My Problem

I fix my Xbox 360 in order to save money if I can and I didn't want to recycle it unless there was a way to fix it.

My Fix

It was little difficult to fix the problem but it help me get the Xbox 360 working again.

My Advice

Just relax while repairing your console and take one step at a time and don't rush it.

My Problem

This is the fifth Xbox 360 that has resulted in the Red Ring of Death. The other four were fairly new and were fixed by Microsoft or replaced by Circuit City, I know that is a long time ago. This Xbox 360 has really lasted longer, about six years. So I have used the guides at iFixit to repair a Mac Mini, replace batteries on iPods and replace a hard drive on an iMac. So I thought I will try my hand at the Xbox 360.

My Fix

Well, things went well. The guide was spot on. The tool used to open the Xbox 360 worked well. It has not been a week yet, but the Xbox 360 has recovered from the RRoD.

My Advice

Part of the problem with the "freeze" and then the RRoD was the game DVD itself. I tried the DVD on another Xbox 360 and it started to "freeze" as well. I guess too many hours of COD will over heat more than the Xbox. So I purchased a new DVD and all is well.

My Problem

After a 5 years of use my Xbox 360 Elite finally gave me the RROD. After some online research I decided to try the Ifixit solution of replacing the thermal compound and X-clamps and adding extra heatsinks and thermal pads.

My Fix

When I received my repair kit, it did not include any thermal compound, as advertised. I made a quick trip to my local MediaMarkt (Deutsche Best Buy), and picked some up for 5 Euro. The teardown and installation was pretty straight forward. I was able to get my Xbox up and running within an hour without reflowing or keeping the fans unplugged to overheat the system.

My Advice

The only part that was somewhat troublesome was installing the heatsink with the new screws and washers. I found it easiest to insert the screws into the bottom of the motherboard while it was hanging of the edge of the table and slide it over the table to keep the screws in. After placing the washers over the screws, I attached the heat sink and slid the motherboard off the table, one screw at a time in order to start threading them so they didn't fall out.

My Problem

My original 360 RROD'd a year or two ago (again, after I'd already had it officially repaired). I replaced it at the time, and finally decided to try fixing this one on my own. Who doesn't need a spare 360?

My Fix

The instructions were very clear, and everything went incredibly smoothly. The only hitch I hit was my fault for not technically reading all of one of the steps. It was easy to go back and fix, though.

My Advice

When I powered it back up for the first time, it was still RROD'd. I checked the community and someone suggested letting things heat up for a few minutes, then restarting it. I did so and so far it's been working like a champ (several days later).

My Problem

My Xbox 360 (purchased in 2009) finally gave me the red ring of death. Restarting the console seemed to temporarily "solve" the problem, but to keep from causing anymore damage, I decided not to use my console until I could fix it.

My Fix

The repair actually went very well. Console disassembly was rather painless thanks to ifixit's repair guide. The kit came with all the hardware needed to replace the stock heatsink clamps. I chose to use the Ceramique2 heatsink compound included with the kit, but for better heat transfer between the processors and heatsink, some of you may opt for using Arctic Silver 5. Nearly a month after the repair, the RROD hasn't returned. I will note that I chose NOT to reflow the motherboard.

My Advice

Take your time! It is important that you keep track of all the hardware, and use care when removing components. While your console is apart, take the time to clean the dust out of it. Before reinstalling the heatsinks, make sure to remove all the old thermal compound. The plastic spudger will help scrape off the hardened compound. Use Artic Clean (found at Radioshack) or 91% isopropyl alcohol (Walgreens) to clean the processors and heatsinks; let them dry completely before applying new thermal compound.

My Problem

I got a 2006 core edition Xbox 360 for free from my brother-in-law because it didn't work.

It had been stored in his basement for the last 6 years when he offered it to me.

I like tinkering with computers and similar electronical devices, so I thought that it would be interesting to attempt to fix it myself.

My Fix

I followed every step in the guide carefully, replacing the two x-clamps and removing old thermal paste and adding new thermal paste instead. After that, I reassembled the console and fired it up. The 3/4 RRoD was still there. So I asked for some advice on the internet. There it was suggested that I needed to overheat my console first. But a few days later, my Xbox came back to life for some unknown reason, so I didn't need to do that, I thought. It has worked for nearly 3 weeks now, but when I turned it on and started a game yesterday, it froze. I turned it off and then on again and the 3/4 RRoD was back.

So I took the advice, and disassembled it, removing the dvd tray and the plastic lid covering the fan.

I removed the fan, but I didn't unplug it. I placed it on the outside of the console so that it wouldn't blow cold air into the console or suck the warm air away from it. I turned it on and waited for about 5 minutes and the 3/4 was now reduced to a 2/4 (overheat warning) RRoD. I turned it of and waited for 20 minutes until it had cooled down before I reassembled it again. The RRoD was now gone. I booted up a game, but after a minute or so, the console froze. I turned it off and on again and the 3/4 RRoD was there again. I repeated the overheating process once more without luck. Some times it starts, but never gets past the xbox startup logo but most of the time it just blinks its 3/4 RRoD lamp. I'm not sure what to do from here...

My Advice

Concider if you're willing to pay for someone to repair it for you instead. Or if your console still has it's 4 years warranty before you start. Even if you follow the guide, there's no guarantee that your console will work after the fix.

My Problem

Our Xenon based 360 in the playroom went belly up and my kids were pretty bummed. We were willing to make do until the kids started taking over the 360 S tied to the home theater.

My Fix

Everything went smoothly. The old thermal paste was really gunked onto the processors. I removed the bulk of it with a plastic scraper tool. I followed up with nail polish remover & a coffee filter. That still left a lot of residue so I sparingly used some "goof off" cleaner. When I was finished the chips & heat sinks gleamed.

I also did the heat gun reflow procedure. I held a 1200 Watt heatgun about 6-8 inches away. I constantly waved the nozzle in a circular motion while moving counter-clockwise over the areas highlighted in the Reflow procedure instructions. In hindsight I could have shielded the nearby caps with some tinfoil. I let the board cool down about 45 minutes before applying the thermal paste & reassembly. We were all very happy when the Xbox worked perfectly!

My Advice

It was not explained in the how to video exactly where to install the plastic washers included in the kit. I had to replay the segment a few times to verify because it was not explicit. The washers are installed on the heatsink side of the motherboard. The plastic washer is in contact with the motherboad and the metal washer contacts the heatsink.

My Problem

Red Ring of Death.

Grandson was getting every kind of useless advice from his friends - like popping it in the freezer for a couple of hours.

I told him Grandpa doesn't do things by magic - he does them by engineering. So I guess I had to live up to my boast and get the job done!

My Fix

The kit finally arrived in the UK. We put the Xbox on the kitchen work top and had a go. Tools provided were very good. Especially the multi tooth gismo for opening the case.

My Advice

The original heat sink retaining clips were just that. They just held everything in place but no downward force really pushing the heatsink on to the chips. The iFixit screw down ones were a big improvement. Make sure the heat sinks and tops of chips are scrupulously clean. My grandson kept his eye on the stopwatch whilst I waived the rework gun around in the appropriate places. Just one comment regarding the instructions. It says" set the heat gun to High" A rough temperature guideline would have been useful here as my rework gun is calibrated in temperature settings and we all have our own versions of what's high and low. Otherwise very good instruction.

We did get Red Ring of Death just once after about an hour of running. My grandson told me he switched off to let the unit cool down then I moved the box to give plenty of space down the sides and shifted the external power supply well away from the box. So far the fault has never been back and the box has been running now for some months.

My Problem

My used Xbox 360 Red Ringed after around 8 months of use.

My Fix

When I opened up the Xbox, I was surprised to find that the X-clamps had already been replaced with bolts, even though the warranty sticker was still in place. I went through all the steps just fine though, put it back together, and it still Red Ringed the same way. But hey, at least I didn't make things any worse.

My Advice

The kit's easy to use, but keep in mind, it may not actually solve your problem.

My Problem

I fired up my Xbox one evening and got the dreaded RROD for the first time. Since I was unwilling shelling out money for a new console when the next gens are coming soon, I decided to fix it myself using the iFixit guide and repair kit.

My Fix

The repair went really smoothly. It was a time consuming process but I followed the guide carefully and the repair was successful.

My Advice

Follow the guide. It is well written and the pictures are great. The video on the first page of the guide is useful as well. I recommend taking the extra time to blow out any dust. I also reflowed the motherboard as was recommended (Dont worry. There is a guide for that too.).