The “Towel Trick” is an interesting solution to the 3 red lights on the ring of light (ROL). Supposedly, a user experiencing the 3 red lights on the ROL completely wrapped his Xbox 360 in a towel, with the red lights on, and let the Xbox 360 sit for about 10 minutes. He then turned his system off, then on again, and his Xbox 360 booted without issue. He was able to play for about 3 hours before the 3 red lights came back.
Sounds like an unlikely fix, but who knows? Well, I know, because I tested lastnight. The “Towel Trick” is bunk, total crap. You’re more likely to set your Xbox 360 on fire by doing this rather than fixing it. The best advice still is to contact Microsoft support. You can call them toll-free at 1-800-4MY-XBOX. They have an excellent support department lined up there for the Xbox/Xbox 360.
UPDATE: Here’s a video of the Towel Trick on YouTube.
Xbox 360 Console Buy Xbox 360 Video Game Console in Australia
(10 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5) 
Hey all I can confirm what Harry said IS true – I was worried about trying the microwave trick but if u dont believe it – google it for yourselves – what a susceptor material is, what a bga chip is, the laws on lead free solder etc its all true..
I ended up going for it – first time it didn’t work but after letting it cool down for 30mins and trying again my xbox is fully functional and has been for 18months now – just thought i’d update everyone for all those who don’t believe it!!
I second that Dom,
2 years actually for me if you do it right and dont overdo it microwave trick is perfect
Ok it appears there’s been a few people who don’t understand what the microwave trick actually does because they havn’t learnt to READ (try going to school sometimes u fools).
Anyway OF COURSE if you put a metal spoon etc in the microwave by itself it will spark like crazy, thats because the electromagnetic radiation will be attracted to it, but what happens if you put a susceptor material in with it (google it you idiots)? All the radiation will target that INSTEAD of the spoon and you wont get a SINGLE spark.. Guess what the xbox has under the mainboard surrounding all the solder tracks? THATS RIGHT – SUSCEPTOR MATERIALS..
Anyway here is a previous post to the tools that dont know how to scroll-
Hi Arron,
Good to see the uninformed laughing at things they know nothing about. Of course if you put a spoon in the microwave it will spark like crazy!!
A microwave basically works by emitting electromagnetic radiation particles that are guided onto whatever object is in there via a waveguide.
Now as most people know certain objects attract these particles more than others. If you put some solids in along with liquids the liquids will heat up much more quickly than the solids.
If you put in metals with the liquids these will heat up faster as they are more attractive to the radiation.
The most highly rated attractive objects to the radiation particles are actually called ’susceptor materials’. If you put some of these in a microwave with virtually any other object you will notice the other object will remain cool to the touch UNLESS it is making direct contact with the susceptor materials.
Now what is interesting is these susceptor materials also act as an extremely effective anti static device. Due to some quality control issues involved with the manufacturing of the Xbox’s overseas (of course to save $) Microsoft made it mandatory that susceptor materials were manufactured to the underside of each and every Xbox 360 mainboard.
Why does all this matter and what does it mean?
Well, one of the main problems with the Xbox’s is due to American law (that after a certain year in the US – ANY device that could be used by children must have lead free solder – which has a higher melting point than ordinary solder.) Unfortunately this carries a higher risk when reflowing the solder used when seating the BGA chips, so Microsoft opted to be safe and reflowed the solder at a high temperature but not for a very long time – which over time can and does lead to dry joints (in the GPU and CPU!)
The towel trick gets the trick done by making your entire Xbox effectively a reflow oven, which is extremely risky as ALL the components are subject to very high operating temperatures (much higher than they’re rated to), so most likely it will temporarily fix your Xbox and over time it will fail – or it will just fail instantly!
The reason the Microwave trick is so effective is because you are virtually isolating all of the solder tracks (including the solder used for the BGA chips) from the rest of the components and devices used in the Xbox. This is because the susceptor materials attract almost ALL of the electromagnetic radiation and divert them to the solder tracks!
Now the reason why it is stated to put the Xboxs in the microwave for a MAX of 30 seconds at a time is mainly a case of ‘better to be safe than sorry’. As each microwave has different power ratings. What is recommended by most people is to put it in for around 20 seconds, let your Xbox cool down for 30mins, turn it on and try it out.. If it fails let it cool down again and repeat the process. This is because no matter how effective the susceptor materials are, there will always be a small amount of stray radiation that will slightly heat up other components, if you dont let them cool down before trying again you run the risk!
so be PATIENT!
I can almost guarantee anyone who has had a problem with this method has had issues as a direct result of not following these instructions.
Wanker “One thing that worked for my friend is using an ice pack. After the Xbox got the lights we unplugged it immediately and put an ice pack on it while fanning it. It worked perfectly when we plugged it back in 15 minutes later. It’s been about a month since then I believe and it still works”
As has been said numerous f*CKING TIMES IT ONLY WORKS FOR A WHILE THEN FAILS> LEARN TO READ U F*CKING TWAT
MICROWAVE IS THE ONLY THING THAT WORKS BUT U DONT NEED IT NOW AS MICROSOFT EXTENDED THEIR WARRANTY YOU IDIOT
I was about to do this microwave/towel trick but since i’ve read the posts here, its clearly obvious who is right and wrong. The microwave/towel trick sounds so stupid, i can’t believe i was about to attempt it.
If the x bracket mod does work, why not do the mod then you won’t have to do the towell trick and/or microwave trick
Can someone tell me if doing the repair and getting rid of the x mount does always work?
this is what i did after i got the RRoD. i first took some maple syrup and poured it on my xbox, stcuk her in the microwave for 45 minutes on high. Then i sat back lit up a blunt of some premium marijuana and watched the sucker BURN!!!
I have an issue with an xbox 360 I am trying to get to work without any BS. I originally had a no video problem, by that I mean when I started it up it would be blank screen with no RROD and I could hear the audio when I put a movie in. I did the x clamp mod an followed it according to the tutorials online. I was thorough I cleaned the tops of the GPU and CPU to a nice shine and clean off the back of the heatsinks. I had to play around with the amount of washers used but to make a long story short it only works when I have only 1 nylon washer on the top so that the heatsinks are basically right on top of the microprocessors. It will play movies for hours without issue but only plays the game that I have for about 5 minutes or less but if I leave the motherboard and its components open without all the plastic casing on it will play for about a half hour or so if I’m lucky. I’ve tried 2 different dvd drives that I have and both work good but render the same game freezing result. Now heres what I am frustrated about:
1. Why will it play a movie for hours with no problem and freeze for a game in 5 minutes?
2. I only have 1 game madden 08 and I guess it has had problems with freezing. Is it just the game?
3. Is it freezing from overheating? But how can it overheat with all the casing off and it sitting in the open air?
4. I also tried the heatgun solder re-flow technique and was careful about it but there was no change in game performance. But why the F would someone stick a circuit board in a microwave? Who the F ever thought of that?
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated as I’m frustrated and need some advice.
Iv done the towel trick twice now. The first was over a year ago and now i just did it today. Gues wat. It worked. now i don’t know how log it’l last but the last time i did it once again was over a year ago.
MICROSOFT still has not fixed the problem?
surprise surprise !! They extend the warrantee
for those Boxes that have not been opened.
So you Bite the bullet ,and send in your box
a mouth or so later you get back another box
and guess what it still has a faulty G.P.U. CLAMP
and will Fail Again.
My Advice is find out what the real problem
is ” a picture is worth 1000 words”
go to http://www.all-xboxrepair.com and read it. now you know
Who’se the idiot that brought up this “microwave trick” anyways… THATS THE MOST REDICULOUS THING I EVER HEARD OF ! Still cant stop laughing at that
Dude it works if u do it right.. Read Harrys explanation if u want.. I dont understand most of it but my xbox AND my mates both work now.. Just over 12 months for both of us so why laugh?
Okay my xbox E74 twice in one month.. I payed $40 to get it fixed by some other guys seeing i was out of my warranty. 2 months later it E74′d again… And i figured what the heck.. Lets fry the bastard.. Did the towel trick for 15 min and watched the incredibles while my xbox was burned it self to its previous status…(10 minutes cool down with a fan blowing directly on the xbox) It worked!
Now i have to wait and see for how long though…. I so need to get myself a Jasper… Manufacture date : 2006-07-27
HOW TO SAVE THE MICROSOFT 360 SEAL for reuse
take the unit out side or to a
open ventalated area
Cut a 1″x 3″ pice of a sponge.
Soak with lighter fluid. make shur its not dripping
apply to the sticker hold or tape down for
20min. Removel of the sticker should be far easyer
with little to no damage. PS dont for hevans sakes
stick your 360 in the microwave DUH .I have seen alot
of youtubs videos of clamp change but non of the
micro wave “TRICK” hmm i wonder why??
Harry,
At first I thought it would be nuts putting a Xbox 360 in a Microwave to fix the dreaded RROD. I had my doubts, but I could not believe my eyes, and ears for that matter which I will explain a little later.
RROD occurs on a daily basis for me. Ive even set my room to an icey 18 degrees just so I can get through a game of Gears Of War 2. This fails and my balls feel like ICE. Not to mention I got a Cold and missed 5 days of work.
Putting the 360 in the Microwave at first for 20 seconds, letting it rest for 30 minutes failed. Thinking its totally screwed I Microwaved it for 20 seconds on high, then let it cool down for 30 minutes, repeated the process for 10 hours straight as ive got nothing to lose. Behold after the last cooling period I had a Gears Of War 2 Session that lasted 8 straight hours and finally finished the game. I could barely get past 1 previously. Xbox Live works flawlessly also.
Another thing I noticed is that my drive has quiet’nd down also. Instead of a streaming jet engine I get a nice low pitched whiring sound. FANTASTIC! I can now play my games at low volume at night.
My next email will be to Microsoft. With this I have no idea why they havent given you a job investigating this issue.
Thanks Klaus,
I have a feeling they won’t be listening. A number of users have been posting on this forum that I strongly suspect are affiliated with Microsoft stating things such as ‘the microwave trick doesnt work it will explode your house’ etc. when its been proven time and time again it is the only safe solution that will not void your warranty and only takes 20 seconds!
Seeing as how there is metal in the xbox, I don’t really trust putting it in a microwave, even if only for twenty seconds. I’ve done the towel trick, and so far, it has been working
Ha! Microwave trick eh? Sounds dafter than WWE wrestling. Put a spoon in the mocrowave for 10 seconds and watch sparks flying off it, put a spoon in for a minute and say goodbye to your microwave.
I have tried the towel trick and it did work for a short while. Turned the x box off and on again and whoa! 3 red lights again.
Open it up, remove all the old thermal paste and re-apply. If you’ve still got warranty left then send it back.
Hi Arron,
Good to see the uninformed laughing at things they know nothing about. Of course if you put a spoon in the microwave it will spark like crazy!!
A microwave basically works by emitting electromagnetic radiation particles that are guided onto whatever object is in there via a waveguide.
Now as most people know certain objects attract these particles more than others. If you put some solids in along with liquids the liquids will heat up much more quickly than the solids.
If you put in metals with the liquids these will heat up faster as they are more attractive to the radiation.
The most highly rated attractive objects to the radiation particles are actually called ’susceptor materials’. If you put some of these in a microwave with virtually any other object you will notice the other object will remain cool to the touch UNLESS it is making direct contact with the susceptor materials.
Now what is interesting is these susceptor materials also act as an extremely effective anti static device. Due to some quality control issues involved with the manufacturing of the Xbox’s overseas (of course to save $) Microsoft made it mandatory that susceptor materials were manufactured to the underside of each and every Xbox 360 mainboard.
Why does all this matter and what does it mean?
Well, one of the main problems with the Xbox’s is due to American law (that after a certain year in the US – ANY device that could be used by children must have lead free solder – which has a higher melting point than ordinary solder.) Unfortunately this carries a higher risk when reflowing the solder used when seating the BGA chips, so Microsoft opted to be safe and reflowed the solder at a high temperature but not for a very long time – which over time can and does lead to dry joints (in the GPU and CPU!)
The towel trick gets the trick done by making your entire Xbox effectively a reflow oven, which is extremely risky as ALL the components are subject to very high operating temperatures (much higher than they’re rated to), so most likely it will temporarily fix your Xbox and over time it will fail – or it will just fail instantly!
The reason the Microwave trick is so effective is because you are virtually isolating all of the solder tracks (including the solder used for the BGA chips) from the rest of the components and devices used in the Xbox. This is because the susceptor materials attract almost ALL of the electromagnetic radiation and divert them to the solder tracks!
Now the reason why it is stated to put the Xboxs in the microwave for a MAX of 30 seconds at a time is mainly a case of ‘better to be safe than sorry’. As each microwave has different power ratings. What is recommended by most people is to put it in for around 20 seconds, let your Xbox cool down for 30mins, turn it on and try it out.. If it fails let it cool down again and repeat the process. This is because no matter how effective the susceptor materials are, there will always be a small amount of stray radiation that will slightly heat up other components, if you dont let them cool down before trying again you run the risk!
so be PATIENT!
I can almost guarantee anyone who has had a problem with this method has had issues as a direct result of not following these instructions.
Harry,
I’m not sure why you seem to think this is a smart idea considering how easy it is to fry your 360 by sticking it in a microwave, nice wiki fats there but at the end of the day the fact remains it has bricked hundreds of boxes so far and an Xclamp replacement hasn’t and pretty much can’t brick it.
Tucker how do you know its bricked them?
I know 2 people that have used the microwave to permanently (so far) fix RROD. As long as u do it when it completely cold I dont think its too risky, just dont do it for like 5 mins like the noobs do and it should be ok. I did it for 15seconds on mine and that got it.
Xclamp sounds good I kno lotsa people have done it but from what I understand a fair few still fail after a while (u can see on ebay the amount of RROD consoles that have had xclamp replacements, notice none mention microwave damage tho?)
thats just my 2c!
Petesy
Just google it and you’ll see how many its ruined, just because its worked on 2 consoles doesnt mean it works mass scale and lets be honest is ether going to brick your xbox or the microwave.
The “noobs” you refer to are not noobs at all but people who are following the instructions on so called fixes on the internet, lts face it if 20 seconds in the mocrowave is long enough to reflow your CPU and GPU surely thats long enough for it to reflow the whole board… wait.. thats not a good idea at all is it!?
As for the xclap I have fixed more than I can keep count of not one has come back to me since and I have 3 of my own the main one I use has been repaired for over 12 months now and i’ve not had a single issue with it.
Xclamp requires you to be patient and stress test the console as much as possible afterwards before shipping it back to the owner and yeah after 5-6 hours of being turned on some do go RROD again so you tweak the bolta and try again, people who just whack 8 bolta in the console and expect it to work are the ones reporting it not working, people with no patience are the ones saying its a joke.
Ask anyone who repairs them for a living you ether reball the chips (correctly, not with a microwave but with a reballer) or do the xclamp replacement, or both.
Towels and microwaves are no way to repair any xbox, ever.
Oh and they wont mention microwave damage on ebay because noone will go anywhere near it, they usually just say “I tried to fix this but to no avail..” or some other BS when they know exactly what they have done to it.
Hi I cant reply to tucker for some reason..
But I had a look on google and cant find any xboxs the microwave has ruined except people who have put them in for 12 MINUTES lol!
Reflowing the entire board isn’t really a problem unless its overdone, its just going to melt the solder, then it will cool down and dry again.. If theres any other poor quality solder joints it will only fix them also.
Xclamp is probably fine for you then, but the microwave is ideal for those who don’t wish to open their xbox, or simply have one under warranty but don’t wanna go for 3-5 weeks without one! If they’re worried about damage they can always start low (around the 10 second mark) then work their way up.
Alright, I put the 360 in the microwave, 1 second later it was shooting sparks. Scared I pulled it out after 2 seconds, great reaction timing I know, is it normal for the 360 to shoot off sparks after such a little time in the microwave, and will the little red light ever leave when I plug it in?
Mate u must have left it still hot from the towel trick or something… I’ve seen the microwave trick fix 2 xboxs so far. As long as they’re cold when u put them in it will be fine. I did mine for 23seconds my mate was around 15 both worked..
I have done the towel trick a couple of times and it worked but recently ive been doing it and it hasnt worked wich kind of annoys me. I have taken it back to Microsoft and its worked for a while
( 1 year ) and just last night it fouled up again whilst I was playing C.O.D. 5 I got a reefund for C.O.D. from gamestation but my xbox 360 ran out of warranty and I am sort of giving up hope on the towel trick so is there any other ways i can fix it?
Yes. Try reading.
Have a look at one my thousands of other posts….
I don’t know why so many people are looking at thermal fatigue for this problem. I checked Microsoft and contacted support and they told me it was a power supply issue. My X Box had been sitting overnight with the power off and when I turned it on the first time in the day, I had the three red lights. However, before you contact support and they tell you to send in your console, check your connections. My power supply was showing green, leading the support tech to condemn my console, but I unplugged and plugged it back in and it works like a champ.
ive had the three lights 3 times, all three ive contacted microsoft and theyve repaired (replaced) my console regardless of wether it was out of warranty. the reason for being a little annoyed is that 2 of the times my xbox died it ate the game i was playing first, putting large circular scratches on close to the middle before crashing and showing the three red lights. but my games were never replaced another annoying aspect is that the xbox they gave me was never actually mine, it was visibly another guys who had obviously had the same problem. for the most part im gratefull to microsoft but i wish they would fix the glitch and install a bigger coolin system allready.
Trying the towel and it worked!!!!!!!! To anybody that has doubts do it! I have no idea about the laout or parts of the Xbox but if you want your Xbox playing just try it
realy i tried for one hour still didnt work. still i had my first elite for crhismas 07 sent it in little over year later got it back pretty quick yay but oh no it hapend anin in 09 im sending it back now hope it backs soon ive tried lots of tricks by the way but they can work and CAN SCREW YOUR SYSTEM UP LOL so just send it back to microsoft an dont wast your time doin the toweltrick or any other and stop hating on microsoft there a great company wouldoult be playin halo without them cant wait til i get mine back wish me luck
p.s. gta 4 latd expansion rocks
I just tried this in a last ditch attempt, and it worked. Guess Microsoft designed it that way.
Nah, trust me they didn’t, go ask them they will tell you straight that the towel trick and the microwave trick along with the X-clamp fix will void your warranty.
X-lamp is permanent anyway, towel trick will shorten the life of the console, if 1000 people tell me the towel trick worked it doesn’t make it any more of a good idea, its still stupidly risky and something you’d never catch anyone with even the slightest knowledge of computing or electronics doing.
You probably just killed a few years off of your xbox’s already relatively short life.
Lol all i did was un-plug my x-box and waited for about 2 mins plugged it back in and it work lol lucky me!!
got a micro wave fix gone bad
I fix on average about 10 -15 week
10% dirty laser optics or weak laser, 30% over heating, 50% rrod ,10% fried . I got one last week that got nuked (microwave)
all light flashing Yellow????? when I open it up
the metal security sticker had the foil burnt off
he said he put it in for 15sec 1kw oven. seem the
towel trick is temporary will reduce the life of
the unit due to fact you can boil water on the chip
set when when you suffocate the main board .all capacitors
will suffer and die. gota ask your self a question
do you feel lucky ? well do ya?
ROB
Definitely not, With my luck it would probably fry the Xbox blow up the microwave then set fire to my house.
But yeah I heard about the microwave trick before and its even more ridiculous than the towel trick.
I wonder who comes up with these “Tricks” and “fixes” I’m sure its no one with any real technical knowledge of electronics, in fact, it seems they also lack common sense.
My son had the 3 red light problem with his x box,cost £40 to fix,didnt do the job ,i have now reverted to having to aim a fan at the console , works perfect now.
Thats unfortunate, alot of people tend to replace the Xclamp with the bolts but don’t stress test the console after wand tweak the bolts to the right torque, too much and you will crack the CPU/GPU dye, too little and you get 3 red lights again. if the repair guy did an xclamp replacement that’s possibly just the issue, it requires allot of patience sometimes but it pays off in the end :) I have 3 of my xbox’s repaired that way and not one of them has gone wrong since, can’t comment on repairs I’ve done for other people because I don’t know but no one has come back to me yet with a problem.
Hey guys, Been repairing 360’s for about year and a half now and never had one go wrong after doing exatly what Rob just said, whatever you do don’t try the towell trick I’ve seen people fry their CPU doing that and unfortunately theres no fix for that.
On the plus side I’ve never come across a 3 RLOD console that cant be fixed with an x-clamp replacement, so if you want a console that will stay on green lights (or blue in my case) do what rob has mentioned and bolt the heatsinks down, it will keep enough pressure on the chips, unline the flimsy x-clamp.
Andy
Andy, My problem is my cd drive. You said you’ve been fixing these for a while now so i thought you might know. My 360 won’t read my discs, it always says open tray after reading the disc. do you know any fixes. My email might be easer to get a hold of me. rselliii@hotmail.com thanks if anyone else has any fixes email me please I need my Xbox back!!!!!!!!!!!
A word of Warning 99% of all 3 flashing reds
are thermal fatigue on the Gpu and cpu, mostly
the gpu. the towel trick is just that a trick
you are running the inner metal casing and all
the parts up to 240> degrees !! all the electrolytic
capacitors are rated to 180< degrees so if they survive
you have greatly reduced there life HEAT KILLS
electronics. now having said that. screw the warrantee
what you get back from MS is another unit that will
fail with in 3-6 months there are exceptions .
take matters in to your own hands get your 10 year old
son to open it up remove the heat sink clean it then
throw away that stupid “X” bracket underneath the Gpu
reapply a little heat sink compound from radio
shack to the heat sink then screw down the heat sink.
place the fan over the cpu turn on the box for 20min
let cool reassemble and 90% of the time its a solid
fix.
Rob
After trying the towel method a few times and failing, my cousin forwarded me a recommendation from howtofixyourxbox.blogspot.com of how to fix it… The guide he recommended worked great for me. It’s been 4 months now and no more problems!! =)
well, lets just say i didnt like the sound of the ‘microwave fix’ as everyone knows that putting metal componants in a microwave is a great idea!!! -.-
No, instead, I took it apart and cleaned EVERYTHING the heat sink was so dusty that must have been what was making it overheat and crash.
Put it back together and it works perfectly now :)
no need for a blown up microwave!
Hello
I have been repairing xbox ps2 for 4 years or so.
first of all the ball grid array is actually not
soldered to the matting pads , its compressed in
order to deform and compress to make the connection
thermal fatigue will cause this to fail.
what I do is heat the gpu with a heat gun use
infrared probe then @575 degrees reinstall rear support bracket
that has been shimmed to apply greater compression force
to reestablish full contact ,works every time
im a little hesitant about putting it in to the
micro wave even those many have had success with
there personal units also there is a small Microsoft
security sticker thin metal foil on acetate that
I fear could be damaged in a microwave . I can remove them with out
destroying the warrantee. just some info for the board
Rob
Antirae – what the?? What makes you think the console is overheating and causing the GPU to become loose? Sounds like you heard snippets of information about causes of the rrod and came up with your own conclusion. The GPU will never actually be loose, the only thing that happens is the solder connections can become dry jointed due to the poor manufacturing process.
Whilst the towel trick can work, it also places excessive heat stress on ALL components on the mainboard. The most reliable method discussed thus far is the electromagnetic radiation theory. As the xbox has susceptor materials placed under the mainboard (google these if you’re not sure, its similar to the stuff you used to wrap pies around in the microwave to direct the radiation to the pastry, thus making it flaky and crispy instead of soggy) – mainly to prevent static, when the radiation is directed toward your xbox, the susceptor materials will attract virtually all of this radiation and direct it where its needed most – the solder tracks. This in effect remelts the solder and in 99% of cases permanently fixes your xbox.
So what am I saying exactly? It sounds crazy, but whack your xbox in a microwave for about 20 seconds. You may or may not see some of the white smoke that comes as the solder is being remolten. ***DO NOT place it in the microwave for longer than 30 seconds!
If after trying this it does not work you MUST WAIT AT LEAST 30 MINUTES before trying again. This is because even though the majority of the radiation has targeted the solder, all components naturally do receive some of the radiation. If you let this build up by not letting them cool down there is a chance some of them may overheat (though alot less likely than using the towel ‘trick’ which has resulted in many dead xboxes over time).
Any more questions please feel free to ask, if not let us know how it goes for you!
Cheers,
Harry
does this trick really work??
because surely this is overheating the system even more!
the RRoD occurs because of the 360 overheating and making the GPU loose, so causing it to heat up even more is a ridiculous solution!
however, ive just ben given a 360 from a mate and i think its about to RR because the av cable barely connects, the 360 often comes up with ‘unplayable disc’ error, which is sorted by turning it on and off a few times, but is still a pain in the ass nethertheless,and it cant play a game or DVD for more that 15 mins without it crashing, the sound cuts ou and the game lags just before it dies.
it hasnt RRd on me yet, but im pretty sure its about to.
I have a PS3 and I love it! It rules and I agree that the 360 is a pile of shit! Ive never had a problem with any of my Playstations and I think sony rock, microsoft can kiss my ass as I would never spend £300 on something that will probably break in a year. the fatality rate for 360 is 1 in 9… thats mad!
The new 2009 360s have been fixed though! So if you want a 260 wait til the new ones have been released that are RRoD free :)
Im scared of the RRoD and im reluctant to try any of these bizzare fixes but also as my 360 is free and 2nd hand, I cannot have microsoft send me a free new one. so im buggered else. lol
any suggestions??
Does anyone know how to make ur 360 have the 3 red lights? cuz my 360 recently ran out of warranty n im not wastin 100 bucks if i can just get it for free
I had the 3 red lights for my elite and did the towel trick and its been working for the last 3 days. just waiting for the red lights to come back so i can send it in to MS.
I did the towel trick and my xbox melted into a puddle then i stuck my fingers up my ass and it turned into a ps3 after that i played my ps3 until it got the 3 red cocks of dick so i sent it to microsoft and they said that they dont fix playstation so i took a shit on my dog. FUCK
thanks for the advise. it works
My xbox has been RROD-ing for over a week, but i could still get it to work by unpluging the cables a few times. today it would not work so after some thought i realized that my chimney is leaking cold air into my xbox (xbox infront of the small vents) and so it became a matter of simple physics. after i used my xbox and it was all hot i would turn it off and now since it is winter out, the cold air would come in and mess up the hot soldering. so i used the towel wrap and it worked, only took like 10 min. and for my temporary fix… I’ve stopped the cold air getting in.
to be fair I switched serial numbers on the console and returned the broken one. The 360 is my girlfriends dvd player and occasional game console now. I traded in everything 360 I owned and converted to ps3. Not a regret, and I bet youve never had someone tell you their ps3 is broken and the manufacturer wants 150$ to fix it, nor will they BS you with false failure rate numbers.
wow, so i got the rings of death and was willing to try the towel thing and it actually did work. hahahahahah. thanks to some idiot who wrapped his xbox in a towel! :D
10 mins 1 towel 10 minute cool down and I added a nyko intercooler and it works flawlessly not to say its a great system it just solves the issue of a crappily designed system. I personally was a huge fan of xbox but Im out of warranty so I will call them and let them know that I wont pay 99 to have it repaired I will put it towards a ps3 and rid myself of microsoft products permanantely. They can lose a profit of 80 dollars for service or lose a consumer who will badmouth all microsoft products. (BTW I work retail electronics)
Not only that, but they will lose customers who keep buying their games!!!!
i got 3 red lights yesterday and considering iv only had my xbox 360 for 4 and a half months i was pretty pissed, as you can imagine. my brother didnt know what they meant so i explained, my brother was even more pissed than me, he was desperate to play on fifa 09(if you havent got it buy it, its awsome)so he had a frenzy and unplugged the console and plugged it back in, to my suprise it fukin worked lol. i dont know whether that fuks up my console more so please write back
and you need to let it cool for at least 10 minutes
you have to wrap it in like 8 towels and let it sit for like half an hour and THEN it works
Done it twice and still works….
first time i couldn’t believe it really worked, been playing with a friends xbox for the last 4 days a couple hours ago it returned as it was 3 red lights done the towel trick again and here we go … working again.
going to buy some t10 and t7 screws and bust this baby open.
ain’t got nothing to lose ( it’s not mine anyway and the guy already bought him self another one :D )
Actually it works… 3 months and counting.
I can’t even begin to tell you how many problems I had with my Xbox 360, I had them so much that by the end of it, I knew everything about them so much so, that I started fixing them part time on the side!
I even made a nice little blog about the different error codes http://xbox360repairfix.blogspot.com
and repair techniques you can use to fix them…
Everyone knows, when your Xbox 360 goes down, its not fun, that’s for sure and the best thing you can do is learn how to fix it yourself. http://xbox360repairfix.blogspot.com
the ‘towel trick’ has worked for me, but only until i turn it off again. Sometimes it works when i turn it back on but I’ve done it at least 10 or more times now.. Still, its better that forking up $140 dollars. ;-)
Anyone claiming that ELITE’s don;t break is stupid, i have an elite that is less than a year old and it has the red ring of death
what a crack pot saying I am the same person as bust a nut. I put my 360 in the microwave and it sparked and was on fire in less than 5 seconds. If any of you do this you are all tards like I was when I did mine. DO NOT LISTEN AND DO THIS GARBAGE!!!!!
the only way to permently fix the xbox 360 is to take it apart, remove all parts take tha hear sinks off and apply artic silver 5 to tha GPU and CPU and then turn your xbox 360 back on for a couple of minutes and let it over heat to remold tha solder under tha motherboard… after that let it sit for maybe half an hour to an hour so it can cool and when it cools it should be reconnected and stay connected… or if you have warrenty just call microshit but hey if you still had tha warrenty your xbox would most likely still work.
I tried the towel trick and it definletly works but if i turn it off i have to do it again. I did it cause i had nothing to lose if you still have warranty on your xbox then contact microsoft as they will fix it but if you are in my position i suggest trying it.
I dunno bout y’all but microwave trick worked for me!
ADMIN JOHN FTW
keep those pesky microsoft twats out of here!
first of all in my name the last 4 letters are silent..
second, this towel trick is marvelously brilliant!!
i have been good acquaintances with bill gates,
AND I CAN MAKE IT RAIN!!!
-Deuce.
Don’t let Admin John fool you guys. He’s not the admin here, and he can’t see the IP addresses of any of you posting comments.
Admin John is also Sanjay, they have the same IP address. I am the owner and only admin at this site. You can tell by the difference in color for my comments.
I would not suggest doing the microwave trick, it has the potential to do more harm than good.
FYI a note to all –
Please ignore bust a nut on bill/diddyk – he is the same person, same IP address, and interestingly enough – resolves to microsoft.com!!
He is now banned. The microwave trick IS a credible solution, its just a pity microsoft is trying to muscle their way all over the internet to stop people developing ‘free’ solutions.
Diddyk I feel sorry for you and the fact that you actually listened to morons like HARRY JOHN who claim they have Phd’s in Radiation and electronics…HAHAH first of theres no such thing as a phd in radiation and electronics…..well maybe if they got their degrees online in 1/2 an hour.
Please dont take advice from most of the morons on here who claim they raised their xbox from the dead why sticking it in ovens or microwaves…
anyways yea, i think you should find where these ppl live and put them in a microwave or take ur fucked up unit and smack it upside their heads….
Diddyk what brand do you have? I did mine AND my friends in my panasonic (its only 1000watt) and they both worked. I had to do 2 cycles for johns. Did you try it more than once?
What you need to remember is if it is not successfull the worst time you have to wait at least 40 mins to try it again. My guess is that you didn’t wait long enough the second time around.
Juggalo it does work, I think you’re the fing idiot lol. I know im not the only one who has done it either.
The Towel Trick (TT) actually works…And, my system was not hot at all, in fact, it was quit cool….Plus, I don’t understand why anyone would put a 360 in the microwave in the first place….You must be a “Dumb fuckin’ indiot” to quote ICP to even think about putting your 360 in the microwave
OK I tried the microwave trick. I have a 1200 watt unit so I put it in for 30 seconds. My kids said ” Dad you’re retarded for doing that” Well they were right what a retard I was. after 3 seconds it started to spark and smoke and was on fire. I blew the fire out and found that the board on the front with the power button was fried and the unit wont power on now. THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL ADVICE ON THE $300 PAPER WEIGHT!!!!!
Dear Bust a Nut on Bill – or should I say “NEWBIE WHO OBVIOUSLY WORKS FOR MICROSOFT”
You calling Harry stupid? ahh I see you’re demonstrating IRONY. What the hell is yor issue buddy? Harry is the one who found out the microwave trick and if it wasnt for him we all would probably be using the towel trick every day. YOU sir are the stupid one, and he is the one with the phds in radiation and electronics. You rely on a phd in STUPIDITY.. hmm who should I trust? Listed buddy if you had been around this thread for long enough you would have read about all the people who the trick has worked for.. OF COURSE IF YOU PUT A CELLPHONE IN THE MICROWAVE IT WILL GET DAMAGED.. Your stupidity really irritates me..
YOU FOOL IT HAS BEEN EXPLAINED + PROVEN THAT THE SUSCEPTOR MATERIALS IN AN XBOX 360 ARE WHAT ATTRACTS AND DIRECTS THE MICROWAVE RADIATION TO THE SOLDER TRACKS… Does a phone have these? NO.
You suggesting doing that is like saying “if I drop a brick from 50m high it will shatter, so if I drop a feather from 50m high it will also shatter” <– thats how stupid your statement is. The internals have COMPLETELY DIFFERENT properties because of the susceptor materials dumb @ss…
Im quite sure you dont know what microprocessors are made of based upon your complete and utter ignorance, and that is irrelevant seeing as the radiation is all targeted to the solder tracks AWAY from the microprocessors.. fool. Everything you’re asking about has already been answered above but everyone already knows you’re too stupid to read..
Another thing is HARRY NEVER SAID IT WAS HIM WHO SPOKE TO MICROSOFT YOU DUMBARSE, ONCE AGAIN PROVING YOU CAN’T READ. He put the text in QUOTES and clearly stated “here is what was said before”. The person who wrote the post IS an industry insider, and YES I know him and NO I dont know Harry.
You IDIOT they never told him it had anything to do with using the microwave, I honestly think your parents didnt just drop you on your head, they must have smashed you on your head repeatedly based on your skills of interpretation, or should I say – lack thereof.
Please don’t post here again, there are many people, including myself who have performed the microwave trick and used it with great success. Its blatantly obvious that either you’re either a complete tool who is trying to get people to pay to send their boxs back to microsoft so you get commission, or you’re just somehow exploding with extreme stupidity. Please don’t tell us which is true as no one could really care less. You are a waste of space buddy.
John
HARRY, lol you really are stupid! Go stick your cellphone in the microwave for a minute and tell me what happens, better yet just put urself into a microwave and then tell us what happens.
Do you know what microprocessors are comprised of?
Do you know the effect that microwave radiation has on these processors, much less anything!
You really are stupid to think ppl are gullible enough on here to believe that microsoft told you about some of its trade secrets…did you talk to Mr. Gates himself, was he the one who informed you about sticking things in microwaves or did you come up w/ the brilliant idea yourself after standing in front of it for a little too long?
Harry, you remind me of the chimp that scientists sent out to space to do work real humans are to do, yet wouldn’t bother to give you credit for the things that you did.
bust a Nut on Bill, have you had recent brain cancer or something? If not it sounds like you were just born with an extreme mental problem. If you learnt to read (which I know exceeds your minute mental capacity) you would see that I, along with MANY others have used the microwave trick with great success. This isn’t just something we’ve tried without researching it, as to nobodies such as yourself it doesnt sound right. If you could read through previous posts you would see all the research behind it.
I hope the admin deletes your ludicrous post, and I hope a stranger shoots you in your ludicrous brain, because you are stupid!
Here is what was said before:
LOL, have you tried to stick the white xbox brick in the oven after pre-heating it to 570 fahrengheit for about 10 minutes…i hear it works better than any towel or microwaving the sucker for about 10 minutes… if it makes any strange noises or catches fire, or explodes, you should take it out approximately 1 minute afterwards!
good luck with your gaming investments!
You are a moron bill,
the whole point of the microwave is it TARGETS the mainboard because of the susceptor materials.. an oven will overheat EVERYTHIGN including the plastic..
READ THE POST YOU MORON
I suspect you were not only dropped on your head, but repeatedly had it smashed into a solid object…
I got the red lights. microsoft said its a console problem and will replace it for free if its under warrenty. Then when you get it back they give you an additional 90 days. They were very helpful and quick. 18004myxbox
you may not believe it but the trick does work. while on holiday my xbox broke so i had no way of getting it to support so i tried it and t worked for 1 month before getting the 3 red lights. its weird.
Ebony you’re an idiot, please learn to read.
Everyone knows the towel trick will work for a few days but its not permanent, the microwave trick is the only permanent solution currently that is very cheap. I hope you burn in hell for writing such rubbish that everyone already knows.
I dont know about you guys but i just did the towel thing with an original 360 and an elite, both worked out fine so im gonna have to say what youre saying is BS
It will work fine for many people, but you’re not listening, it will only work fine for A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME..
the microwave is the only proven method that is permanent at this stage
One thing that worked for my friend is using an ice pack. After the Xbox got the lights we unplugged it immediately and put an ice pack on it while fanning it. It worked perfectly when we plugged it back in 15 minutes later. It’s been about a month since then I believe and it still works.