How To Repair Xbox 360 - Save Money By Knowing Your Options
Marc Sandford
December 28, 2008
Having problems with your Xbox freezing up? Getting the red ring of death failure? You are now a member of an expanding international club of frustrated Xbox gamers.
Knowing that many other people share your problem doesn't help you much, so this article will discuss your Xbox 360 repair options. In no special order, they are:
1.) You can return your Xbox to Microsoft for repair or replacement. If your Xbox 360 is still under warranty, they'll send you a replacement for free. Otherwise you'll be charged well over a hundred dollars.
Note that if you've opened your console, your warranty will be voided automatically. It doesn't matter whether you were trying to fix it yourself or had other reasons that seem justifiable, your warranty is void.
Returning your Xbox can take a long time. Two weeks or so is about the average replacement time. There's a specified packing routine that Microsoft requires you to follow for returning your Xbox.
2.) You can try nursing your Xbox back to health. If this is the first ring of death incident with your machine, then there probably hasn't been any real heat damage. Further ring of death freeze-ups might be avoided by ensuring that your Xbox doesn't overheat.
Overheating is the main reason for the red ring of death. Keep the cooling vents open and clear of dirt, dust, or obstructing materials. Run your Xbox 360 in an open and cool environment. Restrict playing times to less than 3 or 4 hours.
If you've been getting a lot of ring of death errors, then the damage has already been done. It may not be possible to avoid the ring of death by running your Xbox cool. If your machine has had extensive heat damage, things will get progressively worse with time.
3.) Repair it yourself. Before you go through with this option, I should remind you of what I'd mentioned before that you will lose your warranty if you open your console. But if you have an expired or voided warranty, then you're free to work on your Xbox.
Working inside of your Xbox can be intimidating or may sound complicated. But with the right information and a few ordinary household tools, it's fairly easy to do. The Internet has tons of information about this both free and paid.
The problem with free information is the amount of research that you will have to do. There's too much bad advice out there and sorting through this information will take a lot of time.
Paid instructional guides are obtainable that will show you exactly how to fix your Xbox yourself. Make sure that there's a guarantee that redeems your money if the info doesn't work. The guarantee is a kind of insurance and thus improves your chances of getting information that actually works without damaging your Xbox. The guide should have instruction in the form of both video and text downloads.
With a bit of luck, one of these options will work for your situation and get you back to enjoying your Xbox.
Marc Sandford is a gaming addict and author. Get more Xbox troubleshooting information about fixing the Xbox 360 red ring of death.
Knowing that many other people share your problem doesn't help you much, so this article will discuss your Xbox 360 repair options. In no special order, they are:
1.) You can return your Xbox to Microsoft for repair or replacement. If your Xbox 360 is still under warranty, they'll send you a replacement for free. Otherwise you'll be charged well over a hundred dollars.
Note that if you've opened your console, your warranty will be voided automatically. It doesn't matter whether you were trying to fix it yourself or had other reasons that seem justifiable, your warranty is void.
Returning your Xbox can take a long time. Two weeks or so is about the average replacement time. There's a specified packing routine that Microsoft requires you to follow for returning your Xbox.
2.) You can try nursing your Xbox back to health. If this is the first ring of death incident with your machine, then there probably hasn't been any real heat damage. Further ring of death freeze-ups might be avoided by ensuring that your Xbox doesn't overheat.
Overheating is the main reason for the red ring of death. Keep the cooling vents open and clear of dirt, dust, or obstructing materials. Run your Xbox 360 in an open and cool environment. Restrict playing times to less than 3 or 4 hours.
If you've been getting a lot of ring of death errors, then the damage has already been done. It may not be possible to avoid the ring of death by running your Xbox cool. If your machine has had extensive heat damage, things will get progressively worse with time.
3.) Repair it yourself. Before you go through with this option, I should remind you of what I'd mentioned before that you will lose your warranty if you open your console. But if you have an expired or voided warranty, then you're free to work on your Xbox.
Working inside of your Xbox can be intimidating or may sound complicated. But with the right information and a few ordinary household tools, it's fairly easy to do. The Internet has tons of information about this both free and paid.
The problem with free information is the amount of research that you will have to do. There's too much bad advice out there and sorting through this information will take a lot of time.
Paid instructional guides are obtainable that will show you exactly how to fix your Xbox yourself. Make sure that there's a guarantee that redeems your money if the info doesn't work. The guarantee is a kind of insurance and thus improves your chances of getting information that actually works without damaging your Xbox. The guide should have instruction in the form of both video and text downloads.
With a bit of luck, one of these options will work for your situation and get you back to enjoying your Xbox.
Marc Sandford is a gaming addict and author. Get more Xbox troubleshooting information about fixing the Xbox 360 red ring of death.
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