Xbox 360 Slim freezes with discs

This started a couple of weeks ago. I have a 3 year old 4gb Xbox 360 Slim with a 32gb USB. It has been overheating and freezing when I play games off of discs (Skyrim, Arkham Origins,NFS: Most Wanted,etc), usually 10-15 minutes after I've started playing.
After that, it's hot to the touch and I have to wait for it to cool down completely before it functions well.The ones installed in the memory unit and the USB run smoothly as well as any DVDs. Also, when I try to install the games from the discs, it'll get
to about 10% then a message pops up saying the disc is dirty and to try again. Cleaned discs and tried again, but no success.

I've cleared the system cache, put the Xbox in a well ventilated area, made sure there was no dust clogging the vents, looked around other forums on the interwebs and most of them tell me it's the thermal paste, but I'd rather not tamper with it.

So my question is, should I send it to Microsoft(don't have any warranty)? Or is there a way to fix this myself?

Thanks

:)

 

Are there any major freezing problems on 360?

80 + hours of skyrim

3 or 4 freezes

Xbox 360 Slim

 

Does your XBOX360 freeze?

I faced screen freeze problem 2 or 3 times, and it was because of the faulty game discs. But there are some other reasons that make your screen freeze while playing. Overheating is a most common reason. You may have a look in this article that explains it- Xbox Freezing Solutions.

I have posted a thread in how to's and tutorials forum that explains the solutions for screen freezing problems in details-- How to solve your Xbox 360 Screen Freeze Problem.

 

It does sound as though there is an issue with the heat sink inside the console that needs to be repaired. You can either send it in for repair or look into purchasing a new one.

http://myservice.xbox.com/