Well, I have been luckier then most with my first launch Xbox 360.  I haven’t had any issues with it, like the other thousands of people when it first came out - until yesterday. Maybe it was bad luck, maybe it was me turning my Xbox on too many times as I waited impatiently for Xbox Live to come back up in their delayed maintenance, maybe it was a higher power telling me to chill and enjoy my break- who knows, but it died.

I haven’t performed my last rights yet for my little baby, but as I was looking online I found some good information to share with the masses on how to diagnosis your favorite, yet frustrating, past time toy.

The Xbox has a ring around the power lights which most people know, but what is not commonly known is that the circle is divided by four quadrants that will flash the red misery lights. So you need pay attention to WHAT parts of the lights are flashing and perform your own analysis before calling up the harassed Xbox Live support people.  Below are the steps to take if you get the red ring of death.

1.  Unplug and reset the power and AV cords that go into your Xbox 360, before you even attempt further research as many times it is simply a lose cord or connection.
2.  Remove your hard drive and reboot the system.
3.  If the red lights are still going when you reset, now is the time to pay close attention to your baby and decide which of the red lights are highlighted. Here are the diagnosis of those lights and what they mean:
a.) First quadrant- General Hardware Failure: your probably screwed and need to take your toy to the doctor to get well.
b.) Second quadrant- Overheating: Get off your Xbox and give it a break you silly obsessed gamer! Unplug the power supply from you Xbox, let it cool down, and make sure you check its nesting egg to make sure it is getting proper ventilation.
c.) Third Quadrant- Hardware Failure- still screwed and probably need a visit to the Xbox doctor.
d.) Fourth Quadrant/All Four Lights- This is supposed to indicate improper AV cable connection, so once again check your cords and be thankful you are only an idiot and your baby is broken!

Anyway, there is your little cheat sheet on solving the mystery of the red ring of death, so use it wisely when you need to, at some point you WILL need to know this. Even I thought I had escaped unscathed, but alas it was not to be- your day too will come! When all else fails, call 1-800-4MYXBOX and have them tell you the same thing I did and hopefully you will still have your warranty so they can replace it!