I've had my iPod 3G / 15GB (gen before the clickwheel) for about 2.5 years now. Still love it. 
It's worked very consistently, and I've never really had to reformat it or anything like that. Today I messed up ejecting it and got the infamous "incorrect device removal" window. And my iPod was frozen at the Apple logo. No activity, but the HD was continuously spinning. The softer reset (hold menu/play) worked but it returned immediately to the same state. The harder reset (power brick, hold center/menu) did not work. It did not identify under iTunes or Disk Utility.
But I, my friends, am no ordinary geek.
I quickly googled and found some ideas. The FW iPods can be mounted in disk mode (reset using the menu/play and then immediately press and hold previous/next until disk mode initiates). Now Disk Utility could see it, and confirmed that I did indeed have a logical format issue on the iPod HD, but refused to repair the problem.
Oddly iTunes could now see it also, even though it was not mounted as an iPod. So I restored the software to it. And then unplugged and replugged it and in fifteen minutes, I've got all my music and my playlists back.
Because that's how we do around here. We don't wander around with out virus laden windows computers and our broken flash drives. We don't have to ask how to set up a router. Entering all our contacts into our new phone every time we upgrade is demeaning and beneath us. We don't throw out or closet our hardware every time we can't figure it out. And we don't have to go crying to an 800 number every time we can't figure a problem out.
Damn, it feels good to be a geek.
In honor of this moment I am finally buying the pair of Geto Boys songs that have been sitting in my shopping cart for a year. You know which songs I'm talking about.
P.S. Besides celebrating being a geek, I'll throw this thread out there in case this happens to anyone else. Because that, my friends, once again, is how we do.
It's worked very consistently, and I've never really had to reformat it or anything like that. Today I messed up ejecting it and got the infamous "incorrect device removal" window. And my iPod was frozen at the Apple logo. No activity, but the HD was continuously spinning. The softer reset (hold menu/play) worked but it returned immediately to the same state. The harder reset (power brick, hold center/menu) did not work. It did not identify under iTunes or Disk Utility.But I, my friends, am no ordinary geek.
I quickly googled and found some ideas. The FW iPods can be mounted in disk mode (reset using the menu/play and then immediately press and hold previous/next until disk mode initiates). Now Disk Utility could see it, and confirmed that I did indeed have a logical format issue on the iPod HD, but refused to repair the problem.
Oddly iTunes could now see it also, even though it was not mounted as an iPod. So I restored the software to it. And then unplugged and replugged it and in fifteen minutes, I've got all my music and my playlists back.
Because that's how we do around here. We don't wander around with out virus laden windows computers and our broken flash drives. We don't have to ask how to set up a router. Entering all our contacts into our new phone every time we upgrade is demeaning and beneath us. We don't throw out or closet our hardware every time we can't figure it out. And we don't have to go crying to an 800 number every time we can't figure a problem out.
Damn, it feels good to be a geek.
In honor of this moment I am finally buying the pair of Geto Boys songs that have been sitting in my shopping cart for a year. You know which songs I'm talking about.
P.S. Besides celebrating being a geek, I'll throw this thread out there in case this happens to anyone else. Because that, my friends, once again, is how we do.
