The Xbox 360 is an awesome games console and the release of the kinect has only added to that statement. Thousands of people every year all suffer the same problem, the dreaded red ring of death. Why is this happening? Let me tell you what causes the rrod.

1. An overheating console is a major cause of the red ring of death. This can be avoided in the future by ensuring that tour Xbox is in a well ventilated area and not wedged in a bookcase somewhere blocking the vents. If you think your console is getting too hot you can purchase an external fan to help the problem.

2. If your power brick has a malfunction you can end up with the rrod. Typically a power surge can cause such a problem, in this instance turning the console off and back on should solve this. Also your power brick can overheat too so ensure this is kept cool.

3. The red lights of death can also be caused by problems detecting the audio video cable. Checking the connections are firmly in place is normally enough to rectify this Xbox 360 problem. However if you use an hdmi connection you will not see this error.

4. A hardware failure is the next cause of the rrod on your Xbox 360. This can be numerous things such as hard drive error or disk errors. To help us work out which a error code is displayed on the TV when it happens.

5. I have left the worst till last. 3 red lights represent a general hardware failure. This normally occurs when there is an issue on the motherboard itself and can be a little trickier, but possible, to fix. If this has affected you there are really two good options left open to you.

a) Sending your console to be repaired by Microsoft. This is good if your console is under warranty. The only downside is that you will be without your Xbox 360 for about six weeks. You can still send your console off if it is out of warranty but they will charge you in the region of $150 to carry out the repairs.

b) B. the 3 red lights problem can be fixed by you. Even with no experience it is a repair that is simply done. It is advisable though to use a 3 red light repair guide unless you want a pile of screws and circuit boards where your console used to sit.

A really great repair manual I have used is written by James Dean. His manual is stuffed full of helpful information about getting your Xbox fixed. Videos take you through the process in high definition quality. He even offers a sixty day money back guarantee. I would definitely take a look if it was me fixing the red ring of death.