Does my iPod have a hard drive issue or a logic board issue?

Humann

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So I've got this 20GB 4th generation color screen iPod and frequently when I'm using it in the car (connected to the car radio's aux input via a double-ended 3.5mm audio cable), it will suddenly freeze up. One second it's playing and the next it goes silent. A hard reset (simultaneously holding down 'Menu' and the center button) will bring it back but it usually takes more than one try. So far, I haven't had this problem in the house, where I play it through a Sony docking station.

I don't know whether the hard drive is getting ready to go out or there's a logic board issue. I'm thinking of replacing the aging 20GB hard drive with a 32GB Compact Flash card like I've done with my formerly 4GB iPod Mini but if it's the logic board, I don't see much point in doing it. The device also has difficulty syncing up to my MacBook Pro via FireWire. I usually have to try plugging it up a couple of times before it will sync with iTunes and show up as an external drive in the Finder and sometimes it will freeze up while I'm transferring files.

So is it more likely that I have a hard drive issue or a logic board issue?
 

pkcable

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Not sure they would be willing to for such an old device, BUT you might try the Apple Store for a diagnostic. And then rather than accepting their quote for repair, just do the repair yourself, IF you deem it worth it. :)


Another option might be a newer used device.
 

Humann

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Thanks for your reply. I'm sure the Apple Store wouldn't even want to talk to me about this device. I took a six-year-old MacBook Pro up there once and they told me they don't even touch anything older than five years. Heck, they even turned my friend away last spring when she was having trouble with her iPhone 7, just because it was out of warranty. I'm not big fan of the Apple Store. That said, I'm going to try replacing the hard drive with a CF card. The adapter is only $5, so I don't have much to lose. That and a new battery sure worked wonders for my iPod Mini.
 

Golfdriver97

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It might be the storage causing this. If you play music, the device is doing a lot of reading, and sooner or later your mean time between failures starts to drop. It just may be age.

I don't know if I would even suggest fixing it. Apple devices are somewhat difficult to open. If you have all your songs on a computer somewhere, and an older iPhone, you might be better off using that instead.
 

scruffypig

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The device also has difficulty syncing up to my MacBook Pro via FireWire. I usually have to try plugging it up a couple of times before it will sync with iTunes and show up as an external drive in the Finder and sometimes it will freeze up while I'm transferring files.

So is it more likely that I have a hard drive issue or a logic board issue?

Have you tried connecting to your MacBook Pro using a USB cable instead of FireWire?
 

Humann

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I've tried USB but all it does is charge the battery. With FireWire, I get the "Do Not Disconnect" screen and it's a crapshoot whether it shows up in the Finder and iTunes. Opening up a 4th gen iPod isn't that bad. If the CF card fixes it, that's great. If not, time to move on. One thing that makes me think it's a hard drive issue is that when I use it in the house and it's working okay, it's laying flat, connected to the speaker dock via a cable. In the car, it's vertical in a phone holder. I'm thinking it just might be happier when it's on its back.
 

Humann

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So the adapter came today and I installed the 32GB CF card in place of the hard drive. It did exactly the same thing so the problem is definitely the logic board. Fortunately, when I put the HD back in, it worked fine. I guess I'll just have to use it as is or leave it in the box and use one of my other ones.
 

Humann

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Okay, here's the Paul Harvey "Rest of the Story" (dating myself, I know). After putting the iPod back together with its original 20GB hard drive, it has functioned flawlessly. There must have been a loose connection somewhere that I managed to accidentally tighten up, so all's well that ends well. Somewhere in the house, I have a fifth generation iPod with a crashed hard drive. Maybe the CF card can be used to resurrect that one.
 

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