FYI - If the "MicroDrive" in your iPod mini ever fails, you can replace it with a standard Compact Flash card (and replace the battery too if it's old). The IBM MicroDrive (sometimes made by Seagate) uses the same connector as CF card.
I have one (same blue color or slightly lighter shade) that I just modified. It was barely used by previous owner, so it looks almost new. In my case, I used an SD card to CF card adapter. It has a 64GB SDXC card made by Sony. I thought I might be pushing the old tech too much going from 4GB to 64GB, but it works perfectly. No issue with doing the Restore to set it up, and then syncing my complete 50GB+ iTunes music library.
The hardest part is not messing up the plastic end pieces while opening it. I used this repair guide at iFixit
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPod+Mini+Hard+Drive+Replacement/412
but the picture shown using a small flat-head screwdriver to pry off the plastic piece (without damage) is total "fantasy." I did not try it until I bought a tool from OWC called iSesamo. Then, it was easy to pry off those pieces without causing ugly damage.