It's possible to get to the drive's connection... but to get to the motherboard end would require the breaking of the warranty seals, which could cause issues with the vendor. Although I'd recommend talking to the vendor before getting into the unit at all.

FireFox - you already have another empeg right? So in theory you could do a cable transplant for testing purposes?

I wonder if it's worth sending the vendor an email, telling him about the issue, and pointing him here. I really feel that the disk is probably fine, and the empeg just needs a little TLC to help it over it's jetlag. But the only way to be sure is to open it up and to break the warranty seals, which you don't want to do without the vendor's permission.

Another quick thought - when did you try this? Was it in a fit of excitement immediately after the unit arrived on your doorstep after spending 48hours in unheated trucks and warehouses? Have you tried again since the empeg has had a chance to warm up to room temperature?