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Troubleshooting an Xbox 360 Start-Up Red Light

Several problems can cause a start-up red light to appear on an Xbox 360 video-game console. Some red lights are just a onetime occurrence–it’s important to remember an Xbox 360 is a computer and is prone to random and meaningless failures–while other red lights can be signs of serious and costly hardware issues. An Xbox 360 will display errors in the form of one to four red lights, and occasionally error codes accompany these lights.

Things You'll Need

Xbox 360 with power cords and AV or HDMI cord
TV

Instructions

Confirming Red Light
- 1
  Disconnect any cords, cables and accessories–such as controllers, hard drives, memory units and external coolers–so that the Xbox 360 is not connected to anything.
- 2
  Disconnect the power cord from the wall and detach the cord where it connects to the Xbox&'s power core.
- 3
  Disconnect the AV or HDMI cord from the TV.
- 4
  Reconnect the power cord to the power core and Xbox 360.
- 5
  Reconnect the Xbox 360 to the TV using an AV or HDMI cord.
- 6
  Start up the Xbox 360. Check and record the number of red lights displayed on the console&'s light ring and any additional error codes, if any, displayed on the TV. Refer to Xbox support to repair the Xbox 360. If the device starts with no red lights, turn off the system and reconnect the hard drive.
- 7
  Turn on the Xbox 360. If a red light displays, the hard drive has encountered a hardware failure and will need to be replaced. If no red lights are displayed, connect one accessory and turn off the system.
- 8
  Turn on the Xbox 360. If no red lights are displayed, repeat step 7 until a red light displays or all accessories are attached. Refer to the tips below if attaching accessories causes a red light.

Xbox 360