I don’t think I am alone in thinking that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is a great piece of modern gaming technology. The computing power these things have is incredible and they bring gaming to a whole new level, especially for someone that grew up in the age of the mighty Atari system! Pacman and stick-figure Tennis kept us entertained for hours, there was no way that we would have ever thought that games could look real.

Cramming all of that computing power into one small machine has not been without it’s problems and there have been all sorts of allegations thrown around regarding the build quality of the Xbox. Many people think that the release date was set too early and there wasn’t enough time to sort out any teething problems. There is also talk of the lead-free solder that is used in these machines becoming brittle and cracking when exposed to high levels of heat over a prolonged period of time. This may all be talk, but where does it leave the owners of the machines that are looking for hours of trouble-free time playing their favorite games?

It leaves them with the only option of doing what they can to avoid any problems with their console. The most important step to take to avoid any problems is to ensure that the machine is well ventilated. Heat is the number one enemy of these machines and the amount of heat build up when the console is used while in a confined space can be enough to cause problems with the internal hardware. If possible have the unit placed on an upturned box somewhere where air can enter and exit the machine from all vented areas.

The dreaded ‘red ring of death’ where a number of the green lights on the front of the machine turn to red and the machine becomes unusable can be attributed to heat so it is all important that you give the unit the best chance of dissipating any built up heat. If you are unfortunate enough to have the ‘red ring of death’ happen to your console the first thing to do is to switch the power off and allow it to cool down for a while. Once you are confident that it has cooled down, power it up and check to see if the game will load again and that the red lights are now green.

If some of the lights are still red you will need to look into the problem a bit further. With the right information this problem may not be the end of your gaming fun and there is plenty of good information available to successfully repair the unit yourself if it is out of warranty or you don’t feel like waiting weeks for the repair to be carried out at the factory. Be careful though, some of the so-called fixes that are doing the round of the internet should have a try-at-own-risk warning with them! Sure they may do the job but what other damage is being done at the same time?

By: Craig Wilson
Repair Your Xbox 360 Now