The RROD only affects the first release of the XBOX 360 and Microsoft will replace your box (or at least the insides) if you have this problem.
Microsoft has announced that anyone who had to pay to get their system fixed that had the rrod is getting a refund as well as that all systems have a 3 year ?enhanced? warranty that covers 3 years from the manufactured date (which means it covers used systems too). So some could say that Microsoft covered their butt to make sure no more lawsuits would continue but we think it?s more about admitting they made a hardware mistake that they thought was fine and showing that they will pay the price (and shipping) to get it fixed in a timely manner.
The basic process of getting the system repaired is:
- Call Microsoft?s Xbox Trouble line (toll free at 800 4my xbox)
- Inform them you have ?three flashing lights in the 1, 2, and 3 quadrants? and it doesn?t turn on
- Get the tracking number for your box
- Receive from UPS the box they want you to ship it in the next day
- Before you ship it, write down your serial number then remove hard drive and/or memory card and keep them
- Ship it back via prepaid UPS (free for you) and go to www.xbox.com to track your system?s progress
- After 1 week you?ll get a 360 back in working condition
- Do a happy dance that you didn?t pay a thing for your system to be fixed except patience
In newer models, Microsoft did re-manufactured the motherboard so it wouldn?t warp under prolonged heat and also fixed the solders to make sure that they didn?t cause the hair-line fracture. They also improved the ?heat sink? of the 360 to make sure the GPU and the CPU both had more attention paid on them to keep them cool. These ?revamped? systems can be identified simply by looking for the HDMI port located underneath the standard AV output jack on the back of the system. You can also look on the box to see if it says Zephyr on it which is the code name they used when re-manufacturing the motherboard.