iPod stuck in Disk Mode

Question

iPod stuck in Disk Mode

My iPod keeps going into disk mode, and I can't figure out how to get it out of disk mode. I've restored the iPod a couple of times, but it keeps happening. The manual says to select iPod in the source list in iTunes and click the settings tab, but I can't see any settings tab. (I'm using iTunes 8.1.1.) Any suggestions? Thanks.

iMac G5, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Apr 22, 2009 8:37 PM

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Answer 1

planb77

Level 7

32,446 points

Apr 22, 2009 9:07 PM in response to Thomas Martin

Hey there,
You want to look for the "Summary" tab and look for the Options section located at the bottom when your iPod is plugged in. You will remove the check mark next to, "Enable Disk Use." See if that helps.

B-rock

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Answer 2

Apr 22, 2009 9:11 PM in response to Thomas Martin

If you do a reset following this procedure precisely

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1320

the iPod does not go to its main menu?

The Settings tab may be the Summary tab. What does the manual say to do in that tab?

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Answer 3

Apr 22, 2009 9:27 PM in response to planb77

Thanks for the suggestion. I've unchecked "Enable disk use", which had the effect of deleting all the music from the iPod, but it's still stuck in disk mode. So I'm going to try restoring it again, as suggested in the next reply.

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Answer 4

Apr 22, 2009 10:00 PM in response to planb77

Thanks for both responses to my query. I've restored the iPod (again), and everything is once again OK, at least until next time. Maybe I'm not quite understanding what's happening with the Options choices in the Summary tab. I don't want to sync my iPod with the iTunes library on my computer, but when I select "Manually manage music", the "Enable disk use" selection is both checked and greyed out. Furthermore (and I don't know whether this is connected or not), when the iPod goes into disk mode it indicates that it's "OK to disconnect", but is completely unresponsive whether I disconnect it or not (i.e., the light isn't on, and it can't be reset in the usual way by clicking Hold on and off and holding down the center and play buttons).

So I guess I still don't know what's going on. Restoring it to its original settings works, but it means I have to replace all the music in the iPod -- no big deal, just annoying. Anyway, thanks again.

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Answer 5

Apr 22, 2009 10:24 PM in response to Thomas Martin

When you do NOT have +Manually manage music+ AND +Enable disk use+ checked, then the iPod's volume is mounted as a drive ONLY when iTunes is actively (at that moment) syncing the iPod. After the sync is completed, the iPod's drive get dismounted (no longer appears on the Desktop). Therefore, you can disconnect the iPod without ejecting the iPod in iTunes (or Finder).

If you set it to +Manually manage music+, the iPod's volume is mounted all the time. The iPod acts like an external drive; it is mounted from when you connect it to the Mac until you eject it. That is why the +Enable disk use+ option is checked and greyed out; if you use the +Manually manage music+ setting, +Enable disk use+ is required. Since the iPod's volume is mounted all the time, you must click the eject button in iTunes (or eject it in Finder) before disconnecting the iPod.

If that's what you meant earlier by "stuck in disk mode," everything is working the way it's supposed to work. 🙂

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Answer 6

Apr 22, 2009 10:59 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

Dear Kenichi Watanabe,

Thanks very much for these explanations. Having read them, I think (but I'm still not sure) that everything is working as it's supposed to (as you suggest). What I meant by being "stuck in disk mode" was that even though I did eject the iPod in iTunes or Finder, the iPod screen remained dark (not black, since I could read that it was in disk mode and the screen had what looked like a large check mark in it), and it remained like this whether I disconnected it or not. And if I reconnected it, then re-ejected it, it remained in the same state. So it seems that maybe I could fix it by dis-enabling disk use, but then this wipes out all the music on the iPod. So the problem is that it's unusable as an iPod per se while it's in disk mode, but I don't know why it's going into disk mode and staying there even when properly ejected.

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Answer 7

Apr 22, 2009 11:44 PM in response to Thomas Martin

If the iPod does not bring up the usual main menu when you eject it, that's not right. Be sure to try it on a different port, and if you possible, a different USB docking cable. If you are connecting it through a USB hub, try it connected directly to one of the Mac's ports. If you are connecting it directly, try disconnecting everything else that's USB (including any hub), except for a standard mouse and keyboard AND the iPod; see if that makes a difference. Also, the earlier iMac G4 models have USB 1.1 instead of USB 2.0, so if your iMac has 1.1, that could be the problem.

Using it in sync mode is actually more convenient for me, even if you can't sync everything due to the iPod's capacity. Just create a playlist and call it +iPod playlist+ or whatever you want to call it. Put the songs you want on the iPod into this playlist. Set up syncing on the Music tab so that it only syncs to this playlist. The only thing to watch is the size of the playlist at the bottom of the iTunes window (when you have the playlist selected) to keep it below the size of the iPod's storage. The advantage is that you don't lose the list if you have to do a Restore. And you can add to and remove songs from the playlist without waiting for iTunes to complete the transfer to the iPod each time you change something. And the iPod does not even need to be connected when you modify the list. Then you just connect the iPod and sync; everything gets updated all at once.

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Answer 8

Apr 23, 2009 12:25 AM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

Dear Kenichi Watanabe,

Your suggestion to just use sync mode rather than managing music manually is workable, and I guess that's what I'll do if the problem recurs. The thing is that now, having restored the iPod, it's working fine again. (By the way, the problem isn't with an older USB -- I have the most recent iMac model but one, I just haven't updated my profile here in a while. And there's not much point in testing it with a different port or USB cable, since now it's working.)

I've been trying to recall exactly what happened leading up to the problem. I ejected the iPod manually, and it was fine. A little while later, I used it for about 30 minutes, then shut it down for awhile, then when I went to use it again, it indicated that the battery was dead, which hardly seemed possible, even if I had been using it the whole time, which I hadn't. So when I got home again, I reconnected it to the computer, and it seemed fine, until I ejected it again, which was when I got the thing about it being in disk mode. I think there was a power outage while the iPod was connected overnight, so I'm wondering if this would have disconnected the iPod without it being properly ejected, and this is what's caused the problem, even though it didn't show up immediately. I don't think there's really anything more to be done, until or if the problem occurs again.

Once again, thanks your helpful suggestions.

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