Microsoft Xbox 360 is a mind blowing game console. But it comes with its share of baggage as well. Hardware problems are integral parts of Xbox 360 and web pages after web pages have been dedicated to the discussion of the problem of 3 red lights on the Xbox.

In this article I shall try my best to explain to you why these 3 red lights flash on the Xbox and what may be done to rectify this problem and prevent it from resurfacing.

One of the main causes behind the problem of 3 red lights is overheating and lack of cooling. When you keep the Xbox running for impossibly long hours, the component parts get heated up, it is not effectively cooled and the 3 red lights appear to bug you. To combat this problem, you should switch off the Xbox, unplug it from its socket and let it cool in a shady corner.

Alternatively, you should bring out your console from your stuffy display cabinet and let it out in the fresh air, so that it may breathe.

Inadequate power supply is another culprit and to fix this problem, you have to unplug your Xbox from the shared power bar and plug it in properly and tightly to an independent power socket so that it can absorb the whole power itself.

Often GPU soldering joints fall loose. As a result the screen occasionally freezes and after a point of time, the dreaded 3 red lights will appear like Macbeth's 3 witches to haunt you.

Another rumor has it that when the power brick does not get enough air, it leads to the appearance of the 3 red lights on your Xbox 360. To fix this problem you should pick up the power brick from the floor and place it on a box so that it can let off its steam through all four sides and pump out all the hot air.