iPod iPod Classic = FAT-32?

[Mac OS X Ocelot]

My family has the worst luck with technology. Especially my mother, who always seems to get one of the shitPods. Her iPod Classic, after several months of use, decides to have a hardware problem. iTunes and Disk Utility recognized it as FUBAR and won't let me do anything. The Restore option in iTunes tells me that it's so ****ed it can't restore it.

The interesting thing is that Disk Utility reports it as being formatted as FAT32. That doesn't make sense. I believe the exact error iTunes gives is that it will only recognize Mac OS formatted drives. How could it work for a few months and then suddenly be the wrong format? I know my mom hasn't reformatted her iPod's drive at all.

 

[rockthecasbah]

FAT32 drives can be recognized by both Windows and OSX, perhaps it has always been that and you never noticed?

 

[Mac OS X Ocelot]

FAT32 drives can be recognized by both Windows and OSX, perhaps it has always been that and you never noticed?

Yes, but only Mac OS formatted drives can be installed with iPod software. iTunes even told me when I tried to restore it. The problem is Disk Utility refuses to reformat it.

 

[runplaysleeprun]

you can try using something third party to reformat the iPod. No kidding on The bad luck, but it is probably not anything other than a harddrive problem. Good luck

 

[AppleNewton]

probably a lemon with that iPod. because all iPods are formatted "windows"

that way its both visible by Mac & PC. (i kept mine at the default format so i can copy music from my XP and OSX partitions respectively)

 

[DukeofAnkh]

Yes, but only Mac OS formatted drives can be installed with iPod software. iTunes even told me when I tried to restore it. The problem is Disk Utility refuses to reformat it.

I think you can only restore it with the original computer that you first plugged it into. If this was a Windows, that would explain the format and why it won't restore.

Have you tried reformatting it from your OS installer DVD Disk Utility? I'm not sure how much help formatting it would be though.

 

[Erendiox]

probably a lemon with that iPod. because all iPods are formatted "windows"

that way its both visible by Mac & PC. (i kept mine at the default format so i can copy music from my XP and OSX partitions respectively)

I don't think that's true. I'm pretty certain that a factory sealed iPod has no format until it's plugged into either a Mac or PC to be synced for the first time. iTunes then gives it either Fat32 formatting or Mac formatting depending on what machine it's being run on.

 

[Mac OS X Ocelot]

I don't think that's true. I'm pretty certain that a factory sealed iPod has no format until it's plugged into either a Mac or PC to be synced for the first time. iTunes then gives it either Fat32 formatting or Mac formatting depending on what machine it's being run on.

Either way, it's synced with a mac and was never plugged into a pc and iTunes on the synced iMac says it has to be Mac OS formatted to be restored. It won't restore it when I try it and Disk Utility can't reformat it to Mac OS format either. I think it's corrupt in a way to claim it's FAT when it's really not. The iPod boots itself just fine but claims there are no music on it and that it's full (all 74.whatever GBs of it) and that it's full of "Other" (not music or movies or photos or whatever).

I put in a service request, and the box is on its way. This is my mother's second iPod in six months that needs to be serviced, but I can't complain; I hear there's people with six MBPs in the same amount of time.

 

[Mac OS X Ocelot]

After a week of diagnosis, Apple said they couldn't recreate my problem with it (corrupt hard drive that can't be fixed in iTunes or Disk Utility) so they sent it back "with the latest firmware updates." The iPod is working, so they did something to fix it and won't fess up.

However, the iPod is still formatted for Windows and iTunes says only Macintosh-formatted iPods can be updated, so if an update comes can I use Disk Utility to reformat it without breaking it?

Also, aren't iPods bought from the Apple online store supposed to come Macintosh-formatted (as opposed to ones bought from Best Buy)?

 

[kolax]

Also, aren't iPods bought from the Apple online store supposed to come Macintosh-formatted (as opposed to ones bought from Best Buy)?

Why would Apple have two separate sets of stock - one formatted as HFS+ for Mac and one formatted as FAT32 for other retailers?!

AFAIK, all iPod's are unformatted when purchased, and during syncing with iTunes it will format it appropriately.

 

[TEG]

All iPods are shipped as HFS+. When connected to a PC they are reformatted to FAT32.

DO NOT use disc utility to format an iPod. It will remove all the iPod stuff on it. You should be able to use the iTunes Restore to change formats.

TEG

 

[Mac OS X Ocelot]

Why would Apple have two separate sets of stock - one formatted as HFS+ for Mac and one formatted as FAT32 for other retailers?!

AFAIK, all iPod's are unformatted when purchased, and during syncing with iTunes it will format it appropriately.

All iPods are shipped as HFS+. When connected to a PC they are reformatted to FAT32.

DO NOT use disc utility to format an iPod. It will remove all the iPod stuff on it. You should be able to use the iTunes Restore to change formats.

TEG

Okay, okay. I get the point. iPods have (super awesome and fast-acting) software that format drives on the fly at first connect. Which begs the question: how does an iPod that has never been connected to a Windows machine get formatted FAT? Bear with me here: my mother bought it from the Apple online store, she only has an iMac and has only hooked it up to it. Something goes wrong and it won't sync and iTunes and Disk Utility claim the hard drive is corrupt. Both claim it's formatted as FAT-32. I send it in to Apple and they tell me there's nothing wrong with it. I get it back and it's still formatted FAT-32 but it works right now. When did it connect to a PC? Unless Apple technicians are using PCs, never. And even then, it said it was formatted Windows before I sent it in.

 

[kolax]

Your mother's iMac would only be able to use the iPod if it was formatted HFS+. iTunes will refuse otherwise.

Somewhere along the line, it must have been reformatted - sure it wasn't connected to one of her friend's PC's in order to gain a few extra tunes?

 

[Mac OS X Ocelot]

Your mother's iMac would only be able to use the iPod if it was formatted HFS+. iTunes will refuse otherwise.

Somewhere along the line, it must have been reformatted - sure it wasn't connected to one of her friend's PC's in order to gain a few extra tunes?

No, she confirmed it was never connected to a PC. Also, it's functioning. It's syncing and playing music from her iMac while still showing up as Windows-formatted in both iTunes and Disk Utility. The reason it didn't work before, both apps claimed, was because the hard disk was corrupt. iTunes just claims it can't be updated unless it's Macintosh-formatted.

 

[TEG]

No, she confirmed it was never connected to a PC. Also, it's functioning. It's syncing and playing music from her iMac while still showing up as Windows-formatted in both iTunes and Disk Utility. The reason it didn't work before, both apps claimed, was because the hard disk was corrupt. iTunes just claims it can't be updated unless it's Macintosh-formatted.

So restore it, and it will be Mac formatted.

TEG

 

[DukeofAnkh]

No, she confirmed it was never connected to a PC. Also, it's functioning. It's syncing and playing music from her iMac while still showing up as Windows-formatted in both iTunes and Disk Utility. The reason it didn't work before, both apps claimed, was because the hard disk was corrupt. iTunes just claims it can't be updated unless it's Macintosh-formatted.

So restore it, and it will be Mac formatted.

TEG

Make sure you've got all your music backed up to the computer then hit the restore button in iTunes. (If the music isn't on a computer you can access it'll be lost when you restore.)