The console was working fine for a year and a half, but over the last month it's been shutting down during games. The fan is roaring like crazy, but it takes forever to cool down. Is this a defect or am I doing something wrong?
Start by cleaning out the vents and internal channels. After a year and a half, dust builds up in there and clogs the heatsink, so the console can't cool down properly. Open up the casing (usually it's just clips), then go over the fans and heatsinks with a vacuum or compressed air. If that doesn't help, the problem might be the thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink - then you'd need to clean out the heatsink from the inside or replace the paste. But usually dust is the culprit.
Before you open it up, make sure you won't void the warranty. Opening the Series S case yourself is risky, and Microsoft doesn't take kindly to that. Try something simpler first: move the console to a well-ventilated spot away from walls and furniture, and make sure the vents on top aren't clogged with dust (just wipe them down with a damp cloth from the outside). If that doesn't help after a few days of gaming, then yeah, dust has built up inside and it needs cleaning, but you're better off taking it to a service center - they'll do it more carefully and without the risk of damaging something inside.
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