Syncing a Classic Ipod to a MacBook Pro 13

[Conchis]

Purchased the Macbook on Friday. Yesterday, I tried to sync my iPod (purchased in early 2009) to it but it isn't recognised by iTunes. It shows up on the desktop but nowhere else. All the content I had on it has been deleted (how?) so I now have a blank iPod and no known way of putting music on it.

My friend's Macbook recognises my iPod so I'm assuming the problem is down to the new operating system (Yosemite).

Anyone know how to fix this problem? Help would be appreciated! :)

[Dave2002]

Purchased the Macbook on Friday. Yesterday, I tried to sync my iPod (purchased in early 2009) to it but it isn't recognised by iTunes. It shows up on the desktop but nowhere else. All the content I had on it has been deleted (how?) so I now have a blank iPod and no known way of putting music on it.

My friend's Macbook recognises my iPod so I'm assuming the problem is down to the new operating system (Yosemite).

Anyone know how to fix this problem? Help would be appreciated! :)

Oh dear, another Apple problem. Mostly I like Apple, but they can cause screw ups as just as effectively as many other companies.

Are you sure that you have lost everything on your iPod? Do you care? Was there anything very important to you on it?

Have you, or your friend got a backed up copy on one of your other machines?

If there's a chance of rescuing the music and you want to, then don't even think of resyncing it to your new machine for the moment.

If you had downloads from Amazon, or iTunes then you should be able to get most of them back, but you may have your own material.

I did have a similar problem, which I've never really got round to fixing, but I did manage to recover everything from my iPod using a software tool called Xilisoft iDevice Magic Platinum - http://www.xilisoft.com/ipad-magic.html This does work with MacOS - or at least my copy did.

That might help you if there's anything still on your iPod. There may be other recovery procedures which might work. If you can get the disc to look like a hard drive on a Windows system, then Recuva might recover most of the files, even if they were deleted. Note though, that unfortunately connecting iPods to Windows systems also causes problems as the files are stored (apparently) in slightly different way, and this is not noticeable until one tries to sync on another Apple machine. I gave up with my own, because I could not find out which machine my iPod thought it have been initially synced to. I may have initially started my own iPod connected to a PC which was at hand in my excitement one Christmas, which was almost certainly a terrible mistake.

Recuva is an interesting tool - which is similar I think to some which might be used for forensic purposes - https://www.piriform.com/recuva It is quite good at finding many files, even if a drive has been overwritten, though won't work if a full clean format on the drive has been carried out.

[Conchis]

Hi, Dave

There was nothing on the iPod I don't still have on disc, so not a huge problem. I dislike digital downloads for so many reasons, but the principal one is this - they can so easily be 'lost.'

I'm far more concerned about the idea that the latest macbook (not that this is the latest) doesn't recognise the iPod. Scouting round the net, this seems to have been a problem since sometime last year but people argue (on help forums) about the most effective solution. I'm hoping someone who's resolved the problem themselves might be able to give me a step-by-step solution.

It's certainly appears that Apple don't give a stuff about their customers' problems! Their products can be very frustrating - easy to use in some respects, but then you come up against their brick walls!

[MrGongGong]

Why use iTunes in the first place?
You don't need to use Apple software (apart from the OS) on a mac even though many folks seem to think you do.

[Conchis]

Why use iTunes in the first place?
You don't need to use Apple software (apart from the OS) on a mac even though many folks seem to think you do.

OK, I'll admit to my appalling technical ignorance. Are you suggesting I sync the iPod using something else? I know there were such things once upon a time (I might even have used them, once) but iTunes has been so dominant for so long, I can't remember their names. Can you advise?

Thanks! :)

[Nick Armstrong]

Purchased the Macbook on Friday. Yesterday, I tried to sync my iPod (purchased in early 2009) to it but it isn't recognised by iTunes. It shows up on the desktop but nowhere else. All the content I had on it has been deleted (how?) so I now have a blank iPod and no known way of putting music on it.

My friend's Macbook recognises my iPod so I'm assuming the problem is down to the new operating system (Yosemite).

Anyone know how to fix this problem? Help would be appreciated! :)

Have you tried this: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203979

I have Yosemite on one Macbook Pro, but not the one I use for iTunes (which has Mavericks / iTunes 12). I also use iPod classic. Might try it on the other Yosemite-equipped one and see what happens.

However I'm slightly scared that you say it was plugging it into your new one that emptied your iPod? Do you opt for 'automatic' synching? I always have it set to manual, maybe that would help? But I guess you tried that.

OK, I'll admit to my appalling technical ignorance. Are you suggesting I sync the iPod using something else? I know there were such things once upon a time (I might even have used them, once) but iTunes has been so dominant for so long, I can't remember their names. Can you advise?

Thanks! :)

I'm with you.

Mind you, for my personal mix of ignorance and laziness, iTunes isn't perfect but the ease of use in most respects makes it the only one I can be bothered with.

[Beef Oven!]

I'm using Yosemite 10.10.03 and no problems with my library/iPod.

I imagine that the setting used was auto-synch - which can wipe your iPod.

[MrGongGong]

OK, I'll admit to my appalling technical ignorance. Are you suggesting I sync the iPod using something else? I know there were such things once upon a time (I might even have used them, once) but iTunes has been so dominant for so long, I can't remember their names. Can you advise?

Thanks! :)

Sorry

I don't really know because I don't use an iPod or iTunes
but there are other ways of doing it (though the iPod does, I think, make it rather tricky)
i'm sure someone will be along in a minute who does know

good luck with it

[Dave2002]

Hi, Dave

There was nothing on the iPod I don't still have on disc, so not a huge problem. I dislike digital downloads for so many reasons, but the principal one is this - they can so easily be 'lost.'

I'm far more concerned about the idea that the latest macbook (not that this is the latest) doesn't recognise the iPod. Scouting round the net, this seems to have been a problem since sometime last year but people argue (on help forums) about the most effective solution. I'm hoping someone who's resolved the problem themselves might be able to give me a step-by-step solution.

It's certainly appears that Apple don't give a stuff about their customers' problems! Their products can be very frustrating - easy to use in some respects, but then you come up against their brick walls!

Hi

I'm glad that you've not lost anything. That can be a real pain.

What machine was your iPod connected to before?

I don't use my Classic much - in fact I never did - and it does need to be connected IIRC to upload/download tracks, albums etc. unlike the newer wireless devices. However, it does have the advantage that it can be used to store a lot of music, and for many the quality and portability once set up are good enough, though as noted on one or two other threads recently some other non Apple gadgets (e.g FiiO) are possibly better, and more convenient.

I think there are reset capabilities on the device, and it's (arguably) worth making sure that the thing is fully reset and has the latest (last) firmware installed if you are going to load it up again.

I'm interested in MrGG's comments re not using iTunes - as it took me a long while to find that Xilisoft tool, and I've only used that to recover tracks from the iPod which I couldn't otherwise get at.

I don't know what music management tools there are which will work with MacBooks and Classic iPods other than iTunes.

MrGG - what other tools are there for iPods which will work?

Otherwise, I do agree that there are some aspects where Apple "doesn't give a stuff" - such as when the iPad software was updated from about v3 to v4 and then v5. A whole lot of papers which I'd filed away got lost, and in the end the "excuse" from Apple was that I was storing pdfs in Papers, and they had nothing to do with pdfs - so "not their problem!"

Fine - but I would have appreciated knowing that before the update process deleted all my paper collection, rather than afterwards. One of my friends hates Apple because some years ago he took a new Apple gadget to the USA with a lot of music on, with the entention of listening to it on the return trip on the Qeen Mary - which he and his wife had booked as a holiday. At some time while in the US he went in to an Apple "Genius" store to ask for help, and the guys there managed to reset his machine and wiped his machine of all the tracks. He was not amused at having nothing to listen to for several days on the ship, and has sworn never to buy any Apple products ever again.

I know others who have been disappointed with Apple, or at least some of their products. I know they're not perfect, but despite that I stick with them, as before I switched to MacOS my life was being ruined on a daily basis trying to keep my own and others' Windows software functional.

[richardfinegold]

Apple has discontinued the ipod. Perhaps this is why the OS doesn't support syncing with it? If so, given the number of ipods out there, I think this is appalling on
Apple's part

[Nick Armstrong]

Apple has discontinued the ipod. Perhaps this is why the OS doesn't support syncing with it? If so, given the number of ipods out there, I think this is appalling on Apple's part

I don't think that's the reason.

Yet...

[MrGongGong]

I'm interested in MrGG's comments re not using iTunes - as it took me a long while to find that Xilisoft tool, and I've only used that to recover tracks from the iPod which I couldn't otherwise get at.

I'm not really typical
but
I don't store music on any of my computers in a library way
I do have an mp3 player which I use less and less BUT it's not an iPod (I have an iRiver IHP120 which used to cost the same as an iPod but records uncompressed .wavs and plays most formats)
iTunes won't allow me to drag and drop audio I have created from one place to another so useless for my purposes

MrGG - what other tools are there for iPods which will work?

I don't know


I don't understand folks who complain about how Apple won't "allow" you to use other software or hardware? I have 3 mac computers and most of the time (apart from the OS) don't use Apple software at all.

[Conchis]

This afternoon, I spent about an hour on the phone to Apple (it's OK, they rang me), speaking to a young man who was evidently working from an instruction book. He sounded a bit too young to be familiar with the classic iPod and though he was very nice, I'm no nearer getting the mac to recognise the ancient (circa 2009) artefact than I was before. He suggested that I connect it to another computer (PC or mac) to that it will be 'automatically updated' (eh?) and then I might have better luck with it. I couldn't blame him personally but this does say something not very good about Apple's approach to customer care.

I don't have access to another PC or mac atm, so will have to 'update' it on my better half's mac (which is three years old, so presumably compatible with the classic iPod) when next I see her. Ho hum.

[richardfinegold]

This afternoon, I spent about an hour on the phone to Apple (it's OK, they rang me), speaking to a young man who was evidently working from an instruction book. He sounded a bit too young to be familiar with the classic iPod and though he was very nice, I'm no nearer getting the mac to recognise the ancient (circa 2009) artefact than I was before. He suggested that I connect it to another computer (PC or mac) to that it will be 'automatically updated' (eh?) and then I might have better luck with it. I couldn't blame him personally but this does say something not very good about Apple's approach to customer care.

I don't have access to another PC or mac atm, so will have to 'update' it on my better half's mac (which is three years old, so presumably compatible with the classic iPod) when next I see her. Ho hum.

6 years can be an eternity in IT. It still doesn't speak well of Apple. Based on what the IT pup said, I suspect the newest Mac OS is not compatible with your "ancient" iPod and that apparently Apple chooses to do. Firmware update on the iPod itself, rather than on the MacBook OS. Very strange, counterintuitive, and I don't think Steve Jobs would have approved .

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Apple has discontinued the ipod. Perhaps this is why the OS doesn't support syncing with it? If so, given the number of ipods out there, I think this is appalling on
Apple's part

Is this all a pack of lies then?

http://store.apple.com/uk/ipod?afid=p238%7CZqztJpIl-dc_mtid_187079nc38483_pcrid_5920259657_&cid=aos-uk-kwb-ipod

I understood the iPod Classic had been discontinued, but the Touch and Nano models seem to be alive and kicking.