My first RROD --- Yay for me :(

[hailrazer]

Well I bought 2 Launch Xbox360's.

Modded both of them the very first day it was possible.

So far they have ran like champs. But yesterday my boy says "Dad the one in our bedroom won't work and is just flashing red lights".

So I took out the hard drive , unplugged everything , let it set and plugged it back up and still the three red lights. Top, left, bottom flashing after the Xbox360 powers on with a green light for a second or two.

So not really having looked into it, what is the current EASIEST solution for fixing it ?

Thanks for the help guys

[thewise1]

Wait how many lights are flashing, 2 or 3?

If it's only 2 it means the av cord is unplugged or not working.

[bassmasta]

Actually, the AV Cable is 4 red lights.

Spoiler:

You could rebuild the heatsinks like Ben did in his laptop and maybe add fans.
Extra GPU to double up current GPU-$6 shipped on ebay
10ft of copper pipe at home depot-$10
A pack of JB-Weld (if you want)-$5
Arctic Silver 5 Heatsink Paste-$10
Some copper pipe sealing tape to help the heatsinks stay on-$1
Total-$32

Hopefully something didn't come loose. Do you get any video or error codes?

[hailrazer]

All I get is the three red lights.

[bassmasta]

I'm assuming they're out of warranty.
Try this:

* Turn the xbox 360 on, and wait till the 3 red lights are flashing.
* Press and hold the sync up button (the small white one), while holding that button press the eject button.
* The LEDs will now blink the first number in the code (as described below).
* Release the eject button and press it again.
* The LEDs will now blink the second number of the code.
* Release the eject button and press it again.
* The LEDs will now blink the third number of the code.
* Release the eject button and press it again.
* The LEDs will now blink the forth number of the code.
* Release the eject button and press it again.
* The LEDs will go back to the 3 red flashing lights.

You should be able to determine the difference between the 3 flashing lights and the error code lights by the rate in which they flash.

Here is how you interpret the LEDs to get the code number:

* All four lights flashing - 0
* One light flashing - 1
* Two Lights flashing - 2
* Three lights flashing - 3


0001 power supply problem
0002 Network Interface problem
0003 Power problem could be the PSU could be the GPU/CPU, somehow the console isn't getting clean power from the power supply.
0010 over heating
0011 over heating - If you are receiving this error after disassembling your console make sure to all 8 of the heatsync screws are tightened securely to the board/heatsink holes.
0012 over heating
0013 over heating
0020 (Not yet known, possibly overheating)
0021 DVD Drive Time out - Can be caused by problems with a firmware flash. This is also speculated to sometime be caused by a problem with the southbridge chipset on the motherboard.
0022 GPU Error / GPU Overheating
0023 (not yet known)
...
0101 (not yet known)
0102 unknown error

* though it's most likely GPU related literally means the console does not know what is wrong. possibly a short or cold solder joint somewhere. So far there is 1 major theory for what causes most of these errors is that the Ram, CPU, or GPU are not soldered properly to the mother board due either to poor manufacturing or excessive heat up and cool down cycles that stress, weaken and eventually break the soldered connection.
There are two theories to f...ng this one deals with the "X" clamps that hold down the chips. The other involves re-Heating the chips. DO NOT attempt either of these if your console is still under warranty. If your console is still under warranty return it to the store where it was purchased or call MS to have it replaced. I have also heard of limited success by simply switching the AV cable from "HDTV" mode to "TV" mode.

0103 CPU Error/ CPU Overheating - see solution for error 0102
0110 Memory Error / Memory Overheating - see solution for error 0102
...
0200 (not yet known)
...
1000 (not yet known)
1001 (not yet known)
1002 (not yet known)
1003 Hard Drive Error... It could be a problem with the Hard Drive itself or a problem with the internal connection to the hard drive, Try removing the hard drive and playing without it
1010 Hard Drive Error, Can be caused buy a corrupt or missing eProm.
1011 (not yet known)
1012 (not yet known)
1013 (not yet known) possibly a dashboard update error
1020 (not yet known)
1021 (not yet known)
1022 AV cable error... There is a problem with the AV cable, try using a different AV cable. (could also be a problem with the encoder chip)
1023 DVD drive not connected, connect DVD drive to boot
1030 (not yet known)
1031 (not yet known)
1032 (not yet known)
1033 (not yet known)
...
1444 and up There is no "4" in the error codes four lights is a "0" go back and check your code again.

[hailrazer]

It's the 0102 error code which is Error 18 which surprise surprise is the GPU. LOL

[techknott]

I installed one of the x clamp kits off eBay about 2 years ago with some arctic silver, still runs sweet to this day, but I've heard they give varied results.

[hailrazer]

I installed one of the x clamp kits off eBay about 2 years ago with some arctic silver, still runs sweet to this day, but I've heard they give varied results.

Did you have to do the overheat thing after installing the new clamps ?

[bassmasta]

So the problem I think is the solder is constantly heated and cooled so there are cold/loose solder joints.
Two solutions to this problem I've heard:
1. The x-clamps fix. This fix holds the GPU tighter to the motherboard.
2. Reflow the solder. The towel trick does this, but not very well.
I really can't attest to the working of either of these though.

EDIT: I added the diagnosis thing to the reference forum.

[nevermind1534]

You do have to reflow the solder after doing the fix, which is usually done by overheating the console.

[lifeisbetterwithketchup]

I installed one of the x clamp kits off eBay about 2 years ago with some arctic silver, still runs sweet to this day, but I've heard they give varied results.

Did you have to do the overheat thing after installing the new clamps ?

I have fixed/attempted to fix a bunch of RRoD 360s. Some of them required the overheat to get working after applying the X-clamp mod. Generally though, those were the ones that reverted back to a RRoD after a month or so of use. The ones that worked right after applying the X-clamp mod (no overheat necessary) have been far more reliable.

You might have to overheat to get it to work, but if you do, don't expect too much more life out of it. Again, this is just based on my personal experience.

Xbox 360s are pesky little jerks that appear to hate themselves.

[samjc3]

Xbox 360s are pesky little jerks that appear to hate themselves.

well, if your father was microsoft, would you have very high self esteem?

[techknott]

No I didn't overheat it after. It happens because the board under the gpu warps causing the bga balls to crack. After install it should just sort iteslf out. Just make sure u use arctic silver .