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Snowy_River

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 17, 2002
2,520
0
Corvallis, OR
Hi everyone,

I have been having problems with my iPod crashing lately. I'm really not sure what to make of it, and I was hoping that some here might be able to give me some suggestions.

Every so often (with an apparent increasing rate of frequency) my iPod just freezes. It's usually right after I push a button (starting to play a song, or pause a song that's playing, for example), and then the only way I can get it to recover is to do a force reset.

However, even the force reset isn't fool proof. Once, I did the force reset, then when it started up again, after the Apple logo it showed a folder with an exclamation point over it, and wouldn't do anything else. Now, once I plugged it into my computer again, everything was fine.

I've tried using Disk Utility on it, but it found nothing wrong. I've considered reformatting it, but I'd rather avoid that step if possible.

The one other thing that I will mention is that when I bought it the store clerk fumbled it and it dropped and bounced a few times on the floor (in the box). He told me that if there was anything wrong I could bring it back, but there hasn't been for the three months that I've owned it, up until this past week.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
 

Powerbook G5

macrumors 68040
Jun 23, 2003
3,974
1
St Augustine, FL
I'd slap that clerk...seriously, if you've tried all that and it is still having problems which are becoming more frequent, perhaps it was damage from being dropped. I know it could be painful to just bring it in and exchange/repair it when you have your whole collection on your iPod, but an empty working iPod is better than a full damaged iPod as you can always redownload your database.
 

wowoah

macrumors regular
Jul 16, 2003
187
0
Berkeley, CA
Do you walk around with your iPod a lot? I used to have the exact some freezing problem with my iPod when I would carry it in the large side pocket of my cargo pants, but the problem would go away when i stuffed it into the regular side pocket of my pants or held it in my hand as I walked. My assumption is that the iPod's hard drive can't handle the impact that is caused by being jostled around in the larger, roomier cargo pocket.

Also, the freezing would happen only after I had just pressed the seek button. I'm guessing this is because the hard drive is most vulnerable to jostling when the drive head is in seek mode (ie, immediately after pressing the seek button.)

Anyway, if you haven't been shaking your iPod around while it's playing then consider this post moot. Otherwise, I hope this personal experience helps!
 

Snowy_River

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 17, 2002
2,520
0
Corvallis, OR
Well, this has been happening when my iPod is not being moved around.

(I usually use my iPod one of three places, none of which move that much. 1. In my lab either with earphones or my desktop speakers, depending on whether or not I'm alone in the lab. 2. In my car, plugged into my car stereo. 3. At the gym, where I plug it into a pair of external speakers to give me music to work out to - my iPod sits still while I work out.)

The one downside of returning it is that it's a 20GB iPod. I can't get a new one of those, and to get a 30GB iPod I'd have to pay more, as I got this one just after the new ones were announced and got a discount. Nor do I want to go down to a 15GB iPod. Grrr...

Maybe I should try formatting before I go back to the store?
 

gotohamish

macrumors 65816
Jul 15, 2001
1,078
9
BKLN
Originally posted by wowoah
Do you walk around with your iPod a lot? I used to have the exact some freezing problem with my iPod when I would carry it in the large side pocket of my cargo pants, but the problem would go away when i stuffed it into the regular side pocket of my pants or held it in my hand as I walked. My assumption is that the iPod's hard drive can't handle the impact that is caused by being jostled around in the larger, roomier cargo pocket.

Also, the freezing would happen only after I had just pressed the seek button. I'm guessing this is because the hard drive is most vulnerable to jostling when the drive head is in seek mode (ie, immediately after pressing the seek button.)

Anyway, if you haven't been shaking your iPod around while it's playing then consider this post moot. Otherwise, I hope this personal experience helps!

It happens to me too, usually at the gym when it's moving in my pocket, but it has happened when just in my bag too. Hmmmm.
 

Snowy_River

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 17, 2002
2,520
0
Corvallis, OR
Hi, folks,

I just thought I'd give you an update, and a warning. I took my iPod in, and, of course, it didn't freeze for the tech who looked at it. However, he did recommend that, given my experience, I try a hard reset. It turns out that this is not reformatting the drive with DiskUtility, and doing that will actually ruin an iPod. (Do Not Reformat Your iPod Using DiskUtility!) Rather, it uses the iPod update application in your utilities folder to reset the iPod back to factory settings. It also errases all of your data, so make sure anything you've got on your iPod is also stored elsewhere.

So, I've now done a hard reset, and, with a little luck, my iPod will be good as new...
 

gopher

macrumors 65816
Mar 31, 2002
1,475
0
Maryland, USA
Good points. I found the iPod to start misbehaving when it is low on battery though or anywhere it might not be exactly in a place that is the right temperature. Too hot or too cold it gets really frustrated. Ever since I put my iPod in a Marware convertable, it hasn't complained one iota.
 

visor

macrumors 6502
May 13, 2003
341
0
in bed
just an idea,

I've noticed that some apple products aren't particulary happy with static electical discharging.
My ibook tends to freeze when i electroshock it with gatherd electric energy at work...

Now, while I haven't experienced this with my iPod yet (in summer i'm not as electrified as in winter)- it may be worth considering.
 

Snowy_River

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 17, 2002
2,520
0
Corvallis, OR
Well, after nurse-maiding my iPod along for a while, it got to the point that I was only able to play about one song before it would crash. So, I finally sent it in to Apple.

They replaced it, no questions asked. :D

And, I was without my iPod for less than 48 hours! Now that's some quick service...
 
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