Xbox 360 problems.

[NewF]

I just got finished playing CoD4. Turned the system off, then 10 minutes later, came back down to play a movie on it. Then, those 3 red LED lights came up on it. The top left, bottom left, and bottom right. Is that the hardware malfunction or whatever? And What can I do to fix it?

[Spectere]

That's the Red Ring of Death.  That's what my 360 did recently.

Keep using the system until it always does it, then go to here and click on the "register/repair your console" image in the upper-right.  Fill out the form (sign up and register your 360 if you haven't already -- you'll need the serial number) and in a few days you'll get a box with a return label and some packing instructions.  Send it out via a UPS drop-off place in your area and wait for them to send you a new console.

If anyone tells you to block the vents with towels and let it heat up for a while, ignore them.  It might get you some more life out of the system but it's not worth risking the extended warranty or causing a fire.

[Bobbias]

Anyone know what actually causes the RROD?

[Spectere]

As far as I can gather, heat + weakened solder joints + heavy heatsink + poor heatsink mount = RRoD.

Yeah, it sucks, but at least Microsoft is good about replacing bad units.

[Sneaky]

Better to place 360 vertical or horizontal? hmm

[Spectere]

It doesn't matter what way you place it.  The heat combined with the heavy heatsink and tight clamp is the root of the problem.  The forces involved doesn't change regardless of which way the box is oriented.

I did hear that people have had more luck with horizontally aligned 360s (I read about people who have had the RRoD on a vertical 360 having it go away for a couple of weeks by laying it down) but laying it down horizontally isn't going to be a magic fix -- I've always used my 360 like that and it died.

[Bobbias]

Has Microsoft designed a better way to assemble the heatsink stuff and deal with those issues then? Or are they simply replacing one broken one with one that will eventually break?

[Spectere]

Yeah, they've had a new design out for quite some time now.  They're also using cooler-running chips based on a 65nm manufacturing process, so that should help quite a bit as well.

[Bobbias]

Yeah, some companies like to simply replace it and do nothing about it though.