Microsoft created a great next generation console in the XBox 360. Not only did they push forward the envelope when it comes to game graphics, they invented a platform that allowed game developers to create some truly excellent games.

There was one problem though. A flaw in the basic design of the console itself.

Under certain conditions it overheated enough to soften the solder on the circuit board to cause the solder to flow away from the pins of the GPU and CPU. This effectively broke the connection and broke the XBox 360.

It's likely that this serious flaw got through Microsoft's quality control either because it didn't do any environmental testing, or that the units under test were prototypes that were more robustly built. By the way environmental testing is when a product is exposed to extreme temperatures at the high and low end of the scale, as well as other bad environmental conditions.

To compensate for this Microsoft substantially increased the warranty period for the XBox 360. However, this doesn't come without a cost to the consumer. There is often still a small fee required when sending an XBox in for warranty repairs. However, that pales in comparison with the time cost. It often takes at least four weeks for the unit to be repaired and sent back to the customer. That's an awfully long time if you're hanging out to play.

The good news is that it is possible to repair your XBox 360 yourself. However, it is tricky and if you don't know what you're doing you can make things worse. Fortunately, there are a few guides available to fix the XBox 360 problem. One of these is the 3 Red Light Fix repair guide.

For a more comprehensive review of XBox 360 Repair Guides visit Top eBook Reviews

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