RROD Xbox 360

Hi there.

So we have all seen it, we all dread it, and nobody really seems to understand what it is. Que dramatic music, The Red Ring of Death, RROD, Xbox 360 error! Gasp, shock, tears. These problems haunt a scarily large number of Xbox systems, and do not typically go away just from restarting the console, as you probably have figured out the hard way. But yet, there is a glimmer of hope…

Actually, there is more than one type of RROD. Xbox 360’s can have anywhere from one to four of the lights around the power button flashing red; and each combination signifies a unique problem. Accordingly, there is no single RROD Xbox 360 fix. Each different problem has a different solution, sometimes very simple, other times increasingly complex.

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…so here it is, a list of the different RROD Xbox 360 light patterns—conveniently placed next to what they mean and what to do about it. Find the problem you are experiencing, or look at them all to see what you have been spared.

A note on notation: I have numbered the LEDs (1-4) on the Xbox according to their location, so that I only have to subjectively describe their locations once. LED 1 is in the upper right hand corner of the ring of light when the Xbox is lying on its side, such that the memory card slots are aligned horizontally, and the controller inputs are vertical. The numbers then increase in the clockwise direction, meaning LED 4 is in the upper left hand corner.

Turning on your Xbox 360, RROD has totally got you.  You see that rather than displaying Perfect Dark, the screen is perfectly dark and LEDs 1, 2, 3, and 4 are blinking at you in red around that power button. This means there is some type of audio/video malfunction. For some reason, the Xbox does not want to believe there is an A/V cable plugged in. Check that there is…

-Your first instinct should be to simply give the cable a good push to make sure it is in there nice and good. Also, it is always a good idea to disconnect the cable and subsequently reconnect it.

-If the problem persists, pull out the cable again, and make sure the bit that connects to the Xbox is clean; soot or dust could theoretically prevent a solid connection from being made between the two. Wipe it down with alcohol (rubbing alcohol, not booze) and give it another try.

-If the RROD is still flashing, you can also try replacing your A/V cable with another one.

If, on your Xbox 360, RROD has taken the form of three flashing lights, LEDs 2, 3, and 4, then you are experiencing the most common form of RROD. These red lights denote a general hardware failure. The first thing to check is actually the little light on the power supply; even though your Xbox is going crazy and flashing red at you, the power supply should be displaying a steady green. Also worth a quick shot: restart the console. Then, try disconnecting everything, A/V cable, power supply, etc. from your 360. Firmly reattach them all and turn on the console again. If the problem persists, it is likely caused by poor connections between the GPU or CPU and the motherboard. These can be fixed in a few ways, reflowing, or tightening the X-clamps, for instance.

Continue reading on page two… The Red Ring Xbox

Click Here to get rid of your RROD forever!