Games! Games are the soul of xbox 360. Good thing about the gadget is that it is a user-friendly Dashboard interface. Users of the gadget would find there’s built-in support for wireless controllers and excellent online gaming functionalities. Well, there are other functionalities like content downloads, and communications via Xbox Live.

It is to be mentioned that the console xBox 360 is not only backward compatible with many original Xbox titles, but it also doubles as a superior digital media hub and Windows Media extender. There is the system’s online Marketplace which allows easy purchases of mini-games, movies, and TV shows, absolutely without any hassle.

Keeping in view all its facets available in the gadget, the bottom line is that: The Xbox 360 delivers the functions of a high-end gaming PC that is of an impressive digital media and of a networking features.

The xBox 360 when it is laid horizontally, it comes with the dimension of 12.15 inches wide, 3.27 inches high, and 10.15 inches deep and is actually slightly smaller than the original Xbox. It is to be mentioned that the 360 is less boxy than the original xBox.

Microsoft was able to keep down the 360’s weight. The hard drive in the Xbox 360 is 20GB. It also comes with a wireless controller. Furthermore, each 360 console can connected up to four wireless controllers.

Users of the gadget would find that on the front of the unit, there are two USB ports hidden behind hinged doors in the faceplate. Well, there are two memory-card slots that help to take saved games and other content on the go. These ports are used to plug in any wired controllers and other USB accessories.

In addition there are many USB keyboards that are compatible to the gadget. The 360 xBox sports an infrared port on the front panel, which lets users to use compatible remote controls without the need for an external dongle. Another convenient improvement over the old Xbox is that users of the gadget can power the console on and off and open the disc tray with a remote or a controller.

Learning how to repair your XBox will save you some major money. Microsoft will not tell you how to fix these errors. They’ll ask you to send your system back to them for repair. The typical cost for a repair can be as much as $140 plus shipping and handling. Also – they do not always guarantee a fix!

As quoted from Microsoft themselves:

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) said Thursday it expects to spend more than $1 billion to repair widespread hardware problems in its Xbox 360 video game console after a large number of them broke down.

Microsoft said it would extend the warranty on the Xbox 360 to three years after too many of the consoles succumbed to “general hardware failure,” but the company provided few other details about the extent of the problems.

“We don’t think we’ve been getting the job done,” said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division, which also makes the Zune digital music player. “In the past few months, we have been having to make Xbox 360 console repairs at a rate too high for our liking.” (end quote)

What Causes The 3 Lights Error?

There are a number of different reasons the 3 red lights error happens and below are the most common causes:

Cause 1: Overheating. This has got to be the most common cause of this error and the good thing is it can be easily resolved. If you think the Xbox 360 has got lots of very high end gaming components within, similar to a top of the range gaming PC.

The difference is that the Xbox 360 has them crammed in a much smaller space so will need lots of ventilation to be able to get rid of the heat it produces.

If you are keeping your Xbox 360 in a display cabinet with the doors shut, then you could and probably will run into this error, make sure that the 360 can breathe on all sides.

Cause 2: The GPU. This is a major talking point and no one is quite sure if this is gospel but a lot of resources blame the GPU and the special coating they put on it with in the Xbox.

Cause 3: Warping of the Motherboard. Another reason you may find yourself searching for an Xbox 360 repair guide is because the heat that the Xbox 360 lets out actually warps the motherboard. This would make the solders come loose and eventually you would end up with the 3 red lights.

It’s ironic that the majority of Xbox 360 owners have done just that, sending the units in for repairs and paying through the nose. I have found that most of the owners are technically savvy and could do the repairs themselves. Just as I found out the other day, when a friend of mine revealed to me that he had been purchasing broken Xbox 360’s, repairing them cheaply and reselling them. Uhmmmm……..I smell a potential little gold mine here.

Ever since Xbox 360 was introduced by Microsoft for the gaming community, there has been an expression of unhappiness by the gaming community. It is regarding the 360 freezing issues. What the users of Xbox wonder are why does my Xbox 360 freezes? Of course, Microsoft has been attending to these 360 freezing issues, but one has to have patience to wait for four to five weeks.

The 360 fixing problem has drawn the attention of many people who frequently use the Xbox gaming. Some people have pointed out that even the error message does not appear on the monitor. Even with online help from Microsoft, the problem continues unabated. Some even complain that the three red lights did not glow to indicate the onset of the problem.

Xbox is basically a simplified version of a high end gaming PC. That is to say, the Xbox is nothing but a PC with gaming options. Whenever a person selects the game with high requirements, the entire system gets busy, resulting in high traffic inside the console and as a result, it generates more heat. This problem can be overcome by removing the closed cabinet of the Xbox and keeping the console near the window or air cooler or fan so that the heat does not harm the solder. Further, when the console is kept near the window or near the air cooler, the heat reduces and the Xbox functions normally. Three red lights provided in the console starts to glow when the Xbox 360 freezes. So, why does my Xbox 360 freeze is because of the problems mentioned above.

The Xbox 360 is available has a hard disk of 20 GB. Out of this, nearly 6 GB is taken away for the games provided on line. The remaining 14 GB can be used for downloading games etc. When the hard disk is full, the console tends to be slow.

Some attribute the freezing problem to faulty circuit or faulty hardware.

Remedies:

Whatever be the reason, if one chooses he can take the help of Microsoft service centre. Instead of wondering why my Xbox 360 freezes, it is appropriate to find solution. If the Xbox is still under warranty then approaching the Microsoft service centre would appear to be the best choice. There are many Xbox 360 video repair guides which gives step by step instructions to set right the Xbox. There are many books or guides which also gives step by step instructions to repair the Xbox 360. With the help of these guides it would be possible to repair the Xbox 360 and for this no specialized tools or skill is required.

If the freezing occurs when the files are in the process of downloading, then this creates more problems. This is because, if the console freezes when the downloading is in the process, some files which are in the process of copying will cause malfunctioning of the hard disk. This can be overcome by disconnecting the network cable from the console and by deleting the file which not copied in full.