IPod Touch Power Button Issue?

Question

I have an 8GB 1st Generation iPod Touch (The one without the camera, power button on the left side instead of the right, yada yada yada). I've had it since Christmas, and it's run perfectly well, until yesterday. I began to notice that the power button (the small button at the top) was sticky. Not stuck, but simply sticky. Instead of having to tap it and add a slight pressure to get it to turn on, turn off, lock, ect, I now have to push down so hard that it leaves imprints on my fingers, not to mention that it doesn't always respond, as if it's jammed, and if I'm not very persistent it will lock, but not turn off. I have to try three or four times to turn it off using the power button, though occasionally the screen will flicker like I'm hitting the button multiple times. It's not like the button is stuck - I can still use it, but it's sticky. I was wondering if there is any solution that doesn't require sending my iPod in?
If you need any further explanation feel free to let me know, I'll be willing to tell you. Sending my iPod in isn't a problem really, though if there's a simple fix that I'm not aware of (seeing as this is my first iPod) I'd be much more willing to keep it here.

Answer 1

Hi,
I have an 32G 2nd generation iPod touch with a problematic on/off button, and I'm not sure this is a physical problem at all.
My touch worked perfectly well until the version 3.0 update, and then I started having problems with the on/off "wake/sleep" button.
I often have to take 3 or 4 attempts to turn the screen off, and then when it does turn off it comes back on again with the "red bar" to switch it off. This is only supposed to happen when you purposely hold down the on/off button, but it does it when it feels like it now!
Like I said, it worked perfectly well on the version 2.0 software, but you couldn't possibly get into DFU mode to return it to version 2 because holding onto the button no longer seems to get the "red" bar to come up, so I've no idea where I am with it! It drives me nuts, but I'm almost positive it's an issue with the software.
Yes, I've tried a restore on several occasions, and turning it off and on so many times I can't count, but the problem never goes away!
I've asked Apple several times to deal with the issue, but they've had at least 6 attempts now, and nothing has been done about it. My Touch will now be stuck on 4.1 forever as I can't get iTunes 10, because I have an old mac that's on 10.4.11.
I'll have to live with it as it is, as I can't afford to upgrade, and I don't want to anyway because it works perfectly well, EXCEPT for this one annoying issue.