AmesMUG: repair dead 4G iPod or new iPod Nano?

[Colin Wheeler]

Hello,

Well i think it's official, I turned on my iPod yesterday expecting  
nothing less than I do with it about every day. I started listening  
to podcasts before I go to sleep and got about 25 min in and then  
suddenly it stopped. Then I heard it... the dreaded hard drive  
clicking sound and after that it wouldn't respond to anything fast,  
it would always boot and occasionally you could move around in the  
menu but it was clear to me something was wrong with the hard drive.  
At least I don't believe i've ever heard it made consistent clicking  
sound before. I think im gonna stick it in the freezer overnight and  
make sure there isn't anything critical on there when I plug it in  
tomorrow (i don't believe there isn't anything on it that I don't  
have backed up onto my LaCiE 200GB Backup drive.) Thank goodness for  
backups :D

That said I am currently considering 2 options if the iPod can't be  
restored into it's former condition which I don't have high hopes for  
at the moment (1) I know there are professionals who will charge a  
small fee to put a new hard drive in it but so far the prices for  
this seem the same as the cost of a new iPod nano ( at least as I see  
here http://www.rapidrepair.com/shop/4g-ipod-hard-drives.html ) or  
(2) buy a new iPod nano. I know Apple is holding a event next  
Wednesday (i believe) in which they are expected to release new  
iPods, *Mr burns grin* almost seems too convenient.

So my question is assuming I decide to have the hard drive replaced  
what places would people recommend? I am holding off doing anything  
for now till Apples event next week, but for now I'm wondering what  
places anybody's used for iPod repair beyond sending it into Apple?

 From Colin Wheeler
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