“My Xbox 360 console, which has been with me since launch day, has finally decided to throw in the towel. When I try to turn my Xbox, the lights around the power button flash red and the top left, bottom left and bottom right quadrants light up. I have heard about the feared ‘Red Ring of Death’ but never thought it was going to happen since my console has always worked perfectly. What does this mean and is there anything I can do to fix it? ”

--Gideon S.

The “Red Ring of Death” (RROD) is a commonly feared problem in the mind of many Xbox 360 owners. While more recent models of the console have a much higher success rate in dealing with these errors, many Xbox owners who happen to own older versions may find themselves in a similar situation sooner or later. When your Xbox 360 is experiencing a technical error, which can be anything from an unplugged cord to serious hardware failure, it will illuminate one, two, three or four quadrants of a red ring around the start button. The pattern of the displayed lights indicates the specific problem that your console is having.

Here is the rundown of the different patterns, in order of increasing severity:

• All four quadrants flashing: Audio/Visual error
• Lit top left and bottom left quadrants: Console is overheating.
• Lit bottom right quadrant: Hardware failure.
• Lit bottom right, top left and bottom left quadrants: General hardware failure (The RROD)

Unfortunately, your console was struck with the most severe of all of the error codes which is estimated to effect somewhere between 25%-50% of older 360 models. The only reason the RROD is worse than the “hardware failure” pattern  is because it is not accompanied by an error code, making the problem difficult to diagnose and linking to any number of internal disasters. Most commonly the RROD is due to overheating inside of the unit, resulting from failure of the cooling system. This heating may cause several internal components to become disconnected and put your Xbox into a vegetative state.

There is no easy solution to this situation and the only thing you can count on is that your system is in need of some serious help. The first step is to call Microsoft’s Xbox technical support and explain the issue. They will check the status of your console and determine if it is still under warranty. If your console is not under warranty, Microsoft generally offers to repair/replace your console for a flat fee of $100. Your other option is to try to repair your Xbox yourself by following an online guide or video. However, be warned that this option will void you of any warranty on your Xbox and cause Microsoft support to blacklist your console. Of course the simplest, and most expensive, option would be to buy a completely new console and strongly consider an extended warranty. I hope this helps you handle the problem and get your head back into the game.