XBOX 360 three red lights fix

January 27th, 2008

As you know I have been selling repair guides to all of the popular gaming consoles for a little over 5 years now. My PS2 Repair Guide is one of the most popular on the internet today.

Many customers have asked me if I have other guides covering some of the newer consoles, but unfortunately I have had to tell them no because I have not had time to write another extensive guide on these new consoles.

What I have done in an effort to help those of you that are looking for a good XBOX 360 repair guide was to contact my my inner circle of video gaming repair friends. I asked them to please give me the name of the website that “in their opinion” was offering the best XBOX 360 Repair Guide for the money.

While I did get a few different answers, there was one site that stood out above all others by a margin of about 3 to 1. That site was

Xbox360redlightfix.com

After having such an overwhelming amount of my friends select this site as the #1 site for Xbox 360 repair I was satisfied that they were it. However, before I could make the recommendation to you I thought I should check them out for myself. Here is what I found.

Now you really can fix your own Xbox 360, and you’ll do it within 2 hours, guaranteed. To help you on your way, you’ll also receive full customer support from real experts, plus comprehensive video tutorials, showing you the simple steps discovered by tech pros who know the inner workings of the Xbox 360 like the backs of their hands.

So, for those of you that know me and know the demand for high quality information that I require you can feel confident that this is the place to get your XBOX 360 repair information. I have no problem with strongly endorsing this site!

Xbox360redlightfix.com

Sincerely,
Mark Eastman
Powerful Guides


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Making the choice between Ipod Shuffle, Ipod Nano or Ipod Video

December 6th, 2006

While I must admit that beauty and design alone are good reasons to buy an Ipod (especially when it comes to the Nano). Let’s take alook at the more logical reasons for selecting an Ipod. 

 • iPod (video) The largest iPod is Apple’s “video” iPod, although Apple refers to it as just the iPod. The battery life for video viewing is good — up to 3-1/2 hours of use from one battery charge. The excellent resolution (320 x 240) and brightness of the screen of the iPod make viewing videos a delight.

The latest iPod comes in two sizes — 30 GB and 80 GB — and, like all iPods (including the Shuffle), it can be used for storing data as well as audio files, photos and videos. Storing your complete iTunes library on the iPod is very easy. Just connect your iPod to your computer, set iTunes to copy your complete library to the iPod and iTunes will do the rest. Every time you update your iTunes library and then connect your iPod, your music and videos will also be updated on your iPod.

One of the advantages of the large storage capacity of the iPod is the ability to add podcasts to your music library. You can find a large variety of free podcasts through the iTunes Store (the easiest way to add podcasts) and iTunes lets you easily update the podcasts automatically or manually. You can also visit podcast websites (for example, Podcast Net or Podcast Alley) for more podcasts, including video podcasts.

The iPod is, naturally, larger and heavier than a Nano, but it’s still small enough and lightweight enough to carry in your pocket or purse. If you need the extra storage space and/or want video capabilities, the iPod (video) might be the right iPod for you.

• iPod Shuffle  The iPod Shuffle is the smallest and least expensive of the current iPod models. It’s also the newest model, officially shipping just days ago, although it was first announced and previewed by Steve Jobs in mid-September.

The Shuffle’s amazingly small size, virtual weightlessness and good battery life (Apple reports up to 12 hours of use from one battery charge) make it ideal for long trips or walks. The built-in clip makes wearing the Shuffle easy and secure and it eliminates the need for or cost of an extra case. Clip it anywhere and start walking or jogging.

The main disadvantage to a Shuffle is the limited storage space for music (1 GB). Some people complain that it lacks a screen, but I find a screen is unnecessary on a Shuffle since you can arrange music on it in the order you want to hear the songs using iTunes and changing the volume and moving back and forth through your songs requires no visual effort. For those who must have a screen on a lightweight MP3 player, Apple makes the iPod Nano.

• iPod Nano Like the Shuffle, the new Nano is almost weightless and, with the right case, it can be worn around your neck or on your arm. The battery life of a Nano for audio playback is extremely long (according to Apple, up to 24 hours of use from one battery charge), especially if you use the screen and backlight minimally.

The storage capacities for a Nano are 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB. If you have a small-to-medium size music collection, and you like the idea of carrying all your music with you in as small an MP3 player as possible, the Nano might be perfect for you. The addition of a screen lets you select just the songs you want to hear while still providing you with a lightweight option you can wear around your neck, carry in your pocket or wear on your arm. You can also store and view photos on a Nano but the storage space of the smaller Nano models might be limiting for a photo enthusiast.

The major disadvantage to the Nano is the cost of the 4 GB and 8 GB models. The 8 GB model is the same price as a 30 GB iPod (video) and the 4 GB model is only $50 less than the 30 GB iPod. Also, none of the models come with accessories except a cable to connect them to your computer or a charger, so you need to figure in the cost of at least a cover to protect the screen of a new Nano. But the Nano is small and lightweight and has a screen, and it may be the perfect iPod for users with smaller music collections.

As you can see, whether your needs are for a simple, no-frills, very small, easy-to-use music player (Shuffle), for a full-featured music and video player (iPod) or for something in-between (Nano), there is an iPod that is right for you. To help in making a choice, you can view a comparison chart of the three current iPod models at Apple’s website.




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Preventing PS2 problems from developing

November 25th, 2006

Some things in life are taken for granted. We never know how important they are until it is too late, and they are gone. The Playstation 2 can be one of them…if you are not careful. It’s never too late to get started, and by following a few simple steps you can easily prevent ps2 problems from developing. 

USE AND HANDLING

CLEANING THE PLAYSTATION 2

DISC HANDLING

VENTILATION

POSITIONING THE CONSOLE

As you can see, it is not really all that hard to take proper care of your playstation 2 consoles. You will make sure that you will be playing games on it for a long time to come by doing so. However, if and when that time comes and ps2 problems do come up, don’t rush right out and buy you a new one.

Just because the PS2 is not reading disc anymore or the CD tray will not open does not mean the console is doomed. There are many things that can be easily fixed by you and they are all covered in the Powerful Playstation 2 Repair Guide available for sale at the Powerful Guides website. For only $9.95 for the downloadable version or $19.95 for the softcover book version you can’t go wrong. There is a free trial version available to give you an idea on what you will find inside before you make a purchase. (www.powerfulguides.com/ps2)


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Playstation 2 Repair on a Budget

November 24th, 2006

The Playstation 2 is the most popular gaming console in the world currently. With 25 million sold in the US and 100 million sold worldwide there is a pretty good chance your family has one. Hopefully you haven’t had to deal with a broken one yet, but if it does break what are you going to do? Your kids are yelling “Mom/Dad we need our PS2 repaired. We can’t play games anymore”. You love your kids and you know how much they love playing the PS2, plus it keeps them occupied and out of trouble, so it is very important to you to have a working Playstation 2 in your house.

However, the electric bill is due, the house payment is coming up, or you can think of a number of other things that make it easy for you to justify not spending $129.00 right now on a new PS2. Still the problem persists, no Playstation 2 in the house. What else can you do? You have to spend the money and buy a new one right?

Not anymore…

Now, you can send your console off for repair or you can try to repair it yourself. Both of these choices can save you a lot of money versus buying a new one. Let’s take a closer look at your options and see which one is best for you.

First of all, make sure your console is not covered under warranty. If it is then make sure to call Sony and they will tell you how to send it in for warranty repair. If it is not covered under warranty you may choose to send it to Sony for repair but there have been reports that they are charging $120 for repairs. You will need to check with them and get a quote on your repair before sending it in. The drawback here is that not only are the repair costs high, but the turnaround time is long. You probably won’t have your console back for a few weeks.

You can look for a local repair station. Ask the guy at the local video game exchange store if he knows where to get your playstation 2 repaired. If he does call and ask how much it will cost. These repair shops are usually much cheaper then Sony and you can get your console back a lot quicker too. The price range on these types of shops is in the $39-$59 dollar range plus parts. Turnaround time for these shops is usually about 3 business days. Reputation is one of the other issues to think about when dealing with a repair shop. Since part of the price for the repair is parts, and what parts you need for the repair won’t be determined until after they look at it, make sure you feel comfortable with the person or company you are dealing with. You will have to trust what they say about the parts that are needed to make the repair.

If you can’t find a repair shop locally you can search the internet for a repair shop. The cost is usually about the same as any other but you face the same obstacles of trust. Not only that, but you will have a little more cost and time involved because you will have to pay for postage both ways as well as wait for the console to be delivered to and returned from the repair shop. This can make the whole process take up to 2 weeks.

Last, but certainly not least is the option of doing it yourself. There are several guides online that can help you. You can usually find most of them by going to Google and searching for “ps2 repair”. Most Playstation 2 repairs can be fixed fairly easily even by someone with no technical knowledge or skills. The advantage of this method over the others mentioned is that most of the time you can have the Playstation 2 working again in a matter of hours. Not only that, but if something happens to it again you can fix it yourself without any additional expense. Here are some points to consider if you decide you would like to buy a repair guide and try the repair yourself.
1. Price- Most of these books fall in the price range of $9.99 to $14.95. Cheaper doesn’t always make it better. With a tight price range like this price should be the least of your worries.
2. See what is covered in the book- read the tables of contents or download a free trial if available
3. Look at the file size- Some books being offered sound nice because they have video and other fancy things, but they are huge in size. If you have a dial-up connection it could take hours to download.
4. Make sure the guide is compatible for your computer. If you have a Macintosh you might not be able to use the guide. See if you can buy a printed version.
5. Make sure that the content of the book can be printed. You will need to print the pages out to take with you while working on your console. If it is a huge file with video presentation then that might make it hard to work on your PS2 away from your PC.
6. Look for testimonials from previous customers. Contact them if there is an email address and see what they say about the book.

No matter which way you decide to go, there are ways to get the families Playstation 2 working again without breaking the family budget. You will have to decide which choice is best for you.

UPDATE:
As of 04-20-2006 the price for a new Playstation 2 console is $129.00. In my opinion this price makes the decision to send in for repair less attractive. This leaves you with only two options, buying a new one or trying to fix it yourself. Spending $10-$15 for getting a chance to get your playstation 2 repaired looks better all the time. Good Luck!


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