What is the Red Ring of Death?

When Microsoft designed the Xbox 360, they attempted a innovative method of mounting the heat sinks to the motherboard. During normal operation, the temperature within the case is very hot. Which in turn causes the motherboard to flex against the x clamps. It is this flexing, which results in the soldered joints around the processors coming away from the motherboard. The fault is indicated by the now infamous 3 red lights!

Recent Xbox 360 Elite’s have been upgraded with a stronger epoxy resin to glue the processors down. Whether this will work, only time will tell!

The X Clamp fix
The modification detailed in this guide, alleviates the flexing of the motherboard and maintains uniform pressure on the processors, this in turn ensures the heat sinks are far more effective in dissipating the heat build up.

Kit list
Torx Screwdrivers T8 & T10
Pliers
Artic Silver Thermal Paste
Thermal Paste cleaner (nail varnish remover!)
Thin flat bladed screwdriver
8 m5 10mm bolts
8 m5 steel spring washers
24 m5 1mm width washers

Step 1 – disassemble the console

Stop and take a look at your warranty, is it still in date? If so contact Microsoft for a replacement! If not, then proceed.

Remove the front face plate by placing your thumb into the USB door, applying pressure on the side panel, you will be able to lever the cover off. Do not force it!

Once removed this will expose the Microsoft warranty sticker. Next, we need to remove the side panels.

They are kept in place by 3 lugs on each side, which can be seen by looking through the ventilation holes. Using the thin screwdriver (or wooden skewer), push the lugs through the holes, whilst gently levering the grey side panel up. Once you have released a couple the panel will lift up quite easily. You will have to remove one of the rubber feet, to access one of the lugs and the hard drive if you have one.

Once both panels have been removed, we can move onto the case itself. On the rear of the case are 6 retention slots and 4 clips on the front of the case.

Unclip the front clips using the thin screwdriver, and gently lift the front up about an inch.

Now locate the rear 6 retention slots, and again using the thin screwdriver, push gently into each slot, you should hear a click each time.

Once all 6 have been released, you will be able to lift the top halve of the case off.

Flip the console over, and you will notice 14 silver screws and 8 black screws, remove these using the Torx screwdrivers.

Once all removed, turn the console over and remove the case.

This will expose the motherboard and DVD drive. To remove the DVD drive, simply lift upwards and unclip the cables from the rear of the drive.

Now you will have access to the white plastic fan shroud, which lifts out by unclipping the retention hook at the top of the shroud. Unclip the cable to the fan.

At the front of the console, you will notice a daughter PCB, by the power button. Unclip the white power button cover and remove the 3 screws with the T8 screwdriver.

Unplug the daughter board, this will enable you to lift the motherboard out carefully.

Once you have the motherboard out, you will notice on the underside 2 x clamps.

To remove the x clamps, you will need to pry the clamps off the metal studs. Insert the thin screwdriver into each corner of the clamp, gently levering each one until they are released. If you do 2 corners at a time, it is easier. Take your time, it is essential we do not damage the motherboard.

Once the clamps are removed, flip the motherboard over and gently remove the 2 heatsinks by lifting them up. The low profile one is the GPU heatsink, the main cause of the problem!

Using the Pliers, or small spanner, remove the four bolts on the underside of each heat sink. The bolts are no longer required.

Now we need to remove all traces of the old compound from the heat sinks and processors. Start by using a plastic scraper, usually supplied with the thermal paste or an old credit card! Take extra care when cleaning the processors.

To remove the remaining compound, use the nail varnish remover or if you have it compound cleaner, only a little is required.

With the processors, we are trying to obtain a mirror finish on them!

Now apply a little dab of compound to each processor and spread with the plastic card, we want a thin film across the top of the processor, no more no less.

Now we start the process of re-fixing the heat sinks.

Place a spring washer on each bolt (m5 10mm) followed by a steel washer, insert the bolt through the underside of the motherboard and then place 2 steel washers on the bolt. It is essential we have the correct width between motherboard and heatsink.

In order for the bolts to stay in place whilst attaching the heat sink, I stand the motherboard on its side and ***** the bolts in a couple of turns until they have purchased.

Once all 4 have been attached, we need to systematically tighten each bolt, so start top right, then bottom left, bottom right and top left. This ensures the heat sink is uniformily tightened and not one side at a time. Repeat on next heat sink.

We can now plug everything back in, apart from the fans.

Turn the console on, we want it to overheat in order for the changes we have made to reset. Looking at the power bottom, wait for the 3 red lights to go to 2 red lights, this could take a couple of minutes. Once we have 2 red lights, leave the console on for about 5 mins.

Now turn the console off and let it cool down for about 1 hour.

Now we come to the test, plug everything back in including the fans and turn the console on. You should now be looking at green lights.

If you have green lights, re-assemble the console.

If you have red lights, we have a couple of procedures to follow, do not worry, some consoles take a number of attempts before the fix is successful.

First, loosen the screws holding the heat sink in place and with the fan disconnected run the console with 2 red lights for another 5 minutes, then allow to cool.

Once cooled try the test again with everything plugged in. still getting red lights?

Check the thermal compound is not too thin on the processors and before tightening the screws up, run the console again for 5 minutes with 2 red lights. Tighten screws up and allow to cool. Run the test again after an hour. If you still have red lights, run the console again with the fan disconnected for a longer period of time on 2 red lights, before allowing to cool.

It is normal for the console to take about 3 attempts to get all green. If none of the attempts work, gone back to the beginning and start again. Do not give up, this fix has been 100% successful for me.

Once you have green lights and you have put everything back together, run another test to ensure you still have the green lights, remember you will not need the 8 black screws for the case.

It is advisable, to run the console on low settings for about 20 days and keep it well ventilated. Fan upgrades are available, which run more efficiently.

By: Steve Thornton

About the Author:

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I almost enjoyed telling my girlfriend I’d contracted RROD?

The surprised and somewhat disappointed look on her face, confirming that, she did not know exactly what RROD was…

Before letting her think the worst for too long, I explained that RROD wasn’t a new type of STD, but was in fact far more serious!

After explaining that RROD was in fact Xbox red rings of death, a condition that describes the 4 light panels on the front of an Xbox 360 console changing from flashing a happy and content GREEN to a “forget about playing me anymore” RED.

I could see both relief and annoyance in her expression, but no sympathy whatsoever…

Rather than admiring my single-minded dedication to Xboxing; my girlfriend seems to see the Xbox 360 as some sort of competition, and actually seemed pleased over its red ringed death.

Imagine her delight though when I explained that I knew what caused it, and would move heaven and earth to find a red lights Xbox fix…

But what’s wrong and how do I fix it?

Well the reason we need a red lights Xbox fix for the many RROD and e74 errors can be traced to the design flaw of the Xbox x-clamps that hold the CPU & GPU to the heatsinks. Being made of soft metal the x-clamps bend through heat, and take the motherboard with them. This bending or buckling can erode or break connections between the major processors and the motherboard so giving the many and various types of Xbox red rings of death / RROD.

So blaming the Xbox x clamps is very much in order.

But what to do about them – which red lights Xbox fix should you go for?

There are two main options to consider at this point:-

A full removal of those pesky Xbox x clamps A work around where you “pad” the x clamps to prevent them bending when hot.

But which is best?

Well they’ve both got their pros and cons.

A full Xbox x clamp fix requires far more work removing the x clamps and cleaning and replacing the thermal paste that conducts the heat form the overheating processors out of the Xbox through the two heatsinks. This requires new screws, washers, cleaning agent (such as nail polish remover) and new thermal paste ($10 – 15 to buy online or from a good electronics or PC components store). You don’t need any special tools (small screwdriver and a flat head screwdriver, and occasionally pliers), but you do have to take everything apart.

A partial Xbox clamp fix, doesn’t require taking it all apart, as it “pads” the x clamps to prevent them bending when heated. This partial Xbox x clamp fix is also known as the “Xbox penny fix”, as it uses pennies insulted with electrical tape to form the “padding”. This fix is good if the Xbox isn’t too badly damaged by heat.

My girlfriends delight was complete; when I told her that I had found a red lights Xbox fix guide and that I would be Xboxing again within 2 hours!

You see my mate Steve who is an expert when it comes to Xbox repair had, always told me that If my Xbox RROD’d when he wasn’t about, that I possessed the tiny amount of skill and concentration required to follow the step by step video guides that now show you how to bring your Xbox back to life.

So with Steve on holiday, I had to get waist deep in dead bodies (Call of Duty) within the next two hours.The reality was I spent 4 hours researching what guide I ought to buy (my girlfriend loved this dedication!).

Once I made my purchase the fix itself, was disappointingly easy, and I was up and running again in less than 2 further hours!Folks sell Xbox 360 kits for about $15-20 (screws, washers, thermal paste, and cleaner) on Ebay, and they mostly come with written guides on how to do the Xbox x clamp fix. I personally didn’t need the parts, and not being very confident technically, decided to but a video red light Xbox fix guide instead.

I based my choice on only considering products with a full money back guarantee, quality video, price and if they offered any useful bonuses for buying their stuff (I bought a guide with free game back up / ripping software bonus).

You should have seen the pure delight on my girlfriends face as my Xbox 360 fired up GREEN again!

Another game playing marathon about to start!

Apologies; to all long suffering gamer’s girlfriends everywhere.

Good luck.

By: Richard V Brown

About the Author:

All right its finally happened, your Xbox 360 died on you and now all you get are the 3 flashing red lights. What do you do? Just follow these step by step instructions and its easily fixed.

Number one, unplug the power and AV cables and open your console. Do not forget to unplug the console…seriously.

Number two, disconnect your DVD drive and remove it from the chassis.

Number three, disconnect and remove your fan and fan shroud from the chassis.

Number four, lift out your circuit board from the chassis.

Number five, remove the x-clamps.

Number six, remove your heat sinks, the studs from the heat sinks and clean the thermal paste off of the CPU, GPU and heat sinks.

Number seven, put thermal paste on CPU and GPU.

Number eight, put the x-clamp kit screws and washers (these replace the x-clamps and studs) into the circuit board.

Number nine, ***** the heat sinks in place with the x-clamp kit screws.

Number ten, put the circuit board back into the chassis.

Number eleven, connect the DVD drive and the fan. Do not snap the fan back in place yet. Place the fan face down (stickers down) with one fan over the CPU and one over the DVD drive. Reconnect the power and the AV cables. Turn on the Xbox 360 for 15 minutes and let it overheat. After 15 minutes turn the console off and let it cool down for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes turn the unit back on and you should be rewarded with green lights.

By: Sean Strickler

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Xbox 360 Repairs – Very Common Indeed

No doubt if you are reading this you are an avid Xbox 360 gamer and in most cases I would say you own your own Xbox 360. So no doubt you are aware of Microsoft’s little ***** up, well big ***** up if you consider that they have spent millions on Xbox 360 Repairs. That is of course the dreaded 3 Red Rings of Death.

The 3 Red Rings of Death are an Xbox owner’s worst nightmare. This means your Xbox in most cases is had it and needs to be fixed. Now if you are one of the lucky ones (lucky that your Xbox broke down, doesn’t make sense does it?) your Xbox 360 may still be under warranty which means you can send it back to Microsoft, wait a few weeks for them to fix it and then hopefully they will send it back ready for you to play again.

Now if you are one of the unlucky ones, your Xbox 360 has broken down and your warranty has long since expired so you have to either fork out a couple of hundred dollars to get it fixed meaning these Xbox 360 Repairs can be very costly or if you have a little bit of skill you can look at fixing it yourself.

Luckily now days there are guides that can help with your Xbox 30 repairs. These guides will show you how you can go about fixing the 3 Red Rings error without much fuss or hassle. In fact often with a ***** driver and a bit of thermal paste you can be well on your way to fixing your Xbox 360.

The best guides for Xbox 360 Repairs are the ones that have video instructions so you can follow along in real time and copy them step by step. This means the likely hood of you making any mistakes is drastically reduced and the chances of you fixing your Xbox 360 if very high.

In fact I purchased a couple of these repair guides was very impressed. Not only was I able to repair my Xbox 360, I was also able to fix a couple of my mates Xbox 360’s and now they thing I’m some kind of tech guru, but the reality is I’m far from it, I can just follow instructions.

So if your console is in need of Xbox 360 repairs and you want video to help you repair it then take a look at the site below, you will be impressed.

By: Iziah Walker

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Best Interview Tips

There are 3 basic steps to fixing your Xbox 360 yourself. First, determine what the exact error code is. Second, select the appropriate Xbox 360 repair guide. Third, follow the instructions and get back to gaming. Obviously, the most important step is figuring out what is wrong with your Xbox 360. To do this, look at the power LED ring because it will flash in a particular pattern. The pattern itself provides insight into the problem. Different patterns will lead to numbered error codes which will help define the problem further. You can find a complete listing of the error codes along with instructions on how to get the console to reveal exactly what is wrong by following the link at the end of this article.

After you have deciphered the error codes, you will need to decide on the right Xbox 360 Fix Repair Guide. The link at the end of this article also has a page that provides a side by side comparison of the Xbox 360 Fix Repair Guides. The hard work has been done for you. Review each one carefully and then make your choice. Once you have your guide in hand you are ready to repair. You can usually repair your console in 1 to 2 hours depending on how handy you are with tools.

After you have repaired your own Xbox 360 why not recoup your money and fix your friends consoles or buy a broken one off of eBay. Once you fix one you will be amazed at how easy it is. Here are the basic steps.

Open the console Remove the fan shroud and fan Remove the DVD player. Remove the power button and motherboard Remove the X-Clamps Remove the Heat Sinks Clean up the old thermal paste Put new thermal paste on the CPU and GPU Re-install the heat sinks, motherboard, DVD Player and overheat Re-install the fan and put the console back together

It really is that easy. This is a permanent fix and lots of the guides show you exactly how to do it with pictures and videos and even online help. So like I said before, save your money and do not send your Xbox 360 back to Microsoft. However, make sure you do your homework before buying an Xbox 360 Fix Repair Guide (not all guides are created equal). You will be glad you did.

By: Sean Strickler

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Caffeinated Content

It has been over three years since purchase, so i have nothing to lose.
Should i do the penny trick, x clamp replacement, or simply re-apply the thermal paste?

I would like a list of the items needed, as well

I’m trying to avoid the squeeze trick and towel trick, and i don’t have a heat gun (i do have a 40 watt soldering iron, but I’m wary about using it on the GPU)

By: Karl

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There are a couple of different opinions concerning what causes the three red ring error but one thing is agreed, the Xbox 360 overheats. And the reason it overheats is because of the compact design, not enough airflow and the GPU under the DVD player. So that still doesn’t explain the 3 red ring error. Well one of the main suspects lies with the cold soldering technique that is used for the processor chips. Some experts say that the processor chips do not allow the heat to flow properly when the lead free solder is used on the motherboard resulting in what looks like a cold solder joint. Since the console is constantly heating and cooling this causes the alleged compromised solder joints to develop voids and even *****. The result is processor pins that may not be making contact with the motherboard. So cold soldering in conjunction with a compact overheating prone console design are the prime suspects of RROD.

Can it be fixed?

There are multiple fixes floating around on the internet that range from wrapping the Xbox 360 up in a towel to putting it in a ice bath, neither of which anyone recommends. There is only one that appears to be a permanent solution and that is the X-clamp fix. Part of this fix entails putting thermal paste between the heat sinks and processors and overheating the GPU in particular. The intent is to allow better heat dissipation for the processors and attempt to re-solder the pins. Multiple sites indicate a success rate of 90% with this technique. There are also free instructions and videos on the internet that detail how to perform this fix if you are so inclined to take on this fix yourself. If the unit is under warranty Microsoft will fix this problem. If not the X-clamp fix is probably your best bet.

By: Sean Strickler

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Batman asked:


My Xbox 360’s been fixed with X-clamp fix and now has the 3 red light error code 0102. penny trick doesnt work and I have tried adding thermal paste already. Anybody know what I should look for or try next? I hope it’s not a dud.
Please note, it was fixed with the X-clamp fix. I cleaned off the GPU and CPU, added a new layer of thermal paste, and then used the penny trick. I used the towel trick with the pennies in it because sometimes I need only do that ONCE and the unit works but this one is a tad different and as I stated it gives me the error code listed above.
I have done the towel trick multiple times but no luck but I don’t intend to overdo it. I’m not looking to see if there is maybe something I misssed or other solutions related to that error in general

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