Repairing Your Xbox 360 - Can You Do It Yourself?

You're in the middle of a Grand Theft Auto game and suddenly your screen locks up. You notice three lights flashing red on your Xbox's console. You switch the power off and on a few times and you realize the problem isn't going to disappear on its own.

You've got a few choices. You can send your Xbox back to Microsoft and get it fixed for free if your warranty hasn't expired. If you don't have a valid warranty anymore, you have to pay Microsoft up to $150 plus shipping and handling to do the job.

You can also do the repair job yourself but should you? The answer depends on various considerations:

1.) Do you have a valid warranty and do you want to take advantage of it?

This is most definitely an important consideration. It's nice to let the experts handle the problem and receive your Xbox back in perfect working order.

But many people have had to wait several weeks before receiving their console only to have the ring of death return after a few weeks. You may get a refurbished console that initially belonged to another person! You don't know what sort of abuse that machine has seen.

2.) Do you have any problems about working with your hands?

It's very common for people to have never changed a flat tire on their bicycle as a kid. If you have a familiarity with basic tools such as a knife, screw driver, socket wrench, etc. Then you're qualified to do a self repair.

If you've never picked up and used these basic tools, then you should not fix your Xbox yourself. When doing your own repair you should take it slow and careful.

3.) How good is your source of repair information?

How do you know for certain that the kid on Youtube knows what he's doing? Remember he's a kid who messes with the console. Is there a follow up video about how long his "fix" lasted?

It often saves time and money to purchase a guide that supplies reliable information. The business man supplying the guide is held accountable to his customers. The Youtube kid doesn't answer to anyone.

With the right guide you can have your Xbox 360 up and running within a couple of hours. Like repairing your bike, a little console repair experience will go a long way.

By: Marc Sandford

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Try these simple red ring of death fix suggestions before spending time or money on Xbox repair. These Xbox 360 troubleshooting tips are free.