Does this sound familiar? You're enjoying a game of black ops and just as your about to earn the achievement for most headshots with a pistol your console dies. The only sign of life is a red glow coming from the front of your console, what bad luck you have the red ring of death. This is what you should do next.

1. Don't panic. There is no need to go rushing out to buy a new console. The red light of death can be fixed at home. A lot of times it is something straightforward that is causing the rrod. Read through the next steps calmly and they should help you solve fix your red ring of death.

2. Turn the Xbox off at the main power supply. Leave it for a few minutes before turning back on. Sometimes a power surge can knock your console offline and this simple trick will reset the system. You may want to consider investing in a surge protector to help avoid this problem in the future.

3. Take a moment and check all the cables going into your console. Are they securely in place? Are they damaged or worn? When the Xbox cannot detect the a/v cable you can see the red ring of death. If needed you should replace the cable or borrow a friends until you can get a new one.

4. Check your Xbox for signs of overheating. This reason alone causes the red lights on your Xbox to be displayed thousands of times each year. If your console is prone to overheating it may be that where your Xbox is positioned there is not enough air getting to it. It could also be a good idea to purchase an extra fan for it. This will significantly reduce the risk of the red ring of death.

5. Check your warranty if it is still valid then Microsoft will repair your Xbox free of charge. However if it has expired then you could end up paying around $150 for them to do it. Either way you will be without your games console for approximately six weeks.

6. The last thing you may want to try is to fix the console yourself. This is easier than you may think as long as you use an Xbox 360 repair guide. Using such a manual will make the repair process so simple as they use videos along with step by step instructions. Following a guide on how to fix an Xbox will have you back gaming in no time at all.