If you’ve read much of this blog you’ll see a trend: the xbox suffers from a number of fairly common problems, many of which stem from the console overheating. Some problems can be fixed as easily by just ensuring sufficient air is circulating through it to keep it cool. For problems where there has been physicaly damage to the console, you have 2 options:

1/ You can send it to Microsoft to get it repaired

2/ You can fix it yourself

So which do you choose? I’ll go over the benefits nad drawbacks of each here. If you’re xbox is still in warranty, then the repair will be free with Microsoft. The drawback is that it does take a long time – usually over 4 weeks. Also, if it does break in teh future and outside of the warranty period, then you’ll have to fix it again anyway, either yourself or at great expense – Microsof charges over $100 to repair consoles that are out of warranty!

Do it yourself? It is actually very simple, its very quick, and once you do it you’ll be able to fix it again if it breaks or you’ll be able to fix your friends consoles if they break. Cost – you will need to get a manual – and these typically cost about $25 or so. There are videos on youtube as well as supposed free guides online – I’ve looked at alot of these and they are nearly always far inferior to the ones you pay for and just not worth the hassle.

So there you have it, now you should be able to make an informed decision as regards to whether fix it yourself or get Microsoft to do it.

What are red rings on the xbox all about?

If you’re reading this then you probably have an xbox thats not working as it should do. If so, not to worry. The red rings indicate that there has been some kind of hardware failure on your xbox – and its usually one of a few things that can actually be fixed by anyone.

It usually is one of 3 things:

1/Problem with the GPU

2/Overheating

3/Some issue with the powerbrick

All of these can be fixed as mentioned. The most common issue is overheating, on account of all the components being packed together so tightly.  The GPU or general processing unit is another common fault – all it is is that when it overheats its designed to shut down. Just by turning off the unit to allow it to cool can often fix this. The powerbrick is the transformer and this can also get very hot, which will cause the console to freeze.

All these problems revolve around the console over heating, so just having the console get enough ventillation usually can avoid alot of these issues. However, they can still happen, and when they do, you can fix them.