So you’ve joined thousands of other Xbox 360 owners looking to fix the Xbox 360 red circle of death. In fact, recent studies have produced some pretty amazing results showing that 1 in 3 Xbox 360 owners have experienced the red light error 1, 2, 3 or 4 at some point. Fortunately, there are a few options you can consider to fix Xbox 360 red lights permanently.

First, you can check if you still have a valid warranty covering any red ring errors. If you still have this warranty, you can return your console to Microsoft and they will be happy to repair your returned console or give you a refurbished Xbox 360. This service is completely free, of course, and you can be sure that Microsoft will take care of the Xbox red rings one way or another.

If you receive a refurbished console, please understand that Microsoft will not use your original hard drive and all saved data will be lost. This is the only downside to using this option and don’t be tempted to remove your original hard drive as this will void your warranty entirely.

Another way to fix the Xbox 360 red ring of death is to fix it yourself. There are some fantastic Xbox 360 repair guides that will take you by the hand and show you all the necessary steps to fix any Xbox 360 error for good. Some are better than others, but the best come with video and audio instructions that give anyone the ability to fix the dreaded red ring error without requiring any technical skills.

But before you run out and buy one of these guides, you can try these do-it-yourself techniques that can save your console from Xbox 360 3 red lights forever. First, you can check the vents on your console to see if any household items like dust or dirt have been allowed to block them in any way. These vents are important as they help prevent the console from overheating.

Another method is to test various power points around you to see if it might be a bad power point or cables that need to be replaced. If this hasn’t worked, take out your hard drive and power it up without it. If your lights come back to green instead of red, then you discovered that you have a loose hard drive connection that can be fixed by simply inserting it correctly into your console.