When you hear about Xbox 360 errors, there are 2 errors that come up most often, and in most cases, these errors can be fixed without sending your console to Microsoft. These errors are known as; the red ring of death or RRoD for short and the E74 error. Most of these errors and in fact all system errors occur after system reboot for example lets say you are playing your favorite game and suddenly the screen freezes wondering what is going on you reboot your console and receives an error.
Red Ring of Death: The Red Ring of Death is caused by a malfunctioning GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). This can happen for many reasons. Maybe the standard production thermal paste is worn off or maybe the chip itself has become loose from the motherboard due to the use of cold soldering, which can leave air bubbles between the chip and the motherboard and cause it to crack. . It is possible that the heatsink has become loose and has started to touch the chip or on the contrary it is not close enough for the GPU to work properly. There is a common “fix” known as the towel trick to fix this problem, however it is not recommended as this trick heats up your system and can cause further damage to the system. However, those of you whose Xbox 360 is still 3 years from the date of purchase, your console can be repaired for free by Microsoft, but there is a lousy 4-6 week wait. For a much faster solution, see below.
Error E74: This bug itself is very similar to the red ring of death, but is indicated by a single red light instead of three. This error can be signaled for 3 reasons:
- The A/V cable is not inserted correctly, try unplugging it, clean the metal part with a dry cloth, and then insert it again.
- The ANA/HANA chip is loose.
- GPU not working properly (same problem as red ring of death).
Unfortunately, with the E74 error, you are not covered by Microsoft’s 3-year extended warranty and if you want to get your console repaired, you have to pay $140 + shipping and wait 4-6 weeks. For a much faster and considerably less expensive solution, see below.
RRoD Repair