Yeah, Fraps cool mate! In my opinion 1500 hours isn't good enough quality either though, manufacturers know some folks will put 10-12 hour shifts in on these things several days a week - they need to be made to withstand that, as every other console past & present seems to be able to manage it without excessive problems. I think I must have a few years on you - been a gamer since the late 70's/early 80's (lot less time for it these days hence the light hours in playtime!) and never had to use a warranty or send in for repairs any game device I've had. The sheer number of these things breaking (even taking into account the medium of the internet for information sharing which obviously wasn't viable in the not too distant past) is pretty damn staggering, and seems far in excess of any other console/games machine problems. My mistake on xbox360.com - it's xbox 360 gamer.com (link to the survey below): The Xbox 360 Hardware Failure Survey // Xbox 360 Gamer Magazine Online The 2nd link here is to a break down of the results of the survey: The Xbox 360 Hardware Failure Survey // Xbox 360 Gamer Magazine Online Yeah Peter Moore is the guy who wrote the open letter about the 3 year warranty for the 3 red light general hardware failure that seems to be taking most of the consoles down: Xbox.com | Open Letter From Peter Moore Hope you get yours sorted and it's a new one with the new chipset, and not some refurbished bit of tat that's been round the block more times than a London cab!

Hi Albino I'd agree that Microsoft deserves a kick in the fiscals over this, afterall it's their mistakes not GAME's, but unfortunately it seems the way the law works punishes the consumer in terms of hassle and the store financially, not the manufacturer. 17 months and yeah this is the first problem, played fairly lightly - maybe around 6-8 hours a week at a guess (and never usually in longer sessions than 2 hours to prevent overheating). The even more annoying thing is it's kept in an open space on all sides, totally dust free and really well looked after, so I know it's nothing I've done to the thing. I'm not so sure as to the theory of game time played however as there are many examples to be found of the 3 light general hardware failure occurring on brand new machines - personally I just think they were made hurriedly and cheaply, and design flaws weren't spotted. If you check xbox360.com (from memory) they did a huge survey on it of thousands of people, and some folks were on their double figures of machines owned as Microsoft send refurbished units to replace the broken one sent in by the customer, so there's a good chance the already repaired machine will break down much more quickly. Plain fact is (as intimated by the letter from Microsoft about the warranty) is that earlier versions of this console were badly made. The problems all seem to develop, from what I've read, due to poor insulation of the heat sink and a chip set that works too hot for the fans to cope with (hence the hoover-like sound effects when the damn things are switched on!). The new smaller 65nm Falcon chip set should (in theory!) help alleviate some of these problems.

Hi folks, total noob to the forums here, but after googling found this thread and thought I'd pass on my ongoing experience. Firstly, thanks for the folks who've offered good advice so far, as without it I'd have gone straight to Microsoft for a replacement for my product under the terms of 3 year warranty, rather than using the Sale of Goods Act. My 360 got the general hardware failure last night (it's 17 months old), so having read the stuff here I phoned GAME where I bought it, who refused to replace it saying it wasn't their problem and I should send it to Microsoft (this was even after I pointed out the Sale Of Goods Act). I wasn't satisfied so phoned Head Office who initially stated yes I'm in the right - the store should have replaced it, but after Head Ofice spoke to the store they then changed their minds and quoted the "it's past our 1 year guarantee" line that the store of purchase had also spouted out. Again I pointed out they were quite clearly breaching the Sale Of Goods Act and my statutory rights, but this made no difference to their stance. So, I've just phoned the Trading Standards folks who tell me I'm categorically in the right - my contract of sale was with GAME, not Microsoft, and to place in writing (keeping a copy for myself) via Recorded Delivery my grievances both to the store of purchase and GAME Head Office. They also told me to quote the "Satisfactory quality, free from defects and fit for purpose" part of the Sale of Goods Act as the product quite clearly isn't. I've to allow them 5 working days upon receipt of the letter to resolve this dispute to my satisfaction, or call Trading Standards back and they'll advise on what to do next and how to take things further. Also, Trading Standards told me to write to my Credit Card company with whom the purchase was made and let them know of the dispute, and to quote Section 75 Consumer Credit Act which places joint responsibility on financial recompense with both them and GAME, should a replacement 360 not be forthcoming. The letters are going in the post first thing in the morning, so I'll keep folks here informed as to how it pans out. Cheers!