iPod dead, any ideas?

Mr. Flibble

My iPod won't start up anymore. At first it gave this then after a while it gave this and now nothing at all appears on the screen.
The computer doesn't recgonise the ipod when attached with USB or FW. I've tried resetting the iPod and starting it in disc mode but to no avail.

Its the 60GB photo model, abotu 2 years old.

Would taking the HD out and trying to reformat it be a good idea?

art

Mr. Flibble wrote:

Would taking the HD out and trying to reformat it be a good idea?

Hell no.

Have you left it charging for a few hours before doing a reset? Have you done a reset while the charger is still connected? When you start it in disk mode, have you tried using the restore option from the iPod updater?

Mr. Flibble

art wrote:

Have you left it charging for a few hours before doing a reset?

Yes

art wrote:

Have you done a reset while the charger is still connected?

Yes

art wrote:

When you start it in disk mode, have you tried using the restore option from the iPod updater?

It won't start in disc mode, it just went back to the sick ipod icon. Now nothing at all happens.

akaSol

Mr. Flibble wrote:

Yes
Yes
It won't start in disc mode, it just went back to the sick ipod icon. Now nothing at all happens.

Think your 'pod may be "forked". There is a place in Blanch that repaires them. About 100 bills for a new HDD and upgrade.

80GB video ipod - €379 in an Irish store......

Sol

Mr. Flibble

This is sad

CJackson

My iPod won't start up anymore. At first it gave this then after a while it gave this and now nothing at all appears on the screen.
The computer doesn't recgonise the ipod when attached with USB or FW. I've tried resetting the iPod and starting it in disc mode but to no avail.

Its the 60GB photo model, abotu 2 years old.

Would taking the HD out and trying to reformat it be a good idea?

Just been trying to sort my mates 20GB photo which has had exactly the same problem. Ive done literally everything in the support sites manual and still had no joy. Gonna bring it down to the Apple shop at lunchtime to see what they'll say.

Mr. Flibble

There is hope!

I opened up the ipod and disconnected the harddrive and realised that the connector on a 2.5" HD is different to the one on a 3.5" one so I put it back together. The next day I connected it with firewire one last time before dumping it and it worked. Weird.

UsedtobePC

I also have an iPod photo 60Gb with exactly the same problem. I found a place in Blanch recommended by the Apple website but they said they only do battery changes and, only if the iPod is in warranty which is not the case. They also said no one in Ireland fixes iPod cause it's too expensive. I'm gonna try the same as Mr Fibble and if it doesn't work am gonna be one pished off camper.

UsedtobePC

IT WORKED!

I opened the thing last night, played with it for a while, realised I don't know my 2.5 from my elbow, closed it again and tried to put it into disk mode... et voila! I don't know how long it will last.

Has anybody else tried it?

Mr. Flibble

UsedtobePC wrote:

IT WORKED!

I opened the thing last night, played with it for a while, realised I don't know my 2.5 from my elbow, closed it again and tried to put it into disk mode... et voila! I don't know how long it will last.

Has anybody else tried it?

I suspect we're having battery failures. After I got the iPod working again it didn't hold a charge for very long. Perhaps the ipod recgonises when the battery is dead and refuses to start up and disconnecting the HD just makes it forget that it knows this, for a while.
You'd think that it would still work when copnnected to a computer tho...humm.

Scuba_Scoper

I have had this same issue on 3 different iPods over the last couple of years. The first time I sent it back to Apple (out of warranty) and Apple sent me a new iPod. The bill was 119 euro.

Since then I have "looked after it" myself by opening the iPod, not really doing much but just checking the connectors and closing it up again. I find that if the iPod is completely discharged and not used for a while this problem can occur.

On both occassions the iPods were out of warranty and I was resigned to getting a Zen or something else but opening the iPod has solved the issue but totally blows any contract you have with Apple out the window me thinks.

So, Don't try this at home.

mrblack

I changed the battery on my 3yr old 4g ipod a few months ago after it was giving me similar problems. I bought the battery & special tools on ebay for about €20.

It works well now withy even better battery life than when it was new but occasionally won't connect to the pc when its plugged in.

For €20 its worth a try for an out of warranty ipod.

mrblack

patto_chan

Like the OP I have a 2 year old 60GB Photo iPod.
On Sunday while transferring music it froze and I kept getting the 'sad' iPod icon. No joy after reset or even in diagnostic mode.
So on Monday I opened it, disconnected the hard disk connector, cleaned out dust and hairs (it's amazing what can get in there), reconnected everything and put it back together.
And it's working perfectly again.

I have to admit this happened to me last year as well. I thought it was banjaxed or would need a costly repair so opened it out of curiosity only to find it started to work properly again after reassembly.

Weird.

Take care if you try to disassemble.

Mr. Flibble

Lol, maybe the whole failing battery scandel was just a case of mistaken identity and all they needed was a bit of taking apart and shaking!