Fixing Red Ring of Death?

[Ben Lesser]

So, my girlfriend's XBox RROD'd this morning. She's in the process of trying to find her receipt to figure out whether or not it's still covered by warranty (it's unlikely). If not, though, we're not paying the ridiculous service repair fees necessary to get it fixed back up... so does anyone have any experience with doing it themselves?

I've found a few guides online, and I know it's possible, but I'm just looking for someone to chime in with first-hand experience on the issue. If so, link me to your methods, or a guide, or whatever you used. I'd greatly appreciate it.

Tbqh, I'd rather just crack the bugger open myself and fix it up then wait the 2 month period (that seems to be what I've heard from just about everyone) to have it repaired and sent back, regardless of warranty. But not my XBox, so not my call.

Anyway, any advice is appreciated. I'm not a newbie when it comes to electronics repairs, I've done work on my Macbook and PCs before, as well as other simple things like peripherals and the like. As long as I don't need a soldering gun (I don't have one), anything is do-able.

Thanks!

[hover]

since yer handy....

http://www.squidoo.com/xbox_360_red_...ow_to_guide123

[metron]

Taking it apart is not too hard but it takes a while and you have to be careful. I had the red ring about a year ago. You should research the error code you get on screen. I found that the error code I got frequently indicated that one of the scale (?) chips went bad. That fix would require a solder gun. I decided that since my xbox (an older one, not 1st gen but maybe second) was starting to perform poorly overall so even if I got it fixed I still had an xbox that didn't work great. I bought a new one for $200 and never put the old one back together. The new one works better than my old one ever did.

[LaklandBass]

Yea I managed a gamestop and came up with the best soution. Sell the garbage microsoft product and buy a PS3. Bluray capable, FREE online play, rechargable controller included, wifi included..... and best of all????? it DOESNT have the worst failure rate in the history of game consoles. Seriously bro, I had customers on their 6th and 7th systems... even the elite models.

[Ben Lesser]

Originally Posted by LaklandBass

Yea I managed a gamestop and came up with the best soution. Sell the garbage microsoft product and buy a PS3. Bluray capable, FREE online play, rechargable controller included, wifi included..... and best of all????? it DOESNT have the worst failure rate in the history of game consoles. Seriously bro, I had customers on their 6th and 7th systems... even the elite models.

I've already got a PS3. This is the lady's.

[Ben Lesser]

Originally Posted by metron

Taking it apart is not too hard but it takes a while and you have to be careful. I had the red ring about a year ago. You should research the error code you get on screen. I found that the error code I got frequently indicated that one of the scale (?) chips went bad. That fix would require a solder gun. I decided that since my xbox (an older one, not 1st gen but maybe second) was starting to perform poorly overall so even if I got it fixed I still had an xbox that didn't work great. I bought a new one for $200 and never put the old one back together. The new one works better than my old one ever did.

I don't recall seeing an error code on screen. I was playing Fable II and the screen just went wonky, full of green and blue lines. Went to restart the system, and the RROD came up, but the TV wasn't receiving a video signal of any sort, so I didn't see an error code.

[Ben Lesser]

Originally Posted by hover

since yer handy....

http://www.squidoo.com/xbox_360_red_...ow_to_guide123

I was looking at that guide earlier, but I was wondering how reliable it was.

It seems to coincide with a lot of the material I've read elsewhere, and is the most in-depth guide I can find for free, but I'm still leery, you know?