iPod Nano File Type Not supported error

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iPod Nano File Type Not supported error

I have an iPod Nano that has suddenly stopped syncing. It will start to sync and then disconnect and give the error message "was not copied because the file type is not supported by the iPod". It then disconnects the external hard drive that the iTunes library is stored on.

I saw a similar message by another user that was "solved" by restarting iTunes. This has NOT helped my problem. I will get a few songs into the sync again when the same window will pop up and disconnect the hard drive.

This does not happen when I sync either my iPhone 6 or my old iPhone 5. They are plugged in via an Apple cable, not syncing over wifi.

I have restored the Nano to factory settings and that has not helped either.

iPod nano, OS X El Capitan (10.11.2)

Posted on Jan 11, 2016 8:50 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 12, 2016 3:26 AM in response to Jeff Stube

You mention an external drive. How are the external drive and iPod connected to the Mac? If they are connected through a USB hub, the hub may be the cause, if it is faulty or not supplying enough power. Or, the external drive may be faulty or have data corruption, which causes the error message about "file type." The external drive being disconnected is probably happening because there is a problem with the hard drive connection.

If a USB hub is involved in your device connections, take it out of the picture as a test. Shut down (power off) the Mac and disconnect all USB devices; you can leave standard USB keyboard/mouse connected, if used. Connect the hard drive directly to iMac, start up Mac, and run Disk Utility. Be sure to select the volume indented below the drive in the Disk Utility sidebar, then use First Aid to confirm there is no data corruption. If there is no error, run iTunes and connect the iPod directly to the Mac. Try doing the sync again.

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