My Problem
After 7 years of reliability my Xbox Elite gave me my first problem. The dreaded RROD appeared after a sudden picture freeze and a system restart. I decided I couldn't just give up on her and let her dye. So with the help of iFixit's guides I took her apart. I was surprised that after 7 years of use it had very little dust build up, I was imagining something 20 times worst, inside the unit on the fans and heat sinks. So I decided from there to order the iFixit's repair kit. With high hopes to resurrect her!
My Fix
I decided to try and just clean up the old thermal paste ,which was a pain to clean up, and replace X clamps with the supplied screws and washers. I put her back together only to discover that no such luck the RROD still was present. I then decided to preform the full RROD procedure from start to finish. I opened her up again and removed the screws, washers, and the fresh thermal paste. Fresh thermal paste is way easier to clean up! Then I nervously reflowed the motherboard. Once I did that I let the board cool for about an hour just to make good and sure it was cool before proceeding. I reapplied the thermal paste and screwed the heat sinks back to the board. The screws and washers were a pain in the rear trying to hold them in place to attach heat sinks. Once done I reassembled her and crossed my fingers as I pushed the power button. YES!!! It worked she booted up and works perfectly. It has been 2 days since the fix with no problems. She is working as if she was brand new again.
My Advice
When you perform your fix do the whole process. Including the reflowing process. Save time and do it right the first time. It also helps to have an extra set of hands to hold the board while you hold the screws & washers to attach the heat sinks. Also patience helps a lot during the whole process. Good luck to anyone who takes on the challenge. You will be rewarded for a job well done with a revived Xbox.
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