So many XBox 360 owners have planned a lazy afternoon of gaming bliss with their favorite game only to experience an all too common event. They've pulled up the sofa, set out the refreshments, and switched on their XBox 360, just to see that their console displays three red lights on the front panel.

What these players have experienced is known as the XBox 360 Ring of Death. It's the result of a design fault in the XBox 360 console that causes the machine to overheat and damage some of the connections between components. The console simply gets so hot that the solder on the main circuit board melts and flows away from the pins of certain chips. Without these connections, the XBox cannot operate properly, and displays the fault as the three red lights on the front panel.

It is possible to avoid the red ring of death meltdown. Since it is caused by overheating, you should do a number of things to keep your XBox 360 cool. Here are five.

1. Place the XBox 360 in a well ventilated location. This is the key to keeping your console cool. Make sure there is plenty of room around the 360 so that heat can escape. Moving air is especially good for cooling.
2. Keep the Xbox 360 out of direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can heat up your console adding to the thermal load that the heatsinks have to dissipate. You want to reduce this as much as possible.
3. Do not stack the XBox 360 with other equipment. Don't stack your console with other audio/visual equipment. This equipment not only generates heat, it can suffocate your XBox preventing heat from escaping. If you must stack equipment because of space constraints, put the 360 on top of the stack.
4. Do not put things on top of the XBox 360 when it is on. After you've put the game CD in the drive, don't put the case on the console. This will restrict airflow and prevent heat from escaping.
5. Turn off your XBox 360 when not in use. Aside from being eco-friendly, a powered down console has a chance to cool off.

Of course, you may be reading this because you have already experienced the Red Ring of Death. If that's the case, there is still hope. There are a few repair guides available that will step you through the process of fixing your XBox 360. These are good if you are out of warranty, and don't want to face an expensive repair bill.