I have fixed my xbox numerous times from the RROD, and obviously, it is never permanent. I have had it running for a few hours on the dashboard screen. I know it will RROD almost immediately during gameplay.
What is the deal with that? Is this a normal RROD effect, or is it something more serious?
How are you fixing your 360? "Baking" (using the 360's fan to cool the CPU and overheat the GPU)? If so, you need to find a better method. Try w00ly's guide (heat gun). It works for most, and is relatively cheap. If all else fails, get a BGA reflow.
The reason the 360 is RRODing on you is because of the lead-free solder they use on the motherboard. Once it gets so hot, it either gets cold solder joints (cracks), or whiskers (bridged). If you follow w00ly's guide (video tutorial), you should be good to go. It doesn't work for everyone, but for most. Good Luck.
the xbox does't use a lot of graphical power when sitting on the dashboard... the GPU's really start to power up when you start playing games.... thats why it rrod when you play... because the GPU is running more, and getting waaaaay hotter, then like BillB said, the solder under the GPU starts to crack, or whisker.. causing rrod.
LOL @ 0102 error
Yea, my first X360 would RROD to 0102 all the time. The majority of the time when the console now falls into RROD and gives me the error 0102, it's usually just from being too hot. I keep this box opened up all the time, and the majority of the time while a game is running, the DVD Drive isn't even technically sitting in the XBox. Because it's not above any heatsinks, I find it helps keep the box cooler in general (with a lot more airflow).
ALSO, my mobo isn't screwed 100% into the metal box. I only have the screws in the front and back, firmly holding each port properly in place for the memory cards, USB, display output, power and ethernet/USB.
This box will probably continue to go in and out of RROD, but something you'll want to remember to do with this error is make sure you keep the mobo as flat as possible at all times, and ensure appropriate thermal paste is applied to all heatsinks.
