How to Fix Xbox 360 Ring of Death

On starting Xbox 360 gaming console, the green circle surrounding the power button is changed or replaced by a circle of red lights, which is an error message. This is one of the problems of Xbox 360 game.How can you fix this problem? Let's first know what causes this problem.

Ring of death is one of the Xbox 360 elite problems caused due to a hardware bug due to loosening of graphics processing unit or GPU. Overheating of motherboard will loosen up GPU, along with vibrations and 3 red lights start flashing in place of green lights and the system freezes. If you are still under warranty, I would suggest you send your Xbox to Microsoft for repair. If you want to fix the problem, avoid using towels, as it just blocks the fan intake and leads to the console overheating, capacitor drying or failure in chips. For procedure on 'how to fix Xbox 360 red ring of death', you will need some tools, like washers and screws. You can take the help from Xbox 360 repair guide as well, along with the procedure below.

Tools Needed

You will need the following tools from Xbox 360 repair kit.

• Washers, 44,#10, for keeping the motherboard immovable. If you want nylon washers, you can use them, however, you don't have to touch any component here. So regular washers will also do.
• Pan head screws, 3/16" x ½", 4, for graphics processing unit and 3/16" x 1", 4. for tightening the central processing unit heat sink.
• Arctic silver thermal paste for heat sink.
• A flathead screwdriver to break open X clamps and a screw driver, Philips head for machine screws.
• Socket, ¼ ", to disengage clamp posts off heat sink.
• Screwdriver, torx 9 to take the screws off case.

Process

Let's go through the steps to fix the problem.

• Disengaging the Case: The first step is to disengage the Xbox 360 case. Take out the faceplate with the help of a screwdriver. Loosen the metal case beneath the plastic.
• Taking the Motherboard Off: Put a rigged cardboard over the motherboard and take off the bracket legs. On removing the clamps, the heat sink will come on top of motherboard. Take off the DVD drive after detaching all cables linked to the motherboard. Move motherboard to other side and search the X clamp beneath the heat sink. The 2 metal clamps in X shape hold GPU and CPU to the heat sink. If they lose their elasticity to hold it, this problem crops up. The heat sink has a little room to shake back and forth and the motherboard can bend due to the heat. This obstructs heat dissipation and processor loosens.
• GPU and CPU: The next step is to loosen the heat sink to take off graphics processing unit and central processing unit for cleaning. You can use Flathead screw driver for removing the heat sink. Now, with 1/2" screw driver, disengage the clamp posts. Carefully scrub the thermal glue on graphics processing unit and central processing unit
• Widening the Screw Holes: Widen the screw holes on the case with 3/16" drill. Make sure that there are no projections on the holes left.
• Cleaning GPU and CPU: Cleaning of graphics processing unit and central processing unit is a very crucial step in repairing the ring of death. Apply arctic silver on GPU for cleaning and let it rest for approximately 20 minutes. Fix the heat sink and motherboard back in place. Fix the GPU by using 3/16" x ½" screws.

I hope this writing piece helps you with fixing the problem that you are experiencing with your Xbox 360.