The "breaking point" on my 30gb was around 5000 songs. I had no clip art, no podcasts, video or pictures so I could maximize the amount of music I could put on. Itunes did an "upgrade" and I was no longer able to not have the clip art so I decided to upgrade to the 120gb. I have about 36gb on it now but also backed up all my pictures onto it. I figure the 120Gb should do me for at least another couple of years.

It worked!!! Fixed it for $6.

Good deal. Now that you know what's in it, you'll want to mod it.

Glad to see that it all worked out. The classics really are easy to work on. The iphone and ipod touch models... I'm hoping that the battery on my touch never needs servicing but after a year and a half of heavy daily use I'm starting to wonder if it's starting to slip

Err, nope.

The "Classic" is the marketing term for the current model of iPod, the 6th Generation, and they're an absolute bear to open thanks to Jobs getting ****y about folks replacing their own batteries/upgrading/repairing etc.

Takes about 20 minutes to get the back off even if you have another back cover and don't care about the one that's one there. Forget using a plastic/nylon spudger, even Apple's. You need a knife, like a jeweller's watch back knife.. I would advise modifying the new cover you fit to remove the "sargouphogus" clips

The "Video" was available in 3 models 30G (5th Generation) and 60G/80G (5.5 Generation; brighter LCD, more RAM buffer == less disk accesses).

These are the ones that are really easy to work on. People say that the Video models actually have better sound than the Classic (I can't hear the difference), and I do know that the click-wheel on the Classic (yes, it's different, even though it looks almost identical) won't detect motion through a silicon skin or through your pocket. The 240Gb upgrade for the Video models does work very, very well.

I used to work on Classics all the time. Mostly 3rd-5.5th gen (4th was most common) and they never gave me trouble. Never needed to do a repair on a 1st or 2nd so no comment on those.

I agree on the plastic tools though - they never worked well for me. I normally used a lockblade knife with a dull blade and it worked like a charm.

Those are NOT Classics. 6th Gen is a Classic. Nothing before 6th Gen is called a Classic by the people that make them. 4th Gen is a Photo IIRC, 5/5.5 gen is a Video.

Technically that's true. I've played around with these things too long... mentally I think of anything HD-based as a classic in the sense that it's got a hard drive, may or may not display video, subject to the same failure modes, acts as a portable hard drive and for me anyway I can crack open. The newer models I have zero experience with - nobody has asked me to fix theirs.

That was really my first mistake... replacing a hard drive on a 3rd gen a while back. Then word got out that this guy knows how to fix ipods and then they started coming out of the woodwork.

I must be an old fart, I do not even have one.

Enjoy more going home and turning on a nice stereo. Have seen too many people walking around with head-phones in their ears and not paying attention to what is going on around them and getting hurt or worse...

I told my daughter I fixed my ipod phone jack and she said her's was dodgie as well. I told her I'd try and fix it. She gives it to me and the screen is totally gone, she says she's just been letting it play whatever since she can't see the screen. So I ordered a new screen and jack and put them in for $15 total. She thinks it's pretty cool that her old "Dad" fixed her iPod. I wouldn't want to open a side business doing that, those screws are really tiny. Half the time spent fixing it was trying to get the tiny screws onto the jewelers screwdriver. The rest was easy.

Don't know about what generation these are, but mine is 4 or 5 years old, 30Gb, daughter's about the same vintage. I ordered the jack for my daughters on ebay and it was $1, plus $2.49 shipping from Hong Kong, and it works. How can you sell anything, let alone a precision electronic piece for a buck. And yes, the postage said $2.49.