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Xbox Red Ring of Death Information

Early in the lifespan of the Xbox 360 console, many owners began to experience system failures marked by the appearance of three flashing red lights on the front of the Xbox 360--the "Red Ring of Death." Over time, the amount of gamers experiencing the problem increased, and Microsoft eventually took action. In 2010, the problem is much less likely; a study by Square Trade reported that the Jasper chip set (in newer Xbox 360s) has a failure rate of less than 4%.

Identification
- The Red Ring of Death lights flash in the second, third and fourth quadrants of the power button located on the front of the Xbox 360 console. It is an error message reporting what is referred to by Microsoft as a "general hardware failure" in the console. The Red Ring of Death became a source of contention with consumers and media critics, who saw the abundance of the error as an indication of poor manufacturing.
Causes
- Many different problems in the console have been linked to the Red Ring. Early reports suggested that the consoles were overheating and causing the failure message to appear. However, the console typically reports an overheating problem by flashing one red light. Most system failures are caused by problems involving the solder used inside the console, which holds the components together. High amounts of heat inside the console can cause the solder to break or bend, prompting system failures and an error message.
Symptoms
- For some Xbox 360 owners, no symptoms are evident prior to the system failure. In other cases, instances of games freezing or stuttering, issues with the sound, graphical glitches and general console unresponsiveness are present leading up the the error message. Once the console displays the three flashing red lights, the system is effectively dead.
Company Response
- Microsoft took many actions to fix this problem. Improvements in interior console technology, such as improved internal heat sinks, greatly reduced the likelihood of newer models encountering the problem. In 2007, Microsoft officially acknowledged the problem and extended the warranty coverage for three years on any console experiencing the Red Ring of Death hardware failure message.
Solutions
- If you are experiencing a Red Ring of Death, unplug and reinsert all the cables, and reboot the system without a hard drive. This should fix any other errors not related to the Red Ring. If it is the Red Ring of Death, your best option is to contact Microsoft customer support. Microsoft has enacted an initiative to repair or replace all consoles suffering from this error, free of charge. Once the console is sent to Microsoft for repair, a replacement generally arrives within a month.

Xbox 360