Recipe for a working Xbox

[Davey_Pitch]

Step 1. Strip down your Xbox so only the motherboard remains

Step 2. Cover the majority of the motherboard with tin foil

Step 3. Bake in a pre-heated oven (gas mark 8 or 230 degrees) for 4 minutes

Step 4. Do the X-Clamp fix

Step 5. Put everything back together

Step 6. Smile as your previously red-lighting Xbox boots up for the first time in 3 weeks.

As you can guess, I did the above and my previously dead Elite (which was showing 2 red lights within a second or two of switching on) is now working. It's currently looping the Dead Rising intro as that'll be a good stress test for it (the game renders the intro in real time). If it passes that, I'll be a very very happy boy as it will have cost me less than a tenner to fix.

Keep your fingers crossed!

[Feek]

Shouldn't this be in 'Food for Thought?' ;)

[Haly]

Nice one :D good luck :)

[Davey_Pitch]

Well, 3 hours later and it's still going strong without a hitch or blip whatsoever. Really am amazed it worked, but really pleased as it would've been a very expensive paperweight had it all gone wrong. :)

Easy to do as well so if anyone wants some instructions on how to do it all let me know and I'll put the links and videos I used together in one post :)

[Haly]

Instructions might be handy for future reference :D No idea if it's something I'd be able to do in the future but knowledge is power and all that!
Glad it's working fine for you :)

[NokkonWud]

Really glad it's worked out for you Davey. As I said it was a big risk if it went wrong, but really glad that it looks to be going in the right direction! Hopefully at the end of the week, month, year it's still going on strong!

[Will]

Hmm baking sensitive electronics would have my professors at uni hang themselves from the stairs in sheer agony of the thought! Though I guess what it does is melt/reinforce the solder joints... however not something I'd ever want to do!


Glad it's worked out though. :)

[Davey_Pitch]

That's exactly what it does Will. There are different methods of actually heating up the Xbox, by either using a heat gun or simply letting it run without the fans to intentionally overheat it, but from research it seems baking it is actually the most reliable fix. I was worried myself but I knew my Xbox was already dead, so I wasn't going to kill it any more :)

[Pheebs]

:shocked:

I think if Picky came home to me in a diddy apron baking his xbox I would end up being baked too!

WOwwee! Super brave!


I guess I can now use the whole "melting/reinforcing solder gumph" excuse for why I set our HDD on fire a while back (un-intentionally but will feel guilty for it forever. Think this may alleviate the guilt a little ;D)

[Davey_Pitch]

I think if Picky came home to me in a diddy apron baking his xbox I would end up being baked too!

Make sure you're wearing nothing but the apron, he'll be too distracted to notice what you're doing ;D

[Pheebs]

Make sure you're wearing nothing but the apron, he'll be too distracted to notice what you're doing ;D

This is his xbox we're talking about!! Even if I leap frogged about, starkers, with a barrel of beer and ready made steak he'd *still* notice the xbox ;D

[Briggykins]

Nice solution :) Reminds me of one of the early Apple computers, where apparently some of the components weren't seated properly. Apple tech support's solution was to hold the computer a couple of inches above a hard surface and drop it :huh:

[Blighter]

An easier solution is to wrap it in a towel and leave it on for a minute or two. Worked for me ;D

[Haly]

He'd already tried that iirc :)

[Davey_Pitch]

An easier solution is to wrap it in a towel and leave it on for a minute or two. Worked for me ;D
Jen's right, that what I used to keep it going while I was reviewing a game, but all the towel trick does is partially heat up the solder, so it's a partial fix at best. Another 5 hours today and the Xbox is still going strong.

[Pumpkinstew]

We have a walk in programmable gas oven at work here.
I could easily bake 100+ xboxes in one go.

I could set up a side buisness. :)

[Blighter]

LOL :D

[Streeteh]

Apparently this also works for PS3s suffering from the yellow light of death. Is there anything baking can't do?

[Belmit]

You missed a trick here... should have stuck some Madelines in with it, for dual Xbox/cakey goodness!

[Fayshun]

You missed a trick here... should have stuck some Madelines in with it, for dual Xbox/cakey goodness!
Mmmm cake!

[Nutcase]

So you made a reflow oven :) Bodging at its best!

[Davey_Pitch]

Partially successful bodging apparently, as my Elite started showing the same graphical problems late last night. I'll take it apart again to make sure everything was tightened up properly, but it's possible that by overheating it as much as I did with the towel trick caused some serious damage (something I only found out was possible after I'd done it). I'll try it all again though and see how I get on.

[Feek]

I take it it's not still under warranty? How about the Tesco trick?

[Davey_Pitch]

Nope, not under warranty any more, and I've still got a working Xbox so not bothered about swapping it at Tesco. I refuse to be beaten by it just yet! :D