I think I’m guessing right when I say you’re beloved XBOX 360 has encountered the dreaded RRoD, or Red Ring of Death. And the proliferation of bogus fixes posted on YouTube and forums is most likely why you’re asking yourself, “Does the RRoD fix actually work?” Well, I hate being jerked around just as much as you, so let me tell you directly: most of them do NOT work.
The reason for this being that most of these so-called “fixes” are developed by kids and other gaming enthusiasts. They may have good intentions, but they are definitely not professionals. Fortunately, there is an RRoD fix that does actually work. But first, what to avoid:
Avoid the following: anything to do with towel tricks, penny tricks, freezing your XBOX 360, or submerging your XBOX 360 in diluted vinegar. You asked, “Does the RRoD fix actually work?” No, not if you’re referring to these ideas. Your console is giving you the RRoD most likely due to overheating, and these temporary tricks are designed to combat that. Don’t attempt them; you’ll damage your system and you could injure yourself.
Also, do not send your console to Microsoft for repair. If your warranty has run out, it will cost about $140 for the repair plus close to $50 for shipping, plus you’ll be without your XBOX 360 for about 6-months (the current wait time).
Here’s what to do: Instead of doing something crazy, or spending over $200 and waiting half a year, pick up a good RRoD repair guide developed by professionals from the gaming industry and fix it yourself. I got one for under $30, and it came with a color PDF, a complete video pack for all repair steps, plus access to an online members area with updated answers to any questions I had. I fixed my XBOX 360 with normal tools I had lying around at home, and was done in under an hour. By the way, I am an electronics “dummy” and I still did it. It’s been running perfectly for about a year now, with no problems.