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How to Prevent Red Rings on an Xbox

The Xbox 360 is a powerful gaming console, but throughout its product life it has been plagued by a high failure rate. A console failure, known also as a "Red Ring of Death" to gaming enthusiasts, can be caused for several reasons, some of which are avoidable. Reducing your chances of experiencing a red ring-related console takes only a few precautionary measures and will ensure that the likelihood of getting red rings stays low.

Instructions

- 1
  Keep your console in a well-ventilated area. Like other video game consoles, the Xbox 360 can overheat easily, and if it is kept in a confined area, overheating will happen more quickly. Make sure you put your Xbox 360 in an open area with plenty of circulation to keep overheating issues to a minimum.
- 2
  Keep your Xbox 360 laying down on its side. Although the Xbox 360 owner&'s manual says that the Xbox can lay on its side or stand vertically, keeping it up vertically actually blocks the bottom air vent and puts excess strain on the disc drive.
- 3
  Keep the air vents clean. If you use your Xbox 360 on a regular basis, it is not uncommon for dust and other particulates to build up on your Xbox 360&'s vents. The easiest way to clean the rear vents on your Xbox 360 is to use a dry duster and firmly wipe down the ventilation areas. Do not use any cleaning products on your Xbox 360.
- 4
  Turn off the console periodically. Although the Xbox 360 was designed with hardcore gamers in mind, like any electronic device, it needs to be powered down periodically to prevent strain on internal components (and also prevent the aforementioned overheating issues.) A good rule of thumb is to power down the Xbox 360 any time you can hear the Xbox 360&'s internal fans for longer than 30 seconds (indicating that the console is straining to maintain internal temperature.)

Xbox 360