March 10^th, 2006 (4:22pm) - As reported on the Xbox.com forums, certain Xbox 360 owners have been complaining of a series of system malfunctions. These issues reportedly arrive after downloading the latest system update. The following details the situation as one subscriber put it:

"Essentially, after performing the update, the 360 will freeze randomly and usually within 5 minutes. This will occur either within a game, or just sitting at the Dashboard. It also occurs whether you have a Hard Drive attached or not, indicating that the Update modifies your system BIOS in some way. If you have not performed the Update yet I strongly recommend that you hold off until Microsoft at least addresses the issue openly. I have spoken with some people very high up within the Live Service and they are looking into it as we speak, but nothing has been publicly stated yet, so at this time there is no resolution if it happens to you, other than to send your unit back to Microsoft for a replacement.

Unfortunately, I am one of the people who has been affected by this issue. Below is my ongoing story in how the issue started, and where I am with Microsoft regarding the entire issue.

I purchased a 360 on release day here in the USA, and have been playing it constantly since then... I have never had a single freeze up or issue with my system at all, and I keep both the Power Brick and System very well ventilated. This past Sunday I logged on and was greeting with a message that there is a mandatory update for Live, and that I am unable to log onto Live until I perform the Update. I let it go through the process of updating, and once the system rebooted, it immediately froze when hitting the Live Dashboard. Subsequent reboots resulted in the entire unit freezing within 5 minutes.

When I attempted to call Technical Support at 4-My-Xbox he told me the update had NOTHING to do with the issue, and that it was nothing more then ’pure coincidence’. I have not had a single issue in the 4 months I have had the unit. Not a single freeze, glitch, or lock up. Immediately after I do a required update and the unit won’t even boot without freezing in moments.

The update killed my 360. Plain and simple.

At this point in time I have had no choice but to mail my 360 back to Microsoft. Ironically, when I purchased the 360, I also purchased a ’Service Plan’ through that company, so that if I had any issues I could exchange it without question. Unfortunately, due to Microsoft’s inability to supply the consoles 4 months after release, they had no available replacements, so sending it back to Microsoft was my only option.

The good news is that because I have had several issues regarding Live, and have been fairly vocal about them, I have been able to get in direct contact with some very high up people within the Xbox Live Service, so they are aware that this is happening and are working towards a resolution. The bad news is that they needed my system in order to investigate. But hey, I’ll make the sacrifice for all my fellow gamers. You guys owe me BIG ;)

However, in the future, once any type of Update is released via Live, my plan of action is to refuse the Update, and spend a few days combing the Xbox.com forums to see how users are affected and proceed accordingly.

Caveat Emptor (Latin for ’Let the Buyer Beware’)"

So 360 owners, will you risk it like I have in persuit of further Live gaming? As of this writing no official comment has been made by Microsoft. Good luck and keep it tuned to Gamersmark for more details.