4th gen. Ipod possibly dead...

[KnockoutNed]

ive had this thing for about 3/4 years and a couple of days ago it started fucking up, it started skipping any song i tried to play til it got to the point where it wouldnt play anything. i connected it to itunes and it said it was corrupted and i needed to reformat it, so clicked OK but it wouldnt let me saying that it couldnt do it. so now when i turn this piece of shit on it shows a folder symbol and makes a fucked up whirring sound, and i guess itunes isnt recognizing it anymore when i plug it into the usb cord.

Fuck, maybe this thing is just too old... im not really down to go pay to get it fixed either.
anyone deal with anything like this?

[mr. otsu]

did you update itunes recently?  I had a 4th gen that died a year ago in the exact same way, due to the software updating (nice work, apple).  sent it for repairs because it was under warranty, and they just gave it back in the exact same condition. 

there's a couple of hints and tips online if you keep getting an "Error 1394" message. try googling that, then be prepared to rip your hair out because your ipod's pretty much toast. good luck.