Xbox 360
3 Red Lights on Your XBox 360 – Don’t Try the Towel Fix
By Stuart Archer
As you are reading this article then there is a good chance that you have come across the red ring of death on your XBox 360, which is indicated by 3 red lights displaying on your gaming machine XBox’s ring of light.
There is a also a good possibility that you have searched the internet for ways to fix this error and come across a method of repairing your XBox 360 called the towel fix or towel trick.
This seems like a quick and easy way of getting your XBox 360 back up and running, but you need to be aware of the drawbacks of using this method.
* What is the towel fix?
Basically the towel fix involves wrapping a towel around your XBox 360. In short the fix goes as follows:
1. Wrap a towel around your Xbox 360.
2. Switch your XBox 360 on for around 10-15 minutes.
3. Turn off your XBox; remove the towel and leave to cool down.
4. Switch your XBox back on.
If this doesn’t resolve your problem then try again.
* Why is the towel fix supposed to work?
The 3 red lights on your XBox 30 error is caused by overheating which makes the solder connections inside your machine to loosen and crack. Supposedly the towel fix raises the temperature inside your XBox to such a degree that the solder softens and causes the connections to re-join.
* Why shouldn’t I try the towel fix?
Because it is only a temporary fix. Those who have tried the towel fix and got it to work have also reported that their XBox 360 was repaired for only a short while. In some cases it has a caused their XBox to work for a few weeks, but in most cases it has only worked for a day or two.
Also, the 3 red lights on your xBox 360 is an overheating error, think about it, how can wrapping a towel around your XBox 360, consequently covering all vents and causing your XBox to overheat even more be a permanent fix.
There is a potential for bringing the temperature inside your XBox to such a high degree that it can start a fire which could transfer to the towel and possibly your home.
* So what can I do?
1. Get in touch with Microsoft support and send it away for repair. The main drawback with this option is that it could cost you around 0 if your XBox is no longer covered by its warranty and it could take between 1 and 2 months to be repaired and returned to you.
2. Buy a new XBox 360. Some people with this error (especially if it is out of warranty) have simply decided to purchase a brand new to enable them to get back to gaming as quickly as possible. In some cases they have sold their faulty XBox 360 on eBay in order to cover some of the cost of their new purchase. Many people who know how to fix the red ring of death buy faulty XBox 360′s in order to fix and resell them. Of course there is a potential for your XBox to either not sell or only sell for a few dollars.
3. Your third choice is to fix the XBox 360 red ring of death yourself. This is not as hard as you may think, there are many guides to fixing the Xbox 360 red ring of death which you can get for much less than the price of a new XBox 360 or the cost of sending it back for repair to Microsoft.
These Xbox 360 repair guides give you full instructions, many with instructional videos, to enable you to fix the 3 red lights on your XBox 360 error yourself, with tools you probably already have in your home, in around 1 – 2 hours.
At the end of the day it’s up to you if you want to take a chance and try the towel fix, but you do so at your own risk. Just be sure you have taken into account all the points and options raised in this article and make sure you do not leave your Xbox 360 unattended.
January 31, 2011
1:52 am #comment-1
Get the Xbox 360 Arcade version. It has the redesign Jasper – smaller GPU with the system using less power. What does that mean? Less heat, more stability -quieter system. You can purchase a harddrive separately.
Japser is only out for the Arcade version. Don’t believe it? Check here:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/10/inside-an-xbox-360-jasper-ben-heck-dissects-the-mythical-consol/
January 31, 2011
7:01 am #comment-2
Nope. Only elite (black xbox) and halo versions do.
January 31, 2011
2:40 pm #comment-3
Xbox 360 ?
I’m planning on selling my xbox 360 arcade but I don’t know how much I should sell it for. This xbox 360 will come with a 120 gig hard drive, all the cords needed, wireless controller, memory card, xbox 360 live head set, and six games which are: grand theft auto , Juiced 2, rainbow six Vegas, madden 09, saints row, and the arcade games that came with it. So how much should I sell this for?
January 31, 2011
6:15 pm #comment-4
100 for the arcade
60? for the hd
35 for the controller
20 for the memory card
30 for juiced 2
20 for r6v
30 for m09
20-35 for gta
20 for the arcade games
15 for the headset
you could get up to 350 for all of them if they are in excellent condition the only ones im not sure about are the hd, headset, gta game and memory card. i would look on ebay for similar items to get a better baseline price on them.
January 31, 2011
7:56 pm #comment-5
XBOX 360?????????!!!!!!!!!?
I am buying a XBOX 360?
Which one(CONSOLE) should I get?: XBOX 360 or XBOX Arcade?
January 31, 2011
8:08 pm #comment-6
xbox 360!?
I have a question. I bought the Halo 3 edition of xbox 360 and it came with a play and charge kit. Does the normal 350 dollar white xbox 360 come with a play and charge kit?
January 31, 2011
9:09 pm #comment-7
xbox 360……………?
i have an xbox 360 and im trying to stream music from my windows laptop to my xbox but it says i need to download windows media connect.does anyone have any links to where i can download windows media connect for free.
do i have to be connected to broadband internet to do this? because i have dial up
January 31, 2011
9:18 pm #comment-8
Get Windows Media Player 11, it has connect.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/11/default.aspx
January 31, 2011
10:09 pm #comment-9
XbOX 360???
ok, I already know that the xbox 360 can only play SOME original xbox games. But I was wondering if you need to buy something extra for the xbox 360 to play those games. If so, what is it that you need to buy? (I am talking about the regular xbox 360, not the elite version or the arcade version.)
Somebody answer!
January 31, 2011
10:15 pm #comment-10
you just need to download an update (Which is free, through Xbox Live or through Xbox.com by downloading to a CD
To download the update:
http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/backwardscompatibility.htm
The update takes up 2.5mb so make sure you have the hard drive space for it.
For a list of Xbox backwards compatible games:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm