Stumped with a 2nd gen iPod mini

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Stumped with a 2nd gen iPod mini

I recently found a 2nd gen, 4gb iPod mini (M9804LL, firmware version 1.4.1) at a thrift store and decided to grab it to use at the gym. I've been trying to get through the five R's so I can use the darn thing but have had little success. 😢

iTunes (latest 11-something update) will not recognize the iPod. This is only after iTunes hangs for several minutes. Sometimes it ceases responding completely until I forcibly disconnect the iPod, at which point it crashes. Once restarted, iTunes works perfectly with no hitch as long as I don't reconnect the iPod (at which point, it hangs/freezes again.) I cannot safely eject the iPod, because while Windows (7 Home Premium 64 bit) recognizes it, chooseing "eject" on the dropdown hardware menu available in my Windows toolbar does no good. Windows will recognize the iPod, and I can access the folders, etc., but not after some considerable slowness. Meanwhile, according to the iPod (which works swimmingly when not connected), there are only 692mb free on an iPod drive that allegedly has nothing on it. (I should note that it does still possess its previous name, as though it was never been reset or restored before I got it.) Its the same story on both of my computers.

Is there something I can do differently, or am I SOL?

Windows 7

Posted on Mar 18, 2014 4:28 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 18, 2014 7:51 PM in response to anterrabae

It may have some data corruption on its storage, so it causes iTunes to "hang" when it tries to mount the iPod's disk and access it. When using the iPod, it may appear to work fine because it is not accessing any of the corrupted data. If you happen to play a song affected by the corruption, it may do odd things like stop in the middle of a song or skip the song entirely.

If you don't mind erasing it, try putting it into Disk Mode

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1363

If it goes into Disk Mode, connect it to the computer and run iTunes. iTunes may prompt you to do a Restore on the iPod. You should do so. This will erase the iPod, reinstall its software, and set it to default settings. Hopefully, it will appear in iTunes after the Restore, like when it was brand new, and not cause iTunes to hang.

NOTE: If the iPod's mini hard drive is becoming faulty or unreliable, and that is the cause of the data corruption, it may fail to complete the Restore. If that happens, the iPod may become inoperable.

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Answer 2

anterrabae Author

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Mar 19, 2014 1:35 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

Hi there, thanks for the reply!

The iPod will go into disk mode without a problem but iTunes exhibits the same symptoms when I hook it up to the computer. iTunes hangs/crashes and will not recognize the device.

Is there a way I can restore without using iTunes or format the iPod through Windows and then install the firmware manually or is it hopeless?

If it is hopeless, do you know if the harddrive from a 1st gen iPod mini will work on a 2nd gen? I still have my original 1st gen iPod Mini that began having battery issues (even after replacing the battery with an aftermarket battery.) However, it's hard drive is still fully-functioning and free of corruption. Maybe I can switch out the hard drive?

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Answer 3

Mar 19, 2014 5:55 PM in response to anterrabae

It's likely to be a faulty hard drive, because the most common fault for any iPod that uses a hard drive for storage IS the hard drive. But it could be something else, like the logic board. Hopefully, between two iPod minis, you can swap parts and get one of them fully functional.

That "microdrive" is compatible between iPod mini models. In fact, the microdrive is designed to be compatible with the standard compact flash card format (including its shape and connector), so you can buy a commonly available compact flash card to replace the microdrive. This web page has the details

http://www.instructables.com/id/Upgrade-Your-iPod-Mini-With-Flash-Memory---No-Mo re/

including some tips on how to open it up without damaging it with scratches. This other web site has general repair manuals for the DIY folks

http://www.ifixit.com/Device/iPod_Mini

I have not done this with an iPod mini, but I put a compact flash card into a 4th gen iPod when its hard drive failed. You need an adapter for that upgrade (NOT needed for an iPod mini). There are many benefits. The battery lasts longer per charge. There is no hard drive spin-up delay. It is probably more resistant to shock. I think it is faster when doing a large sync. And you can get significantly larger storage capacity; one of the commenters on the first link says it worked with a 64GB card!

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