Xbox 360: How to Prevent the dreaded Red Ring of Death

BY Steve | 319 Comments

I mentioned earlier that during my initial encounter with Grand Theft Auto IV my relatively young Xbox died after merely an hour of gaming. Since then I’ve dealt with severe ineptitude with Xbox customer support, including a week and a half delay on an empty box that is merely a two hour drive from my house (for those in southern Ontario, the distribution/repair centre is in Toronto). Despite being covered by warranty, the entire process, needless to say, is a large pain in the ass. And this is my second time in only 10 months. With that figure in mind I decided that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and sunk some time into researching methods of avoiding the dreaded Red Ring of Death.

Firstly, you may of may not of have heard of the method of subsuming your 360 in a mess of towels to further overheat you box which in turn magically fixes it. This method is merely a temporary fix. A bandaid on a gangrenous wound, if you will. Well it has been reported to have an uncanny success rate, it merely delays a growing problem (some report a 2 week life extension). And given that the repair center may vary well be sending you back the same 360 in the condition they deem repaired, I certainly wouldn’t stress the box with anything more than gaming.

So, what’s the best way to prevent ever getting the RRoD? Well, unfortunately no matter what you do this nagging problem occurs on a lottery basis, and from my personal experience the odds are pretty good (though not the basis for my opinion, in line to pick up my empty box from Purolator was another fellow getting his empty box, which was also delayed for over a week. What are the odds…). However, since the root of this evil is heat (damn you Lucifer and damn you Prometheus!) providing a well ventilated environment for your Xbox is the best chance you have of lessening your odds. This includes keeping the box away from walls and confined spaces, off warm/hot surfaces such as stereo equipment or the front burner of a stove, and never (ever) place your Xbox 360 on the carpet. Doing so and flipping the on switch can kill your box in no time (some stated so in as little as 15 minutes!). Also, watch out for you heat-vents and/or radiators. And be aware of the vents on the Xbox 360 itself and ensure they are fully exposed. I’ve also heard suggestions that you keep your power brick off the floor or even install a 3rd party vent to your Xbox but I can neither confirm or deny the effectiveness of either.

In what is perhaps a promising turn of events, however, is that after less than 12 hours in the repair centre, Xbox has informed me that my console is already on its way home! Good luck to all those who are red-ring free and for those that have loved and lost, my condolences.

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Steve | My Bio & Articles

Steve is a self-confessed gadget addict with a soft spot for all green gizmos. He has a BA in English Literature and is currently completing his MA in Communication and Rhetoric.

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justontime

Dec 17, 2008 ?>

With poor customer service and an unreliable product they deserve to lose trade to their competitors.

nolan

Mar 20, 2009 ?>

Could a fan stop the red ring of death on XBOX 360

nick

May 18, 2009 ?>

the best way to prevent it is the inner cooler i got 1 and my xbox lasted a year before it got red ring it really helps a lot and i was alaways leaving it on so ya it musta helped
also keep out of hot spaces and i played mine in my basement witch was cold so maby that helped and who nows u might as well also try using a hair dryer and put cold air on it

Responses to nick

4

Eric says:

April 3

umm nick bad news the intercooler is awful and lasting a year is bad most of my xboxs last 2.5 years i just put 4 hockey pucks under my xbox in a wide space and it works great

5

The Kewler says:

May 4

If you want to go all pro, you can get an item on ebay called a ”cooling ball” made for a laptop. I got 2 balls for about $5 (yep 2 of em) – 4 pcs. They are about the size of a golf ball split in half and they have sticky Velcro tape on the flat side. Stuck them to the bottom and they work great. Plus they won’t void your warranty.

If you want to take it even further, get a NON USB cooling pad (one that plugs into the wall, NOT the PC) USB powered cooling pads were designed by a seriously wetordad scam artist. ”Those 4 fans running off of 1 usb port will cool it off like crazy!” It’s like turning on your AC when your car is overheating…

If you have already cracked it open and aren’t worried about voiding your warranty, take off your heat sink and replace the cheapo thermal grease on top of the CPU with Arctic Silver 5. If your too cheap to rake out the $10 for a pea sized spot of silver grease, go back to ebay and look around for copper thermal grease, it actually kicks ass.

Hope I helped.

Connor

Jun 12, 2009 ?>

Damn, I recently moved my console to the carpeted floor I didn’t think about it overheating, thanks for the tip.

audio rage

Jul 22, 2009 ?>

before i got the RROD it was really heated up,so i thought it needed to cool down, in the proces i put it in the freezer than when i turned it on it died or got the RROD , so dont freeze it, mine is getting fixed right now.

Responses to audio rage

8

Wesley says:

June 9

hahaha best thing is have air conditioning and a fan but do not get intercooler or put it in the freezer hahahah
9

ColeSCheffler says:

June 23

That’s because a freezer creates condensation.

Water + electronic circuits = short circuit

cocksperm

Aug 17, 2009 ?>

cock niggers

sam i am

Oct 7, 2009 ?>

u put it in the freezer lol!!!!!! dude no 1 is that stupid lmao

Responses to sam i am

12

bob says:

November 5

they really need to fix this problem cause i am really mad of keep getting a new one
13

zizou says:

December 28

i said the same thing.. but apparently his not the only one..
theres videos of ppl on youtube putting their xbox 360 in their freezer just like him.. and the viewers are pleased by the video .. lol

sam i am

Oct 7, 2009 ?>

somthing really wierd happend to mine i was playing gears of war and i got the rrod and they lasted like that for like a month or so then one day i just turned it on and its been for working for like a month.

that one kid you laugh at

Nov 27, 2009 ?>

is it worth getting the 360 or should i just get the ps3 istead?

Responses to that one kid you laugh at

16

Xbox36000000 says:

June 15

Xbox, simply because its cheaper, more convenient, has a game library that is 200% better than the one of ps3’s and because it isn’t as easy to hack as the ps3(less hackers online).

Max

Nov 30, 2009 ?>

My xbox 360 got the RROD and i freaked out. Turned off my xbox and didnt touch for about 13 minutes not wanting to turn it on to see bad results. Sure enough…………….SON OF A @#@$@$. But on the bright side im getting a new one will not let it over heat EVER.

Knguyen92(Tech Nerd)

Dec 30, 2009 ?>

Prop your 360 up on legs in the horizontal potistion on a flat surface and try to get a fan facing the 360…. Keeps mine cool all the time I play.

ASDFGHJKL

Jan 8, 2010 ?>

I HAVE A 360 AND I GOT RROD ONCE AND MY FRIEND GOT IT TWICE .SCREW MICROSOFT ITS LIKE THEY DNT EVEN CARE ABOUT THE PROBLEM THEY JUST EXTEND YOUR WARRANTY TO 3 YEARS AFTER THAT U PAY LIKE 140 DOLLARS TO GET IT WORKING JUST TO HAVE IT HAPPEN AGAIN SOONER OR LATER .SCREW MICROSOFT WEN I GET RROD AGAIN IM GETTING A PS3 IT IS THE BETTER SYSTEM I WISH I REALIZED THAT BEFORE I BOUGHT A 360

codyski11z

Jan 16, 2010 ?>

just mod your xbox it will live forevere the metal case in it is what causes it to over heat.

Responses to codyski11z

21

maverick says:

July 27

how did u mod it can u send me some pics of your 360 plese

i have 3 red rings and i havent even played it over 4 weeks
just got it as graduation gift

Brisa440

Jan 20, 2010 ?>

I never had any problems with the original xbox, and same with the 360… so far…. I’m not expecting any difficulties either. The only problem I am having is it’s slow loading everything but games.

Hogfan999

Feb 16, 2010 ?>

I have an Xbox 360 elite. I heard they get RROD faster by some ppl and i heard they get it slower by others, which one is true?

QWERTY

Mar 1, 2010 ?>

I just sent my Xbox 360 off (3 weeks ago) and now, I got it back, they updated it and everything, but I have mine sitting under my TV, and it gets very good air circulation, I wouldn’t advise you to put it in ”hot spaces” or just sit it in the floor, and if you do set it in the floor, don’t sit it up aginst the wall, move it away.

codyski11z

Apr 10, 2010 ?>

i still got one of the first xboxes and it has no problems it works just fine it just how u use it and if it is moded or not.
its best if u mod it

codyski11z

Apr 10, 2010 ?>

and make sure u open it up about every 3months and dust it out cuz thats one of the main causes of rrd.

sadgarp

May 6, 2010 ?>

place your xbox 360 in a freezer with fans in it

shadow gamer

May 10, 2010 ?>

just buy a fan stand and put it on a table about 3 ft off the ground and open the window for a breeze if one is behind it.

SrgSkitels

Jun 14, 2010 ?>

Hmm What’s Working for me Right Now Is downloading The game to my hard drive, Keeps The Reader from working and reduces A great deal Of heat

hoboe

Jun 15, 2010 ?>

Microsoft makes crappy consoles

Malik

Jun 21, 2010 ?>

um, my 360 is connected to the internet,and to xbox live, then it says a notification is required etc. so i hit yhes and when it goes to the screen it doesnt move so i dont know what the problem is could it be what comapany i use i have or the connection, the router is motorola and we have home telephone company, we have a yellow ethernet cord, the yellow cable is coming from the router to the 360 plz help thanks

maverick

Jul 27, 2010 ?>

someone i have 3 rrod and i just got it as a graduation gift brand new i play it a lot but my core fan stoped working and now i have 3 rrod
how can i fix this fast
i have a new 2 new fans on the way but what am i to do intill the fans get here
it diving me crazy not being ably to play it
help please

Shane Griffith