Link an Xbox 360 and PC

If you do have a wireless network at home, it’s possible to buy an adapter for the 360 allowing it to connect wirelessly.

This is handy if you don’t want to spoil the look of your house by trailing network cables all over the place.

The Xbox 360 wireless adapter costs £60. The other alternative to conventional network cables is powerline networking, or Homeplug.

A device such as the Devolo dLAN 200 AVdesk plugs into a normal electricity socket and uses the mains cabling in your home as an alternative to separate network cables.

If your PC and and Xbox 360 are in the same room, it’s simplest to run a network cable, supplied with the console, to connect directly to the computer or a router if you have one.

The cheapest version of the console costs £199, while the Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a larger hard disk and a high-definition TV connection, costs £299. Both versions can do everything described in this article.

Impressive... but not perfect
The Xbox 360, impressive as it is, isn’t without its problems ­ chiefly, it’s susceptible to a serious fault, commonly known as the‘red ring of death’. That’s because it’s indicated by three flashing red lights in a ring around the power button on the front of the console.

This is a manufacturing fault, and indicates that the console is beyond repair ­ but Microsoft will replace any console affected by the problem. Any consoles that are replaced after the red ring will receive another three years’ warranty.

The same ring of lights can show other errors: four lights means there’s an audio or video problem, such as a cable being unplugged, while two lights indicates that it’s overheating.

The internal fans of the console noisily expel a lot of the heat generated by the electronics, so it’s crucial to make sure the Xbox 360 is in a well-ventilated spot. If it does overheat, unplug it and leave it for 10 minutes or so before switching it back on.

Finally, the disc drive in the console can scratch game discs or DVDs when they’re being played, so it’s vital never to move the Xbox 360 while it’s in use. If the console is in standby or switched off, it should be safe to move it.