HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

[weirdlookinguy]

So I'm on a family trip visiting relatives, and of course I get sucked into fixing everybody's goddamn computer while I'm over here. Anyhoo, I'm working on my aunt's iPod, I loaded it up with tons of music last time I came over here. After I left, she wanted more music so she took it to some moron who claimed to be an expert with iPods. She didn't see her iPod for a month, and when she got it back there was no music on it. It's been that way for a few months. When I plugged it in to my laptop, iTunes would crash and in windows explorer there were a bunch of empty folders with gibberish names when opening the drive. I figured whatever had happened to this iPod, the file system had been corrupted pretty badly. I tried formatting it but it says it is write protected. Now when I plug it in, it says the disk is 2TB even though it's only an 80GB. It won't format using the HP USB Format Tool - it says it is write protected.

The iPod won't boot. It keeps restarting, because it can't read anything off its own hard drive. I have to force it into Disk Mode to get it to show up as a drive when plugged into my laptop.

I'm at my wit's end here. All this thing needs is a good, zero level format so that the file system can be rebuilt. However, because of the write protection, I can't do that. Can you guys help, or recommend a good tool that can completely bomb this drive and make it readable again?

[ratdude747]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

try using "computer Management" and go to disk management

try that, and then see about reloading the firmware

[weirdlookinguy]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

Tried both of those options - reloading the firmware, or "restoring" it via itunes just sets the stupid thing into a loop where it keeps trying to boot and restarts. Disk Management didn´t give me any crap about write protection and seemed to be working, but then at the end it said the format could not be completed. It seems to think that the drive is 16,483GB or something crazy like that. Opening the drive in explorer brings up a message that says that the drive needs to be formatted before it can be used, but a format fails of course.

Any ideas anyone?

[lucky13]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

From what I've came across, if the drive is reporting the wrong size, it is finished. There is no software to fix that. You need to get a new drive.

9/10 times, there is physical dents to the iPod when the drive fails. These things are pretty fragile if not dressed with protection.

I normally yank it out and connect to a ZIF to IDE adaptor and use HDTune on my PC to map the bad sectors. Sometimes I find only several bad sectors and I use PM to partition out the bad area. Unfortunately, iTunes will wipe whatever your partition you've set it to so the drive is only good for storage.

[Krankshaft]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

Sounds like the Ipod expert dropped it and crashed the HDD .

I've opened these units from the Nano to the larger Videos.

HDD replacement isn't that hard as long as you get the disposable nylon opening tools so the thing doesn't look like it was opened with a pry bar .

Compared to the 1st gen Nano (the first Ipod I opened) the video was as easy as hell afterward.

The drives are around 30 bucks or so well worth it IMO.

[Toasty]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

Perhaps:

http://www.troublefixers.com/remove-...-card-or-ipod/

[ratdude747]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

2 choices:

1: trash it

2: it until it is gone for good

if you dont understand, then maybe this link will help:
http://www.innfusion.com/blogimages/Brick.jpg

sorry bub, but it that moron commited iMurder , a class i iFelony rsutiong in a trip to iJail

[dood]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

Or... he still has your Aunts working iPod back at the shop... and gave you one that was already dead.

[ratdude747]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

Or... he still has your Aunts working iPod back at the shop... and gave you one that was already dead.

wouldnt that be funny ...

and sad

[NxB]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

Replace the HDD, sorry.

[weirdlookinguy]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

I figured it was fucked. Thanks guys, needed a second opinion.

I honestly don´t know if I´m gonna tell her about the new drive option, I hate iPods and I´m especially tired of fucking around with this one.

Merci beacoup mes bon amis,
-weird

[NxB]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

Ebay.

[ratdude747]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

sony walkman.

[gdement]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

If you can get the drive out, then there are utilities that can reprogram the size and also the transfer rate. I've done that with Hitachi/IBM, but other manufacturers may have something similar.
Probably doesn't matter though, the whole firmware is probably trashed, not only the reported size. I doubt the guy who ruined it really just edited the size to 16TB. I think you're right to give up on it.

[ratdude747]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

dont buy ipods they are fragile, overpriced, and lock you into itunes hell.

there are lots of good non-apple mp3 players online... save some green and get a better product while saving money

[370forlife]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

I just have one of those cheap 8gb creative zen's. It has a large screen, built in radio (uses the headphone wire for a antenna) plays videos, and has a SD card slot that accepts high capacity sd cards.

You can even get one of those super cheap tiny mp3 players and put rockbox on them. It allows about anything with a color screen to play video.

[weirdlookinguy]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

I like iPods. I think they are well designed players with decent build quality, and they aren´t any more fragile than any other comparable mp3 player. I wouldn´t buy one for myself, but I think they are great players for your average, not-that-tech-savvy consumer. They have also done a lot more to advance portable music than any other mp3 player has. Don´t talk shit on iPods just because it´s the cool thing to do.

I do agree, however...

-That they are overpriced (not as much now as they used to be, but still)
-I don´t like being locked into iTunes
-Not upgradeable

Personally, I use the most excellent Nokia 5310 XpressMusic for my phone/music duties. Tinyass, slim, sexy looking little phone with excellent reception/call quality, great battery life, plays all my music, and takes CHEAP, EASILY UPGRADEABLE miniSDHC cards for storage. It has a REGULAR 3.5 JACK FOR HEADPHONES JUST LIKE A DEDICATED mp3 PLAYER! And the sound quality is indistinguishable from any dedicated mp3 player.

[ratdude747]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

i could never afford an ipod.

[weirdlookinguy]

Re: HDD bombed - I need your guys's help

i could never afford an ipod.

And your point is?