This is a dealbreaker for me - since my 605 battery died and I broke the thing trying to replace it myself. I really need a replacement, I've been going mad with just a rubbish ipod nano to use!

You could have damaged the motherboard, as with mine, which is a goner

I've just managed to kill my 160gb 605 while attempting to replace the battery and was wondering about the 7 as a replacement. I'm not sure about the portability of the 7 though as it does seem a lot bigger and heavier than the 605. My main reason for thinking of the 7 is the fact that it's got a ...

Well my boss finally gave it a go for me - and now my Archos is no more. Apparently it was all working and everything, but when he tried to put it back together he knocked some soldered bits off the motherboard or something and can't fix it and so that's that. £20 down the drain and now I guess I ...

That is really silly. I always left mine charging overnight. Or it would charge itself fully while I was watching something on my telly and therefore needed it in the dock! I guess if I manage to get a new battery in it I'll make an effort not to leave it on there.

I've actually found someone willing to do it as long as I absolve him of all responsibility if goes horribly wrong! I think £15.90 for a new battery instead of £72.72 minimum is edging me towards that idea!

Yeah, I saw the thread on that and it's way out of my capabilities and I don't know anyone who could do it either, sadly.

Got a reply and the estimate is £72.72, though that's just an example and it could be different.

They also included the following suggestion:

With general charging and general use, it is in your interest to recharge the unit "prematurely".

Sometimes the battery on your unit needs to be ...

I've just sent an email to [url=mailto://rma-uk@archos.com]rma-uk@archos.com[/url] asking that very question. I enquired on the Archos website and got a response telling me to email that address - but I forgot until your reply reminded me

When/if I get a reply, I'll post on here.

Oh dear this seems way too scary and complicated for me but my battery's down to about half an hour's life on videos and I can't afford a replacement. Anyone know anywhere in the UK (preferably London) that will do this for me for cheap?

I've had mine nearly two years, since they came out, and my battery's suddenly down to about half an hour of use before giving up. But I've never turned it off while charging - I've never even found that possible!

I've just found this by accident and was also wondering if anyone here's tried it.

I've had my 160GB 605 for over a year now and had no problems.

As someone else has mentioned, you're more likely to get disgruntled users on a forum like this.

To address certain points in speenth's post below, I've had none of the major problems described, the paint hasn't come off at all and ...

I just use notepad. Just type in the file path of each music file (relative to where you save the playlist file) and save with a .m3u extention.

Whenever I've tried to create a playlist straight on the 605 it takes ages and then somehow wipes it all and I have to start again! Could never get WMP ...

First, make sure you are using the latest version of the firmware. Second, do a complete power down and restart. If that didn't fix it, then go to the menu on the main screen, then settings, then system. Now go to repair and formatting tools, and press clear temporary system files and cache. One of ...

Wow, thanks for that, I shall give it a go.

Really? Which one are you using? I couldn't figure it out!

It comes with a cable and a variety of different cable ends for various mp3 players, phones, etc. None of them seem to fit the Archos 605 as far as I can tell though.

They have them in stock now but haven't posted them out yet due to the postal strikes. I'm lucky enough to live nearby so I picked mine up on my way home today. I'll post a review once I've had a better look at it.

I don't have my 605 yet but from what I hear it (and possibly the battery dock) charges from a mini usb port, this cable:

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=401J&SearchType=1&SearchTerms=usb+to+usb+mini&PageMode=3&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0
The unit itself doesn't ...