Repair Xbox 360 – 3 Red Lights
James at joystiq fixed his own 360 that was flashing three red lights, which indicates an internal error.
If you have this problem try this simple fix:
1) Remove your hard drive and/or memory units.
2) Run "Initial Setup" under the system blade.
3) Decline inserting HDD or memory unit when prompted.
4) Sync your controller and pop in a game.
*** UPDATE *** Microsoft has a new free warranty of 3 years for the 3 red light error. If you have this problem, you can send your console in for free repair. Or, if you don't want to pay shipping and have to wait 2-3 weeks, you can attempt to fix it yourself.
More details here:
NEW! Instructional videos to repair your 360 yourself in less than an hour, guaranteed: Xbox 360 Three Red Light Repair
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March 19th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
wow i hate microsoft they suck &%$#@@#$!!!!!!!!!!!! MY XBOX HAS THOS LIGHTS AND THEY MADE ME PAY 400$ JUST TO FIX IT!!!!!!!!!!**&&*((%^$%^$#%^
March 19th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
I HATE THEM
March 19th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
PS3 IS WAY BETTER!!!!1
March 21st, 2007 at 12:09 pm
I got mines at launch and it worked till july 2006. I sent mines back and got a replacement. It’s been brilliant ever since
March 23rd, 2007 at 12:38 am
I have to say that I’m sorry that everyone here has an issue with the xbox 360. I would like to say that the situation was quite predictable just due to microsofts reputation with their programs. (just think of all those hours you had to spend with ME and found that no matter what you did with it, the OS still sucked). I’m not one to rant about these kind of things, but this is probably the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. The other thing that I would like to know though is what purpose is there to buy an xbox 360? the system has some major issues and on top of that it’s one of the most unreliable systems currently on the market. Just think of all those things people said about nintendo and sony? well lets see, both nintendo and sony are batting at well above average, while Microsoft……..i’d say that it’s batting about .124. I will have to say thank you for reading my post and I hope that you all have a good day
March 24th, 2007 at 7:05 am
Sincerely if u a person that work hard for your money NEVER buy and Xbox 360!!!! this is my second time allready my xbox comes with the 3 red flashing lights… I mean they supposedly fix my machine once, and the same machine they fixed, comes with the bug again, This is some serious BS! and this is coming from the son of a business manager of microsof! And if they tell you, u have to pay $130 dollars for a major system breakdown going around globally, ill say *(&@ you *)^%^ YOU!!! Neither the Wii or the Ps3 it’s coming with collapses such as the one the Xbox 360 is experimenting from launching day to the same consoles they’re selling right now, consoles waiting and urging to go to your house and give u the 3 red flashing lights… This is what u call a lime or a lemon if it were a car! Totally TOTALLY Dissapointed in this machine and even more disgusted that thet are charging them 130 dollars! That’s like a freaking mechanic messing up your car spontaneously, and charging YOU for it… I could keep going for real, Too Bad No One Can know this upfront, because im 100% sure everyone browsing this page it’s because the ‘infamous’ flashing lights also happened to your console!
March 24th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Hello from the UK
My son’s 360 was visited by the lights two weeks ago. Bought 30 December 2005, so worked for 14 months. MS want £85 to repair it and wont allow you to buy extended warranty after they have repaired it. Repair only valid for 3 months.
C S no help told 4 different stories and surprisingly even though promised call back none received.
Can anyone help or advise on how to take on Good old Bill so that I and others in a similar position in the UK can get our faulty machines repaired without lining Bill’s pockets with even more money. Bill are you listening, Do the right thing!
Someone ealier in the forum who lives in Europe states that their Law covers electrical items for 3 years. What is the situation for the UK and the EU is it 1 or 3 years.
Someone in the know please holler back with solution/s.
Thanks Griff.
March 25th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
In the UK, The Trading Standards say that an electrical item should be good for 5 year. It would Come under the Sale of Goods Act. That states the goods must be fit for the purpose they were bought. So you buy a XBOX 360 to play on, and you can’t play on it. THE GOODS SHOULD BE RETURNED TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE quoting the Sale of Goods Act. It. It is then up to the seller to get back to Microsoft. The problem being that people tend to go back to the maker, instead of using consumer protection laws. If the Manufacturer says this is not so, its because they are ignorant of the UK laws.
March 25th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
I have had my xbox for just over A month, and it worked just fine until I screwed up and feel asleep with my console on for about 2 hours, but when I woke up it was working fine, I played the game and everything, but about 5 minutes into the game it crashed and and left me with dem got dang 3 red lights, now I’m screwed
March 26th, 2007 at 3:20 am
Well the three red light error indicates a hardware failure, the main reason for this problem is when micorsoft used a lead-free solder (wich is a NorthAmerican standard in electronics used by children) , the unit itself heats up rapidly and stays fairly hot, This causes a poor connection in either the CPU, RAM or GPU chips, they use a BGA (ball grid array) so it is a little bit complicated but you can open the thing up and heat it with a heat gun, thus reconnecting the cold solder joints and resulting in making your xbox work.
judging by the comments above you are all just complaining about the process you have to go through to get microsoft to repair the thing instead of looking for an answer as to why so many people are experiencing this problem.
This is also occuring during the manufacturing process as most of it is automated and certain tests pass during the process but if the actual mother board is bent or twisted it can create cold solder joints as well.
please refer to http://www.xbox-scene.com for full details