i have one, one of the "new" systems, and i have had the red light in the ring of light. though it wasn't a "normal" problem. i can't stand how fucking hot the damn system runs, so i bought the pelican fan-stand, and the nyko intercooler. stupid 360 runs so damn hot that after a while of taking oblivion out of it's box, putting it in the 360, and taking it out to put it back in the box, the disc developed two cracks in the middle around the center hole. i didn't think anything of it, just tried to be even more careful with it. i'm playing the game one day and the game play starts to skip, get choppy, music turns off, and then freezes and goes blank. at that moment i'm saying wtf. i take the disc out and there's a little burn mark (kinda like how oil looks in water) going from one of the cracks from the center of the disc halfway through the disc along with it being cracked. i looked at it, sat down on my bed for a minute then almost threw my 360 across the room. i don't know if this has anything to do with heating the disc up, but obviously the was in the vertical position with the stand. this also happened after i took the ic off... which i will talk about now...
anyway, i guess since the fan-stand and intercooler run off of the 360's own power it was messing with the system and i would get the red light and error screen immediately on start up. if you've ever heard the extra noise the ic fans make, you know how loud it is. when turning the system on the ic fans automaticly turn on with the system, and after awhile i noticed a "ticking" noise coming from them and not it's normal sound, so i figured it was something electrical. bad connection, short, etc. it wasn't heat being built up, cause that thing moves a ton of air out of the 360. i threw the fan-stand and ic away, and i haven't had a problem since. supposedly the reviews for the ic are really good and no problems for anybody yet, well besides me lol. i may have had a defective ic, i don't know. i'd like to try one again though as it does move a hell of a lot of air out of the 360, and there is a noticeable difference in the game disc's temperature.
fyi, the red lights will actually tell you what is wrong with your system. just like the controllers, there will be a red light in the "ring of light" corresponding to a certain controller position. 1,2,3, or 4. i forgot what problem correspondes to what number, but you can look it up on the xbox webite, or it could be in the manual. 1 is a power connection/connection problem. 2 is either a general hardware failure, or it is a complete hardware failure. 3 is overheating. 4 is also either a general hardware failure, or it is a complete hardware failure. i forgot which one it was for 2 and 4. if you get 2 or 4 you'll need to call microsoft.
btw, i got # 3 when i got the redlights, but this was also right at start up when the system was sitting docile for hours and cool... if i get the red light again, i'll be sending it to microsoft, or getting a new one from where i bought it through the extra warranty i bought for it, but as of now all is good, no problems. oh, and i keep my system well vented. it's on a hardwood desk and there is nothing within a 2 foot radius of it from all sides. i also keep the power supply vented and off of the floor. i have it resting on two dumb bells, lol. supposedly the pwer supply is what overheats the system... so the rumor says.
hth some of you.
