How To Repair Your XBox 360

by: H. Thompson

So, you’ve fired up your Xbox 360 for your next gaming session. The drive starts to spin, the green ring of light flickers into life, and you slip a game out of its case. And then it happens.

Your heart sinks.

The once green ring of light has turned red, and you know that until you find a suitable Xbox 360 repair, your gaming days are over.

But how do you go about finding an Xbox 360 repair and ridding yourself of the dreaded red ring of death?

Microsoft will gladly offer to perform the Xbox 360 repair for you, but at a cost. How does $140 plus shipping strike you? Well, that’s what you’ll pay for Microsoft to perform the Xbox 360 repair if your console’s out of warranty. And to make this worse, you’ll be forced to wait 6 to 8 weeks for your console to be returned.

“But my console’s still under warranty,” you say, “I’m fine.”

Wrong!
You’ll still have to pay for shipping, and that’s $25 minimum. And there’s the packing up to take into consideration, too. You need to make sure your Xbox 360 is secure for it’s long and uncertain trip to an industrial zone in McAllen, Texas, right on the U.S.-Mexico border. Yep, you heard right. Your pride and joy will end up down there on the border for God knows how long.

So what are your alternatives for the Xbox 360 repair you desperately need? How about some of the methods you’ll find online?

The “Towel Trick” is a good example.
If you’re familiar with the “Towel Trick” then you’ll already be aware that it’s useless and potentially dangerous. One respected blogger recently stated that you’re more likely to set your Xbox 360 on fire than repair the problem. The truth is, the quick fixes you’ll read about on gaming websites and forums simply don’t work.

Your last option for an Xbox 360 repair is to take the machine apart and do it yourself. This is not a new idea. Gamers have been doing this since the launch of the 360 – occasionally successfully, invariably disastrously. Until now, this “self-fix” has involved soldering bad connections inside the console. But this is not something the average gamer should be attempting. This isn’t a toaster we’re talking about, after all. It’s a piece of high tech equipment. You’re more likely to cause further damage and void your warranty.

So you want an Xbox 360 repair, and the Microsoft option simply isn’t quick enough, cheap enough, or convenient enough. And the quick fixes you’ll find online just don’t work. And of course, the “self-fix” is beyond anyone but a skilled technician, and if it goes wrong you’ll void your warranty and cause further damage.