Unfortunately reports later stated that Microsoft in a rush to beat their competitors to market hurried the release of it's system electing to forgo any design flaws or defects.

The resulting affect was that there are now as many as one million Xbox users with systems that are virtually unplayable.

Possible Xbox 360 glitches

Many of these systems is said to be suffering what is considered general hardware failure. Anything from faulty disk drives and freeze ups to power supply issues. I empathize with you if your Xbox 360 has suffered, like mine, an untimely demise.

Probably the most prevalent of the Xbox 360 problems is what is called the Red Ring of Death (RROD), you may know it as an e74 error.

This happens when the console or the power supply begins flashing 3 red lights in a semi-cycle on the front of the console itself.

This infamous moniker (RROD) probably came to be due to the large percentage of units that the most skilled technician couldn't fix.

Notwithstanding that dismal fact if your system has started flashing 3 red lights, take hope; soon you'll discover a very cost effective way to have your Xbox 360 repaired that will take no more than 2 hours.

System failure has become an acceptable part of the gaming business. In fact, a failure rate of 3% to 5% is thought to be typical but according to some sources the three largest resellers of the Xbox 360, is reporting failure rates as high as 30%.

What does all this mean for you and your Xbox 360?

Despite the figures, I hope it doesn't mean that your system is doomed to end up in a landfill somewhere. If you however have experienced any of the aforementioned issues with your system and you've yet to get it repaired its time you and I had that talk.

Xbox 360 repair cost:

Having your Xbox 360 repaired can be costly depending on the way in which you chose to have it done. The cost can be as much as $170 and then go down from there, depending on whether your system is still under warranty and you've elected to have Microsoft repair it.

I will say that getting your system repaired while it's still under warranty is cheaper than trying to do so without a warranty in place, there however is still a cheaper and quicker solution to your problem.

Also if there is a disadvantage to having Microsoft handle your system repair it would be paying to ship it back to them and then knowing you would have to wait about 8 weeks before you'll see it again.

The D.I.Y. approach- the quickest and least expensive solution

Probably your most overlooked solution to your Xbox 360 repair happens to be your best option when it comes to ease of repair as well as cash outlay. In fact, repairing your system yourself is not as hard as you may think it is, not when you have the right resource.

When my system went down I took to the Internet to research the cost of its repair, examined each of my alternatives and found that repairing it myself just made more sense.

Here's why:

1. The time factor:

As mentioned, if you've chosen Microsoft to do your system repairs it will cost you at least eight weeks of time. But if you repair it, "in house" you could be confident that its restoration could be done in as little as 2 hours.

2. The cost, relatively nominal:

Again, repairing your Xbox 360 is very doable with the right resource. And the resource that I found to be the best and the least expensive was only $29.95.

I subsequently was then able to repair my system in a little over an hour with just some basic tools I already had around the house.

When your Xbox 360 goes on the fritz repairing it yourself is a breeze as long as you have the right resource, one that is inexpensive and that is a time saver.