iPod 4G iPod problem... what to do?

[theperson]

One of my sister's friends recently gave me a B/W 4G iPod with a quite unusual problem. It boots to the logo and stays that way, and in some rare cases, displays a low battery icon or some message that I don't have time to readbefore the screen shuts off again. What's going on with it?

 

[Eraserhead]

what happens when it's plugged into the mains? It sounds like the battery is flat.

 

[theperson]

Couldn't be the battery only, as it's not recognized by OS X or my Windows box either.

 

[Eraserhead]

Couldn't be the battery only, as it's not recognized by OS X or my Windows box either.

Hard drive clicking (listen carefully to the iPod)? Or have you dropped it?

 

[theperson]

The hard drive spins up fine, but then there's this strange clicking noise and it stops. That's also usually when the logo disappears from the screen and either turns off and reboots or goes to the battery icon and the message.

And according to the original owner of the iPod, she's never dropped it.

 

[Eraserhead]

The hard drive spins up fine, but then there's this strange clicking noise and it stops.

Sounds like it's the HD, try banging it hard and see if it starts working again. Otherwise they'll need a new iPod, the problem is that the HD's are really too small to be very reliable and they die after a while, the replacements are very expensive and generally not worth it TBH.

 

[honeytoast]

thats funny, i use the bang on desk method as well when my 4g stops working (it doesn't always work). The thing that always works for me and i dont know why is opening the ipod, unplugging the hard drive and plugging it back in.