iPod Ipod Mini

I'm getting that folder with a ? everytime I start up...

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Because there's no firmware on the new hard drive, since you replaced. When iTunes recognises it you'll need to restore, which will write the firmware. Afterwards you'll need to plug in to a wall charger before it will operate (weirdly).

Now I want to get it up and running, but even though my mac recognizes it, itunes doesn't.

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What do you get on the display? When mine's absolutely dead, it will take a while for it to turn on. Sometimes mine isn't recognised iTunes either (but is by Finder), just re-connect a couple of times.

if the battery is dead, you need to charge it up a bit before itunes will recognise it.

i bought a second hand first gen ipod mini, swapped out the hard drive for an SSD media card, and my macbook pro had no problems recognising it. it needed to be restored after the drive swap, but it connected just fine. all the very important information is hard-coded to the logic board.

i wish i had replaced the battery while i had it apart, though, as it only lasts a couple hours at best.

AdrianK said:

Afterwards you'll need to plug in to a wall charger before it will operate (weirdly).

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It depends: the first generation needed to do this, the second generation didn't.

If the iPod mini in question says [4 GB] or [6 GB] on the back, it's a second generation. Otherwise, it's a first generation.

Let the iPod charge for a little bit, then reboot it in disk mode. Your computer should then recognise it and mount it.

You say you got a new hard drive? Did you know that iPod minis can boot from CompactFlash cards? I've got two iPod minis (which is why I know so much about them) running with new batteries and 16GB CompactFlash cards. Since there's no moving parts with CompactFlash, the battery lasts a lot longer.

AdrianK said:

Afterwards you'll need to plug in to a wall charger before it will operate (weirdly).

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YanniDepp said:

It depends: the first generation needed to do this, the second generation didn't.

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i dont remember having to plug mine in after i replaced that hard drive? it was a while ago, so maybe i just dont remmeber.

njaremka said:

i dont remember having to plug mine in after i replaced that hard drive? it was a while ago, so maybe i just dont remmeber.

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Do you charge / sync your iPod over FireWire?

FireWire can provide up to 30V to devices, but USB can only provide 5V (according to the standard, which some manufacturers break). For some reason, the first boot after a restore/upgrade requires that extra bump (or, for some other reason, just requires a FireWire connection) to complete.

If you don't have a FireWire cable or port on your computer, you can probably sit it in a speaker dock (if you have one). Most of the older iPod speaker docks charge over FireWire (which new iPods can't do) and these seem to suit the first generation iPod mini just fine.

YanniDepp said:

Do you charge / sync your iPod over FireWire?

FireWire can provide up to 30V to devices, but USB can only provide 5V (according to the standard, which some manufacturers break). For some reason, the first boot after a restore/upgrade requires that extra bump (or, for some other reason, just requires a FireWire connection) to complete.

If you don't have a FireWire cable or port on your computer, you can probably sit it in a speaker dock (if you have one). Most of the older iPod speaker docks charge over FireWire (which new iPods can't do) and these seem to suit the first generation iPod mini just fine.

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i just dont remember the first "charge" after i replaced the drive with the compactflash card prior to the first sync / restore.

the mini actually stays plugged in 95% of the time in our son's room. i have the original firewire charge pod, with the firewire sync cable plugged into the mini, and a set of powered computer speakers plugged into the mini.

i still may get a new battery for the mini, but we'll see. its not a priority right now.

I recommend iPodjuice for batteries. While they're not the cheapest, I've found their batteries to be a lot better than the cheaper ones on eBay.

They sell the battery by itself, and also a kit with the battery, screwdrivers and an opening tool (for a few dollars more). I've always just bought the battery, but they've always sent me the more expensive kit.

I should probably point out that the mini is one of my favourite ever iPods, and I actually own five of them in various states of repair.

YanniDepp said:

I recommend iPodjuice for batteries. While they're not the cheapest, I've found their batteries to be a lot better than the cheaper ones on eBay.

They sell the battery by itself, and also a kit with the battery, screwdrivers and an opening tool (for a few dollars more). I've always just bought the battery, but they've always sent me the more expensive kit.

I should probably point out that the mini is one of my favourite ever iPods, and I actually own five of them in various states of repair.

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lol, i was JUST looking at their site, and thought the batteries were resonable for price.

i like the mini. its very robust, and has quite a few nice features on it - like the backlight not always being on...