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Most quick fix methods for electronics have typically involved subjecting it to some form of abuse. This meant a violent action such as hitting, shaking, or kicking to coax it into functioning again. This works because loose electrical connections can reconnect after enough persistence. But other connections are loosened by the mechanical shock which guarantees more problems later on.

One of the more well known “fixes” for the red ring of death problem is called the towel trick. It also falls into this category of abusive, quick fixes. Rather than giving the Xbox a swift kick, the “cure” involves baking the internal components at extreme temperatures so that broken connections are resoldered again and warped components get reshaped.

The towel trick is done by covering your Xbox with 2 or 3 towels. Then your Xbox is switched on for around 15 minutes or so and you’re through. Then it’s time to do some gaming. The next time the ring of death shows up simply repeat the towel fix.

If the method works, then why is the towel trick a bad idea? As mentioned above, the towel trick subjects the internal chips to damaging temperatures. Avoiding heat damage to components during manufacture is a big issue in the electronics industry. To get the soldering temperature high enough for a good solder join without causing chip damage is no trivial thing.

So when you use the towel trick, you get a temporary fix at the expense of damaging the Xbox’s internal components. Eventually this damage will lead to yet another heat related failure. Then when you apply the towel trick again, more damage is done which weakens your Xbox even more. You can only repeat this process so many times before the heat damage is too extensive for the towel trick to work any more. This process is a downward spiral that thoroughly destroys your Xbox.

Another issue that concerns safety is that the towel fix is dangerous. The Xbox puts out an enormous amount heat (thus the need for a cooling system). Because of the insulating action of the towels, the heat doesn’t go anywhere and rapidly builds up. If your Xbox starts burning, other combustibles adjacent to your Xbox (like your house) may also burn.

The towel fix just isn’t common sense and in this instance, counterintuitive won’t work. The red ring of death is basically caused by the Xbox putting out too much heat and having an undersized cooling system. Trying to fix this problem by heating up the Xbox is like fighting fire with fire.

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