And no: This isn't a "fanboy" thread.

I'm having big problems with my 360:

It started with GTA 4: The console used to play the game just fine, but after a while, it started to make some very concerning noises. The noise of the disc drive reading the disk suddenly stopped, and this was immediately followed by a loud scraping sound. The next noises I heard were a series of "ticking" noises, and after a certain amount of "ticks" (the same every time), the console would either crash, or display a message along the lines of "Disc Unreadable - It may be dirty or damaged".

This happened on several occasions and eventually I started to notice that the console was scratching the previously perfect condition disc, leaving deep scratches in perfect part circles around the disc (the sort of scratch you couldn't possibly make yourself without specifically intending to (and using the right equipment)).



This got to the stage where the disc appeared to be badly scratched and the console wouldn't even get past the loading screen.

(even more)

Now, this problem hadn't been occurring with any of my other games, so I took a chance and bought a new disc. Same story.

(p*** starting to simmer!)

The console has now started to display the same read errors with other games (Forza 2, Vegas 2)...I don't want it to wreck another £100 worth of games to add to the £70 it's already managed!

(you get the message)

I have contacted MS support and am awaiting a response...but honestly I don't trust them to find a solution. If they don't, I'm not spending any more money on 360s or associated products, that's for sure (I'd rather spend the money on my car than another console)!

This is a "heads-up", and something to refer to, for any of you that suffer from this problem.

Has anyone else had similar experiences (and please can you help if you have)?

Cheers,

Clive