/just spent the money on a new bike

.blitz

lol PS3 FTW!

MacAndCheese

I'd book it in to be repaired, they just ask for the serial number, no proof of purchase or anything, you never know, you'll probably get away with it.

paul.skibum

I still have a PS2! It still works although the controller packed up recently - I am using a PS1 controller instead. Old Skool eh? Where is my spectrum!

anton1r

psymon wrote:

i got this.

go on the official website and register.
i think they send a dhl bag for it.

mine went to germany - fixed - and back in 3 days, really quick.

plus i got a free months xbox live voucher too.

This...

Go to the website and register then put in your serial code to find out if its still under warranty, if its not and you cant arrange online for it to get sorted give them a call.

Worked for me and my mate even though his was out of warranty they still repaired it anyway.

MountainMonster

anton1r wrote:

psymon wrote:

i got this.

go on the official website and register.
i think they send a dhl bag for it.

mine went to germany - fixed - and back in 3 days, really quick.

plus i got a free months xbox live voucher too.

This...

Go to the website and register then put in your serial code to find out if its still under warranty, if its not and you cant arrange online for it to get sorted give them a call.

Worked for me and my mate even though his was out of warranty they still repaired it anyway.

They did this for me as well. I had never registered it myself, as I bought it second hand. I moved here to Austria and called technical support, got it registered from previous owner to me in another country, and they paid to get it repaired even though it was way out of warranty.