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XBOX 360 – Three Red Lights of
Death Repair Manual
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Click Here!
The Xbox 360 Red Lights: What Do They Mean?
The Xbox 360 is an amazing piece of entertainment system. It doesn’t
only have such a wide library of games, but it can also offer high quality
games that everyone can enjoy. Also, innovation even takes things
farther as it brings the video gaming experience to the next level more
there are more interaction between the games and the people playing
the games.
However, great as the Xbox 360 may be, there are some flaws with this
video game console have that had quite a lot of people complain about.
The Xbox 360 normally displays a green light around the power
indicator. However, if it experiences any errors, it will display red lights.
The red lights basically mean that the Xbox is experiencing errors or
failures.
There are basically four types of red lights that may appear on your
Xbox. Each has a meaning that you may want to know about in order for
you to determine if it is resolvable or if it needs to be shipped back to
Microsoft to be repaired.
If you see a single red light flashing, this means that the Xbox 360 is
experiencing problems with the scaler chip. You need to keep in mind
that the scaler chip is the one responsible for dealing with the display
processing through the AV cable. So, in order to get this problem fixed,
you need to send the Xbox 360 back to Microsoft for repair. This is a
minor problem and is usually resolved after a week or even after just a
few days.
If you see 2 red light flashing on your Xbox 360 power button, it will
mean that the Xbox 360 is overheating. If you experience this kind of
error, then you need to turn off your Xbox 360 right away and let it cool
down. You may also want to try and clean your Xbox 360 inside and out
as dust may accumulate which can make the cooling systems inside the
Xbox 360 stop working. Dust can also prevent the heat to dissipate as it
clogs the air vents. Also, if you play with your Xbox 360 with the unit
inside a display cabinet, it is likely to overheat. Instead, try to play with
your Xbox 360 games with the unit out in the open. The wires may be a
bit ugly to look at but it can keep your Xbox 360 cool and avoid it from
overheating.
The next error is the 3 red light error. This error means that the Xbox
360 unit has experienced a general hardware failure. This is the most
serious of all problems and you will need to ship the unit back to
Microsoft for repairs. In this kind of error, the GPU and the CPU may
have experienced a burn out which may need replacement.
There is also the 4 red light error. This means that your AV cable is not
plugged in correctly. To fix this, you just need to check or change the AV
cable and it should be able to get back on and running again.
These are the different types of red light errors that you may experience
with your Xbox 360. Always remember that overheating is basically the
cause of all problems with the Xbox 360. Keep it free from dust and play
with the games with the unit in a well-ventilated area, and you will be
able to prevent overheating and also other problems related to Xbox
360.
Contents
1. Reasons why this works
2. Getting prepared
3. Opening the case
4. Removing the motherboard
5. Removing and preparing the heat sinks
6. Fixing the heat sinks
7. Check point 1!
8. Check point 2!
9. Other tips and tricks
Reasons why this works.
When Microsoft designed the 360, they chose a slightly unusual way of
mounting the
heat sinks to the processors. When the console is running, there is a
tremendous
amount of heat build up inside the case. This causes the motherboard to flex
against the
X-Clamp support plastic (see picture 1) which in turn can cause the soldered
joints on
the processors to come away from the motherboard itself. This results in the
Red Lights
of Death.
Due to the inefficient design of the heat sink clamping method, this is a very
large
problem. Although Microsoft haven’t (as of yet) come up with a decent design
fix. On the
latest ‘Elite’ versions of the console they have used epoxy resin to ‘glue’ the
corners of
the processors down to stop the flexing that causes this error (see picture 2).
Whether
their fix will stand the test of time remains to be seen.
What the modification contained in this manual achieves is to alleviate board
flexing and
apply uniform pressure to the processors. This uniform pressure is enough to
‘remake’
the faulty joints resulting in a working console. Also, because the pressure on
the
processors is uniform the heat sinks do a much better job of dissipating the
heat build
up.
Getting prepared
To perform this modification, you require some tools and some specific
screws and
washers. If you have purchased this document as part of the repair kit, you
will have
everything you need to perform this modification.
Item Qty Req Cost Each Total
T8 Torx Screwdriver 1 £3.00 £6.00
T10 Torx Screwdriver 1 £3.00 £9.00
5mm Flat washers (B&Q avf-064968) 1 £1.30 £10.30
5mm x0.8x10 machine screws (B&Q avf-069918) 1 £1.30 £11.60
Arctic Silver Thermal Compound 1 £4.50 £16.10
Thin Terminal Screwdriver 1 £1.00 £17.10
Wooden Skewer or similar (must be THIN) 1 £0.50 £17.60
Prices are for guidance only. Your mileage may vary – you can purchase sets
of Torx
screwdrivers for about £10.00. Do not substitute the screws/washers with a
different
brand or size. The size of these is crucial for the modification to work as
intended.
Opening the case
Firstly, remove the front face plate from your Xbox: Take a look at the front of
the Xbox
360 and insert your thumb into the door that covers the two USB ports on the
right of the
unit. With your other hand squeezing the upper and lower sides of the face
plate, pull out
the face plate with your thumb. With not much effort, the face plate should
come away
from the unit with ease. I wouldn’t force it however –if it doesn’t want to come
off easily it
will be catching on something. You don’t want a trashed console case after all
your
efforts.
After the face plate has been pulled off you will see a silver Microsoft sticker
covering
both halve of the case; remove this – goodbye warranty! There are four clips
locking the
top half of the case to the bottom half. Do not attempt to wedge the clips out
at this point,
we need to remove both grey plastic endplates first.
With care, gently bend outwards, the right grey ventilation shield on the right
side of the
unit so that you can see a bit inside. You will notice that the grey side piece
attaches to
both the bottom and top white chassis. Look through the holes on top of the
unit to
locate the areas where the grey side pieces attaches to the white housing.
What you
need to do is take the thin skewer and push down, through the white holes
(located on
both the top and bottom of the Xbox 360) where the clips of the grey side
pieces
connect. Slowly pull out the grey pieces away from the unit while unlocking
the clips and
eventually it will release itself. You will find that once the first couple of clips
are released
the rest come away quite easily. You don’t have to use a wooden skewer for
this. If you
have a metal rod (or the inside of a BIC type pen) this will work too.
Removal of the left side piece is identical to the first except you need to
remove the hard
drive (if you have one) before it will release. Also, one of the holes (where
you’re going
to put the skewer is covered by the Xbox’s rubber foot. Remove the foot to
reveal a holeso you can release the clasp holding the side piece to the unit.
Once both side pieces
are removed, we can open the white body of the case as follows:
1. There are 6 retention slots on the rear of the unit and 4 clips on the front of
the unit
2. Unlatch the four front clips first using the terminal driver.
3. Once all 4 are undone, gently lift up the front of the case about an inch
4. Locate the six slots on the rear of the unit
5. Using the terminal driver, push gently but firmly inwards on each slot in turn
6. If done successfully, you will hear a click each time.
7. Once all 6 are unclicked, we can lever up the rear of the case and remove
this half completely.
8. Flip the unit over and you will see 14 silver screws and 8 black screws.
Remove these using the T10 Torx driver and the T8 Torx driver respectively.
9. Once all the screws are removed, turn the Xbox over and you can lift off
the
top part of the case.
10. To remove the DVD drive, simply lift upwards. Disconnect the power cable
and the Sata cable from the drive (or the motherboard – doesn’t matter)
11. The white fan shroud which leads to the GPU and CPU can be removed
again by lifting upwards. There is a retention hook at the rear but this should
just pop out when you lift the shroud.
12. At the front of the unit you will see a daughter PCB where the power
button
would normally be. Unclip the white bezel and using the T8 Torx screwdriver,
remove the three retaining screws.
13. Unplug the daughter PCB We can now remove the motherboard from the
case. It should just lift right out. At this stage take extra care as the mother
board is very delicate.
Removing and Preparing the Heat Sinks
The fixing method used by Microsoft leaves a little to be desired, mainly
because of the
undue pressure it puts right beneath a small centre point on each processor.
We’re
going to reaffix the heat sinks using a more ‘traditional’ method that will give
more
uniform support. First we’ve got to get the X-Clamps off.
1. On the underside of the motherboard PCB you will see two silver x-shaped
clamps. Using the terminal driver, pry off each corner of the clamp.
2. It’s somewhat easier here to do two corners along the same side first. That
way we can just wiggle the other two fixing points loose.
3. Once both clamps are removed, flip the board over and you’ll be able to
gently lift up and remove the two heat sinks. The low-profile aluminium one is
the GPU heat sink.
4. Using a suitable spanner or pair of pliers, remove the four fixing bolts from
each of the heat sinks. We don’t need these anymore, but if you ever intend
to put your unit back to how it started, hang on to them.
5. We need to clean any residue of thermal compound from both the
underside
of the heat sinks and the top of both processors. Firstly, get rid of any excess
using a plastic scraper (you should have one that came with your thermal
compound). Be careful when cleaning the processors!
6. Once the excess is gone, use Isopropyl alcohol with a lint free cloth to
bring
the underside of each heat sink up to scratch. There should be no evidence
of ever having thermal compound on them.
7. On the processors, again use Isopropyl alcohol to remove the residue.
Only a
little is needed and with a little bit of effort you can get the tops of them to a
mirror finish. We want them as clean as possible.
8. Apply a little thermal compound to either the top of the processor or
underside of the heat sinks in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions.
9. Re-fix the heat sinks in accordance with the diagram below.
10. When tightening the screws, do top left, then bottom right, then top right
followed by bottom left. At this stage do not over tighten the screws. Just use
a finger and thumb on the screwdriver and stop when you can’t easily turn it
further.
11. Once all four screws on each heat sink are done up as per step 9, tighten
each screw one more quarter turn.
Check Point 1!
At this stage, reassemble everything back into the case but don’t screw
anything down.
Reattach the RF daughterboard to the front of the motherboard and plug in
the video
and power cables. Press the power button….
You will almost certainly NOT get 3 red lights now as we have fixed the
compromised
joints on the processors. If you get all green, you’re good to go and
reassemble
everything back into the housing. Make sure all screws are done up tight (you
don’t need
the 8 small black Torx screws that used to hold the heat sinks now) and don’t
forget to
clip the Ring of Light cover plastic back in place.
Check Point 2!
Once everything’s back together fire the console up again to check you’ve still
got all
green and away you go.
Other tips and tricks
If at any of the two stages above, you didn’t get green lights, there are a few
other things
you can try before sending the console off . We are not responsible for any
further
damage done to the console with any of these methods, including the main
fix.
1. When reaffixing the heat sinks, only use one washer on the underside of
the
motherboard. This forces the clamps down harder onto the processors. This
can
also be achieved by using a shim or similar between the heat sink and
processor.
2. Double-check that your heat sink screws are tight. Don’t be afraid to tighten
them
up with quite some force, but don’t break the processors either. If you follow
the
tightening tips earlier in this document they should be tight enough however.
3. Just before check point 1, before the heat sink screws are fully tightened,
you
can attempt to ‘reflow’ the GBAs under the processors by running the console
without the fans attached (and without the cover attached too) - Turn the
console
on and you will get three red lights. After a few seconds the processors will
begin
to overheat because of the complete lack of cooling and the 3 red lights will
become 2 red lights (overheating). Leave it in this state for 60 seconds then
turn
the console off and tighten the fixing screws on the heat sinks.
You can also buy a full video guide for the xbox 360 THREE RED RINGS OF
DEATH Click Here!
Here is another recommended video guide Click Here!
Protect Your Xbox 360 from the Dreaded Red Rings of Death
About a third of all Xbox 360 gamers have experienced the dreaded red rings
of death. Because of this, it produced a negative impact on the Xbox 360,
which made the sales drop and also made Microsoft extend the warranty of
their Xbox 360.
The Xbox 360 is a fantastic video gaming console. It still is and the dreaded
red rings of death shouldn’t happen at all if you just follow these simple tips.
Basically, the red rings of death mean that the Xbox 360 has suffered a
general hardware failure. This means that the GPU or the CPU have burned
out. This basically means that your system overheated and it burned the GPU
or the CPU. With this kind of damage, you will eventually need to send your
Xbox 360 back to Microsoft for repairs and spend hundreds of dollars for
shipping and packaging.
So, the best way to fix this problem is by preventing it from happening at all.
To prevent this, you will need to prevent the root of the problem which is
overheating.
Basically, people tend to keep their Xbox and operate it inside the display
cabinet. You need to remember that display cabinets are enclosed space and
the Xbox 360 is a high performance machines that generates a lot of heat.
The display cabinet can make things neat for you but it can eventually make
your Xbox 360 to overheat. So, you might want to settle for playing with your
Xbox 360 out in the open with the wires dangling and all.
Playing with the Xbox 360 out in the open will keep your Xbox 360 wellventilated and cool. So, this will be able to prevent overheating.
Another reason why the Xbox 360 may overheat is because of the
accumulation of dust. You have to remember that dust can clog up the vents
that let air in and out of the Xbox 360. Also, the dust can build up on the Xbox
360 cooling systems, such as the fans. This will make the fans inefficient and
even make the entire cooling systems of the Xbox 360 stop working
altogether.
Also, if you can, you may want to try playing with the Xbox 360 in an air
conditioned room. This will keep your Xbox 360 cool and avoid it from
overheating.
These are the things that you have to remember about the Xbox 360. You
need to keep in mind that overheating causes general hardware failure, which
causes the red rings of death. By keeping your Xbox 360 cool, you will be
able to prevent the red rings of death and prevent shipping it back to
Microsoft and take a 6 week vacation without the Xbox 360.
Also, it will prevent you from purchasing repair guides that you know that you
wouldn’t even understand at all.
Remember these things and you will be able to keep on playing with your
Xbox 360 games by preventing the red rings of death error.
So, the next time you play with your favorite Xbox 360 games, you have to
remember to keep it cool by playing with the games with the unit out in a well-
ventilated area as well as regularly cleaning it and keeping it free from dust.
With these tips in mind, you will be able to maintain your Xbox 360 and let
you enjoy playing with your favorite Xbox 360 games.
Xbox 360 Troubleshooting: Hard Drive and Memory Unit Problems
The Xbox 360 is one of the most popular gaming consoles today. It is also
one of the best and finest ever made and ever since it was released in the
market, a lot of people have purchased this one of a kind gaming console.
With great graphics and a whopping 120GB internal hard drive, you can be
sure that you will have a lot of fun playing with your favorite Xbox 360 games.
However, although Xbox 360 is one of the best gaming consoles ever
released in the market today, it may give you some problems. One problem
that Xbox 360 is known for is the 120GB hard drive. If your Xbox 360 is giving
you problems with the memory unit and the hard drive, then you might want
to know about the different kinds of problems that may arise related to the
hard drive and also know how to fix it.
If the hard drive is not listed as a storage device when you start your Xbox
360, then you may want to first try inserting the hard drive in the hard drive
bay. The problem here is that most people tend to neglect that the hard drive
should be inserted properly. It should look level when you insert it. After doing
this, you will need to turn off the Xbox 360 and turn it back on again. This
should be able to fix your hard drive problem.
However, if the hard drive is still not being read as a storage unit in your Xbox
360 even if you really know that you inserted it completely and properly, then
you may want to try turning off your console again remove the hard drive,
insert it again and turn the system back on. In most cases, this method will be
able to solve your hard drive problem.
But if this doesn’t work, there is a great chance that your Xbox 360 120GB
hard drive may be busted or broken. To troubleshoot this properly, you should
try testing your hard drive in another Xbox 360. If it works in another Xbox
360 then the problem may lie in your system and not on the hard drive.
However, if the hard drive doesn’t work on any Xbox 360 you tried it on, then
it will mean that the problem lies with the hard drive.
Instead of a hard drive, you can try using memory units. This is much portable
than a hard drive and can hold or store large amounts of data.
Many people want portability for their Xbox 360 which is why they often prefer
the memory unit. However, like the hard drive, you may also experience some
problems with the memory unit. If the memory unit isn’t being read in your
Xbox 360, you may want to try to carefully remove and insert it on the unit.
This will usually solve the problem in most Xbox 360.
If this doesn’t work, then you should try using the other memory unit slot.
There are cases where the fault lies on the actual memory slot. Have it
checked out if there are any problems with the memory slot. You can try
returning the Xbox 360 to Microsoft and get it fixed if you think that there are
problems with the memory slot.
With an extended warranty for Xbox 360, you can be sure that the repairs will
be free of charge.
Xbox 360 Crash and Freezing: The Causes and How to Repair
popular as the Xbox 360 is, you will see that a lot of people experiences
crash and freezing problems. In fact, a third of Xbox 360 owners experience
this kind of problem and Microsoft have extended their warranty for this
gaming console in order to avoid people from getting discouraged in buying
the console.
If you are experiencing freezes and crashes on your Xbox 360, then you will
want to know about the cause of the problem as well as to how to solve the
problem. Fixing the problem is definitely your primary concern especially if
you are a serious Xbox 360 gamer. By knowing how to repair freezing and
crashes on Xbox 360, you will never have to put up with the waiting period
from Microsoft in getting your Xbox 360 repaired and shipped back to you
again.
In most cases, the crashing and freezing problem is caused by overheating.
The CPU and the GPU inside the Xbox 360 overheats which will cause it to
crash or stop processing the information needed to play the game. You need
to remember that the cooling device included in your Xbox 360 isn't powerful
enough to withstand the heat given off by the processors.
If you constantly experience your screen freezing while playing with your
Xbox 360, there are basically three main factors that are related to this
problem.
The first is graphics processor failure. You will see this happening if you see
red lights flashing around the power ring. Hard drive failure is another reason
for screen freezes and crashes and lastly, HD-DVD drive failure is another
factor.
Preventing crashes and freezes from happening is possible. All you need to
do is place your Xbox 360 in a well ventilated and cool area while you are
playing with it. Overheating is the main reason why your Xbox 360 crashes.
And, most people place their Xbox 360 inside the display cabinet where air is
restricted and the heat generated by the console is easily trapped.
If it is possible, try to play with your Xbox 360 in an air conditioned room. This
will help with your freezing and crashing problem.
To repair your Xbox 360, you can do it by yourself but you need about a
couple of hours to spare and you also need to have basic tools, such as
screwdriver and flat bench. A video guide is also necessary in order for you to
repair it correctly.
Remember these tips and you can be sure that you will be able to solve your
freezing and crashing Xbox 360 problem. Always remember that the main
cause of freezing and crashing is overheating. By taking away the factors that
contributes to overheating then you will be able to prevent your Xbox 360
from crashing or freezing and even prevent the dreaded red ring of death.
Xbox 360: How to Fix the No Video Error
more and more people are finding out that there are technical issues that are
commonly associated with Xbox 360. And, it's not just the red ring of death,
but there are technical issues that may be very worrying for Xbox 360 owners
as well as for people who plans on purchasing an Xbox 360.
One technical problem is the no video, and often the no audio problem as
well. This is one of the major concerns of many Xbox 360 gamers as this
problem is becoming very common. So, what causes this problem and how
can you fix this problem? By knowing how to fix this problem, you can be sure
that you will be able to have a lot of fun playing with your Xbox 360 games for
a long time.
First of all, the no video technical issue is mainly caused by overheating.
Overheating will cause damage to the clamps that holds down the graphics
processor. When the clamps are overheated it will loosen up and the graphics
processor or chip will stop working, hence, you will immediately experience
no video error. The same problem causes the red ring of death, which also
affects a lot of Xbox 360 gamers out there.
So, just how can you fix the no video error?
Normally, you can take it back to Microsoft and get it fixed. With the extended
warranty, Microsoft will not charge you for anything for the repairs made.
However, the waiting time to get it fixed can be quite long and most people
don’t want to wait too long before they can play with their favorite Xbox 360
games again. Anyway, there are ways where you can fix your Xbox 360 from
the no video technical issue. To do this, you need to be able to get the
graphics processor to function correctly again.
A lot of people will often recommend that you should wrap a towel around the
gaming console. This is a common misconception as it will do more harm
than good. Wrapping your Xbox 360 with towel will even make the problem
worse as wrapping it prevents air from coming in and out of your Xbox 360
which will make it overheat more.
The best way to repair your Xbox 360 no video issue is by using an Xbox 360
repair guide.The great thing about these guides is that it will be able to
provide instructional videos and detailed print instructions on how you can do
the job properly, as quickly as possible, and as safely as possible.
Most guides available out there only deals with the red ring of death.
However, you need to understand that there are more technical issues related
to Xbox 360 that you might want to know about. Click Here!
Xbox 360: Preventive Maintenance Secrets That You Should Know About
We all know that the Xbox 360 is an expensive gaming console platform. This
is why you will take all the necessary precautions in order to prevent it from
breaking as well as prevent other maintenance issues linked to Xbox 360
such as the so called red ring of death.
So, here are some tips that will help you prevent experiencing the red ring of
death and also make your Xbox 360 gaming console last a lot longer.
The first thing that you need to know is that most people keep their Xbox 360
in a display cabinet in order to keep it out of harms way. Some do this
because it looks prettier. However, this is one of the main causes of
overheating, which will cause the red ring of death and constant freezing or
hanging while playing a game.
You need to remember that the Xbox 360 generates a lot of heat, especially
the processors inside it. You need to get rid of the heat and keep the game
console cool. So, if you keep your Xbox 360 in a display cabinet, it may be
time for you to get it out in the open. Always remember that you should let air
circulate on all sides of the Xbox 360. By doing this, you will be able to keep
your gaming console cool and prevent the red ring of death.
Another preventive maintenance method that you can do to prevent your
Xbox 360 from freeing is by placing the power brick on top of an open box. It
may sound strange but there is a logical reason for this. You may have
noticed that the power brick of the Xbox 360 has little fans inside. By placing
it on top of an open box, you will be able to efficiently pump air in and out of
the power brick which will keep it cool or prevent it from overheating. By doing
this, you will be able to stop your games from constantly freezing.
Always remember that you should always keep your Xbox 360 wellventilated. By doing so, you will prevent overheating which is the main cause
of the red ring of death and freezing.
Another method is to keep the dust out of your Xbox 360. For this, you can
use a contact cleaner. This will help in cleaning the sensitive parts of the
Xbox 360. The contact cleaner will be able to get rid of dust effectively.
Always keep in mind that if dust accumulates on your Xbox 360, air won't be
able to keep the components, especially the processors, cool enough to
properly function.
By cleaning your Xbox 360 every now and then, you will be able to keep it
cool and well-ventilated, which will help in preventing freezing or the red ring
of death.
These are some of the preventive maintenance tips for Xbox 360. Always
remember that the proper way to maintain the Xbox 360 is by keeping it wellventilated to prevent overheating. You can do this by playing with the Xbox
360 on open space, keeping the power brick well-ventilated, and keeping it
free from dust.
Through these tips, you can be sure that you will be able to enjoy playing with
some of the most amazing Xbox 360 games for many more years to come.
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