To stay ahead of it’s competitors, Microsoft pushed it’s Xbox 360 product line out the door faster than it should have. The legacy of this is that over 30 percent of these machines have a red ring of death breakdown. This device lacks robustness due to it’s many built in ‘bugs’.

Its cooling system is marginally effective and doesn’t keep pace with it’s numerous heat generating components. If the cooling system fails to work properly, the heat interacts with it’s design flaws which brings about the red ring of death. Therefore it is important to keep your Xbox cool in order to prolong its operational life.

This article will present different ways to keep your Xbox cool.

1.) Although no one is going to deliberately block the cooling vents, there are several ways in which you may do this unknowingly. These involve placing the Xbox on soft shaggy surfaces which act to block air currents.

2.) Exercise some care in where you place the Xbox as it should be in an open and well ventilated environment. This means that the Xbox should not be placed in cabinets, bookcases, racks, or any other confined spaces. It makes little sense to make a big effort at keeping the cooling ports open while placing the Xbox in a cabinet.

3.) Another tip is to stand the Xbox on it’s side which exposes more surface area for cooling. It may be helpful to use a small external fan to cool your console.

4.) Avoid areas next to sources of heat such as furnaces, radiators, heater vents, stoves and other heat generating electronics. Also take care not to place it next to a window that gets direct sunlight.

5.) In addition to keeping the Xbox cool, we can’t overlook the cooling requirements of the power adapter or power brick. It’s a very natural thing to put the power brick down on the floor. But if you place it on a shaggy carpet, this can interfere with the currents of air flow needed for cooling.

The suggestions in this article are preventative measures for a brand new Xbox. However if your Xbox has been shut down for the first time by overheating, it wouldn’t hurt to try them. Hopefully the heat build up caused the Xbox to shut down before serious damage could occur.