potterboi , for the button problem, i would suspect a problem with the control pad's circuit board. The push buttons on the board itself might have poor soldering, causing the intermittent problems.
For the storage/playback problem, it is very hard to say, however, you can try a scandisk, guide here
http://www.mympxplayer.org/how-to-pe...rs-vt5595.html
If the problem still persists, it could be due to the memory chip getting old and showing signs of wear and tear.
But generally, these memory chips are quite robust, and you are more likely to sit on your player and break it, than the memory chip dying.