How To Kill Your Xbox - The Towel Trick Explained
Quick fixes for troublesome electronic devices have traditionally involved abusing it somehow. This meant shaking, rapping, hitting, or kicking the device to make it work again. These methods worked because loose connections could be made to reconnect in this way. But it also weakened other connections making the device more likely to fail again.
One of the more well known "fixes" for the red ring of death problem is called the towel trick. It also falls into this category of abusive, quick fixes. Rather than giving the Xbox a swift kick, the "cure" involves baking the internal components at extreme temperatures so that broken connections are resoldered again and warped components get reshaped.
The method to this madness starts with wrapping your Xbox with a few towels. Then you turn on the Xbox for about 15 minutes and you're finished. Now you're all set to enjoy some gaming sessions. When the next ring of death error happens you just reapply the trusty towel trick.
If it works, then what's the problem? As mentioned before, this technique bakes the internal components at extreme temperatures. Heat induced damage during the manufacturing process is a prime concern in the electronics industry. Getting the right soldering temperature for a strong solder join without damaging other components is difficult.
So when you use the towel trick, you get a temporary fix at the expense of damaging the Xbox's internal components. Eventually this damage will lead to yet another heat related failure. Then when you apply the towel trick again, more damage is done which weakens your Xbox even more. You can only repeat this process so many times before the heat damage is too extensive for the towel trick to work any more. This process is a downward spiral that thoroughly destroys your Xbox.
Another issue that concerns safety is that the towel fix is dangerous. The Xbox puts out an enormous amount heat (thus the need for a cooling system). Because of the insulating action of the towels, the heat doesn't go anywhere and rapidly builds up. If your Xbox starts burning, other combustibles adjacent to your Xbox (like your house) may also burn.
The towel fix just isn't common sense and in this instance, counterintuitive won't work. The red ring of death is basically caused by the Xbox putting out too much heat and having an undersized cooling system. Trying to fix this problem by heating up the Xbox is like fighting fire with fire.
One of the more well known "fixes" for the red ring of death problem is called the towel trick. It also falls into this category of abusive, quick fixes. Rather than giving the Xbox a swift kick, the "cure" involves baking the internal components at extreme temperatures so that broken connections are resoldered again and warped components get reshaped.
The method to this madness starts with wrapping your Xbox with a few towels. Then you turn on the Xbox for about 15 minutes and you're finished. Now you're all set to enjoy some gaming sessions. When the next ring of death error happens you just reapply the trusty towel trick.
If it works, then what's the problem? As mentioned before, this technique bakes the internal components at extreme temperatures. Heat induced damage during the manufacturing process is a prime concern in the electronics industry. Getting the right soldering temperature for a strong solder join without damaging other components is difficult.
So when you use the towel trick, you get a temporary fix at the expense of damaging the Xbox's internal components. Eventually this damage will lead to yet another heat related failure. Then when you apply the towel trick again, more damage is done which weakens your Xbox even more. You can only repeat this process so many times before the heat damage is too extensive for the towel trick to work any more. This process is a downward spiral that thoroughly destroys your Xbox.
Another issue that concerns safety is that the towel fix is dangerous. The Xbox puts out an enormous amount heat (thus the need for a cooling system). Because of the insulating action of the towels, the heat doesn't go anywhere and rapidly builds up. If your Xbox starts burning, other combustibles adjacent to your Xbox (like your house) may also burn.
The towel fix just isn't common sense and in this instance, counterintuitive won't work. The red ring of death is basically caused by the Xbox putting out too much heat and having an undersized cooling system. Trying to fix this problem by heating up the Xbox is like fighting fire with fire.
About the Author:
Marc Sandford is a gaming enthusiast and writer. Get Xbox 360 troubleshooting information about fixing the Xbox 360 3 Red Lights Error.