Hey! Has your Xbox 360 Slim recently been Red Dotting? It's fairly annoying, I know. You have to take apart your console to get it working again and you run the risk of damaging it further. But as long as you take the right precautions and safety measures (which we will go over), you will hopefully be back to using your Xbox 360 again!
You can check out my YouTube video on my fan replacement video. It is at the end of this blog post, so make sure you watch it!
DISCLAIMER!
This is mainly for the Xbox 360 Slim, not the OG version. The OG version is similar, but it has it's own version of fixes which I haven't done, but there are many tutorials online that can help you out.
This is mainly for the Xbox 360 Slim, not the OG version. The OG version is similar, but it has it's own version of fixes which I haven't done, but there are many tutorials online that can help you out.
Remember that also there are many problems that could be the cause of a Red Dot on an Xbox 360 Slim. Most of it comes to ventilation issues, but some may be hardware issues that we will also look into. My fault here was a faulty fan which had issues cooling the system, so we are going over that in this post.
[EVERYTHING YOU DO IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.]
What you'll need before you get into the repair:
T8 Screwdriver (Instead of a screwdriver, you can use a drill to help you, but keep the power setting low so you run less risk of stripping the screws)
Philips Screwdriver (Screwdriver is preferred here because it will help you get it into the screw location since it's at tight spots)
A Pry tool (something flat is good, but also you can use an old credit card or something similar.)
The Cause [for me]:
My Xbox 360 Slim is 10 years old. It was bought in August 2011, it works great! However, in 2020, my mum had knocked over the console (while it was off) which had stopped the fan from working properly. The fan was temperamental, so sometimes it wouldn't even work at times, or it would be really slow, or it would work at random times out of nowhere. Sometimes a good hand slap on the fan was needed to give it a nudge to start haha! It would often screech too, and I am guessing it's due to the dust buildup inside the fan itself where the coils are. Obviously, it may not be there for you.
After the knock over, I noticed the system getting hotter than usual, ending up in a red light, and the notification message telling me I need to wait for the system to cool down before I can use it again with good ventilation.
What you'll see when you get a Red Dot of Death:
 |
| This is what you'll see before it shuts off. As you see this warning, the red light will start blinking. |
 The system's red light blinking to indicate that it's in the process of cooling down. Do not unplug, or force shutdown at this time.  |
| After the system has stopped blinking and has cooled down, when you turn on the Xbox, after the boot animation you will be greeted to this screen explaining the issue which caused the system to shutdown. You will then be able to press A on your controller to get to the Xbox 360 Dashboard. |
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Repair:
So my repair was a fan replacement. Here's how you do so.
CAUTION:
Be VERY careful when taking apart the plastic parts, because they are all held on with clips that require force to unclip. If you break any clips, while there are others to hold it on, the system may not be held together properly meaning it's strength is weaker now, so be very careful.
The first time you take apart your Xbox 360 Slim, it will be tough due to the plastics never being apart before, so you will need to take extra care when you get prying. It will be tough, but if you take time and care, you'll get there! (Hey, that rhymes lol)
1. Remove any discs and drives from the system, and unplug the cables. Make sure it's cooled down before you obviously start working on it.
2. On the bottom of your system, there is a latch you push to remove the plastic grill for the hard drive. Remove it, and pull out the drive safely and store it in a safe place. Now you have a good amount of space to wedge a plastic tool and lift up at the remaining half of the plastic grill.
3. Be careful of the clips. You don't want to damage them. Anyways, move over to the top side and do the same thing, but you'll eventually realize it's much harder because it's a complete piece. This means that you'll have to pry the plastic grill equally so you don't snap it in one side because you haven't pried the other side.
4. Now that you've taken off the top and bottom grills, you now move onto a much more ANNOYING task of removing the black plastic covers that's underneath the grills. This is much harder, because there's a whole lot more clips to pry up. Get your plastic pry tool (a flat tip screwdriver works best as you have leverage too), and start prying from the short sides. I started from the short front side and working my way through the sides evenly so they don't snap. With each clip pried off you'll hear a nice snapping sound. Don't worry, nothing broke, it just unclipped.
MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THE TOP AND BOTTOM PLASTIC COVER SEPARATE, THEY ARE DIFFERENT FOR EACH SIDE.
5. Now that you've got the top and bottom plastic covers off, go to the top side and you'll see the 801.11n WiFi card that's plugged into an internal USB Port. This must be handled with care, because it can easily get damaged as you shove your tools inside to pry it apart. Anyways, it's screwed in with one T8 silver screw, so unscrew it and take the card out. It only goes in one way too, and the screw must be kept with the card.
7. More of those stupid clips are now to come, but it's gonna be a challenge. Go to the back of the console where the ports are, and you will find security sticker with the word "Xbox 360" on it. This is to let Microsoft know if you've tampered with the console if it was sent to them for servicing. Slowly peel it off, and keep it safe (or you can throw it away if you really don't care, but for those diehard-OCD-perfectionist people like me, keep it so you can stick it back on later so it looks original and crap). After peeling the sticker off, here's your problem you'll have to face - the clips are INSIDE the BACK part of the console.
Through the images and your eyes you'll see the first set of clips after you take off all the chrome and top covers on both sides, but there's a second round of clips holding the middle together. That's harder to reach, so here's when you bust out your flat tip screwdriver and start prying WHILE you hold the already prised first set of clips. It's SUEPR tricky (I'm not gonna lie or hide it away from you) but if you have patience and wanna see your system running again, it's what you'll have to do.
DISCLAIMER:
Because you're putting force into prying the two halves apart from each other, you'll eventually free both sides and it will look to be very aggressive, but make sure you're taking it easy while keeping all clips apart because it has it's own clips at the front panel, which essentially connects to the panels you're taking off. It is connected with a ribbon cable, and make sure it doesn't rip. So essentially, when you take off the clips off the back and pried it, do it gently so you don't break the front panel. It makes a lot more sense through images.
8a. You can see now the clips in detail. Take note of this, because if you need to get into your console again, you know exactly where you need to pry. It's easier when you know how to do something whereas it's harder when you do it for the first time, so patience is key!
The panel that'll come off is the bottom one. You know it's the bottom one because the power jack hole is there. Anyways, keep that away right now. The top panel is SCREWED in, so don't start trying to take it off with force.
If you haven't taken off the front panel, now is the time to CAREFULLY do so. It is connected to the RF board housing the 4 LEDs with the power button, and the cable runs through to the eject button.
The cable is connected to the RF board using a locking connector, so you need to pry back the locking clip and slide the cable out. It is also surrounded around the entire connector too, so you can lift it out. Pretty simple when you see it! Be very careful too!
8b. We aren't exactly done just yet. Now that you've got the front panel detached from the RF board, it's time to take the RF board itself out. The way you do so is by using your T8 screwdriver and unscrewing the 2 T8 screws on the board, then with the board facing you, just pull it straight towards you and it should be unplugged. The screws are the same, but they're different lengths than the others. Keep them all safe and together.
9. Now get back to your Xbox 360 and flip the system to the side (if not already) with the white Xbox 360 security sticker on it. Here you'll find 5 black T8 screws (one is hidden under the security sticker) which you'll need to remove. They are different than the other silver screws you see, so keep them on it's own. But, they all fit into each others screw holes so it doesn't matter if you used a black screw that was from the top corner in the middle. Now that you have taken the black screws off, flip the console over, and the remaining plastic side panel will lift off with the metal cover underneath it.
9. So now you are inside the console. FINALLY! Right....? Well, yes, but you still have things to remove, but from here on it's a whole lot easier. No more prying, and if there is, it's easier since you have more space to work with.
Here you will need to remove the disc drive. It lifts right out, but remember there's 2 SATA cables that's connected to the drive just behind it. They're short, so you will lift the drive up and disconnect the cables from the drive. Don't disconnect the cables from the system entirely, as there's no point.
10. You're nearly there, so hold on and don't get your knickers in a twist. What you''ll need to do is now remove the black drive caddy on the top right of the system. There is a large T8 screw holding it in, but also a silver screw at the back of the system. You'll be able to find it at the back and remove the screw. It will then lift out of place and store all the screws and the caddy itself in a safe place. Remember, if you're stuck, a few videos will be placed at the end so you can easily follow along.
11. You're FINALLY here to the fans. Two Philips screws hold the fan in place, so unscrew them and disconnect the fan from the motherboard. Now get your new replacement fan, plug it in, screw in and do everything you just did in reverse.
OPTIONAL STEP:
Replace the thermal paste. This can be necessary if your system isn't cooling very well, even after replacing the fan and keeping it well ventilated. While these two things do the trick, replacing the thermal paste can help with the longevity of the console's life.
Now with the Xbox 360 facing the way it is in Step 11, take off the two screws on the metal piece at the bottom left. That's a support piece to help the motherboard, so take it off, keep it stored safely, and now you should just be able to lift the motherboard out.
Now you should see a big metal "X". That's called the X Clamp, and it is what holds the heatsink in place. You need to be SUPER careful around here, because you will need to get a flat tip screwdriver, wedge it in and pry away from the clamp. That'll get one side out, so make sure you do it for the other 3 on the X. But also, make sure you're SUPER careful once again, because one slip, and you can run a big risk of breaking components off the board by force.You don't want to damage your system, so be patient here.
Flip the motherboard back over and you should see the heatsink off the motherboard. Be careful too, as you don't want to hit the board on anything and once again damage it. Now you'll see the CPU and GPU revealed with thermal paste. Wipe it off with a cloth or tissue with no moisture at all. If you have Isopropyl Alcohol, you can use that to make it easier. Wipe off the old thermal paste off the bottom of the heatsink too, and reapply fresh paste evenly.
Now you are good to put the heatsink on. First, put the heatsink on the motherboard and hold it in place as you slowly flip the board down. Remember you just applied new thermal paste, so make sure it's a thin even coat. Get your X Clamp ready, and place it over the 4 legs. Push down on the 4 sides and you'll hear a nice click on each. That means it's locked back in, and you're good to go!
Now do the reverse steps of putting the system back together and you should finally be back to a working console!
_____________________________________________________________________________
My YouTube Repair Video:
_____________________________________________________________________________
A few notes I want to say:
You do everything at your own risk. I am providing links to detailed videos and websites I got images from so you know EXACTLY what to do if I haven't stated it. You also have someone explaining it in video form so you can see what they are doing instead of static photos where you'll easily get lost by.
I've performed this fix on my personal Xbox 360 and it works great. It is still going strong today, and I'm sure it will for a very long time.
Make sure you seriously have enough ventilation. It seems annoying, but your console will eventually cook itself if you don't give it enough breathing space, dust will accumulate like hell, and it's just annoying to have extra work done, so just follow what Microsoft and every other person says and keep your console in an open area with plenty of space to breathe in.
Microsoft doesn't do servicing for Xbox 360s anymore, so if you want to have it be serviced, make syre you go to either a REPUTABLE and PROFESSIONAL place to have it fixed, take it to a friend or member you know who know's what they're doing and has done this before, or it's up to you to perform the fix yourself. If you manage to break the system, it's not a big deal, as - yes, it is annoying to spend more money on a system, but at least the Hard Drive isn't encrypted to each system like the PlayStation 3 is. So you can easily swap it out and still have everything there.
If you don't want to go through the hassle and risk damaging the console more than the state it's at right now, it's best to let someone else take a look at it. Chances are, you'll either have to get a part replaced (like the fan), it could be a motherboard issue that needs to be fixed, or most likely you'll just need to get a new system. As I stated earlier, just swap the HDD inserting the old one and you're back.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Links:
How To Open an Xbox 360 Slim [from WeMod Community, photos were from here]
The Xbox 360 Console Power Button Blinks Red [from Microsoft]
How to take an Xbox 360 apart and put it back together [from YouTube, by Random Fandom]
How to take apart and open an Xbox 360 Slim [from YouTube, by Andrews Arcade]
_____________________________________________________________________________
Thanks! Very useful!
ReplyDelete