This is a short Xbox 360 repair quick start guide that can help you resolve Xbox 360 red light errors.

Before we begin, rest assured...

It is extremely frustrating to have your Xbox 360 go on the fritz. The first time it happens is the worst, as it likely caught you in the middle of the game and wiped out a lot of your progress. And, if you get red light errors (or the red ring of death) once, you will get it again. You will either need to send it for Xbox 360 repair, or you can perform Xbox 360 repair yourself. Thankfully, repairing yourself is easy, and it is a lot cheaper and faster (in fact it saves you over $100, and it takes less than an hour).

The good news is that 94% of systems don't need new parts, they just need a little tweak (a simple Xbox 360 repair) to get them up and running!

What is causing the 3 red lights?

The whole problem can be summed up in 1 word: heat. There is a design flaw with the Xbox 360: a shrunken LSI heat sink. The problem is that Microsoft made the LSI heat sink (the cooling unit) way to small. This was done in order to make room for the DVD drive. As a side note, all 11.6 million of the first systems sold have this problem, and Microsoft said all devices could fail. That means there are literally millions of people who need Xbox 360 repair, you are not alone and you are going to be able to fix it today!

Now, as you play, the motherboard heats up a lot. It usually reaches over 78*C after 15 minutes of play time. All this heat causes the motherboard to vibrate. These vibrations lead to a weakening of the soldering which holds the GPU (graphics processing unit). Once the soldering weakens too much, the GPU comes lose, and then you have your 3 red lights error.

Your Free Kick Start Xbox 360 Repair Guide: Here's your simple Xbox 360 repair guide

The basic problem is overheating. What you need to do is the following:

1. Remove the faceplate and cover

2. Remove the motherboard and heat sink

3. Put a spacer between the motherboard and heat sink (allows breathing)

4. Clean off the GPU and motherboard using an Q-tip

5. Put it all back together

Steps 1-5 are the basic essence of the Xbox 360 repair. As you can see, Xbox 360 repair is really not that complicated. If you have no technical experience, don't worry, there are step by step video Xbox 360 repair guides available that will show you how to perform your own Xbox 360 repair. The whole process can take less than an hour and you will be right back to gaming.

The great news is that once you fix this problem, you won't have to worry about it locking up on you again. The last thing you want to do if you have these red lights is do nothing. Either send it in for repairs or fix it. Just don't leave it and hope it goes away. Xbox 360 repair (if done safely and properly) is permanent.

Avoid "hack" theories out there such as hitting your system, heating it with a heat gun, or wrapping your system in a towel-all of these "Xbox 360 repair" methods are bogus. They will only damage your system.

The one problem with sending your system in to Microsoft (as they do have an Xbox 360 repair centre) is that it can cost up to $140 and it takes 4-6 weeks. Not to mention you are letting your Xbox live membership go to waste. Xbox 360 repair as you saw above isn't that complicated. The whole issue is heat, and you need to create breathing room between the heat sink and motherboard.

Once it is fixed, here is how to care for your Xbox 360

• One Xbox 360 repair is all you need, but let's still take care of your system! You need to let your system breathe. Do not put it in a small boxed in area like an entertainment system. If that's where you store it, take it out when you play. Also, make sure the back of your system is not covered to allow fresh are to get in. If you don't, your system will pump out hot air and then pump it back in-which is very bad!

• Don't put the power cord behind, beside, or on top of your system. The power cord heats up a lot too, and you don't want that heat compounding. Keep it separated and try to have it lay on a surface that doesn't insulate heat (i.e. carpets are bad, counters/tables are good).
• Do not use the Nyko intercooler. This is a defective product and it will actually damage your system. It causes burns and it drains a lot of power. This will actually make at home Xbox 360 repair impossible after a certain point because it will literally burn your system and you will need to get new parts. You have been warned.

• Since there is no tilt safety device, do not move your system when it's on. If you do you will end up scratching the disc inside. Also don't leave your system standing on its side while on, it causes the system struggle to keep the disc in place.

• Lastly, use a fail safe power bar. Electrical surges are bad for anything electrical and it would suck to have your system fry because of a freak electrical surge, especially when this is preventable.

Now you know...

Now you know that Xbox 360 repair isn't that complicated, you know what causes red lights (heat). You also know that there is a design flaw that is causing overheating and once it's fixed, you know you won't have these red lights anymore.

No matter what Xbox 360 repair you choose (at home, or send it in) make sure you take care of your system to prolong the life.

Best of luck with your Xbox 360 repair, and happy gaming.