More than 20% of the XBox 360 have the red ring of death or receive it at some point. Here is a list of codes depending on how many red lights are flashing on your console. Once you know what your problem is, scroll down to the bottom of this article to fix it.
Error codes for a red light:
E45: (Not yet known)
E64: DVD drive
E65: DVD drive error
E66: DVD drive error: DVD model
E67: Hard drive error
E68: Hard drive error
E69: Hard drive error
E71: (not yet known)
E72: (not yet known)
E73: General hardware error: Ethernet port
E74: AV cable error OR general hardware error
E76: (not yet known)
E79: Hard drive error
Error codes for two red lights: None. The Red Ring of Death lit with two red lights is always caused by the same thing, overheating. Your console will most likely run for about 15 minutes and then turn off with two blinking red lights. To fix this, scroll down to the repair section of this article.
Error codes for three red lights:
0001 Power supply problem.
0002 Power supply problem.
0010 Overheating.
0011 Overheating.
0012 Overheating.
0013 Overheating.
0022 GPU error/GPU overheating.
0102 Unknown error
0110 Memory error, possibly overheating
1003 hard disk error
Hard drive error 1010
1022 AV cable error
To get a code console when it shows 3 red lights, use this procedure: First, turn on the console and wait for the lights to start blinking. Now hold the sync button and press eject. The console will give you the first number of the code (4 blinking lights=0, 3 blinking lights=3, 2 blinking lights=2, 1 blinking light=1).
Now continue to hold the sync button and release and press the eject button again. You will now receive the second number of the code. Repeat this two more times to get the third and fourth numbers of your error code.
Error codes for four red lights: None. This is also due to only one problem: the console cannot detect the A/V cables. This should be a simple fix, just make sure your setup is correct, or try using different A/V cables.
Fixing the red ring of death
To repair the red ring of death, you can use one of many different methods. The first thing that comes to mind is to go to the website shown on the error screen (if there is one). This is the XBox support page. This will officially fix your console for sure, but there are a few drawbacks. By using this page, you may be charged up to $100 and the whole process could take more than a month.