Q: Unable to sync some songs to 80 GB iPod Classic
I've successfully used iTunes on a Windows 7 PC with various iPod Classics for several years, and currently use a 5th generation 80GB Classic in my car and a late model 160GB classic in my home. Both are on latest software; 1.3 & 2.0.5 respectively. My iTunes library is currently approx. 12,500 songs / 73GB, all either music or podcasts, no videos, no movies, no contacts/calendars/other data.
Until recently I have synced everything to the 160GB and restricted the 80GB to selected Playlists which left about 10GB free space. This has worked just fine for both iPods for repeated syncs, and the 160gb sync is still trouble free, but now the 80GB starts to sync then freezes the sync and iTunes on certain songs.
I have done repeated Restores of the 80GB in iTunes, have reformatted the disc in Windows ("Scanned / No Problems") then Restored again, but still have the same problem.
I then used 'Manually manage songs' to transfer a Playlist of just less than 4,000 songs, during which the sync and iTunes froze on several individual songs. After much hassle and several hours working my way to the end of the Playlist, I successfully transferred about 3,800 songs to the iPod, which interfaced as normal with my car player, but had 114 songs which failed to transfer from iTunes to the iPod and hung the sync process. Going back to try reloading any one of these 114 songs (mostly .mp3, plus a few .mp4a & .mp4p) caused an immediate hang of iTunes. All of these 114 tracks play trouble free in iTunes, sync without problem to the 160GB iPod, and play problem free on my house system.
Having just performed another Format and Restore, I've just deleted all the music I manually transferred so once again have an empty 80GB iPod which fails to sync as soon as it gets to the first of the 114 "faulty" tracks.
I thought I knew my way around iTunes and iPods, but after trawling multiple support forums have been unable to work my way through this problem.
iPod classic 160GB (Late 2009), Windows 7, iPod classic 80GB (2006-09)
Posted on Feb 13, 2016 1:37 PM
FINALLY, after my 80GB sync problem list has grown to 144 songs and 400+ people have viewed this problem thread without offering a solution, I discovered the answer whilst trying to sort out another issue that has been all over various Apple forums for several years (songs stop playing mid-track, not playing to completion). Solution to both problems (at least for me) ..............
In iTunes on PC
1. Select and Highlight problem Song
2. Click on File on main Menu bar
3. Select Convert from drop-down Menu
4. From side-bar Menu, click Create AAC Version (even if original songfile is .m4a rather than .mp3)
5. iTunes Playlist will show two versions of Song; original problem version plus new AAC Version created in previous step
6. Delete original problem version from both iTunes and Windows (Delete + Move to Recycle Bin)
7. Sync iPod with iTunes
On iPod
8. For Problem 1 (this thread: unable to sync some songs to iPod) After iPod Sync completes successfully, verify that songs that previously would not sync are now present on iPod
9. For Problem 2 (songs not playing to end of track) Select and Play new AAC Version (.m4a) of problem Song created above to verify it plays to completion
Posted on Aug 14, 2016 3:29 PM