iPod 2G Ressurection!

[harveypooka]

I found my old, dead second generation iPod in a box today and plugged it into iTunes 7. AND IT WAS RECOGNISED! It said the iPod was corrupted and to restore it...I tried, but it came up with an error. I clicked away but I think it was 1440.

This is the first time in a year that it's actually done anything - it just sits and recharges. I mean the battery lasts about three hours, but hell, I want it back!

System Profiler:

"Maximum Speed: Up to 400 Mb/sec

iPod:

Manufacturer: Apple Computer, Inc.
Model: 0x0
GUID: 0xA27000207815F
Maximum Speed: Up to 400 Mb/sec
Connection Speed: Up to 400 Mb/sec
Sub-units:
iPod Unit:
Unit Software Version: 0x10483
Unit Spec ID: 0x609E
Firmware Revision: 0xA2700
Product Revision Level: 1.33
Sub-units:
iPod SBP-LUN:
Capacity: 18.63 GB
Removable Media: Yes
BSD Name: disk1
OS9 Drivers: No
S.M.A.R.T. status: Not Supported"

I'm going to try and resurrect the little dude...

 

[dextertangocci]

Is it possible to repair the disk in Disk Utility?

 

[harveypooka]

Is it possible to repair the disk in Disk Utility?

I didn't try that first, I tried Erase and it came up with an I/O error. I tried again and it worked, erased it. I'm running iPod updater now...

 

[harveypooka]

Any ideas?

 

[sturigdson]

Yeah, I can't say anything very happy about that iPod. Have you put the ipod into diagnostic mode and run hardware tests? Particularly, the hard drive read/write test, that's the one we're interested in- sounds like you may have a problem there.

From this webpage:

If you have tried trouble shooting your iPod to no avail, chances are your iPod has a hardware problem. The iPod's built-in Diagnostic Mode is a quick and easy way to determine if you have a "bad" iPod.

1. You need to restart your iPod before putting it into Diagnostic Mode. Check that your hold switch is off by sliding the switch away from the headphone jack. You should not see any orange. Toggle it on and off to be safe.

2. Press and hold the following combination of buttons simultaneously for approximately 10 seconds to reset the iPod.

iPod 1G to 3G: "Menu" and "Play/Pause"
iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Menu" and "Select"
3. The Apple logo will appear and you should feel the hard drive spinning up. Press and hold the following sequence of buttons:

iPod 1G to 3G: "REW", "FFW" and "Select"
iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Back" and "Select"
You will hear an audible chirp sound (3G models and higher) and the Apple logo should appear backwards. You are now in Diagnostic Mode.

4. Navigate the list of tests using "REW" and "FFW". The scroll wheel will not function while in diagnostic mode.

The page linked above has a great chart of the functions and results from the tests. Valuable stuff. if one of the hardware tests comes up negative or fail, I'm afraid the news isn't good. If it's the software, there's probably some way to resurrect the poor li'l guy.

I've just resurrected my 3G ipod, pretty happy about that!

Good luck.

 

[wwooden]

Do you have an external iSight plugged into your computer? I know that Apple has recognized a problem with plugging in the iSight at the same time as an firewire iPod or external firewire harddrive. I had this problem for a while and I think I got the same error message. If this is the case, just unplug the iSight and then try plugging in the iPod by itself.

 

[harveypooka]

Do you have an external iSight plugged into your computer? I know that Apple has recognized a problem with plugging in the iSight at the same time as an firewire iPod or external firewire harddrive. I had this problem for a while and I think I got the same error message. If this is the case, just unplug the iSight and then try plugging in the iPod by itself.

I've got a built-in sight on my iMac, but no external. I'll try the stuff suggested by sturigdson. If it dosen't work, it's no real problem, it's been dead in the cupboard for a year now...I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy a vPod if one ever comes out...stay tuned, I let you know about the tests

 

[harveypooka]

Haha, since I erased the thing I can't run the diagnostics. I plugged it back in and it restored! Brilliant!
The thing is really knacked though - it has about 10 white lines that block out text on the screen (they've steadily grown from 1 to 10), it skips songs, plays blocks of silence and generally crashes! But it's still going!
All this after (about a year and a half ago) I used a hammer to try and open it. Don't worry, it was on it's way out then too!
Thanks for all your help everyone.

 

[harveypooka]

My newly resurrected iPod 'Lazarus' played last night for a bit and worked smoothly, but very slowly. This morning when plugging it in iTunes reported that it needed to be restored! Lazarus rose again but then snuffed it less than 24 hours later.

 

[kainjow]

My original first generation 5GB still works great. I gave it to my brother who used it ever since I upgraded to a 3G. Those things are quite stable little buggers

 

[sturigdson]

C'Mon, Lazarus! Don't give up yet! STAY WITH US!!

I'm enjoying this thread and your noble quest. Hope it works out well. Also, For some reason, I started to wonder about pictures: got any recent snaps of your epic battle to resurrect Lazarus?

Also, I had a 1G 5GB ipod that I gave to my father to use- he still putters around with it. Good times.

 

[harveypooka]

C'Mon, Lazarus! Don't give up yet! STAY WITH US!!

I'm enjoying this thread and your noble quest. Hope it works out well. Also, For some reason, I started to wonder about pictures: got any recent snaps of your epic battle to resurrect Lazarus?

Also, I had a 1G 5GB ipod that I gave to my father to use- he still putters around with it. Good times.

Grrrr arg! I did take snaps of the whole process, but deleted them when I thought the fella was working. Bring on Time Machine!

I've gotten my moneys worth, can't really complain. I wish I knew what exactly was wrong. It could be the drive itself as it makes some funky clicking sounds sometime.

I think Lazarus has finally bitten the dust. RIP.