The Xbox 360 is a great machine as long as it's working. With amazing games and superior performance, it draws you into it's own little world and then...nothing. Right in the middle of a game you're suddenly staring at the three red lights or ring of death.
Sadly, this is a very common problem that affect more 500,000 consumers around the world. Once the ring of death happens, the problem won't resolve itself on its own. If you haven't experienced the ring of death yet, there are measures that you can follow that makes it less likely to happen to your machine.
The Xbox 360 was hastily designed and assembled. This caused it to be predisposed to overheating. Therefore, the ring of death is induced by an excessive buildup of heat.
To reduce the odds of the ring of death happening to your Xbox, you'll have make sure that it stays cool. This does not mean placing your Xbox out in the snow or in your freezer. Believe it or not, people do this and it isn't recommended because the Xbox's components are supposed to operate around room temperature.
In order to keep your Xbox cool you must keep it well ventilated. Therefore you'll have to keep it out of confined places such as an entertainment center full of clutter or a storage cabinet. Its home will need to have plenty of well ventilated space on all sides.
Shaggy carpeting is bad because it can block the fans in the back. Either prop it up off the carpet, place it on a table, or use it on a firm, uncarpeted surface. The fans in the back can also get blocked if you allow any cords or cables to get all bunched up there.
Make sure that you keep the fans free of any debris. Depending on the nature of your environment, human hair, pet hair, dirt, grit, dust, and lint can build up quite rapidly. That's because of all of the air passing through the fans which funnel dust just like a vacuum cleaner. Using some compressed air to clean the fans will easily increase air flow into your Xbox.
Don't use your Xbox for long periods of time. Those internal components will get warmer with use and will continue to do so. If you aren't using your Xbox, turn it off and let it cool down.
Most users with failed Xboxes typically had their machines on for more than four hours at a time. If you live in a very warm climate without air conditioning, your Xbox will tend to heat up even faster. In this case, you will have to scale down your playing time further.
Like it or not, the Xbox 360 is a very finicky and unreliable "high maintenance" machine. Even if you follow the precautions mentioned here, there's no guarantee of avoiding the ring of death failure. However, it is guaranteed to happen if you let your machine overheat. - 16069
Sadly, this is a very common problem that affect more 500,000 consumers around the world. Once the ring of death happens, the problem won't resolve itself on its own. If you haven't experienced the ring of death yet, there are measures that you can follow that makes it less likely to happen to your machine.
The Xbox 360 was hastily designed and assembled. This caused it to be predisposed to overheating. Therefore, the ring of death is induced by an excessive buildup of heat.
To reduce the odds of the ring of death happening to your Xbox, you'll have make sure that it stays cool. This does not mean placing your Xbox out in the snow or in your freezer. Believe it or not, people do this and it isn't recommended because the Xbox's components are supposed to operate around room temperature.
In order to keep your Xbox cool you must keep it well ventilated. Therefore you'll have to keep it out of confined places such as an entertainment center full of clutter or a storage cabinet. Its home will need to have plenty of well ventilated space on all sides.
Shaggy carpeting is bad because it can block the fans in the back. Either prop it up off the carpet, place it on a table, or use it on a firm, uncarpeted surface. The fans in the back can also get blocked if you allow any cords or cables to get all bunched up there.
Make sure that you keep the fans free of any debris. Depending on the nature of your environment, human hair, pet hair, dirt, grit, dust, and lint can build up quite rapidly. That's because of all of the air passing through the fans which funnel dust just like a vacuum cleaner. Using some compressed air to clean the fans will easily increase air flow into your Xbox.
Don't use your Xbox for long periods of time. Those internal components will get warmer with use and will continue to do so. If you aren't using your Xbox, turn it off and let it cool down.
Most users with failed Xboxes typically had their machines on for more than four hours at a time. If you live in a very warm climate without air conditioning, your Xbox will tend to heat up even faster. In this case, you will have to scale down your playing time further.
Like it or not, the Xbox 360 is a very finicky and unreliable "high maintenance" machine. Even if you follow the precautions mentioned here, there's no guarantee of avoiding the ring of death failure. However, it is guaranteed to happen if you let your machine overheat. - 16069
About the Author:
Marc Sandford is a gaming enthusiast and writer. Get Xbox troubleshooting advice about repairing the Xbox 360 3 Red Lights Error.
