.FLYINGHEAD WE GOT GAME
.TITLE The Xbox 360 red ring of death: some possible fixes
.AUTHOR David Gewirtz
.SUMMARY We found a number of (profane) YouTube videos that take you through the process of fixing the machine.
.OTHER
I love my Xbox, but it doesn’t love me. I actually own two of them, an HDMI-equipped Xbox Elite, and one of the original white Xbox models with a 20GB hard drive.
Sadly, after about four years of steady service, the white Xbox died. Three rings were red and it wouldn’t start. Since the machine was out of warranty, we decided to open the thing up and see if we could fix it ourselves.
YouTube to the rescue. We found a number of (profane) YouTube videos that take you through the process of fixing the machine. There’s the Penny Trick, the Towel Trick, and the Q-Tip Trick.
Sadly, for us, none of these tricks worked* and we still have a dead Xbox. But if you have a broken machine, some of these techniques might work for you.
*Our Xbox might not have passed these tests because it was plugged straight into the wall without a surge protector. Do we know better than that? Yes, yes we do.
.TEASER Tap here to see the videos.
.H1 Opening the Xbox 360
The first step you’ll need to do is open the Xbox 360. Here’s a fun little video that can help.
.H1 The Penny Trick
Now that you’ve got the Xbox opened, here’s how to do the Penny Trick. It didn’t work for us, but it might for you.
.H1 The Towel Trick
Once you’ve done the Penny Trick, you may need to reset the error code by forcing a different error code. Have we mentioned that if you try these things and destroy your Xbox, it’s not our fault. You should know better than to follow instructions in a random YouTube video.
Anyway, also keep an eye on your machine while doing this. You don’t want it to burst into flames.
.H1 The Q-Tip Trick
Just in case you think the towel trick is too crude, there’s always the Q-Tip trick.
.H1 Final thoughts
First, be aware (I mentioned this earlier, but it’s worth repeating) that IF YOU DESTROY YOUR XBOX OR BURN DOWN YOUR HOUSE, IT’S NOT OUR FAULT, we disclaimed it profusely, and advised you not to do any of this. If you’re under 30, ask your parents.
Beyond that, the popularity of these videos indicates that the early Xbox had some very serious problems. The fact that people still love their Xboxes says a lot about the Xbox experience, but Microsoft lucked out. This could have been a complete fiasco.
Game on!
.BIO David Gewirtz is considered a true god among gamers. After more than five years, his WoW tune has finally hit level 70 and when he gets stuck in Mass Effect, he has to ask his wife to get him through the tough, twitchy spots. On the upside, David married a beautiful woman who’s able to get him through the tough twitchy spots, both in video games, and in the real world.
