Help Me Kill My XBOX 360 - White Vertical Lines & Screen Freezes Issue - DON'T REPAIR

[Mr.Faxanadu]

So here's the issue, I bought a Xbox 360 Elite just over a year ago. I've probably played less then 40 hours on it as my gamer score is only 1400 or so.

The other day my friend and I were playing Culdacept Saga when the game froze and white vertical lines appeared. A couple of day's later I was just in the arcade section when it froze again. Now it happens all the time.

This is what it looks like:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ey07/lines.jpg

I did some research and found that the video card is messed up and it has to be sent in for repair. Many people said it was the last thing they saw before the RROD.

HERE'S THE ISSUE -

I called the repair line and found that it will cost $99! I obviously asked about extended 3 yr repair at which point they told me it was only for RROD problems.

SO, I ask, is there anyway to get my machine to start RRODing? Or, have any of you had this problem and were able to find another solution?

I just can't see paying $100 more (it cost me $629 with tax and came with bonus controllers and battery packs) into such a crappy machine. I only used the thing sparingly... man, I can almost say it cost me $5 per game I've played