I second what freer said, we have been using them for years and have never had one burn out. I have also never had one make noise. They are dimmer when they're first turned on, but then get to be the standard brightness after a minute or so to warm up. It sounds like you just got a bad bulb.

BTW, Home Depot disposes of them for free. Just bag it up and take it to them and it's all taken care of for you.

Renee