iPod Classic won't work with iTunes 12

Apple Music contains DRM and cannot be used on an iPod classic.

If iTunes won't display the device at all then Windows users should try iOS device not showing in iTunes for Windows. Despite the title it appears that it may help with regular old school iPods too. Mac users are probably best off attempting to reinstall iTunes. I don't offhand know of other useful troubleshooting steps for Macs but no doubt they exist.

iTunes is designed to sync devices with a single library. If you change computers without migrating the library properly, or the library's identity is reset in some way, you may find that your sync selections are missing and that simply clicking sync doesn't give the results you expect.

The Corrupt iPod Classic tip covers a number of aspects, but principally discusses how you might assess the health of the device's hard drive. If it is no longer reliable then syncing and playback are going to have issues too. If all hard to read sectors (pendings) can be cleared, and new ones don't appear after syncing then you may get more use out of it. Also included is a staged transfer method that can help when reloading content, and links to media recovery options if there is content on the device that isn't in your library.

I'd be almost certain that your iPod is running the latest firmware.

tt2

I have an iPod classic working with iTunes 12.7. It is no longer possible to add iPod clickwheel games to it, but other than that no change. Reinstalling iTunes and/or updating drivers on Windows may resolve things.

tt2

Actually, I called apple twice about this, just to make sure they gave me the same answer. Both told me support for ipods ended with itunes 12, right after they stopped making ipods.

I also have this problem . I'm using windows 10 and have a 160gig classic . When i tried to sync with 12.7 it became unresponsive and had to close via task manager . I got in touch with apple who then sent me a link for itunes 11.

But , if you have imported cd's using 12.7 then it still won't sync with your ipod !

Over to you Apple !

The problem is that the ******** at Apple ceased support for Ipods with iTunes 12. Forget syncing iPods unless there's some third party software that will do the trick. Anyone know of such software? **** Apple.

As given, an iPod classic can still work with iTunes 12.7.

The classic line was dropped three years ago, so it isn't entirely surprising that Apple Support don't have any active troubleshooting recommendations for their front line support team to give out.

tt2

Good point. Many thanks for your help. I have two 160 gb ipods I don't want to see go to waste, and apple music is only as good as you wifi or data connection on the phone, so thanks again. I'll check out the link.

are you saying by your link that I should hook up the ipod and see if I need a software update? It was really strange: one ipod would show no music library and wouldn't sync, but had an accurate song and gb used count, and was also missing alternative settings for ipod/itunes management, and the other ipod would show the library and ipod/itunes management choices, but just wouldn't sync. Crazy.

Just a comment. I have an IPOD Classic 160 GB. Running ITunes 12.7.0.166 on Windoze 10. Works ok for me so far. It scared the **** out of me this morning when I got the Upgrade message to upgrade to 12.7.1. The message about ITunes U and other somewhat cryptic information about what is changing. What it didn't say was whether my IPOD Classic would still work if I upgrade to the latest version. I suspect it won't, so I won't be upgrading. I really like my IPOD, and use it mainly for listening to MP3s. I hate it when the GUI changes, or they force you to upgrade the hardware because it's 2 years old.

If the IPod isn't going to work, what can I use? I don't want to spend $1000 for an IPhone or some other large amount for a Droid.

Good day David,

I am sure it must be distressing to have your iPod classic unable to sync with iTunes on your Mac and giving various errors. Let's see if we can get you back on the road to enjoying your music.

Since this issue is occurring with several different Macs, that would suggest that the issue has to do with the iPod itself. I would suggest then that the next step is to restore your iPod classic to factory settings. Use the steps in this article - Use iTunes to restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings.

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

Safe computing.

I'm having the same issues. I've restored mine multiple times. iTunes recognizes the iPod and I can manually add some files. But, eventually I get the "unexpected error". I can then eject the iPod and none of the songs I had manually added show up. Upon reconnecting iTunes says that it doesn't recognize the iPod and I must restore it again. This is extremely frustrating.

Any help is appreciated.

Ron

Windows 10

iPod Classic 160GB

iTunes 12.2.2.25

Are you by any chance running any Security Software on your Macs? AV programs can cause havoc with iTunes.

Also this may shed some light....

If you don't see your connected device in iTunes for Mac - Apple Support

If a Restore does not work and iTunes is not corrupted (very unlikely with two different Macs) I am afraid that something may indeed be wrong with the hardware. Good luck....