iPod classic160GB connection and sync issues

Question

iPod classic160GB connection and sync issues

I have a well looked after iPod classic 160GB. Worked perfectly till ...

Since upgrading to the latest OS (iMac) I have been subject to random error when updating my music. Essentially (1) the device stays connected and there is no apparent way to effect a proper eject process (2) and the sync fails after many hours and only loads about 100 songs.

So, it looks like the iPod is ok mechanically. I have reset the device and formatted the HDD. This then allowed the process of sync to work successfully. Yesterday I downloaded songs from the iTunes store and wanted them on the iPod - same error problems occurred.

Would it be sensible to move back to an earlier version of the OS? and iTunes? (even iTunes appears unstable now ... )

I see that this sync issue is quite common with holders of this device and it appears to be common since the support has stopped for this device - should I be cynical?. Why isn't Apple addressing this as this is very poor reputation management - total disregard for repeat business from its user base?

I still want to use what is apparently a good piece of hardware but I am extremely frustrated as a user. Has any body found the corrective action? If so, what is it?

LATEST: I have moved away from Apple and purchased a Sony HD device. Why? because of these frustrations. I am now assessing whether to consider other Apple devices which are close to being replaced (viz, Ipad, MacBook Pro (17"), iMAc) with alternative non-Apple devices. That is how frustrated and grumpy I am.

PLEASE, if you know a fix I am very willing to try that.

iPod classic 160GB (Late 2009), OS X El Capitan (10.11.4), iTunes

Posted on May 8, 2016 4:34 PM

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Answer 1

May 8, 2016 11:13 PM in response to paulfromedwardstown

Issues with syncing is often caused by a hard drive that is becoming unreliable. Hard drives are mechanical and eventually fail, in computers and in iPods. I have much older iPods (4th gen, 3rd gen, and iPod mini) that are well passed 10 years old at this point. They still work perfectly fine with the latest version of OS X and iTunes. I have replaced the fragile hard drives in all three of those iPods with Compact Flash card or SD card, on an adapter. For 5th gen and later iPods, you can look here for relevant information

https://www.iflash.xyz/

I see that this sync issue is quite common with holders of this device...

It's not that "common" considering there are millions of iPods (with hard drive storage) still in active use out there. However, if you see more instances these days, the reason is obvious. They are getting older, on average. The iPod classic model was released way back on 2007. Older things tend to begin failing for various reasons, including faulty hard drive.

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Answer 2

May 8, 2016 11:22 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

Hi, thank you for your time to respond.

I am certain that it is not a mechanical issue as the device will work; the interrogation of the settings indicate to me that the device is still operational.

I believe it is more to do with issues of:-

- sync status with iTunes, and

- improper ejection process, and

- corrupt files

(However, as my knowledge is limited and I am reliant on what the device tells me, I could be right off the mark.)

Have you sighted other queries concerning this? I have, and I guess that is what I was alluding to when I stated the "common" problem existed - by referencing to the number of blogs, not as a ratio of total units sold.

If you, or anyone, has been affected by the sync, ejection, corrupt file issues, I'd appreciate any input.

thanks

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Answer 3

May 9, 2016 8:02 PM in response to paulfromedwardstown

There are several test you can try to help narrow down the cause, assuming the iPod is fine. First, try a different USB docking cable, to rule out faulty cable as the cause.

(1) Start up the Mac in Safe Mode. In Safe Mode, third-party extensions are not loaded. And third-party processes that auto-start when you login in do not run. The Mac may run slower than normal, but the iPod should work properly with iTunes. Third-party software can interfere with iTunes and iPod; this may help identify third-party software as the cause for the iPod issues.

Try safe mode if your Mac doesn't finish starting up - Apple Support

NOTE: The third-party software may be something installed a long time ago (like a device driver for an accessory), that became incompatible after a system update. Or it can be malware unintentionally installed through a "trojan" hack.

(2) Create a new user account in System Preferences Users and Groups pane. The new test user account can be Standard (not Administrator). Log out and log in to the new user account. Do not use Fast User Switching for this test. In the brand new user account, you are using a new iTunes library. See if you can reproduce the iPod issues in the new user account. This may identify the problem as something in your usual user account, not at the system level.

(3) Install a "fresh" OS X system on an external drive (that you can erase), like a USB hard drive. My Mac has a high-speed SD card slot, and I use a 128GB "SDXC" card as an alternate startup disk for testing purposes. It is surprising fast, and more convenient that using a USB external drive. Just reformat it for Mac, and it acts like any mounted volume. Use the OS X installer (same version you are using as your main system) to install a clean system. Any drive with 64GB (or more) of storage space will work for this test. After applying available updates, try the things that cause problems with your iPod. This may identify a system-level problem in your Mac's usual OS X system.

(4) If you have access to a different Mac, try connecting your iPod (using the same USB docking cable) to that other Mac. This would be similar to (3), but not quite as definitive because it's probably not a clean system. But still a good test if you don't want to do (3).

And it CAN be a hardware problem on your iPod, even if it still operates properly as an iPod. For example you said

and the sync fails after many hours and only loads about 100 songs.

That can mean there is a problem on the hard drive's storage media at about the point when 100 typical-size songs are loaded. It does not have problem with doing a Restore, because the iPod's onboard software uses very little space. It does not have a problem when the iPod operates as an iPod, because the iPod's onboard software does not write a large amount of new data to the hard drive. But when iTunes tries to sync song files to that bad portion of the hard drive's media, it stalls and eventually errors out. This causes data corruption. The OS X system may have problem unmounting the iPod's storage disk, due to this corruption, impeding ejection.

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Answer 4

May 9, 2016 8:06 PM in response to paulfromedwardstown

thanks for the comprehensive response.

I shall try all this. Yes, I do have another Mac and have tried a sync on that - unsuccessful. BUT I haven't thought of changing cables. Safe mode? yes, I shall try this. Do you feel an anti-virus running at the same time might impact on the sync.

I did run a diagnostic on the iPod HDD ... it does show the pertinent numbers growing but not a level where I thought the HDD was failing.

I do appreciate your input ... I'll try all you suggest. If after that, the problem still exists, I'll put the device in a drawer and forget about it.

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Answer 5

May 9, 2016 8:16 PM in response to paulfromedwardstown

An "anti-virus" app can be the cause of such problems. Anti-malware apps that run in the background probably do more harm than good on Macs. If you use one, you should use it in a mode where it does not run anything in the background, and you use it manually "on command" to periodically run scans for known malware. Don't run unnecessary background processes. The Safe Mode test and starting up from a clean system would be good tests.

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