View Full Version : flashing rings of death
Yes, my Xbox is broken. Has anyone had this, and does anyone know how to fix it without sending it to Microsoft for a ridiculous amount of money? And it's a 13 week waiting period! :roll:
How old is the xbox?
How many lights flashing?
Pistol Pete
03-10-08, 05:24 PM
Yeah, buy a new one :roll: ;)
Cant say i know of any other way, other than sending it away...:(
It's a couple of years old. And there's 3 flashing rings.
It's a couple of years old. And there's 3 flashing rings.
2 years is a good innings.
If you've collected loads of games, just buy a new one. That will last you another year or two.
If you haven't, get a PS3
The second option is better though as you wont be giving any more money to the useless to55ers :)
But you will be paying more than twice the price for a ps3 lol lol
You can do a DIY fix for it btw
I don't really have the money. Which is why I'm trying all these 'fix it yourself' options lol
Cheers Burgo!
Pistol Pete
03-10-08, 05:30 PM
I've had mine nearly two years, and no rings. Yet, bet i've gone and tempted fate now, lol
But you will be paying more than twice the price for a ps3 lol lol
You can do a DIY fix for it btw
You will. For a product twice as reliable. No, scrub that, 10 times more reliable lol.
Dar did the DIY fix about 3 times but it kept on breaking because its pathetic lol
Well, my mate has been through 3 this year.
Thing is, I turned it on Wednesday night and it had the same problem, but I kept turning it off and on again and it started working, then packed up again last night. I've never known an xbox to recover from the red rings like that, so, I dunno... :confused:
Geordie-Chris
03-10-08, 05:34 PM
Do asearch on you tube, a few guides on how to bodge it back to life. I did the towel trick and it worked for about 4 days, then died again.
Microsoft have extended the warranty for 3 red lights to 3 years, ring them up and they'll send a courier to come pick it up, only took 2 weeks for mine to come back fixed!
Pistol Pete
03-10-08, 05:35 PM
Obviously didnt use the right type of towel lol
Seriously, this is meant to work?
Is the towel trick Microsoft approved?
What am I saying, it must be!
Well, my mate has been through 3 this year
That sounds more like the good ole 360 lol
It DOES work, temporarily.
You can get a kit to do a permanent fix though, check ebay
Pistol Pete
03-10-08, 05:39 PM
My ring flashes after a curry. Shall i wrap myself in a towel? :roll: lol
My ring flashes after a curry. Shall i wrap myself in a towel? :roll: lol
just put the bog roll in the fridge :thumb:
You can get a kit to do a permanent fix though, check ebay
Found it :)
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/hammer-1.jpg
3 RROd within 3 years = FREE fix. I thought it was 3-4 months wait but its only 3-4weeks tops usually as they send out a refurb unit to replace yours... if you are lucky you get an HDMI equit one.
Pistol Pete
03-10-08, 05:43 PM
lol @ Lee! Its not big enough!
the penny trick worked for mine and its been fine ever since: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=asTDsKLVexA&NR=1
FUSION X16XE
03-10-08, 05:49 PM
Am i right in thinking the reason they break is because they heat conductive paste between the processor and the heat shrink is sh*t? If so i think ill do some modding to mine tonight. Can you get a better fan for them also? mines pretty loud on my elite.
Pistol Pete
03-10-08, 05:52 PM
The fan on mine is loud so i'm not going to worry! Dont use it that much anyway.
look on xbox scene for tutorials on howto do those very mods.
The only one I want is to fit a bigger hdd without being reamed for a 120GB item... but the current hacks only permit 20GB of any 20gb+ hdd to be used :(
i bought one of those £10 intercoolers. there not overly loud and they certainly keep it cooler
i bought one of those £10 intercoolers. there not overly loud and they certainly keep it cooler
The one that fixes on the back of the console?
Which actually makes cooling even worse than it is originally lol
NovaLad
03-10-08, 06:00 PM
Their is someone on ebay that fixes this for about 35 quid.
Their is someone on ebay that fixes this for about 35 quid.
Is that Bill Gates?
Dont trust him! lol
The one that fixes on the back of the console?
Which actually makes cooling even worse than it is originally lol
how did you work that out?
This thread has inspired me to fix mine again. Plus i've been drinking, so bad ideas always sound better :D
Plus i've been drinking, so bad ideas always sound better :D
So true lol lol lol
edens-xe
03-10-08, 07:36 PM
tbh honest your prob better getting a new one, you can get a basic one for £160 from argoose! just swap the hdd over and such.
anyways lee the ps3 does have the same heating issues aswell:thumb:
they just last that little bit longerlol
This thread has inspired me to fix mine again. Plus i've been drinking, so bad ideas always sound better :D
bit arrrrrrv bread tomaaaarrrraaaa?
tbh honest your prob better getting a new one, you can get a basic one for £160 from argoose! just swap the hdd over and such.
anyways lee the ps3 does have the same heating issues aswell:thumb:
they just last that little bit longerlol
£160? TBH, I'd take a sledge hammer to it, or microwave it, fill it full of fireworks and torch it etc etc let it go in style!!
Fcuk it off for some proper gaming wickedyness!! Megadrive is what you want!! They last FOREVER!
I broke my mega drive recently :(
Could just be the rf converter thing tho as it's just a display problem.
edens-xe
03-10-08, 08:22 PM
Fcuk it off for some proper gaming wickedyness!! Megadrive is what you want!! They last FOREVER![/quote]
lol yeh mega drives ftw! alex the kid rocks:thumb:
Hello Mr XBox360, glad to see your back with us. How long will we be staying this time?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/DPursey/DSC08392_800x600.jpg
FUSION X16XE
03-10-08, 10:32 PM
what did you do?
the penny trick worked for mine and its been fine ever since: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=asTDsKLVexA&NR=1
I made it worth 8p more :thumb: (I hadn't tried that one) and also gave it a reheat before finally putting all back together. My board was quite warped.
Sorted. Went out today and bought a new one, plus a cooling system. I'm now skint, but at least I can play Gears of War. :D
so you didnt bother to send the dead one back that is under warranty.... and its free.... :wall:
stu shes female!!! dont try and understand her logic you will just end up hurting yourself
I'll take the dead one off your hands for a kinder egg :D
Woah, before you start, I didn't send it back because it isn't under warranty any more. I'm gonna try and fix it anyway. Then I can have two!
Aww, will they have love and make a baby xbox?
No, but they will stop me and my other half from fighting over it all the time lol
NovaBoi92
04-10-08, 06:58 PM
my xbox had the 3 red lights the other day, i got a big black screen that was filled with . .chinese writing. .? and then i turned it off. turned it back on 5 minutes later and it was fine :)
my xbox had the 3 red lights the other day, i got a big black screen that was filled with . .chinese writing. .? and then i turned it off. turned it back on 5 minutes later and it was fine :)
lol just you wait, thats the start of it all ;)
Lauren, I thought you said it was 2 years old? meaning its under 3 RROD warranty
large_steve182
04-10-08, 07:03 PM
anyone want to buy mine. im not allowed to play it anymore as i throw the controller on the floor like a little girl and storm off in a huff when i get beat
NovaBoi92
04-10-08, 07:04 PM
lmfao i feel like doing that all the time - not because i get beat, but because my controller is broken and every ten seconds it cuts out lol
anyways lee the ps3 does have the same heating issues aswell:thumb:
they just last that little bit longerlol
Hmm, has the PS3 got a failiure rate over 50%?
IIIIII think nooooooooooooooot lol
Saying the ps3 has the same problems as the 360 is like saying someone with a mild cold has the same problem as someone with AIDS!
lol just you wait, thats the start of it all ;)
Lauren, I thought you said it was 2 years old? meaning its under 3 RROD warranty
Yeah it's around that old, but it used to be my stepdads, and I checked through the box yesterday and the warranty certificate isn't in there, so I'm guessing he threw it away.
To be honest, I didn't see the point in getting it fixed, the waiting time is appalling and from what I've been told by other people, if it breaks once it'll do it again.
if it breaks once it'll do it again.
Any 'seen the light' gen? lol
lol simply call up with the serial number and see what they say.... you are most likely to get a replacement as opposed to the exact one you have back. might give it a bit more longevity lol
Any 'seen the light' gen? lol
lol I still don't want a ps3 :D
Yeah it's around that old, but it used to be my stepdads, and I checked through the box yesterday and the warranty certificate isn't in there, so I'm guessing he threw it away.
To be honest, I didn't see the point in getting it fixed, the waiting time is appalling and from what I've been told by other people, if it breaks once it'll do it again.
you dont need a warranty cert just the numbers off the bottom of the console my mates been through 9 in the last 18 months and he got given one the same as yours and sent it off with no warranty
ring them up and they ask you for the serial number off the botom gotta be worth a try
jimbob-mcgrew
19-10-08, 09:15 AM
just been watching a few of those youtube fix vids and there utter madness, how can placing some tape over the allready insulated ram chips do anything at all ? only thing i can think of is the xbox must be designed badly so the ram chips break away from the board when it gets hot, and the weight of the pennies pushes the contacts down. (i bet the sheer dis-assembly of it is the fix, probably discharges the ram or something and resets itself)
and how the hell does wrapping the console up and purposly making it overheat fix it aswell, surely thats a recipe to make it worse, only thing i can think of with that one is the console gets so hot, it burns out its diagnostic chip and looses the ablity to find a fault so forces itself into working again, total madness.
breeny -
sorry to hear bout the mega-drive mate, your prob right on the RF adapter, they got a tendency to wear out after a while, is the ariel lead really loose in there when plugged in ? if not u might wanna check the solder on the board contacts for it, if connector probs, u can get a replacement for cheap (worth it), have a look at the pins in the cartridge slot too, over time or if a cartridge is left in for a long time, they can set apart and not make that gooder contact, u can carefully indivually bend each of the pins inward, to make that contact good once again. gotta get it back up again for streets of rage 2 action :D
91 nova sr -
check the battery pack, the metal contacts where it touches the controller are prob off, have seen a couple badly designed displaying the same probs. if u can bend the small contact on the battery pack outward slighty, and get a bit of duck tape topside of the pack to pit it towards the controller, prob fix it (till the batterys need changing atleast)
im not really into these games consoles, i do have a wii but thats not been on since the day i brought it lol.
what i cant understand is that your paying 160quid+ for something that seems to just give up when it likes, surely mircosoft are a big enough company with enough knowledge to built a product of decent quality.
just been watching a few of those youtube fix vids and there utter madness, how can placing some tape over the allready insulated ram chips do anything at all ? Read below to find out :thumb:
only thing i can think of is the xbox must be designed badly so the ram chips break away from the board when it gets hot, and the weight of the pennies pushes the contacts down. Wrong again! You obviously do not understand what the 'fix' is doing and you certainly haven't a clue how the 360 is put together.
(i bet the sheer dis-assembly of it is the fix, probably discharges the ram or something and resets itself)
and how the hell does wrapping the console up and purposly making it overheat fix it aswell, surely thats a recipe to make it worse, only thing i can think of with that one is the console gets so hot, it burns out its diagnostic chip and looses the ablity to find a fault so forces itself into working again, total madness. lol
The problem with the XBox is that the mobo flexes and that causes the problem. They should have secured it better. Instead its just bolted on to the chassis through the heatsinks in the center of the mobo. So that edges can flap around.
Apparently what causes the problem is when it all gets hot the mobo flexes and you get the three red rings.
The 360 will shutdown and show 2 red sections of the ring when it is allowed to overheat. It's a safety measure. What wrapping it in a towel does is make it overheat. It doesn't burn out anything. The confusing thing is that doing this resets it. Why I don't know as Microsoft.
Doing that alone will get it working again but for a very short time (unless you are lucky). Alot of people try to improve the cooling which is a good step but it dosen't really 'fix' the problem.
However the method of wrapping up some pennies and placing them in the case provide some extra support for the mobo. When you put the 360 back together the mobo gets clamped in place thus preventing it from flexing. Problem solved.
I am no expert on the bloody things but I have ****ed around with this one I have here enough. It's also been on constantly since it's penny fix with no problems and this thing was as unstable as Charles Manson.
jimbob-mcgrew
19-10-08, 11:00 AM
lol dar, no need to go sherlock holmes on my ass lol, was only chattin dribble. i get ya now tho, cack design eh bolting the heatsinks to the case.
lol Yup crappy design. I feel in a scientific mood this morning :thumb:
EDIT: Plus the penny fix is not a bad bodge. But it is a bodge......just not a bad one.
Plus the penny fix is not a bad bodge. But it is a bodge......just not a bad one.
Its not a bodge, its re-engineering:thumb:
You cant call anything a bodge if it works lol
CBA to read all of this but if you're having no joy with the towel/hair dryer method buy an x clamp thing.
Or you could just try not buying something thats gonna break and cause annoyance/heartache......
Hmm wait a sec that applies to a nova aswell as an Xbox, wonder if vaux made the Xbox aswell then lol
CBA to read all of this but if you're having no joy with the towel/hair dryer method buy an x clamp thing.
lol You should have read the thread:p
Or you could just try not buying something thats gonna break and cause annoyance/heartache......
Hmm wait a sec that applies to a nova aswell as an Xbox, wonder if vaux made the Xbox aswell then lol
Vaux had an excuse, it was designed and built 15 years ago!
Microsoft dont have an excuse, but then they dont need one because the majority of people are not sane like you and me, and believe that if it lasts more than a year they have a 'good' one and get dribbly willys over it.
Madenning it is!!
Well, here's the latest; I bought a new xbox, two weeks later it red ringed and chewed up one of my games. I had to take it back to the shop yesterday and get a new one. Still a game down though!
Oh and Lee, empty your inbox, I'm trying to pm you!
Well why didnt you complain about the game eating thing and get them to replace the game aswell silly.
Lol @ lees comment on the dribbly willys lol
I just plain dont bother with games apart from the N64 emulator and James Bond goldeneye on my laptop!
I tried to get them to replace the game as well, but because I didn't buy it from there they wouldn't. I reckon if it had been a man at the till I could have talked him round :D
You mean you couldve flirted your way into him saying yes then lol
Complain to microsoft because your dodgy xbox has buggered your favourite game:thumb:
Yeah, men are easier to work than women, lol
I can't be bothered now, I went and bought a new game yesterday.
Oooh the cheek of you woman, but i spose its true, thats why women have boobs...
To get men to do stuff lol
Smurf-Xx
20-10-08, 09:26 AM
Lol another one of Lauren's threads starts off talking about xbox...
Ends up talking about boobs!
Lol another one of Lauren's threads starts off talking about xbox...
Ends up talking about boobs!
Well, boobs are a good subject lol
Smurf-Xx
20-10-08, 09:29 AM
^ I suppose. lol
Well, boobs are a good subject lol
Finally youve figured out why people are always wanting pictures lol
Well, here's the latest; I bought a new xbox, two weeks later it red ringed and chewed up one of my games. I had to take it back to the shop yesterday and get a new one. Still a game down though!
Oh and Lee, empty your inbox, I'm trying to pm you!
Done :)
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