RROD - Red Ring of Death

Do you think the 4th time is the charm?? My XBOX 360 game console has suffered the notorious "Red Rings of Death" (RROD)... again. For those unfamiliar with the RROD, it occurs when you turn on your XBOX console, and as opposed to a 'ring' of 4 green lights circling the green power icon, you find yourself staring at 4 red lights where your pleasant green LEDs once were. I've had quite the tumultuous experience with my XBOX 360's to say the least. I was one of the original 360 owners. (I have having a friend who worked at Best Buy set me up with one of the original systems without having to wait in line with the ravenous masses before the Christmas rush in November of 2005.)

The first unit I received was one of the initial 360 consoles where the RROD was quite common. After about a year of average video gaming, I was struck with the RROD. I filled out the forms on the XBOX website, and after about 4 weeks, I was up and running again with a shiny new 360 to play. Shortly there afterwards, my house was broken into, and all my electronics were stolen, including my newly acquired gaming system. After a lengthy bout with my insurance company, I was able to purchase yet another XBOX 360 to replace the stolen unit. The 3rd edition lasted much longer than the 2 before it, but now suffers from a similar condition. I have three red LEDs flashing on the front of my console, and from reading the Microsoft website it appears that this requires me to mail it back for repairs. I've completed the online form, and the waiting game begins.

I did see several people on YouTube perform some type of towel trick where you essentially wrap your system (while powered ON) in 3 towels and force an XBOX with 3 red lights to overheat. When you overheat the console, it displays two red LEDs letting you know the system is too warm and you need to unwrap your warm 360, power OFF, and let it cool down for about 15 mins. After doing so, it shows the system should power up as if nothing was wrong. Now I have not tried this myself, but from the few videos I've watched, it appears to work.
* In one video, the person on camera does point out that he now has to do this every 5 days.

I think I'll settle for the Microsoft repair. Lets hope the 4th time is the charm.