The great red experiment - DIY fix for a broken 360

I am among those who just couldn't wait - I had to get a first run XBOX360. I'm sure you
can all see where I'm going with this. Literally one month after the original warranty expired I saw visions of the three red ring-men of the apocalypse. Having no warranty to void at the time, I cracked it open and unsuccessfully tried arctic silver and towel tricks. Then I just replaced it and moved on.

Since I have nothing to lose, I've decided to revisit this quagmire and test out a product
designed to fix this failure. The X-Clamp-Fix from The Next Generation operates under the premise that Microsoft's x-clamp warps the CPU connections under high heat. I am skeptical of such a cheap item fixing 300 worth of hardware but I would love to be proven wrong!

Step 1: Open beer
It's dangerous to go alone, drink this.



Step 2: Disassemble the 360
I'm not going to attempt to explain the full disassembly, mine involved more akward poking and prying than a prom date. Others have done a better job.



Step 3: I'd mount that!
Mount the heatsink back on, with the new screws and washers.



Step 4: Use GREAT POWER
According to the official instructions:



Step 5: Bake it!
Now, re-assemble the 360 enough so that you can put the top clamshell on it - making sure that the fans are disconnected. You'll want to cook it for 15 minutes. The machine will start with the 3 rings for the general fault, and then go into two rings when it is overheated. This overheating is part of the process of warping the board back into place.



Step 6: HEY NIKO!
It is well known that Nico Bellic is a bad mother-shut-your-mouth and he sticks up for his own. Apply him to your system to guard against Blu-rays and general misfortunes. If you don't have any stickers handy, ask cheeburga.



Step 7: Cool down
Now you just have to turn the system off let the components get back to room temperature. Make sure the fans are connected before closing it up.

Step 8: Live, damn you!
Pop in an old game and try booting up! If you are lucky like I was, then you'll be welcomed with the following comforting screen.



At this point my 360 was back up and running just as if I had towel tricked it. So far it has
been over 24 hours and I have left it on throughout, with occasional half hour cool downs
thrown in. I will keep you all posted with the progress, especially after I play through Lego Indiana Jones on this machine.

Verdict: Promising.