Sometimes you find weird stuff in thrift shops. Sometimes you find stuff that shouldn't be there... yet. I found a lonely Xbox 360...
And those saying "Man that thing was dead for sure !" are right. And maybe the title tipped off others. Yes, that 360 had the 3 red flashing lights, the infamous Red Ring of Death or RROD for short.
So fixing a RROD on a 360 must be hard, right ? If it was easy, people wouldn't pay other people to do it, everyone would do it themselves. On the contrary, it is easy ! You ca find plenty or tutorials on the intarweb on how to fix it and they are mostly the same. Then, why people don't do it themselves ? Because they're afraid they'll destroy their machine.
It's just like plumbing. People are afraid they will flood their house so they pay a guy an insane amount of money to do a job that might be as risky as if people did it themselves (everybody who saw a Mike Holmes show know what I'm talking about).
And know you're wondering what is the link between fixing an Xbox 360 and plumbing... It's simple : follow the goddamn instructions. If you can't do that, then you deserve to pay insane amount of money to a guy that has as much chance as you to screw things up.
I made one small mistake when I fixed that RROD. My local hardware shop didn't have the correct length of screws needed for the fix but I was sure I would be fine. I wasn't... One of the 360 heat sink is thin and the holes are just under the heat sink fins. A longer screw would bend the fin and might screw up (pun intended) the integrity of the heat sink. So with a metal saw and a couple of vice grips, I was able to cut the screws to the perfect length and did my fix. But I do have to remember that if I ever had to fix another console.
The 360 is held together really well and has many parts and screws. Be careful and don't loose anything ! If you follow instructions, you won't break anything as well. Also, use Torx screwdrivers, don't think you'll be fine with a couple of different size flat screwdrivers, you'd just strip them and make the Xbox impossible to disassemble.
The fixed Xbox 360 is now in the ground floor living room and will most likely be used as a DVD player and casual gaming. Overall, I'm happy my fix turned out so well even considering the 4 hours it took me (cutting screws takes time!) from start to finish. I'll be faster next time (if there is one).
To conclude, I never intended to provide instructions on how to fix a 360. There is plenty of tutorials on how to do it with nice, clear pictures and since I didn't take any pictures, my instructions would be useless. A quick search on Google, gave me plenty of tutorials to choose from and I almost choose randomly. However, I'll be more than happy to provide advice if someone wants to fix his own console (but won't be held responsible if it doesn't work).
P.S. : Before attempting a fix like this, verify that your console is still under warranty with Microsoft. They would either fix it or send you a refurbished console free of charge.
P.P.S. : RTFM means Read The Fucking Manual...
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