ipod classic 5th gen sad face
Any ideas on how to get this off of there and get it to a point I can restore???
iPod classic
Sounds like it's hard drive is dying. In that case, see this Apple support document.
You may also want to take a look at the extensive post from Mitch 751 from more potential solutions/fixes.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/480759?start=0&tstart=0
B-rock