Loading problems on 360

[despotofmidnor]

My xbox has been fine for the past 2 and a half years but recently its like it can't load the games properly.
For example let's take skate 2. The screen constantly freezes at certain points, I'm guessing these are the points wgere a new map regeon would begin, but most of these points are on the best lines rendering the ga£e usless as I can't do most of the challenges as halfway through a trick it freezes and starts again when I land.
Then on fallout3 its constantly stoping and starting and loadinginto new areas takes noticably longer than it ever used to.
Any thing I can do about it? Should I take it up with microsoft, though its now out of warrenty? Don't wana get shafted for a repair cost that I shouldn't have to pay for!
(I mean I play my nes atleast once a week and its still fine! So why can't an xbox with its '10 year plan' do the same)

 

[Turbo-G]

Are you playing your games off the HD or off the disc? If the latter, perhaps try clean the laser with a cleaning disc.

 

[despotofmidnor]

Playing off the disk. Where would I get a cleaning disk from? And how does it get dirty :-S
I'm one of those ppl who never touch the under sided of disk, its a crime lol.

 

[peahead]

Hi

Have you tryed copying the game to the 360 hard drive try it and see if the problem still happens if it doesnt then it looks like the dvd drive is on its way out cant see it being a dirty laser but you never now.

 

[despotofmidnor]

I don't have the space on my hdd atm I wil try amd make some room and try it, obv I wil only be able to do this to find what's wrong, can't keep games on there

 

[DreXeL]

Your laser is probably dyeing. You can get replacement lasers fairly cheaply (~£10), and they are dead easy to fit.