JMBQ
Level 1 (4 points)
iPod

Q: iPod Classic 80Gb volume won't mount

Our 80gb Classic no longer opens in iTunes, and Disk Utility in OS X shows that the volume doesn't want to mount. The iPod has been manually managed over several of our computers over the years, and the last backup was made ages ago.  DiskUtil is unable to repair the volume, nor will it make a disk image for restoration.  Will it be at all possible to salvage any data from it?

Posted on Jun 27, 2016 9:15 PM

by turingtest2,Solvedanswer
turingtest2 turingtest2
Level 10 (84,849 points)
iTunes
A:

The stats don't look too bad. The issue probably lies in those 4 pending sectors. If they hold critical data that cannot be read that may be why the device doesn't mount. Try the DFU restore or reformat options to see if you can clear the pendings. Once that is done you should be able to reload your media.

 

tt2

Posted on Sep 4, 2016 4:31 PM

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JMBQ

Q: iPod Classic 80Gb volume won't mount

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  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 2, 2016 8:34 AM in response to JMBQ
    Level 10 (84,849 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 2, 2016 8:34 AM in response to JMBQ

    See Corrupt iPod Classic. Can you access the HDD stats and if so what are they?

     

    tt2

  • by JMBQ,

    JMBQ JMBQ Sep 2, 2016 8:47 PM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPod
    Sep 2, 2016 8:47 PM in response to turingtest2

    Retracts: 161

    Reallocs: 1

    Pending Sectors: 4

    PowerOn Hours: 1089

    Start/Stops: 3488

    Temp: Current 29c

    Temp: Min 17c

    Temp: Max 47c

  • by turingtest2,Solvedanswer

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Sep 4, 2016 4:31 PM in response to JMBQ
    Level 10 (84,849 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 4, 2016 4:31 PM in response to JMBQ

    The stats don't look too bad. The issue probably lies in those 4 pending sectors. If they hold critical data that cannot be read that may be why the device doesn't mount. Try the DFU restore or reformat options to see if you can clear the pendings. Once that is done you should be able to reload your media.

     

    tt2

  • by JMBQ,

    JMBQ JMBQ Sep 4, 2016 4:32 PM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPod
    Sep 4, 2016 4:32 PM in response to turingtest2

    Thanks, that appears to have worked.  What causes this to happen?

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Sep 4, 2016 5:16 PM in response to JMBQ
    Level 10 (84,849 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 4, 2016 5:16 PM in response to JMBQ

    You're welcome.

     

    Hard drives all fail eventually, but along the way it may be that one area becomes unreliable before another. The pending sectors are a sign that bad areas have been detected. Unfortunately iTunes doesn't include a mechanism for picking up and attempting to repair them automatically, or alerting the user that they have been spotted. If a bad cluster forms part of a song the iPod will typically just skip to the next one, and at some point the issue might be cleared up if you remove the track or restore the device. In this case I suspect the bad cluster would have been holding part of a folder or some other data that would normally be accessed when the device mounts or connects to iTunes.

     

    tt2