[Suedama]

I'm very distressed. I babied this thing since the day I got it. Barely a scratch. Then I dropped it onto a hardwood floor from a distance of about 2-3 feet and the thing went to the canvas like an overage fighter with a glass jaw.

From what I've read, it's a waste of time sending it to Apple for repair. They will essentially charge you more for the repair than you could buy a newer unit for. However, I've heard that there are some 3rd party repair companies. Does anyone have any experience/recommendations for repair or do I now own a pretty paperweight? Thanks.

 

[BigFil]

Have you tried to do a reset or a full system restore? Also, when did you purchase it? The reason I ask is because there would still be a good number of 3G iPods that are still under the 1 yr warranty.

 

[Suedama]

Thanks for the reply, BigFil.

I have tried a reset, but to no avail. I haven't tried a full system restore. I'll try that next.

By the way, when I try a reset, the screen shows a caution icon (triangle with exclamation point in it) and what looks like a file folder icon. I'm assuming that this is some sort of disk error warning.

My 3rd gen iPod was one of the early ones, it is more than 1 year old (sigh). From what I've read the warrranty doesn't cover damage anyway, only defects in material/workmanship.

I'll let you know what happens with the system restore.

 

[labrat]

Deleted.

 

[Suedama]

labrat:

Strangely, the disk spins up, but the unit will not boot. In fact, the disk will not stop spinning until the battery goes dead.

I tried a complete system restore, but my computer would not recognize the iPod.

I popped the case open, disconnected the battery and the hard drive and popped it back together, but still the same. (It was surprisingly simple to do that, by the way. The worst part was popping the case open.) Whatever the issue, I think you are correct. It probably is the hard drive.

So, is it worth repairing? I would appreciate any suggestions. At this point, the battery has never been replaced, so I am probably looking at both a new battery and a new hard drive.

Thanks.

 

[zhenya]

It looks like ipodmechanic.com will replace your drive with a 40gb for 195.00 installed. That's a lot better deal than $400 for a new 40gb model. I don't have any experience with them, but they look like the real deal. I'm sure some more searching on your part could dig up some user reviews.

 

[labrat]

Deleted.

 

[Suedama]

lebrat:

I'll give that a try tonight when I get home. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Suedama]

Ok. I'm here running the diagnostics. All of them run, but the HDD (hard disk drive) diagnostic test doesn't stop. The disk has been spinning for an hour with the "HDD SCAN" showing. It's probably hung up. I understand that the diagnostic test of the HDD is supposed to last "several minutes" and return a result that says either "HDD PASS" or "HDD FAIL." At this point, it looks like hope is sinking. Maybe I'll let the test run all night. That way the test will either finish or the HDD will burn out.

So, is it worthwhile to pick up a new hard disk drive or should I just carry this thing around as a status symbol?

Thanks.

 

[yyoo]

Why don't you try a standard disk recovery utility?

 

[mightymouse]

I think it looks like hardware failure or something's gone fried in there. No use trying to reboot and restart all the firmware crap.

 

[labrat]

Deleted.

 

[Suedama]

Thanks to all for the help and advice. By the time I spend almost $200 on a new HDD and another considerable amount on a new battery I would be better off getting a new unit. I'm staying away from the iPod, though. I've got too many gripes about it. The fact that it not durable is just another on a long list of gripes.

 

[labrat]

Deleted.

 

[Embio]

this is why minidiscs are such a better idea