iRate at iPod

Okay, here's one someone out there might be able to help me with. I have a 160gb iPod classic that has more less been up to snuff since I procured it some year & change ago. Lately, however, when I try to connect to it my hard drive, I have a problem. When connected via the usual USB cable, it launches iTunes and appears on the desktop, but iTunes does not recognize it or acknowledge its existence. The iPod itself goes into "connected" mode and fleetingly shows the circling "synching" icon, but then quickly reverts back to simply "connected." As such, I'm not allowed to synch it with iTunes. Suffice to say, this is really pissing me off, being that I have an irrationally low tolerance for technology that inexplicably decides to fail me.

Just to cover all the bases, I reset the iPod. No dice. I re-booted my iMac and tried again. No dice. I used a different cable in a different USB port. No dice. I tried re-setting my iPod while connected. No dice. I put the iPod in "disc mode" and re-connected. No dice. I uninstalled and then re-installed iTunes on my iMac. No fucking dice.

After two days of all the above (and lots & lots grumbling), I called the Apple support line. The gent on the end of the phone dispassionately re-walked me through several of the steps above, still to an abject paucity of dice. Failing to solve the problem, he told me to make an appointment at the dubiously-titled "Genius Bar" at my local Apple store, wherein they could examine my iPod. Yeah, like I've got time to do that.

Anyone out there have any suggestions?