Maintenance Tips for the Xbox 360

By Larry Moon

Of course, as you more than likely already know, the Xbox 360 is an expensive bit of kit, and that's even before you take all the games and accessories into account. Having said that; the vast majority of people seem to forget all about the cost of their Xbox, particularly once they start becoming involved with their favorite games. At least this is the case until such time that their Xbox packs up. Of course, providing your system is still under warranty, most breakdowns can be resolved, although the time it takes for repairs to be carried out may well cost you a considerable amount of quality gaming time. As you can imagine this problem becomes even worse when you're forced to hand over money for the repairs, or even for a new system.

One fundamental difference between the Xbox 360 and regular gaming desktops is that the Xbox 360 doesn't have as many cooling systems. In fact, with regards to the Xbox 360, heat is probably enemy number one, and believe it or not, but heat is produced relatively quickly when you play games for hours on end. However, by following the tips provided in this article you certainly can prolong the life of your Xbox 360.

First and foremost, you should make it a habit to regulate your gaming hours. If you are fond of playing Xbox Live Arcade games you probably don't need to worry about heating issues because those games do not take full advantage of the Xbox 360's power. But those intense 3-D high definition games can really heat up your system so it is important to take breaks. Even a 30 minute break is okay so you can still enjoy lots of gaming hours per day.

If taking breaks is too difficult for you, at least play in a cooler environment so your Xbox 360 doesn't heat up as much. Full air-conditioning is the way to go, but if you can't install one, at least keep an electric fan point towards your system to ensure that the sensitive components don't get much heat exposure.

While your system may not often be given a chance to rest, when it is switched off you still need to make sure that it won't be exposed to direct sunlight or an excessive amount of dust. If you fail to take these precautions then there's every probability that your next gaming session will be interrupted by read ring errors. Also, if the temperature of a room is high enough to affect the temperature of the system then it is pointless switching on the system in the first place.

There are a few 3rd party accessories that claim to fix the heating problems by cooling the components in a more direct fashion. While these "cooling accessories" appear to fix the problem, they also obtain their power source directly from the Xbox 360 so if you overuse these accessories, problems may arise including red ring issues. Avoid using these accessories unless you find one that is licensed by Microsoft or uses an external power source.

If you wish to travel with your trusty gaming system, you can do just that as long as you are very careful in carrying the system. Try not to carry the Xbox 360 in an upright position to avoid any damage collisions unless you are using Xbox 360 carrying bags which are safer. Always make sure that casing is secure before and after travel so you can enjoy your gaming experience anywhere.

The latest Xbox 360 systems are less likely to cause red ring errors because of their updated motherboards, but you should still take good care of your system nevertheless. This will let you game whenever you need to without interruptions. - 23815

About the Author:

Why dont you see how you can download xbox 360 games, you can at this site. You can also download movies and music for your system. At this site you can learn how to burn xbox 360 games easy and spend only a few dollars on each game you want to play for DVD discs.