How to Fix Xbox 360 Red Rings of Death Temporarily

Use the "Towel trick" to bring your Xbox 360 back from the dead for a few short hours.

The so-called "Red Ring of Death" (RRoD) is an unfortunate hardware glitch that affects all models of the Xbox 360 hardware. This glitch makes the console completely unusable and cannot be fixed with regular repair methods. The only way to take care of a RRoD is to call Microsoft Support and get a replacement sent to you. However, that still leaves you with a broken Xbox. The so-called "towel trick" will bring your Xbox back to life for a final few hours, but it will not fix it permanently. Still, if you need to play a few more rounds of "Halo" before sending your Xbox 360 to the great beyond, this is a great way to do so.

Instructions

1. Turn off your Xbox 360 and unplug all peripherals and power cords. When the Red Ring of Death occurs, the console automatically overheats, so you'll have to let it sit for several minutes while it cools down.

2. Reconnect the power cords once the Xbox is safe to touch again. Don't worry if your Xbox is still a little bit hot.

3. Wrap the Xbox 360 in a towel so that all vents and surfaces are covered. Even the disc tray should be obscured by the towel, since the goal here will be to cut off air circulation and melt the heat sink in the console, which will restore functionality for a few hours.

4. Let the Xbox 360 sit inside the towel for 15-20 minutes, and then turn it on again. You will be able to use your Xbox 360 again temporarily, but once it gets the "red rings" again, it will not turn on.

Tips & Warnings

• Though the "towel trick" does void your Xbox 360's warranty, because you will eventually have to ship your Xbox 360 in a warm shipping container, a melted heat sink will not cause issues with you receiving your new Xbox 360 from the Xbox support center.

References

• Google Knol: How to Fix a Red Ring of Death
• Make: HOWTO -- Fix a "Red Ring of Death" Xbox 360
• YouTube: Xbox 360 Towel Trick