Well, I can't answer all of your questions, but I can tell you this much - the empeg is much more stable, hardy and able to handle abuse than most machines or audio equipment I have played with. It is very much shockproof and has handled dropping and severe handling with a measure of grace. What you are seeing is far from the normal experience.

What kind of hard drive (brand / size) do you have in it? Has support gotten back to you yet?