Possibly corrupted iPod cannot be synced

Hello MacForums,

This is my first post on MacForums and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that someone out there might be able to suggest a way through.

I have an 80GB iPod Classic which I've owned for about 10 or 11 years. A few weeks ago, whilst connecting it to my eight-year-old iMac a message appeared on the monitor screen saying 'The iPod "IPOD" cannot be synced because it cannot be read from or written to."

Although I don't know how to get out of this problem I think I know how I got into it: Just prior to receiving that message I plugged the iPod into the Mac but fumbled it - I didn't properly insert the lead, there may even have been a spark, I'm not sure. Anyway, the result was that all 16,300 songs on the iPod disappeared.

At least the iMac and iPod were still talking to one another at that time so I reconnected the two properly this time. No error messages appeared. Unable to locate the iPod's user guide (which I have since found) I took a chance and simply dragged my songs from the Mac onto the iPod carefully, a few hundred at a time. It seemed to work. I even recreated some of my playlists on the iPod.

Then, about two weeks ago I tried to create a new playlist on the iPod. It appeared to have taken but that's when I started getting the above message about being unable to sync the iPod. The new playlist disappeared immediately and the Mac and iPod would no longer speak to each other. My son checked the situation and found that the iMac was telling him that my iPod was now full with 17,599 songs! But I have not added another 1,300 songs to the iPod in recent weeks and the iPod itself tells me it contains only the original 16,300 songs.

So there we are: How do I get around the sync problem and false readings and return to those happy times before I apparently blew the entire lot? Indeed CAN I get around it?

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

I too had an 80Gb iPod classic and it died in almost the exact same way you describe. I would suggest you discard the old cable the may have sparked and try a different one, it could be the problem but if you get the same behavior it may be a lost cause.
Ten years is a very good life span for a portable device like this. Unfortunately if the computer cannot see it there is nothing much you can do. If it can then I suggest you try to restore it using iTunes to erase and reinstall the iOS. This will mean putting it into DFU mode and you will loose all of the contents. If you can get it connected let us know and we can describe how to do this (if your son doesn't already know). In my opinion it will only postpone the inevitable anyway. You might want to start thinking of an alternative.



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Obviously there are not a lot of things you can replace it with but one good alternative could be a second hand early model iPhone.


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An iPhone 6 for example would give you Bluetooth as well as the option to Livestream radio and a potential 128Gb storage not to mention using the same charge cable as the current iPhone. I did this with my old iPhone 5s and it was a perfect replacement until it too died. Now I just use my iPhone 7 but the battery drain is a problem.


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Thanks everyone. I'll consider the points you raised and let you know of any developments.

Thanks again.

Wanted to mention/ask some things:

1. Has this iPod & computer combo synced fine in the past (not a different computer than used in the past to sync with)?
2. Was the OS on the computer upgraded recently...or fairly recently?
3. How full is the iPods storage?
4. If this is a 10-11 year old 80 gig iPod Classic...believe it or not...the 80gig of storage on this iPod is a spinning hard drive. Newer iPod's have SSD's. Spinning HD's being mechanical devices are VERY prone to wear & tear depending on how much they are used. It's very very possible this iPod's HD may be failing.

- Nick

It's very very possible this iPod's HD may be failing.

Click to expand...

I have to second Nick's assessment that the iPod Classic hard drive may be failing. An iPod Classic hard drive replacement is very difficult to find and if you do find one, it will be expensive or already used. The folks at iFixit: The Free Repair Manual show how to replace the Classic hard drive with a solid state drive. Not an SSD per se but with a flash drive of the right capacity. I have already done this for a very old iPod that my wife dropped which destroyed the small hard drive that ran it. I replaced it with a flash drive and it worked. The catch is that you must use a high quality flash drive and not be afraid to open up the classic. The ifixit instructions are very good and easy to follow.

Well done you Chas, I notice the iFixit site lists the task as "Very Difficult"


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Thanks again all. And in reply to pigoo3 I can confirm that the iPod had previously worked successfully with my Mac since I bought the latter eight years ago. And the lead too I think although I might try another, just in case. I have not updated the computer's OS recently. The Mac says my iPod is full but the iPod says there is still space.

Gloomily, I am beginning to think that everyone is right in their assessment, that maybe the iPod has reached the end of its time. But at least I can still play it, so there's that.

KenNew said:

But at least I can still play it, so there's that.

Click to expand...

Not if the iPod's HD dies completely...then it's just a paperweight.

You could try the iPod upgrade chscag suggested. Could end up with a storage upgrade in the process (more space).

- Nick

Yes, I'm looking into the iFixit site now and I might also be able to locate a second iPod. Fingers crossed.

KenNew said:

Yes, I'm looking into the iFixit site now and I might also be able to locate a second iPod. Fingers crossed.

Click to expand...

Just a heads up.... beware of folks selling used iPod Classics. They're usually grossly overpriced and most have been refurbished. Very rare to find one in pristine condition.

Thanks for that but in this case I have a more reliable source: My daughter-in-law, like a lot of younger folk, feels she probably doesn't need her iPod any more. It's very kind of her although I shall see she doesn't miss out.