Microsoft's Xbox Will No Longer Be Supported

Microsoft has announced that service repairs for its original Xbox
video game systems with expired warranties will no longer be available.
So if yours breaks, what happens now?

On March 2, 2009, Microsoft announced tersely and without compassion
that service repairs for its original Xbox video game systems with
expired warranties will no longer be available. While still offering
"other" technical support; documents and content; maintaining an
"upgrade" program; and support for consoles still under warranty, Xbox
owners with expired warranties are heretofore out of luck. What, me
worry? What can go wrong with an Xbox?

A veritable Murphy's Law of wrong can go wrong and probably will.
Lurking just around the corner of continued use is the dreaded DRE, or
disc reading errors, when you learn in a moment of panic that your
"games are not reading." Other "issues" that your once coveted console
might have include freezing or overheating, a sudden and inexplicable
loss of sound, power, or video (how did that happen?), you keep getting
a litany of error messages, you keep getting a "call customer service"
message every few seconds (it's taunting you as if it KNOWS that its
warranty has expired), your controller won't respond, you can't modify;
or, if it's the Xbox360 you're pitifully holding in your hand, you're
getting three red lights, also known as the "Three Rings of Death" and
this is real, you're NOT standing in a Tolkein-like mythical land of
Mordar.

When one or more of these symptoms of despair begin turning your
Xbox into something diseased, a real poxbox, and your warranty has
expired, it's time to start hunting – for an independent repair shop
either in close proximity or else a shop with a reliable mailing
address. You'll be pleasantly surprised that many of these shops have
access to the parts they need and are staffed by expert technicians, so
that maybe, just maybe, your treasured Xbox can be fixed. Goodbye
dreaded DRE. Hey, now you've got sound -- power is back -- video has
returned -- your controller is responding. Once again, all is right
with your world, or at least your Xbox.

Jeff Gasner is with CPR-Cell Phone repair. The leader in Cell Phone
Repair and iPod repair offering cell phone repair services nationwide.
To learn more about cell phone repair, ipod repair, cell repair services visit Chicagocellrepair.com.