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Q: Dead iPod Color?

Hey guys,

 

My old iPod color (5th gen I think, A1136 white 60GB) for some reason won't turn on anymore. Last week it suddenly froze, so after a hard reset it worked for another day. After that, it won't boot anymore. The screen stays black, and it shows zero signs of life. I can hear a constant high-pitched sound from inside (HDD on?), but that's just about all. When I plug it into my computer, it doesn't register in iTunes or in Disk Utility. Do you all know what's wrong with it or how it could be fixed?

 

Thanks!

MacBook, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4), Mid 2010

Posted on May 9, 2016 10:09 PM

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Q: Dead iPod Color?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by RockstarKB,

    RockstarKB RockstarKB May 10, 2016 10:25 PM in response to abcblahblah
    Level 3 (767 points)
    iPhone
    May 10, 2016 10:25 PM in response to abcblahblah

    I think it is Dead

     

    Take it to Apple Genius Bar

     

     

    <Edited by Host>

  • by Kenichi Watanabe,

    Kenichi Watanabe Kenichi Watanabe May 10, 2016 3:40 AM in response to abcblahblah
    Level 8 (38,406 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 10, 2016 3:40 AM in response to abcblahblah

    The hard drive may have become faulty.  Are you able to get it into Disk Mode?

     

    Putting iPod into Disk Mode - Apple Support

     

    If the battery has run down, you can do this while connected to power.  If you can put it into Disk Mode, run iTunes and connect it.  If iTunes picks it up, it may prompt you to do a Restore, which erases the iPod, reinstalls its software, and sets it to default settings.  If it does not go into Disk Mode (or the Restore fails), there is probably a hardware problem.

    or how it could be fixed?

    If the iPod has a bad hard drive, but it's otherwise in good shape, you can consider replacing the hard drive with a commonly available Compact Flash card or SD card, on an adapter.  This web site has relevant information (for 5th gen and later "classic" iPods)

     

    https://www.iflash.xyz/

  • by abcblahblah,

    abcblahblah abcblahblah May 10, 2016 3:07 PM in response to RockstarKB
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Notebooks
    May 10, 2016 3:07 PM in response to RockstarKB

    Genius bar wants nothing to do with it, it's 11 years old or 6 years past their required age to look at it.

  • by abcblahblah,

    abcblahblah abcblahblah May 10, 2016 3:09 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Notebooks
    May 10, 2016 3:09 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

    No, it doesn't display or respond to anything, and it is not visible on the computer when connected.

  • by Kenichi Watanabe,

    Kenichi Watanabe Kenichi Watanabe May 10, 2016 4:11 PM in response to abcblahblah
    Level 8 (38,406 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 10, 2016 4:11 PM in response to abcblahblah

    Does it still make "a constant high-pitched sound from inside"?  When you do a Reset (restart) as described here

     

    Learn how to reset your iPod - Apple Support  (see section iPod with a click wheel)

     

    does that sound momentarily stop (even if you don't see anything on the iPod's screen)?

  • by abcblahblah,

    abcblahblah abcblahblah May 10, 2016 6:04 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Notebooks
    May 10, 2016 6:04 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

    The sound stopped, but it hasn't come back on. No display still. Right now when it's plugged in it's basically a brick.

  • by Kenichi Watanabe,

    Kenichi Watanabe Kenichi Watanabe May 10, 2016 6:32 PM in response to abcblahblah
    Level 8 (38,406 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 10, 2016 6:32 PM in response to abcblahblah

    Definitely seems to be a hardware problem.  The fix is unlikely to be a simple procedure.

     

    It could be a bad display.  I heard that can prevent the iPod from turning ON, and even if the iPod was ON, you'd see a dark display.  But you'd hear some sound or feel vibrations coming from the hard drive when you did a Reset, if the iPod was turned ON with a dark display.

     

    If you have not already, you should try a different USB docking cable, in case the one you use is faulty and is not connecting for power.  If the cable does not connect for power, the battery would eventually become fully drained, and the iPod would appear to be "dead."  But your initial symptoms seem unrelated to the iPod not have a good power connection.

     

    If you've never changed the battery, it could be a worn out battery that is completely dead.  But I think you would see something screen when connected to power indicating an error.  And again, your initial symptoms seen unrelated to a battery problem.

  • by abcblahblah,

    abcblahblah abcblahblah May 10, 2016 7:04 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Notebooks
    May 10, 2016 7:04 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

    Maybe the motherboard fried itself? I can't think of any other reason why it would just die. Also it's hopeless to get any music off it right?

  • by Kenichi Watanabe,

    Kenichi Watanabe Kenichi Watanabe May 10, 2016 7:52 PM in response to abcblahblah
    Level 8 (38,406 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 10, 2016 7:52 PM in response to abcblahblah

    It could be the logic board becoming faulty.  That may account for the odd behavior before complete failure.

     

    If there's nothing wrong with the hard drive, the songs are still there.  If you don't have the songs on the computer in your iTunes library, you may be able to off-load them from the hard drive.  You'd need to open up the iPod to remove the hard drive, and connect it to your computer outside of the iPod.  You could do that by getting a USB external drive enclosure for those hard drives.  Here's one example

     

    http://www.amazon.com/1-8-inch-Enclosure-Toshiba-Connector-Assorted/dp/B001OYCJH I

     

    Then, you should be able to use the method in this article to off-load the song files

     

    http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-transfer-music-from-an-ipod-to-your-computer/

     

    OR, you could find a broken 5th gen iPod (thicker type if yours is 60GB) on eBay that sounds like it has a bad hard drive, but is otherwise working, and swap your hard drive into it.  If possible, find a listing that sound like an individual original owner selling their broken iPod, not an electronics recycling business.

     

    This web site has illustrated repair guides, for taking apart the iPod

     

    https://www.ifixit.com/Device/iPod_5th_Generation_%28Video%29

  • by abcblahblah,

    abcblahblah abcblahblah May 10, 2016 10:37 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Notebooks
    May 10, 2016 10:37 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

    Ok, thank you for your help!

  • by abcblahblah,

    abcblahblah abcblahblah May 10, 2016 10:58 PM in response to abcblahblah
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Notebooks
    May 10, 2016 10:58 PM in response to abcblahblah

    UPDATE: Now all of a sudden it makes the high-pitched noise again, but the reset has no visible/audible effect, does this mean anything?

  • by Kenichi Watanabe,

    Kenichi Watanabe Kenichi Watanabe May 10, 2016 11:42 PM in response to abcblahblah
    Level 8 (38,406 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 10, 2016 11:42 PM in response to abcblahblah

    I can't think of anything other than the hard drive that would make a "high-pitched noise" (that's not coming out of the headphones).  I've had faulty hard drives that make a whining sound when they are powered up and spinning (not sure if that's what you are hearing).  However, if the problem was (only) the hard drive, the iPod's screen should come ON and show an error screen when you do a Reset.  Therefore, I think the root cause is something else.