iphone 3g home button not working!

I'm afraid it sounds like you'll be making a trip to a Genius Bar!

Do the usual restart (power off slider) and reset (hold down both sleep and home buttons, ignore the red slider).

Can you even perform a reset seeing as your home button isn't working?

I'm afraid it sounds like you'll be making a trip to a Genius Bar!

Don't mention the Windex, btw

Before you take a trip to an Apple store: hook your iPhone up to a computer, *make sure you have internet access and cell phone reception,* then click Restore (can be found by clicking Natabarb's iPhone in iTunes. Restore is a large button.) *Please note that this will take a WHILE.*

If the problem persists then take it to the nearest Apple Store.

I have exactly the same problem! It suddenly occured last night. I am stuck in the telephone menu. When I press the sleep button it will go into standby modus, and the home button will wake the phone up again, but from there on the home button will not take me back to the home menu.
Plugging it in to my mac normally will give me a bleep, notifying me that i am charging my phone. Althoug it will confirm the syncing, it doesn't seem to charge...
I will try to reset it now 😟

I just tried rimshaker's advice and it worked like a charm. Hold down the silver power button and the home button at the same time until the screen goes all black. Wait a moment and redo the same procedure until the screen turns on again (it will take a little time, but under a minute)

I was having the same problems described. My screen was stuck on phone, the touch screen bit would work, but the home button would not take me back to the home screen. Interestingly, the home button, when clicked twice, would take me to my "recent contacts" as the settings dictated.

Good luck and thanks rimshaker for the top shelf advice.

man oh man...looks like i'm not the only one..

my problems started just a couple minutes ago...it worked fine this morning, but now i have to give it a much more firm push to get it to work....

should a restore through itunes work?

I just wanted to say thank you for this topic and the answers people gave. I was freaking out after my precious baby dropped, bottom first, into an inch of water. I turned it off immediately and let it dry over night, and when I turned it on this morning, everything was fine, but for the home button not working. I didn't even think to reset it, seeing as how you need to press the home button. But I just gave it a try and viola! It worked! Now it's in just as good of condition as before, minus the bottom water damage indicator being red.