How To Fix The Xbox Slim RROD

Before I get blasted in the comments, I would like to point out that the Xbox Slim RROD is real, and is a very real thing. I’ve even posted video of it once in a while. Look down at my previous posts to find it.

The Xbox Slim RROD is not caused by overheating, as the previous one was. This is because the previous Xbox did not shut down when the heat of the Xbox got over a predetermined limit. The new Xbox Slim does have this feature, effectively cancelling out this cause. Other claimed causes for this include flexing of the main motherboard, like in the old Xbox. However, Microsoft have fixed this old issue by applying epoxy to the corners of the processors and the motherboard to stop it from flexing.

So what is the cause of the Xbox Slim RROD? Well, it’s actually quite simple - The problem stems from an error with the hard drive. This means that something has gone wrong with the HDD, which means Hard Disk Drive, and is where you keep all your game data, saves, downloaded movies, and all of your Xbox Live Downloadable Content.

Many people have reported hearing “The Click of Death” when their Xbox Slim RROD happens. This is a small squeaking noise that occurs before your Xbox Slim RROD’s. It has been reported to be quite creepy to listen too, and when you reboot your Xbox, you have a RROD on your Xbox Slim! The Xbox Click of Death has been reported to happen whenever you try to access data off your hard drive, like watching a movie or maybe playing DLC. The click can be very light, or it can be loud enough to hear across the room.

The Click of Death comes from your hard drive skipping across the surface of the drive, which either scratches the disc or corrupts the hard drive with all your saves on. The best thing to do when you hear the click of death is to immediately turn off your Xbox to stop your Hard Disk Drive from getting scratched. If you don’t do this in time, you may end up with an Xbox Slim RROD.

Image - Renjith Krishnan 

The hard drive skips across the surface of the Hard Disk Drive because each time it hits a “Bad Sector” on the hard disk, it has to go to where the sector was remapped too - So if your disc is jumping a lot, then you need to fix it fast!

The best thing to do to stop your Xbox Slim getting the RROD like this is to back up your hard drive contents regularly so when it stops working, you can just replace it with a new one, all your saves and movies and DLC available again!

However, there are bound to be a few people reading this article who have not backed up their disk drive, and I am sorry to say, that if you have not backed up your hard drive and your Xbox Slim gets the RROD, then you have lost everything on that disk. You will need to take out the disk and replace it with a new one, but first take the disk to a hardware specialist to see if you can get any data recovered.

RROD Xbox Slim

Yes, It's another post on the RROD for the Xbox Slim, because people can't seem to get enough of it :)

I have some more news about the Red Ring of Death on the new Xbox 360. Microsoft have implemented a new shutdown and startup system that is supposed to help combat the RROD, Xbox Slim version of course. The new system detects overheating in the console, and then immediately quits your game and  shuts down the whole console, supposedly stopping the Xbox Slim RROD.

This would be good, however, one of the causes of the RROD before was unexpected shutdowns! This new method of preventing the RROD may actually cause it. I just fix my Xbox's instead of buying new ones, they last longer than the usual Xbox does!

What is The Xbox Slim Failure Rate?

The Xbox Slim failure rate has changed quite lot since the new console was released to the public. In a previous article, I mentioned how the Xbox 360 Slim could still get the Red Ring of Death (Or the Red Dot of Death) the same as the other Xenon generation Xbox’s. However, since publishing that article, I got a lot of people asking me for information on how many Xbox 360 Slim’s failed.

The Xbox 360 Slim has been reported by Microsoft to have improved upon the current 33% failure rate among Xenon generation Xbox’s. They say that the failure rate has been improved because of the addition of another big fan, and a new redesign. However, the Xbox 360 Slim still fails with a RDOD (Red Dot of Death) in some cases.

So then, you say, that’s all very well, but what is the failure rate for the Xbox 360 Slim? Well, the failure rate for the Xbox 360 slim has been reduced from the previous 33% to around 10 - 15%. In my opinion, that is not much of an improvement - A lot of Xbox 360 slims will be affected by the RDOD still to come!

Even worse, the three year warranty that covered the original Xbox 360 Xenon has been removed, and the console is only warranted under for just one year! If it goes bust after that… Bang… Another $150 to repair it!

Unfortunately for you guys with the RROD out there - You probably heard that the Xbox Slim did not get the errors as fast as the original Xbox. I think it’s better to just try and fix your current Xbox rather than buy a completely new one that may get the exact same problem again. 

Slim Xbox 360 S Still Gets The RROD

The Xbox 360 S

Do you ever get frustrated with the RROD and think "You know, I should just buy a new Xbox - One of the new slim ones that doesn't get the RROD" Unfortunately, I am here to break the bad news that yes, the new Xbox gets the errors just the same as it's older cousin.

Although in this case, the elaborate warning system put in place by Xbox (with the successive lighting up of the quadrants) has been removed - It has been replaced with just the green dot in the middle flashing red. This has been dobbed "The Red Dot of Death" (RDOD) by some.

What's more - Microsoft only offers a 1 year warranty period for this Xbox, instead of a three year warranty for the old one! Microsoft says that this is because the new design consists of a new chip and power system for the console - However, only time will tell if these new consoles RDOD as quick as the last ones.

If this console does fail however, the I think it would be best to just fix your current console. Or if you don't have a console, then get the Xbox S and post here to tell us if it RDOD's anytime soon.