Microsoft has confirmed that they’ve sold over thirty million consoles worldwide. Wow. 20 million of those users have accessed nearly 1 billion items of downloadable content.

Don Mattrick the senior Vp for Microsoft said, “We expect our growth to continue to accelerate” said Don Mattrick, Senior VP, Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. “Our news at E3 next week will underscore our commitment to bringing blockbuster entertainment experiences to everyone and to growing the Xbox entertainment brand globally.”

Microsoft has also said that they have the highest attatch rate for all consoles on the market, with each gamer purchasing on average eight games.

It seems that Microsoft have their marketing strategy just right, especially considering the UK arm of Microsoft are close to concluding a deal with british broadcast Sky, which will see gamers being able to view film, sport and TV on their Xbox 360’s. More to follow on this very soon.

You’ve just spent a hefty sum on your Xbox 360 game, next thing you know the game you’ve just brought isn’t playing. Just when you thought the red ring of death was your biggest worry- the Xbox 360 scratched disc problem is becoming a bit of a pain in the ass for alot of gamers.

Gamers have reported hearing a grinding sound coming from the console, before the game stops playing. Take a look at the disc, and you may also see a large circular scratch around the disc.

This appears to be a common problem to owners of the 360 globally. So much so that the EU Consumer Commissioner has written to Microsoft to express their concern about the amount of complaints they are getting.

Microsoft claims that the scratched disc problem is due to gamers handling their consoles roughly and shock vibrations. However researchers in the UK have carried out tests to see if this is the case and concluded that vibrations and general movement of the console did not cause the Xbox 360 to scratch the discs.

It seems that Microsoft is putting the blame firmly on the consumers.

Again, as we always reiterate, use your warranty.

Have you heard of Microsoft’s Disc Replacement Program?

Microsoft Disc Replacement

Okay, I’ll get straight to the point. If you have the 3 red lights, you have a major problem. Put it this way, the 3 red lights basically means your box is unconscious. The good news is, it’s not dead, and there are to revive your Xbox 360.

You’ll know when you have the red ring of death because; as the name explains you’ll have 3 flashing red lights around the power button.

The red ring of death is a sign of a hardware failure. But I bet you know that by now

So What Can You Do About It?

You have a number of options:

1. Use your warranty if you have one, and let a Microsoft repair centre fix your console.

2. Hop onto the internet to find repairers. This will cost you a couple of hundred bucks but will have you up and running within a few weeks.

3. Lastly, is the do it yourself method. This is the one that I recommend because I have fixed dozens of boxes this way. Make sure you follow a tutorial online from a reputable repairer. My main page will show you the top 3 video tutorials.

You’re on this site because your suffering the red ring of death, e74 error or the various other problems associated with the Xbox 360.

You’ll see green lights at the front of the Xbox if it is operating normally. However, if the lights turn red, by now you should know that the console is suffering from a hardware failure.

Almost a third of the consoles sold have suffered the same problems and the number 1 cause of it is overheating.

The Xbox 360 has its own cooling systems that should be able to prevent the GPU as well as the other components inside the box from overheating, but for some reason it still happens.

There are many factors that may contribute to the Xbox 360 overheating. Here is why the console suffers from overheating when to be honest it really shouldn’t because of the in- built ventilation system.

Alot of people place their Xbox 360 in a display cabinet and operate it from there. Sure, it looks alot tidier as you don’t have wires hanging out making a mess, but you need to remember that the display cabinet is an enclosed space which will prevent the heat generated by the unit to dissipate and be replaced by cool air.

So, avoid placing the Xbox 360 console in an enclosed space. As much as possible, always play with your Xbox 360 with it placed in a well-ventilated area. This will help get the heat out of the unit and also get cool air inside the unit.

Another factor is dust. Dust can accumulate inside the Xbox 360 and on the cooling unit and fans. This will make the cooling systems of the Xbox 360 inefficient and in some cases the cooling systems will stop working altogether because of the accumulation of dust.

To deal with this problem, try getting your console cleansed inside out regularly. This will help prevent the dust from gathering, and in doing so you’ll be preventing the overheating.

Make sure you head these steps, I know it sounds like a science lesson, but trust me- you don’t want to be spending money and time waiting for a repair from Microsoft.

Like they say, prevention is the best cure.

If however, you’re reading this and you already have the red lights, I’m sorry, but you’re a little too late. Take a look at the home page of this site to see which Xbox 360 Repair Guide will get you up and running.

Go check the forums online and they’ll have you believe that wrapping a towel around your Xbox 360 will cure it of the red ring of death. You know what? It does work.

The towel trick involves wrapping your Xbox 360 up in a couple of towels. Your Xbox is turned on for fifteen minutes then you’re done. Enjoy your Xbox 360 until the next time the 3 red rings of death strike and repeat again.

Not So Simple

It’s a shame it isn’t as simple as the mythical sounding towel trick. Magic doesn’t exist. I’m sorry. Here is why the towel trick will work.

The towel trick works because it re-melts the electrical connections (cracked solder joints) all throughout the motherboard of your Xbox 360 therefore it creates a fix. The fix is usually for a few hours.

Why Is The Towel Trick So Dangerous For Your Xbox 360?

Good question. The towel trick is dangerous because it melts the majority of the components on the motherboard, including the loose joints which stopped your Xbox 360 working the first place.

Once the other electrical joints are burned, then your warranty is void, and repairing the Xbox 360 becomes a very difficult job indeed.

Take my advice, DO NOT do the towel trick.

Xbox 360 has taken over the gaming world. Sony’s Playsation 3 has fallen down the pecking order as the best games console out there. It provides cutting edge graphics, online gaming and a broad variety of games, but what are the common problems you may face with your Xbox 360:

E74 Error

If you see 1 red light, an error message on the screen will also commonly appear. The one red light error will mean the E74 error. This error basically means that the scaler chip has burnt out. The scaler chip is responsible for dealing with the graphical capabilities of your Xbox 360 games. If you have this error, it is wise to call the support centre for your Xbox 360 and let them know about it. There is a possibility that Microsoft will let you ship the Xbox 360 back for a repair.

The Two Red Lights

If you see two red lights on the power button, then it will mean that your Xbox 360 is overheating. You can combat this by switching off your Xbox 360, and let it cool down for a while. You might also want to try and prevent overheating as this can cause hardware failure or the red ring of death also known as the 3 red lights.

If your Xbox 360 overheats, try to clean your Xbox 360 inside and out. This will get rid of the dust which has accumulated and which can cause the dreaded 3 red lights. Also, try to play your Xbox 360 in a well ventilated area.

The 3 Red Lights

If you have 3 red lights, then unfortunately you have a serious problem. The three red lights means that your console has a hardware failure and you will need to get in touch with the Microsoft for a repair, if your Xbox 360 is still under warranty.

Four Red Lights

You may also see four red lights. Don’t worry if about this, it may only be the AV cable not being securely plugged in. Check your AV cable and it will usually solve the problem.

The DVD error or when your console isn’t able to read you discs, you’ll see that the problem is caused by overheating. Again check your warranty to get this problem repaired.

As you can see, the Xbox 360 is subject to overheating. The common problems are caused by the overheating. Although you can take precautionary steps, the reality is the Xbox 360 has hardware problems which make the problem inherent.

You’ve just spent a hefty sum on your Xbox 360 game, next thing you know the game you’ve just brought isn’t playing. Just when you thought the red ring of death was your biggest worry- the Xbox 360 scratched disc problem is becoming a bit of a pain in the ass for alot of gamers.

Gamers have reported hearing a grinding sound coming from the console, before the game stops playing. Take a look at the disc, and you may also see a large circular scratch around the disc.

This appears to be a common problem to owners of the 360 globally. So much so that the EU Consumer Commissioner has written to Microsoft to express their concern about the amount of complaints they are getting.

Microsoft claim that the scratched disc problem is due to gamers handling their consoles roughly and shock vibrations. However researchers in the UK have carried out tests to see if this is the case and concluded that vibrations and general movement of the console did not cause the Xbox 360 to scratch the discs.

It seems that Microsoft are putting the blame firmly on the consumers.

Again, as we always reiterate, use your warranty.

Have you heard of Microsofts Disc Replacement Program? Check It Out Here. http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/support/discreplacement/discreplacement-games.htm

Thanks for reading my Xbox 360 repair guide report. Have you suffered the dreaded ring of death? If you have, you’re not the only one. Ever since the launch of the Xbox 360 in November 2005, there has been a reoccurring technical problem rendering the Xbox 360 unstable.

The problem is so bad that there has been some legal action to hold Microsoft responsible for the high failure rate among the Xbox 360 and to provide those customers with compensation.

If you have the ring of death on your console right now, don’t worry, because I’m going to show you a method that works in the long term (and it’s not the towel wrapped around the console method).

There is a general feeling that the cause of the ring of death is a overheating problem. This isn’t so. While the problem is triggered by the overheating, that is not the main reason for the failure.

Xbox 360 Repair Guide Fix

There is one main fix that someone is selling on the internet right now. Make sure you get the right guide, because alot of them are selling the towel trick method, which is hugely risky and not recommended at all. Why? Because it works temporarily, but WILL destroy your Xbox 360, by burning the electrical components on the motherboard. So implement that method at your own risk.

So What Is the Xbox 360 Repair Guide I recommend?

Buy the original and safest method to get your Xbox 360 back up and running. Following the guide which I will direct to you at the bottom of this article is guaranteed to work, and on top of that you should be able to follow it. The guide comes with videos for you to follow, so you should have no problems following the steps to get back to what us gamers enjoy doing.

The Xbox 360 is clearly one of the best consoles ever made, but Microsoft’s reputation has been hindered by the various hardware problems.

We think they should get their act together. We shouldn’t have to be opening up our consoles because these basic hardware faults should have been rectified from the very start.

It’s ridiculous.

Here’s a funny story for you.

In 2008 at the Game Developers Conference the Xbox 360 which was on display at Microsofts stand clearly contained the red ring of death, although there’s no way of determining whether the console in question was manufactured before Microsoft identified the hardware problems. You can take a look at video below: