Virtual Ping Pong

Elliot Jarves asked:


Learning how to repair your XBox will save you some major money. Microsoft will not tell you how to fix these errors. They’ll ask you to send your system back to them for repair. The typical cost for a repair can be as much as $140 plus shipping and handling. Also - they do not always guarantee a fix!

As quoted from Microsoft themselves:

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) said Thursday it expects to spend more than $1 billion to repair widespread hardware problems in its Xbox 360 video game console after a large number of them broke down.

Microsoft said it would extend the warranty on the Xbox 360 to three years after too many of the consoles succumbed to “general hardware failure,” but the company provided few other details about the extent of the problems.

“We don’t think we’ve been getting the job done,” said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division, which also makes the Zune digital music player. “In the past few months, we have been having to make Xbox 360 console repairs at a rate too high for our liking.” (end quote)

What Causes The 3 Lights Error?

There are a number of different reasons the 3 red lights error happens and below are the most common causes:

Cause 1: Overheating. This has got to be the most common cause of this error and the good thing is it can be easily resolved. If you think the Xbox 360 has got lots of very high end gaming components within, similar to a top of the range gaming PC.

The difference is that the Xbox 360 has them crammed in a much smaller space so will need lots of ventilation to be able to get rid of the heat it produces.

If you are keeping your Xbox 360 in a display cabinet with the doors shut, then you could and probably will run into this error, make sure that the 360 can breathe on all sides.

Cause 2: The GPU. This is a major talking point and no one is quite sure if this is gospel but a lot of resources blame the GPU and the special coating they put on it with in the Xbox.

Cause 3: Warping of the Motherboard. Another reason you may find yourself searching for an Xbox 360 repair guide is because the heat that the Xbox 360 lets out actually warps the motherboard. This would make the solders come loose and eventually you would end up with the 3 red lights.

It’s ironic that the majority of Xbox 360 owners have done just that, sending the units in for repairs and paying through the nose. I have found that most of the owners are technically savvy and could do the repairs themselves. Just as I found out the other day, when a friend of mine revealed to me that he had been purchasing broken Xbox 360’s, repairing them cheaply and reselling them. Uhmmmm……..I smell a potential little gold mine here.

Abhinav Sidana asked:


There are many possible reasons for the flashing 3 red light problem in your Xbox 360. Here are certain few quick tricks to solve it yourself. The first point to consider when you see the flashing 3 red lights glowing in your Xbox 360 console is to make sure whether the cords are connected properly. The four red light problem is the problem which is found with the A/V cable that goes to and from the Xbox 360. So, make sure whether the Xbox 360 has all of its cables connected properly in regular manner to your TV’s inputs.

In the Xbox 360 flashing 3 red light problem, or the Red Ring of Death problem (as described by Microsoft) is a term used for General Hardware failure. It may be flashing 3 red lights problem or 2 lights problem, the case is with the hardware. However these red lights are very useful to find out in what position the problem occurs. The most common flashing 3 red light problem in Xbox 360 is given below and consequent tips to recover it are explained.

1) If you run your Xbox 360 for a very long time, the cooling system may not effectively function as usual. If any of the cooling system like Cooling fans, Ventilator gets failed, then it will be unable to perform cooling function. One simple method is to switch off the Xbox 360 for nearly 2 hours to make it cool. You can see many other tips to cool the Xbox 360, without switching off for two hours, in Some DIY guides available on Internet.

2) The power supply may not provide necessary voltage to your Xbox 360, and there arises the flashing 3 red light problem. In this case make sure your Xbox 360 is properly plugged in a specified outlet that is specially made for your Xbox 360 console and is not shared with any other electronic system.

If you are still experiencing the flashing 3 red light problem in your Xbox 360 console after these simple fixes, send your unit to Microsoft for repair which may take nearly a month to get repaired. But you may be paying out cash from your pocket for shipping and other formalities.

Brad Champ asked:


Do you have Xbox 360 and even if you don’t have a Xbox 360, you must have heard about Xbox 360 launched by Microsoft in 2005 a video gaming console. With this you must also have heard about technical problems you may have to face if you are a Xbox 360 owner. In this article, you will get solution for all of your Xbox 360 related problems.

Here are some tips that one can follow to repair any kind of errors in their Xbox 360:



Xbox 360 has four red lights which indicate different kind of problems your console may be facing. In case your console is showing one flashing red light, it means some kind of hardware or system failure. In many of the cases, it’s really difficult to fix the problem. So we have to get our console repaired or replaced.

When your Xbox 360 is showing two flashing red lights, it means your console is facing overheating problem. To solve this you will need to switch off your console and let it get cool down.

Three flashing red lights or ‘Red ring of death’ shows general hardware failure. And it must be send to Microsoft for repair or you repair at home with some easy to follow manuals.

And all four flashing red lights indicate that your console is unable to detect its AV cable.



To solve your Red ring of death problem, you will need to take Microsoft support help or find some way to repair yourself. The biggest problem while getting your Xbox 360 repaired via Microsoft is that it will take 6-8 week and you have to pay $140 if your gaming console is not under-warranty.

The best solution for you will be to buy an Xbox 360 repair guide which will cost you very less money. The best thing about such guides is that you will be able to repair your console in an hour time by following their easy to use manuals and videos. And in case you are unable to repair your console, get your money back.