by Jim Taylor


You have an Xbox and suddenly it will not turn on and you see three red lights show up near the power button. This means that you have encountered a perennial Xbox problem known as the red rings of death. Definitely you will need an Xbox red ring of death fix.

This problem is experienced by many, and is caused when the Graphics Processing Unit or GPU is loosened due to heat and vibration. Should this happen there are four ways by which you can deal with the problem. Here are the four choices that you have.

A not so popular first option is to consider throwing it away and buying a new one. This is particularly an attractive option especially if the warranty has expired. However, should you not have the cash to buy a new one or are too attached to your Xbox to throw it away, then consider the other following options.

An avant garde choice and one not meant for the weak of heart is to fix it yourself. This entails having a bit of technical knowledge. If you are one of the lucky few with such technical skills, then it is a possibility to consider. Plenty of service manuals and repair guides are made available for a small fee on the world wide web. It has been known that some people who have successfully fixed the problem on their consoles have made a small business out of it by fixing other deficient consoles as well.

A third thing you can try to do, and especially when the warranty is expired, is to send it back to Microsoft. It will cost you over one hundred dollars to do this and it may take Microsoft some time to respond. On average it is known that it may take up to 2 months to get it fixed. Now if you are a gaming addict like most everyone else who is reading this, then that is just too long.

A fourth way or option, which is also quite related to the second choice, is to do it yourself by going through online do it yourself instructional videos online. A few such videos are available on the internet and you should also have some technical skill to be able to do it properly.

Should you have a good internet connection, these high definition videos stream well and are very detailed in their instructions. The videos cover all the steps from disassembly steps and safety procedures all the way to motherboard handling, heat sink removal and GPU and CPU cleaning and compound application.

The last option is definitely the one for somebody who has the necessary skills and knowledge. Should you choose the last option, do supplement it with readings on related forums and the like to further hone your skills. Remember always that if others can do, then so can you!




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