Do you own an Xbox 360? There every chance then that you will encountered or at least heard of the red ring of death. The Red Ring Of Death (great name) it caused by overheating inside the console. What’s less well known is that the red lights on the front of the console can also indicate a number of fault codes, or e-codes such as the Xbox 360 error e79. The E codes are so called because they, wait for it, start with an E – and then have 2 other digits after it, so we end up with E71, E74 and so on.

Unlike the normal 3 red lights error, an E error is denoted by a single red light in the fourth segment of the ring ie the bottom left corner. You usually only get this type of error just after you switch the power on.

The most common E error is E74.

• E64, E65 and E66 – Problem with the DVD drive., restart the system and sometimes this clears.
• E67 , E68 and E69 and E79 – Disk drive problems Unplug your drive, reboot and see if this clears the error code.
• E73 – General Hardware Error – Normally network related. Unplug from the LAN if you are connected and try again.
• E74 – Trickier problem to diagnose. First suspect is the AV cable – make sure its correctly fitted. If this doesn’t cure the problem then its either overheating or a faulty ANA/HANA chip. If this is the case then I’m afraid you will have to open the machine up and fix the problems yourself. My advice is get a good repair guide and give it a go.

The simplest error to try and fix is Xbox 360 error E79 – faulty hard drive. You don’t even need to open the case to fix this one. Fixing this error doesn’t even involve opening the case. Just remove the hard drive and reboot. Before you bin the drive however, try reconnecting it as it could just have popped out of the connectors. If this doesn’t work then just get a new drive.

Well hopefully I have shown you that the red lights error may not just be caused by overheating. Hopefully you will see now that the little ring of lights on the front of your Xbox 360 can be very useful in tracking down faults.

I recommend that if you get an E error, or any other kind of hardware fault on your Xbox 360, that you get a good repair guide from the internet. They only cost a few dollars but can help you get your Xbox back up and running again in no time at all.

The XBox 360 is a seventh generation video game console that has been designed and developed by Microsoft Corp. The device is a successor to XBox gaming console. The device competes with Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3 gaming consoles. Its Xbox Live feature allows the users to download arcade games, television shows and movies into the console. The device was officially launched on MTV in May 2005.

By the end of December 2007, about 17.7 million units of the gaming console were sold around the world. The gaming console supports .wmv, H.264, MPEG-4 video file formats. It uses USB mass storage for storing music, video and audio files. The device makes use of the Dashboard graphical user interface (GUI). The Dashboard is a tabbed interface that was designed by AKQA and features five Blades. Microsoft has released several updates for Dashboard since its launch. These updates have added new features to the console and have also enhanced its multimedia playback capabilities to a large extent.

The gaming console was officially launched with 13 games in the UK and 14 in North America. Some of the best selling XBox 360 games include "Call of Duty 2," "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" and "Dead or Alive 4." A new XBox Original feature was added as part of the December 2007 update of Dashboard. The XBox Original feature allows users to download original XBox games directly into their XBox 360.

The XBox 360 is currently available in four different versions – the Arcade, the Elite, the Core and the Premium. Microsoft has produced special editions of the device at times, usually to coincide with the release of a major product. These special editions of the gaming console are produced in limited numbers and are generally custom-colored. The newest version of the gaming console comes loaded with a range of latest games that will keep the children enthralled for long hours.

Wondering how to fix the Xbox 360 open tray error? Fed up of opening and closing the tray? Hoping the game will load only for the words 'open tray' to pop up again and again. If so take comfort in the fact that yours is not the only one, in fact the Xbox 360 will probably go down as one of the most unreliable consoles ever which is a shame when you think of the games its capable of playing. Unfortunately the open tray error does not mean sending your Xbox to the scrap heap: the following tips should help resolve the problem and have you back playing your favorite games in no time.

1) Warranty. If your 360 is under one year since purchase then your in luck, get on the phone to Microsoft (0800 587 1102) who will arrange to pick up and repair your Xbox 360 for free. You should have your consoles serial number on you when you make the call. The serial number can be found on the back of the Xbox above the AV port, it is the 12 digit number on the sticker.

2) Self repair. For those who have past their warranty their is still hope as the cause of the problem is not actually too hard to repair. The Xbox 360 open tray error is usually caused by the laser no longer being in correct position to read the disk from the correct starting point. Either this or the laser is simply covered in dust. After extensive research on the subject I have found the following to help the most.

Dust removal. First thing to try would be to see weather or not the error was caused by dust on the laser lens. Get a hair dryer and set it to cool, open the disk tray and hold the hair dryer up to the tray so that the cool hair blows inside the console and move it from side to side along the width of the open tray. Between 30 seconds and a minute should be sufficient to remove any excess dust from the laser. Pop in a game and see if it plays.

Power removal. If dust is not the cause of your Xbox 360 open tray error then more than likely you will have to open up your console or take it. Until then however you could try this neat little trick that many people swear by and have myself used whilst I researched how to open up and fix it for good. Power up your console and open the tray, while the tray is open pull out the plug of the 360. After waiting a minute plug back in and power on the 360 ​​again with a game in the tray. This should have realigned the laser and will hopefully now load the game.

Tip 1 – How To Play With A Scratched/Damaged Disc!

As many gamers have encountered, broken or scratched discs can be a real pain. Whether you bump your console as it’s running, or just through normal wear and tear, these scratches can cause your game to stop working! Now, if you are like me, you really will appreciate this tip I’m about to share with you.

Once your disc has been scratched, it may seem to be useless, but that is not true! So, here is my tip on fixing your scratched discs!

So, this is how it’s done. When you have your scratched disc, you will need to find a place where you can borrow another copy of the exact same game. Whether it be from a friend, or even from Blockbuster or similar companies (Redbox, Gamefly, Ect.) After you have obtained the extra copy, you are going to save it to your hard drive. This can be done through the Xbox Dashboard, and pressing save game to hard drive or something along those lines. After you have done this, you are done with the spare disc.

After this is, you are pretty much done! It’s that simple, now all you have to do to use your scratched is put it in your Xbox. Your scratched disc will now work!

But, How you may ask?

This works because when you first tried using your broken disc too much of the data would be unattainable because of the damage. But, now that you have it saved to your hard drive, all the data that was once unattainable can now be retrieved off the hard drive.

Tip 2 – How To Play Music From Your Ipod On Your Xbox!

Although this seems pretty simple, Apple and Microsoft aren’t exactly friends. So, Microsoft makes it as discrete as possible that you can use their biggest competitions product on their console.

To accomplish this you will first need to head over to the Xbox Live Marketplace. After this, navigate to a download called “Optional Ipod Support” this download is free, and it is very useful! After downloading this you will be able to listen to your favorite music while you play your games. To navigate to the Ipod supported media section, just scroll over to “Media” on your Xbox Dashboard, and an icon will appear for the new app you downloaded. That’s it your done!

I hope you enjoyed my selection Xbox 360 tricks. This is a one of the guides from my collection of guides I wrote located here – http://successinlifetips.com/5-xbox-360-tricks-that-you-probably-dont-know/

Well when I was first started searching for a fix for my Xbox 360 RROD I was overwhelmed by all of the information out there. There are a gazillion sites, each hawking their instructions (typically $ 24.95 … you can get them free) and then there are the multitudes of YouTube videos claiming to have found the miracle cure. The three that I am going to review are what appear to be the most popular (and sometimes most ridiculous).

Number # 1 – The Towel Trick – It goes something like this: You take the hard drive off, wrap the entire unit in a towel to prevent the excess heat from escaping, turn the console on for about 15 minutes to cook (some instructions recommend 1 hour), shut it down, unplug it for an hour, plug it back in and like magic it works. But why? I have not heard a decent explanation yet. Here is one of the explanations … "the unit gets so hot that it melts the solder that was cracking to the cause the red lights in the first place" ….. Here are a couple of potential hazards as pointed out in the same instructions "could potentially damage other parts of the Xbox" …. "The unit could catch on fire it gets so hot". I have to say I am going to rate this as the 2nd most ridiculous fix of the three in consideration. Recommendation: Do not use this fix.

Number # 2 – The Ice Bath – I do not even want to explain how to do this. Essentially, a rubbermaid tub is filled with ice water, some vinegar is added, the Xbox 360 is unplugged and submerged in the water / vinegar mixture. After so many minutes the console is removed, drained of water and immediately plugged back in. Need I say more. I actually heard of a kid who attempted this and was severely shocked. This as so many other fixes was presented as a YouTube video. It is really quite irresponsible and should be removed. This fix is ​​the most ridiculous fix of the three in consideration. Recommendation: Do not even think about using this fix if you value your life.

Number # 3 – X-Clamp Fix – This is the only legitimate fix I have found that far. It is as permanent as it gets. Do not use it even if your Xbox 360 is still under warranty. Send the console back to Microsoft and let them honor the warranty. However, if the seal is broken and / or it is not under warranty this fix is ​​your best bet. This is the fix in a nutshell; you open up the console, remove the x-clamps, clean up the old thermal paste, put new thermal paste on, replace the x-clamps with screws and washers, reassemble the unit, overheat, let it cool down and it works on approximately 90% of the units. Recommendation: Use this fix.

Does your Xbox 360 have the RROD, E74, or some other common error? Are you confused about which Xbox 360 fix is ​​right for you?

Many owners are overwhelmed with the number of possible Xbox 360 fixes available to them all over the Internet.

Most people are out to find the quickest fix possible, but you need to be sure to watch out for those so called "quick fixes". Some of those quick fixes include the towel trick, which involves wraping your Xbox 360 in a towel, and the toothpick / paperclip trick, which involves stopping the fans with toothpicks or paperclips. The towel, toothpick, and paperclip trick are three very well known Xbox 360 fixes, and are found all over YouTube. Both so-called fixes are harmful to your system, and I would strongly recommend that you stay away from them. These fixes over-heat the entire system, instead of just targeting the problem areas, causing more problems than you even had before.

Both of the tricks I mentioned previously will give you a working Xbox 360 for about a week max. That is, if you do not damage the system during the process. The towel and the toothpick trick both are designed to heat up your Xbox 360 so that the solder of the GPU chip can reattach to the mother board. The GPU is a computer chip that is almost always responsible for causing the Red Rings of Death (RROD). Now most of the time you can somehow reattach the GPU to the motherboard with the towel or toothpick trick, but there are two major problems / risks. The first problem is that the system by itself does not generate enough heat to fully reattach the GPU to the motherboard. Another risk is that the motherboard is not properly insulated. Without the motherboard being properly insulated, you run the risk of damaging other components of the mother board. The Xbox 360 motherboard can never be properly insulated unless you take your console apart. If a fix does not involve opening your console, it is most likely not going to work, or it will last for a very short period of time.

So, if your warranty is up and you are determined to fix your Xbox 360 by yourself, stay away from the towel trick, the tooth pick trick, and any other so called quick fix that does not require you to open up your console.

Even a few years back, if someone would tell me that it is possible to perform an Xbox repair at home simply by using the instructions of a manual, I would find it hard to believe. But things have changed since then. Now not only that you can get rid of an Xbox error code all by yourself at home, but at the same time you can get it done within a couple of hours! Think I am kidding? Well not at all. This is fact and hundreds of gamers all around the world these days are now going for it.

The main reason why Xbox manual based repair is becoming more and popular in the gamers' zone is, Microsoft does not go for Xbox repair for warranty expired broken consoles for free. In such cases you might have to pay them as much as $ 100. However, there is really no point of spending all that money to get a single fix for an Xbox when you can purchase a manual for less than $ 20 and buy some simple Xbox repair tools based on its instruction for a very reasonable price to perform all kind of Xbox repair.

Looking for an Xbox 0021 fix- learn about the error firs t

Now if you are looking for an Xbox 0021 fix for your console, at first you need to have a good understanding about the error itself. It is believed that one of the main reasons of an Xbox getting infected by error 0021 is a problematic firmware flash. Any problem with the southbridge chipset can also lead towards this error. Here one thing you need to keep in mind and that is, the manual based self-fox method is considered as the best option only when your machine is no longer covered by the Microsoft warranty. If it has the warranty still active then do not hesitate to send the piece back to Microsoft as they do error fixing for free for warranted machines.

Buying an Xbox repair manual to get rid of Xbox error code- watch out for scams!

Unfortunately like most other products of the market, the Xbox repair manuals are also not immune from scams. You will find many repair guides in the online market which will offer you the "best" repair for any kind of Xbox error code. But when buying one, make sure that the guide you have chosen to perform a self-fix for the console includes the following features:

1. It offers detail repair instruction in simple English backed by video based instructions which will show you how the repair is conducted by a professional.
2. Guarantee of a permanent fix for your console from some of the most common Xbox errors.
3. Effective repair procedures which will allow you to fix the machine within a few hours instead of days.
4. A money back guarantee which will make sure that you can get your money back (if you claim it within the specific period of time stated by the developer) in case the manual is not able to provide what it was suppose.

There are some guides available in the market that actually includes all the above mentioned features under a single package.

Well when I was first started searching for a fix for my Xbox 360 RROD I was overwhelmed by all of the information out there. There are a gazillion sites, each hawking their instructions (typically $24.95…you can get them free) and then there are the multitudes of YouTube videos claiming to have found the miracle cure. The three that I am going to review are what appear to be the most popular (and sometimes most ridiculous).

Number #1 – The Towel Trick – It goes something like this: You take the hard drive off, wrap the entire unit in a towel to prevent the excess heat from escaping, turn the console on for about 15 minutes to cook (some instructions recommend 1 hour), shut it down, unplug it for an hour, plug it back in and like magic it works. But why? I haven’t heard a decent explanation yet. Here is one of the explanations…”the unit gets so hot that it melts the solder that was cracking to the cause the red lights in the first place”….. Here are a couple of potential hazards as pointed out in the same instructions “could potentially damage other parts of the Xbox”…. “The unit could catch on fire it gets so hot”. I have to say I am going to rate this as the 2nd most ridiculous fix of the three in consideration. Recommendation: Do not use this fix.

Number #2 – The Ice Bath – I don’t even want to explain how to do this. Essentially, a rubbermaid tub is filled with ice water, some vinegar is added, the Xbox 360 is unplugged and submerged in the water/vinegar mixture. After so many minutes the console is removed, drained of water and immediately plugged back in. Need I say more. I actually heard of a kid who attempted this and was severely shocked. This as so many other fixes was presented as a YouTube video. It is really quite irresponsible and should be removed. This fix is the most ridiculous fix of the three in consideration. Recommendation: Do not even think about using this fix if you value your life.

Number #3 – X-Clamp Fix – This is the only legitimate fix I have found thus far. It is as permanent as it gets. Do not use it however if your Xbox 360 is still under warranty. Send the console back to Microsoft and let them honor the warranty. However, if the seal is broken and/or it isn’t under warranty this fix is your best bet. This is the fix in a nutshell; you open up the console, remove the x-clamps, clean up the old thermal paste, put new thermal paste on, replace the x-clamps with screws and washers, reassemble the unit, overheat, let it cool down and it works on approximately 90% of the units. Recommendation: Use this fix.

A lot of Xbox gamers want to know. Is it really possible to burn it? Yes, but in basically you should know all of Xbox 360 games have the copyright protection and you can not copy that game by using the general burning software.

Why do the gamers want to know about how to burn Xbox 360 games? Most of them burn it for using the Xbox backup disk instead of the Xbox original disk. Because the original disk will be damaged easily after it was played often. Using the Xbox 360 backup disk is better and you can copy the new one if it is broken.

How to burn Xbox 360 games?

Today, there is good news for the gamers, with the high technology the programmer can make the burning software. And you can have the Xbox 360 backup disk easily as I will tell you step-by-step.

1. Make sure your PC has the burner drive.
2. Buy the Xbox burning software that is very popular on the internet, you can easily find it at the website "ClickBank".
3. Install the program in your PC. The program icon will be shown on desktop.
4. Open the burning program and insert the original game in the burner tray.
5. The program will crack the copyright protection and burn Xbox 360 game automatically.
6. Insert the empty disk and wait for a while, the data will be copied onto the empty disk automatically.

It is ready and you can play the game by using the Xbox backup disk.

This Xbox Kinect review takes a look at the different components that make it a fun piece of technology.

Black-boxing Hardware: Part I of the Xbox Kinect review

The hardware is a combination of several distinct technologies including an infrared sensor, a CMOS sensor and an RGB camera. The infrared sensor floods the gaming space with invisible light and enables depth perception along with the CMOS sensor. The sensor detects how infrared light is reflected onto the scene and transfers these grayscale images to the console. This also enables the detection of movement in 3D space.

The RGB camera is used for facial recognition as well as in-game snapshots and video chatting. These cameras are paired with four capsule microphones that have the ability to detect where your voice is coming from, as well as eliminating background noise. The console is also equipped with a motorized sensor that adjusts depending on the users height and distance from the said console.

When we filled the unit out of the box for our Xbox Kinect review, the first thing we noticed is how lightweight it was. The heaviest part of the console is the base, which is trivial because it needs to support the whole system. The overall size of the unit makes it difficult to mount on most flat screen televisions. However, a mount can be purchased separately to make mounting easier. The unit is glossy black, a perfect match for its counterpart, the Xbox 360 S, which it was designed to work with. You simply need to plug in the unit to the Xbox 360 S expansion port and you are almost good to go. So far we have covered the hardware components in our Xbox Kinect review, the next is the setup.

Booting up the system: Part II of the Xbox Kinect review

In order to complete the Xbox Kinect review, we need to setup our system. As mentioned earlier, all you need to do is unbox the unit and connect it to the expansion port. The rest of the set-up will be handled by the software. The first time you turn on the unit, after connecting it to the Xbox, you will be greeted by a welcome screen that serves as the starting point for the guided set-up. There are several steps that are done on each screen. Most of them are used to calibrate the system, eliminate background noise and creates an acoustic map of the room you are using.

The next stage of setting up was the Kinect ID. It is a method of recognizing the user and signing in the user automatically. The process is done by placing in front of the sensor and copying the poses of the avatar on the screen. This process is dependent on the play size and may require you to pose in several different areas. This process in the Xbox Kinect review requires a few minutes and took the tester more than 20 minutes to finish all of the steps. As it turned out, eyeglasses needed to be removed to make a better facial match. All in all, the whole experience passed our standards for the Xbox Kinect review.