Troubleshooting the iPod: 30 GB models' "freezing" problem
Troubleshooting the iPod: 30 GB models' "freezing" problem
Some 30 GB iPod models are affected by an apparent hardware flaw that can cause the unit's internal hard drive to suddenly stop functioning, resulting in inability to play or transfer songs.
Models affected by this problem will deliver the following message when connected to a Mac via FireWire:
"You have inserted a disk containing no volumes that Mac OS X can read. To use the unreadable volumes click Initialize. To continue with the disk inserted click Ignore"
A few readers have been able to resolve this problem by draining the iPod's battery to zero, unplugging every connection, and initializing the unit's hard drive. Others have had to obtain replacements from Apple. One reader describes his encounter with Apple technical support, and their explanation for the problem:
"Apple technical support told me that their engineers needed my 30 GB iPod returned back to them, in what the technician said was a 'capture.' He shared with me that engineers know that there is a problem with hard drives 'freezing' on some batches of the new 30 GB iPods. I personally had to return my initially purchased iPod to Apple, they sent me a new one, and it was not one hour old before the same freeze problem surfaced. Another call to Tech support at Apple, and they took voluminous notes from me, and called me back the next day to tell me that they are now aware of problems, and their engineers are trying to learn what exactly is going wrong, and how to fix it. They will be sending me another new 30 GB iPod, my third one in the past two weeks."
We are still attempting to gather more details on this issue, so please drop us a line with your experience at late-breakers@macfixit.com.Resources