RECTIFYING THE RROD IN AN XBOX 360 CONSOLE

XBOX 360 being a highly preferred gaming console in the US, it’s the owner’s responsibility to maintain it in good condition. Over playing of XBOX 360 games for hours together lead to overheating of the processor which in turn gives rise to the three red rings of death. If not, due to longer periods of usage. The RROD is quite frustrating to the user. Switching ON the console, the user can observe three thin strips out of the four emitting red light exhibiting the malfunctioning of the XBOX360, which means the console is unable to boot up. Such situations are quite common among regular XBOX users.

Newbie XBOX 360 users facing the RROD problem are advised to get it fixed with concerned technicians at Microsoft provided the warranty sticker is still available just below the faceplate. If the console exhibits such faults within the warranty period, user may get it fixed by a technician for free of cost or else replaced with a new console within the limits. Regarding this, the user has to check with the XBOX dealer.  

Of late, many users have come up with “Do-it-yourself” technique. Many such users of the XBOX360 console have discovered various methods in rectifying the Red Ring of Death. Let’s check out one such method.

Procedure for repairing RROD in an XBOX 360:

1. At first, an XBOX 360 user should disconnect the power cable and also the AV cable
2.  Clip out and open both the side plastic covers enclosing the hard disk with a bit of force. 
3. Get an appropriate screwdriver set for unscrewing. Carefully undo the center and side tabs with a flat head screwdriver. Then pull off the side body cover.
4. Change the flat tipped with a star head. Unscrew all the 14 screws fastened on the inner covering flat plate. Then invert it upside down and remove the bottom cover. Just before that, the repairer should remove the eject button of the CD driver.
5. Securely, unfix the CD driver SATA cables and place the driver aside. Remove the tab securing the daughter board and the latter too by unscrewing the three screws.
6. Next, the user should take care while undoing the plastic enclosure securing the GPU, the processor chips and the fan set cooling these units.
7. Remove the power cable clip of the fans and using a flat screwdriver un-hook the fans and pull it out with some force.
8. Using an air blower, the XBOX 360 repairer can blow out dust settled on the intricate electronic components like the capacitors and resistors.
9. Gently pullout the motherboard from the casing and place the case away. Invert the circuit board and remove the X-clamp securing the mini-power module. The user should store the washers and screws till rebuilding process starts.
10. Lift up and out the thick metal plate securing the processor chips, followed by cleaning the processor surface for which the user requires a cleaner liquid, a purifier, 8 to 10 cotton swabs and a thermo compound paste. The entire kit is available online at Amazon.com.
11. Dip the cotton head portion of a cotton swab into the cleaner solution and rub gently with very little force on the surface of the thick steel plate which seats upside down and covers the XBOX 360 processor from the top, surface of the processor and step down transformer. This is done until the old sticky thermo-paste material is removed and the surface of the processor chips start shining.
12. Using another cotton swab, the XBOX user should dip it in purifier solution and repeat the same procedure.
13. Now, apply a fresh thin lining of thermo-compound paste on the surface of the processor chips and then smear it evenly with a key card. Invert the motherboard and put the screws in those grooves loosely and cover it with sticking tapes to secure the loose screws. Again invert it, place the washers through the screw stem and place the thick metal box plate over the processor chips and the step down transformer in its region. 
14. Now, the console repairer has to peel off the tapes and tighten those screws to secure the metal plate over the XBOX360 GPU and the two chips. The repairer can assure that the processor is secured.
15. Keep the entire arrangement of motherboard into the bottom steel casing (chassis). 
16. Place the CD driver in its position and connect the SATA cables to its power pins followed by refitting the daughterboard, the eject button, steel casing and outer body covers. After, reassembling the console unit, the XBOX user should reconnect the power cable and AV cable of TV in respective ports. Switching ON, the XBOX360 starts to boot up as it was performing before the RROD.  The user can enjoy favorite video games like HALO SERIES as before.

The try-yourself-method is one of the most challenging and interesting method solution for rectifying the red ring of death in an XBOX 360 gaming console. If this method doesn’t turn out to be successful, the XBOX 360 user can get the help of a professional XBOX repairing technician.