Well after a month and a half of pretty much problem free operation, some really wet days this week have resulted in the buttons playing up again.

Too much moisture in the air ?

Short circuit ?

I found a new 5Gb model with built in radio and remote for A$239 so ordered one - $130 cheaper than what I paid for my 1.5GB model 2 years ago.

For the old one - experiment time.

Might try the switch assembly in distilled water first and if that still doesn't work I might sell it for parts - the micro drive's were sought after at one stage.