iPod My 40Gb Ipod just shows Apple logo after using in disk mode.

[iHateMacs]

Hi. I was using an old 40Gb Ipod as a bootable external Firewire drive on my Powerbook.

Now I have finished using it for that I wanted to use it as an ipod again. On the Mac there was an option to restore to factory setting. That seemed to work find and the normal ipod menu appeared on the ipod.

Trouble is, I only use the ipod on my PC and when I plugged it into that, it complained that it was formatted for Mac. I thought an ipod was an ipod.

Anyway, I used the restore function on the PC itunes. It seemed to be working then it said it failed.

Now the Ipod just sits there with the Apple logo and I can hear the hard drive spinning. I can reset it by holding MENU and PLAY, but it just flashed and comes back to the Apple logo.

I can plug it into either the PC ot the Mac and neither of them recognise it at all.

What can I do? How can I get to a stage where I can reformat it?

I can't even turn it off. I have to leave it until the battery goes flat

EDIT: I have looked at the 5R's on the Apple site but my ipod is not even listed. I think mine is the 2nd generation. It's certainly not the first one they made, but it's the one before he click wheel one. If it has the intelligence to show the apple logo and to reset with MENU & PLAY then it can't be totally beyond fixing you'd think.

 

[iHateMacs]

Is this the end of it then? I just toss it in the bin? I can't believe it's scrap. If it IS then I have completely lost faith in Apple hardware.

 

[atszyman]

Based on your one before the click wheel description you have a third Generation iPod. I have a 4G Click wheel 40 GB that dies at least once a week.

If you're adventurous you can do what I do and pop the case and either disconnect and reconnect the battery (little white connector) or unplug and reseat the HD, or both.

After doing one or both of those things I usually manage to squeeze about 3-7 more days out of it until it locks up again. Sometimes it'll come back with everything intact, sometimes it needs a restore after doing those to it but it's usually functional for a time after my surgeries.

Hopefully it'll make it for another year or so when I'm due for my next contract hike with AT&T and I can replace it with a third or fourth generation iPhone.

At this point I can almost pop the case open with my bare hands. I still need some sort of prying device, a screwdriver if I'm at home or work, my keys work in a pinch when it acts up at the gym. Disassembling an iPod while walking on the treadmill isn't the most ideal repair spot but I figure it's going to completely die one of these days anyway.

 

[iHateMacs]

Thank you. I will give that a try at the weekend. I just hope I can open the case without marking it

 

[atszyman]

Thank you. I will give that a try at the weekend. I just hope I can open the case without marking it

You'll get over it after about the third time you have to do it. I've realized that my iPod is on it's last legs, it's just a matter of how long I can stretch its usefulness. It won't be worth anything to anyone when it dies so I can live with a few case scratches until I can get an iPhone next year...

 

[jona2d]

You'll get over it after about the third time you have to do it. I've realized that my iPod is on it's last legs, it's just a matter of how long I can stretch its usefulness. It won't be worth anything to anyone when it dies so I can live with a few case scratches until I can get an iPhone next year...

Actually, it's worth 10% of a new iPod if you take it to an Apple store and use their recycling program.

I took my 20 GB click wheel w' dock connector and they gave me 10% off my new Ipod Nano for recycling it.

Btw, mine did the same thing as described and even when popping the case as mentioned mine never came back from that state. Just make sure when you pop the case you are careful, if you want to use their recycling program it has to look 'untouched' to their eyes.

 

[01jamcon]

Is this the end of it then? I just toss it in the bin? I can't believe it's scrap. If it IS then I have completely lost faith in Apple hardware.

Even if the hard drive is dead, how can you blame Apple? A 3rd generation iPod must have been bought around 2003-2004 making it 4-5 years old. You say you've used it as a firewire drive with your laptop, which tends to put more stress on the hard drive seeing as its being read more constantly and not using the music buffer. Most hard drives don't tend to last much longer than that in anything, so I think that the Apple-blaming is a bit harsh.

 

[atszyman]

Actually, it's worth 10% of a new iPod if you take it to an Apple store and use their recycling program.

I took my 20 GB click wheel w' dock connector and they gave me 10% off my new Ipod Nano for recycling it.

Btw, mine did the same thing as described and even when popping the case as mentioned mine never came back from that state. Just make sure when you pop the case you are careful, if you want to use their recycling program it has to look 'untouched' to their eyes.

Good information there, would that also apply to iPhones? Of course by next year they'll only be like $100 after subsidies are applied so avoiding the early termination fees by sacrificing $10 or so to keep my iPod running isn't such a bad deal.

 

[iHateMacs]

Even if the hard drive is dead, how can you blame Apple? A 3rd generation iPod must have been bought around 2003-2004 making it 4-5 years old. You say you've used it as a firewire drive with your laptop, which tends to put more stress on the hard drive seeing as its being read more constantly and not using the music buffer. Most hard drives don't tend to last much longer than that in anything, so I think that the Apple-blaming is a bit harsh.

It was only used for about 10 minutes as a bootable drive just to get me out of trouble.

It belongs to my father and it's had about 1% of the use that a teenager might have given it.

If I have to replace it then I will, but I can't see how it can be failing with so little use.

If I DO have to replace it, my only worry is getting one that will fit in his Bose amplified speakers. I don't know if any of the new models would be compatible.

 

[jona2d]

Good information there, would that also apply to iPhones? Of course by next year they'll only be like $100 after subsidies are applied so avoiding the early termination fees by sacrificing $10 or so to keep my iPod running isn't such a bad deal.

Yeah, I don't know how the recycling program might work with iPhones with that whole subsidy business going on. AT&T actually kinda sucks where I live, so until the Iphone is available on other networks (IF ever), I won't be switching even as badly as i want to, lol.

 

[iHateMacs]

I managed to get it open painlessly and without marking it. I took off the battery and left it for an hour. Plugged it back in and connected it to the PC.

It was exactly the same. Apple logo only and the PC cannot see it.

I took off the hard drive and tried it on the PC again like that. PC still didn;t see anything but at least the ipod screen was different. Apple logo for a few seconds then a folder icon with an exclamation mark on it.

Tried hard drive on it again and back to original Apple logo only.

Thinking I have nothing to loose, I connected it to the PC again without the hard drive. Got the folder icon again. Then I plugged the hard drive back while it was still powered up.

This time the screen changed to the tick, then to the no entry sign warning not to not disconnect and the PC saw it and said it needed formatting.

It's formatting as I type. It's taking ages. About 2 thirds the way in 25 minutes. The hard drive is hot so I am trying to keep it cool.

I hope it does some good when it's finished. It would only let me use NTFS. I don't know why the was not FAT32 option.

Fingers crossed.

EDIT *****************
After the format it was behaving the same. I took out the drive again and plugged it back while it was connected to the pc and powered up. Itunes displayed a message saying it's detected an ipod in recovery mode. First recovery failed because it said a file on the ipod was in use. Tried again. Waited for the ipod to reset itself like itues told me it would. It didn't so I forced a reset. The ipod started up again with the apple logo but this time a small progress bar was on the bottom. After that a quick flash of the normal ipod menus and then the no entry "do not disconnect" message itunes then asked me to name the ipod.

It seems to be working fine now. I have every confidence that it will continue to work.