Strange iPod Classic and Catalina Issue

Question

Strange iPod Classic and Catalina Issue

Hi -

I have an old 160 GB iPod Classic that I use every day but, when I upgraded to Catalina on my MacBook Pro (now running 10.15.3), it began to act strangely (losing songs when I tried to add albums by syncing with the MBP). I read on this forum that some users had success in solving iPod Classic/Catalina problems by restoring the iPod and then reloading the music. So I thought I'd give it a try.

It restored fine, and I set it to re-sync my entire music library (excluding the videos) automatically when connected, and hit the "Apply" and "Sync" buttons. The "Gear" icon next to the name the iPod in the Finder began to spin, and the "Available Space" on the iPod slowly began to decrease, so I assumed it was working.

Eight hours later it was done. I disconnected the iPod and saw in its "Settings" that there was now 97 GB of available space. BUT, it said there was no music, no videos, no photos, no anything that was playable on the iPod, and I have no idea what could be on it. So now there's over 60 GB of SOMETHING there, but nothing I can identify or use.

I appreciate any ideas anyone might have as to whether I did something wrong in the restore/re-sync process, and what I might do to solve it. Thanks in advance for your help.

Shelly

Posted on Feb 6, 2020 4:14 AM

Reply

Answer 1

turingtest2

Level 10

278,119 points

Feb 8, 2020 12:42 PM in response to Shelly Friedman1

See Corrupt iPod Classic - Apple Community. The first section has some options for recovering data from a corrupted device, although ideally this would be done before any attempt at restoring the device is made.

tt2

Reply

Answer 2

turingtest2

Level 10

278,119 points

Feb 9, 2020 4:42 PM in response to Shelly Friedman1

I do have my classic working with Catalina, but I had to restore it before it would work correctly. It may or may not be significant that I used iTunes 12.6.5.3 in High Sierra so that I could put back the iPod clickwheel games. Previously it was in Windows format which Catalina doesn't play well with.

tt2

Reply

Answer 3

QuickPost

Level 10

103,437 points

Feb 6, 2020 10:19 AM in response to Shelly Friedman1

Hello,

Try restoring your iPod to factory settings.

Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support

Reply

Answer 4

Feb 9, 2020 2:48 PM in response to turingtest2

tt2 -

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, I tried all the strategies in the article, but none worked. I'm convinced that the issue isn't any malfunction of the iPod, but is the result of the basic incompatibility between the iPod Classic's OS (which dates to about 2008) and the version of Catalina I'm running on my MacBook Pro (10.15.3). I've decided the only option that makes sense is to buy a new iPod Touch. Thanks for trying.

Shelly

Reply

Answer 5

Feb 11, 2020 2:50 PM in response to turingtest2

tt2 -

After trying various suggestions for a couple of days, I was finally able to restore my iPod Classic using iTunes 12.7.4 on my wife's MacBook Air. And -- happily -- I was then able to successfully sync the entire Music Library on my Mac Book Pro with Catalina. So here's my question to you: with the iPod reloaded under Catalina, can I expect it to sync smoothly in the future, when I add additional music, via ripped CDs or purchases from the iTunes Store? If so, I'll hold off on the purchase of an iPod Touch, at least for now. Thanks again for your help.

Shelly

Reply

Answer 6

turingtest2

Level 10

278,119 points

Feb 11, 2020 6:37 PM in response to Shelly Friedman1

As far as I know if you've managed one successful sync under Catalina there is no reason you shouldn't expect that to continue.

tt2

Reply

Answer 7

Feb 12, 2020 4:16 AM in response to turingtest2

Tt2 -

Thanks for your help.

Shelly

Reply

Strange iPod Classic and Catalina Issue

Similar questions