Sonofa... Why now?! My Xbox is dying :(

[jfe2]

While playing some Mass Effect 2 today, my Xbox 360 decided to stop working. My TV acted as if nothing were connected to it, and the 360 itself had two red lights flashing on the left side of the circle. I read up on it a bit and found out that this problem is associated with overheating. Since my 360 hasn't changed places in over a year without failing me, I'm going to assume that whatever is wrong with it doesn't have to do with ventilation.

Sadly, my warranty expired at the end of last year and I have to either buy a new one or take this one up to the flea market to get it fixed...

At the risk of sounding ranty, I just wanted to mention that last year I bought an ancient Genesis that was literally caked in mud and dirt, and had hair and dust stuck in the pins. After cleaning it up a bit and plugging it in, it worked fine. How the hell does that work fine and a 360 dies after a few years of use?!

[Hobie-wan]

Maybe it's clogged with dust?

[jfe2]

I dust it like every day, but I wouldn't doubt it if it is clogged up. I hear that they pretty much suck up dust like vacuums.

[CRTGAMER]

Sorry about that, my PS3 is on the way back from the repair center.
Don't feel bad I'm on round two. Did you have the Xbox sitting up like a tower?

"Niode" pointed out that air cannot flow as well when PS3 and 360 are sitting on their ends.

[winds]

2 red rings? Although I never experienced it, I thought 3 red rings meant overheating. Are you sure yours isn't the one where the AV cables aren't connected properly? I've heard that one appears similar to the overheating problem.

[jfe2]

Sorry about that, my PS3 is on the way back from the repair center.
Don't feel bad I'm on round two. Did you have the Xbox sitting up like a tower?

"Niode" pointed out that air cannot flow as well when PS3 and 360 are sitting on their ends.

I had it laying horizontally. I thought maybe that had something to do with it, but I guess the whole air intake thing makes a bit more sense.

2 red rings? Although I never experienced it, I thought 3 red rings meant overheating. Are you sure yours isn't the one where the AV cables aren't connected properly? I've heard that one appears similar to the overheating problem.

I use HDMI, and checked to make sure it was connected properly right when it stopped working.

I'm going to take it up to the shady flea market repair guys tomorrow to see if they can fix it. If not, I'll probably be without a 360 for awhile, as I don't want to spend the cash on a new one any time soon.

[CRTGAMER]

Sorry about that, my PS3 is on the way back from the repair center.
Don't feel bad I'm on round two. Did you have the Xbox sitting up like a tower?

"Niode" pointed out that air cannot flow as well when PS3 and 360 are sitting on their ends.

I had it laying horizontally. I thought maybe that had something to do with it, but I guess the whole air intake thing makes a bit more sense.

Thats the way you want it, horizontal like a Desktop for the best airflow.

[CRTGAMER]

2 red rings? Although I never experienced it, I thought 3 red rings meant overheating. Are you sure yours isn't the one where the AV cables aren't connected properly? I've heard that one appears similar to the overheating problem.

I use HDMI, and checked to make sure it was connected properly right when it stopped working.

Just for a small chance try regular composite cables?

[Niode]

2 red lights on the left hand side (1 + 2 when upright, or 1 + 3 when sideways) is overheating problem. It's not life threatening to the consoles --yet. You need to get some pressurised air and give those grills a good 'ol blast whilst using a vacuum on the outside of the system on low suction.

If this doesn't fix it you're going to need to take it apart and give the fan a clean and make sure you get rid of all the dust from the system (don't do this if your 360 is still under warranty). Use pressurised air to blast the dust away from the system. Don't use a vacuum inside the case, that's rookie mistake #1, it's way too easy to knock caps and sometimes suck them right off the board if you're really heavy handed with it.

I do the first type of maintenance on my 360 and PS3s every couple of weeks or so, sometimes more often if I've done a lot of playing that month. I've never had a single red ring on my launch unit.


The reason your old retro consoles are still functioning today is because they are, from an engineering standpoint, very simple piece of kit. They don't generate a lot of heat and are content to be cooled passively. Modern consoles kick out a phenomenal amount of heat due to the extreme amount of transistors in such a small space, simply put, the components used in modern consoles aren't designed to be put under such stressful conditions. The components are way too powerful to be put in such confined spaces. It will affect both the 360 and the PS3 the exact same, coupled with the new requirement of ROHS compliance means that these companies have to use inferior unleaded solder, which cracks under the extreme temps that these consoles can reach under normal use. The main reason the PS3 doesn't fail as much as the 360? It's bigger and has a larger, more efficient fan inside it. It still suffers from the same fundamental flaw though.

[Dakinggamer87]

I hope you can get it fixed soon!!