Disk Cannot Be Repaired?

So I keep getting an error message telling me that my MacBook Pro cannot repair the disk, and that I should back up my files elsewhere ASAP...
What are my options to get my time capsule working correctly again?
Thanks,
Catherine

Disk Warrior 3.0 will probably not work. Check www.alsoft.com. They used to put out a updater that you could update your Disk Warrior. Basically you download their update program and burn your own DW disk.
Dan

Similar Messages

  • Mac does not boot past white loading screen and disk cannot be repaired?

    So when I turn on my Macbook Pro and it does not boot past a white screen with the Apple logo, loading wheel and progress bar. When the progress bar completes, the Macbook shuts down and when I open it again the cycle is repeated. I have opened it in Safe mode and it still showed the same thing. So I opened it in Recovery Mode and had Disk Utility verify and repair Macintosh HD. As it turns out, Disk Utility said Macintosh HD is beyond repair and I need to back up my files and reformat the whole Mac. Unfortunately, I have never used Time Machine since I started using the Mac and I obviously cannot use it now since startup does not even get past the white screen.
    How do I reformat the Mac when it does not even go beyond the white screen during startup? My Mac did not come with any recovery or installation disks. Are my unbacked up files gone for good?
    Thanks.

    PochAstudille wrote:
    How do I reformat the Mac when it does not even go beyond the white screen during startup? My Mac did not come with any recovery or installation disks. Are my unbacked up files gone for good?
    Since you are able to get into Recovery Mode (Command+R), you can erase/format your Mac via Disk Utility.
    Your files/data might be OK. One way to get your data off since you have no back up would be to have another Mac and connect the two via a Thunderbolt cable or even an ethernet cable (I think), then restart your 'bad' Mac into Target Mode by restarting and pressing the T key. Then go onto the 'good' Mac and see if you can copy the data files you want over to it.

  • The old "backup disk cannot be found" conundrum

    i've seen this message a few times before but the resolution has always been as simple as checking the connection. but not this time.
    time machine is not seeing the external drive at all. it shows up in disk utility and these are the messages i received. it is stuck on the last one.
    Verifying volume “Jane's backup”
    Error: This disk needs to be repaired. Click Repair Disk.
    Verify and Repair volume “Jane's backup”
    Volume repair complete.Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
    when i open the time machine preferences, TM is switched off. if i switch it on, then click on "select backup disk", it just opens a window which shows no backup disk to select. if i hit cancel, it automatically turns off TM.
    HELP!

    Hello Jane:
    conundrum
    Great word!
    I could not tell from your post. Did you run repair disk from your software install DVD on the external disk? If it did not complete properly, there are third party programs that are more robust (DiskWarrior is the "gold standard," but it is pricey at about $90). In any event, if the disk cannot be repaired, an erase and then new TM backup would seem to be the option. It appears that something is wrong with the disk, not with TM.
    Barry

  • How do I retrieve data from a HD that cannot be repaired with utility disk?

    Hi,
    I have a macbook pro 15 inch mid 2010. It has 4gb of ram and 500gb of storage. I recently upgraded to Mavericks OSX10.9,4.
    First of all, when turning on my mac the screen just loads forever, hence it does not pick up the HD. It also displayed the circle with a line through icon once.
    Upon noticing this, I tried to repair the disk but it said it was unable to. The other disks are ok but the MAC HD says it stopped repairing when I attempted to repair it.
    Using single user mode (command + s): I tried this, but it continued to says the same i/o error code:
    disk0s2: i/o error.n
    0 [level 3] [facility com.apple.system.fs] [errtype IO] [IOType Read] [PBlkNum 57547320] [LBlkNum 67604]
    0 [level 3] [facility com.apple.system.fs] [DevNode root_device] {mountPt /] [Path /private/var/db/dyld/dyld_shared_cache_x86_64]
    And it kept going and going.
    I'm afraid to try anything else. I have no Mac back up in time machine (I know) but I have an external. Is it possible to retrieve the data by wiping the external and using the utility disk to transfer to HD to the external? Is that what people call cloning? Is this physical damage/can i still recover the data/use it and section off the damaged parts and use the spare space?
    Help would be appreciated!

    i/o errors generally mean that a part of the disk cannot be read. That can prevent the disk mounting or prevent the entire disk being read after the error.
    Disk Utility is not great at addressing issues like this & data recovery specialists are the safest (and most expensive) option for recovering data from a disk in this state.
    As others have said it's critical to avoid any use of the disk since if it's a mechanical fault it could seize or finally give up functioning.
    If you are intent on recovering 'on your own & on the cheap' you could look at ddrescue – it clones a disk by copying the data stream whilst ignoring errors from the source disk, the data on the second disk could be 'repairable' with additional tools.
    http://www.gnu.org/software/ddrescue/ddrescue.html
    TestDisk & Photorec are also good when used for the right fault.
    http://www.cgsecurity.org
    These are all *nix tools & require competence at the command line! Just installing can be too much for some non technical users.
    You also need lots of spare disks to move data onto to run the tools.
    Kappy, is CNET Downloads really a good recommendation? They have a habit of bundling other junk with third party app installers. Go straight to the vendors site would be my advice (using 'https' where available).

  • I have received an error message from an attached USB hard drive (not Time Capsule) stating "Disk Name" cannot be repaired. Back up your data and reformat. I opened the Disk Utility in an attempt to repair the disk but am advised that the disk "could not

    I have received an error message relating to an attached USB hard drive (not a back up and not Time Capsule) advising that "disk name" cannot be repaired. Back up your data and reformat. When I attempted to verify the disk with Disk Utility, I was advised that the disk could not be unmounted. What can I do to repair the disk?
    Write Status is Read/Write
    SMART Status is Not Supported
    Partition Map Scheme is Master Boot Record
    HELP!
    timothy7712

    You need something stronger, such as DiskWarrior, TechTools Pro, or Data Rescue.

  • Mac book pro spinning on startup but never gets to log in screen, repair disk says unable to repair, 2007 computer running Lion, how do I reinstall Lion to the Mac HD, which is the disk that needs repair, but cannot be repaired?

    2007 MacBook Pro, was shut down properly last PM.  Today on startup, spins and spins but cannot get to log in screen.  Held option key with restart and using disk utilities the mac HD showing needs repair, but cannot be repaired.  Says save as many files as possible and reinstall software.  Can't save files, can't get into them.  Willing to reinstall without saving, but can't because only disk option for the reinstall showing is the repair disk, and it is showing as locked.  What to do?

    Sounds like the drive is starting to fail. Have you ever change the drive in that system? If not then it is time to think about doing that, the sooner the better.

  • Disk permissions that cannot be repaired

    I have two disk permissions that cannot be repaired and wanted to know if there was anything I can do about them. The are: Warning: SUID file "System/library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/Resources/OwnerGroupTool"has been modified and will not be repaired.
    Warning SUID file "usr/bin/lppasswd" had been modified and will not be repaired
    I just uninstalled Skype and reinstalled it than ran repair disk permission when these showed up. I have run repair disk permissions several times afterward and they always show up now. Thanks for any help!

    Installing OS X 5.5 combo upgrade will clear the problem. I had exactly the same warning downloaded the combo and install straight over the incremental 5.5 update and everything is now fine. Here is the link
    http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosx1055comboupdate.html
    Message was edited by: Denisimo

  • I downloaded the mountain lion from the app store and it downloaded. when i installed the mountain lion it said that the hd disk is broken and cannot be repaired, and the other disk doesnt have enough space!

    I downloaded the mountain lion from the app store and it downloaded. When i installed the mountain lion it said that the hd disk is broken and cannot be repaired, and the other disk doesnt have enough space! HELP and i cannot return to my desktop with the old sofware so i cant use my computer normaly

    This error means that your hard drive is badly corrupt and cannot be repaired by Disk Utility. Since you say you don't have backups, this is very bad news. You may already have lost data irrevocably.
    First order of business needs to be backing up whatever you can, but this may be difficult to do if the machine won't start up any more. See step 1 of the following post:
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/21614450#21614450
    Once you have backed up your data, you can address the other issues.

  • My install of maverick failed as disk is damaged and cannot repaired. I tried to erase disk but got error that disk cannot be umounted. Please help! Thank you very much.

    My install of maverick failed as disk is damaged and cannot repaired. I tried to erase disk but got error disk cannot be unmounted. Please help. What can i do? Thank you very much.

    First have you got a backup of your data? If not try to get one now while you have some access to the drive. The drive is probably faulty and will need to be replaced, without the backup you risk losing the data.
    Have you a bootable external USB drive with Mavericks on it, if so boot from that and try and repair or erase the drive and reinstall Mavericks.
    If you don't have Mavericks on an external drive,  boot from you Leopard DVD ( I am presumimg your profile is correct) and run Disk Utility from there, you may be able to erase the drive and reload Leopard. You can then install Mavericks. Even if all that works you will most likely need a new drive in the near future.

  • HT3275 I continue to get the following error message: Unable to complete back up.an error occurred while creating backup folder. It's a brand new drive. When I attempt to repair it using disk utility I get:unable to repair disk cannot unmounted

    I have been trying to use time machine on a new lacie 2tb usb 2 drive for back up. I continue to get: "unable to complete backup.An error occured while creating backup folder". When I use disk utility to repair I get another error message: unable to repair disk unmountable.
    Help me Obie One Canobie you are my last hope

    I have confused myself with the facts!  Started out keeping track of every step and every variable but have sort of lost it as we progress here.  First I quit all applications then swapped connections between mouse port and backup disk port to influence possible bad connections question.  Changed power outlet receptacle for the backup disk. Disabled the put-the-HD-to-sleep option.  Then powered down the computerator.
    Next started up computerator.  Turned Time Machine ON  and experienced multiple successful backups!  Then I started up a few applications, Mail and Text Edit (but not Safari so far).  Had a few more successes.  After each backup, I used Disk Utility to verify the backup disk is still OK.  This because the error about unable to unmount the backup disk seems to go hand in hand with Disk Utility finding the backup disk to be bad.
    Put computer to sleep for the night.  Upon starting up in the morning, and before doing anything else, I did a backup disk verification... BAD!   Did a restart and verified the backup disk... OK.
    Did a few    Sleep-bad, Restart -OK    repetitions.
    It seems consistent:  Sleeping the computer apparently messes up the backup disk but doing a Restart "repairs" it.
    =============================
    Now then, I don't understand everything I know here.  Methinks that maybe keeping the HD from sleeping during lulls in activity has allowed successful backups through the day but manually putting everything to sleep for the night causes a return to the problem of spinning-back-up-too-slowly (which was explained earlier).  Is there any truth in this?
    I may abandon this Seagate thing for something more compatible.  What's out there that we know works reliably for us?

  • External hard drive error / disk utility not repairing

    I am having problems with a particular external hard drive. Device is a Transcend StoreJet 25M (640GB) currently formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled). It was previously formatted in FAT32, exFat, and also Mac OS Extended (Journaled). It started giving me problems when I used it to store all my music on it. My iTunes library and music files were all stored on it, and at one point iTunes started acting funny - it would play a song for a few seconds, pause, play for a further few seconds, pause again, and so forth. I decided to stop using it and when I shifted the iTunes library to the Mac internal hard drive and the music file into another external hard drive, iTunes worked fine. So I figured it must be a problem with the external hard drive itself.
    I recently reformatted it to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and transfered some data on to it (include a back up of the music folder). I noticed that Spotlight keeps trying to index the drive but never actually managed. Times indicated for indexing runs into days. The hard drive tends to be slow to load files expecially when there are multiple folders and tiers, and is generally unreliable. It occasionally unmounts, or when I try to unmount it I get an error saying it cannot unmount because it is being used (but no indication as to which app is using it even if all apps are closed except for Finder).
    I tried repairing it using disk utility. The attached image shows the results. It seems that it can't be repaired by disk utility. At this point, and after much deliberation, I would have to questions:
    1. Should I just smash the thing on the floor?
    2. Is there another application I could try and repair it with?
    3. Even though I have reformatted it several times, it keeps giving me the same problem. When I do a disk verification of the hard rive itself it all seems fine, however when I do a disk verification or repair of the volume I get the error shown in the image. Is this a problem being caused during formatting?
    Any help would be much appreciated.

    Oh, I forgot to attach image....
    Message was edited by: TheSpoon

  • 2nd iPod in a row saying "Disk cannot be read from or written to." Help!

    My setup is as following:
    MacBook Pro 2.16 Ghz Intel Core Duo
    Mac OS X 10.5.2
    Lacie 250GB External Hard Drive attached via Firewire
    iPod Classic 160GB Black
    iTunes 7.6.2 - Library has about 16,000 songs
    Using the above setup, my 5th Generation iPod, my iPhone, and my iPod Nano all work just fine. My newly purchased iPod Classic however, refuses to work. Here is the story so far...
    I have all of my music on my external hard drive. On the external, there is a folder entitled "iTunes." Inside of that, there are 2 folders. One entitled "Album Artwork" and on entitled "iTunes Music." The music folder contains all of the actual AAC and Mp3 files that makeup my iTunes Library. The actual library data itself, the files entitled "iTunes Library" and "iTunes Library.xml" are on my computer HD, in User>Music>iTunes. Now, I dont know why the library file is on the computer when all the music is on the external, but maybe thats just the way that works.
    Anyway, I plugged in the new iPod Classic, it started to sync, and about 15 minutes in, I got a pop up box that said "iPod Sync failed. Disk cannot be read from or written to." So I did a few things to try to make it work. I reinstalled iTunes, I restored the iPod a few times. I set it to only sync music and not TV shows or Movies or Podcasts or Photos. I tried to sync it again. Nothing worked. So, thinking I had a bad iPod, I brought it to the store and swapped it out for a new one. Not a "new" one, but one from the back, so it was refurbished. I tried that. It still didn't work. So I called Apple tech support.
    Tech support had me set my iPod for Manual use, and then alphabetically import songs by artists. In other words, bring over all the "A" artists, followed by the "B" artists and so on...So I did that, I got to importing a few songs by Cyndi Lauper, and it got to one song, called "Shine" and the error message came up. So I figured, there it was, the corrupted file. So I deleted it from my computer, and proceeded to go on importing manually, just in case. Well I continued for a while, and at the end of the day, there were about 100 songs that would not copy over. These were songs that worked just fine when you played them through iTunes, and worked just fine on all my other iPods.
    So I manually transferred over all the songs that worked, which was about a 100 less than my full library. Along the way, instead of deleting the corrupted songs, I unchecked them. After I did the full manual transfer, I set up the iPod to an automatic sync, only syncing over songs that are checked, thinking the unchecked ones, the corrupted ones, would not even try to be transferred over and it work fine.
    I was wrong. With the sync, this time it stopped on a song that was not corrupted the first time around. Not knowing what to do, I ejected my iPod, and it wouldn't eject. It said "iPod appears to be corrupt, please click restore." So I did that, thinking this would finally fix it, since the computer realized the iPod was messed up. I was wrong again. It didn't do anything, it just made it so I could eject my iPod.
    So I'm now on my 2nd iPod classic. I've done what Tech Support has told me to do. Now I need help. Badly.

    I had similar problems, it was a nightmare and on a 3 month ipod too!. I use a Powerbook G4 at home and a G5 at work - both were returning the same problems. so I sent it off to apple, they quickly sent it back saying there was nothing wrong with and it didn't need to be repaired. I tried it again and the same problems occurred "disc cannot be written to or read from." I could copy 20 songs onto it at the very most. A couple of guys at my work suggested updating it on a PC, then adding tunes via my mac as normal - guess what!? it works a treat!?. How ridiculous is that!? an Apple product works best on a PC. these generations of ipods are obviously designed to work best on Intel based Macs. What is wrong Apple? are you abandoning the G-generation!? still, atleast my ipod works for now - it will prove a problem when I have to update the iPod's software since I don't own a PC or an intel-based Mac.

  • ITunes Library File Cannot be Saved. The Disk Cannot be Read From . . .

    I use a MacBook Pro with a healthy battery. My iTunes songs are on a USB drive. The Database and XML files are on my MacBook. Power went out in my house and the USB drive shut off. The MacBook stayed up and running. Power came back, powered on the USB drive, open iTunes, and bang: This sorry error: iTunes Library File Cannot be Saved. The Disk Cannot be Read From or Written to.
    The disks are healthy, did an fsck and ran disk verify/repair. No problems. Restart iTunes, same error. Obviously a corrupted Databse file. This wouldn't be a big deal if only the XML info would be useful and actually restore critical info such as play count and dates which is essential for the Not-So-Smart Playlist dependencies to work.
    This is the third time I've been burned with corrupted iTunes "Database" files. I use "Database" in quotes because a true Database wouldn't crap out like this. It would be recoverable. It would understand a simple SQL "Where" statement. It would have a maintenance script and some means for recoverable backup beyond the lame process of copying the XML file. Or it would at least read in the info the XML file.
    I am becoming disillusioned with iTunes and I'm beginning to yearn for my old Linux box running GTKPod which never failed me....

    OK, here's an update - After doing the restore as mentioned having everything seemingly work, I erroniously downloaded the iTunes 7.4 & 7.4.1 updates. Now, about 80% of library is non-responsive, ie: shows up in iTunes, but clicking to play does nothing at all. the other 20% of my library plays, but it's not the song it is supposed to be playing. For example, clicking on a song from say, ABBA prodes a wonderful Gorillaz track :-/ (The same Gorillaz track which will not play if I select it...)
    I reiterate: WE NEED A MEANS TO BACKUP OUR LIBRARIES RELIABLY!!!!!!!!!!

  • 20gb iPod, error 1418, "disk cannot be read from or written to", and others

    I am having a series of serious issues with my 4th gen 20gb. I have tried restoring it several times, syncing if and when it restores, then restoring it again when it tells me "disk cannot be read from or written to". Sometimes when I try restoring it i get the "unknown error 1418" message, so I disconnect the iPod and try again; sometimes it restores, sometimes it doesn't. I have also tried plain resetting it (select+menu) and that either gives me the dead smiley ipod or a folder with an exclamation point.
    What can I do to salvage my beloved iPod?
    Thanks for any and all help.

    If a sad iPod icon or an exclamation point and folder icon appears on your iPod’s screen, or with sounds of clicking or HD whirring, it is usually the sign of a hard drive problem and you have the power to do something about it now. Your silver bullet of resolving your iPod issue – is to restore your iPod to factory settings.
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60983
    If you're having trouble, try these steps at different levels one at a time until the issue is resolved. These steps will often whip your iPod back into shape.
    Make sure you do all the following “TRYs”
    A. Try to wait 30 minutes while iPod is charging.
    B. Try another FireWire or USB through Dock Connector cable.
    C. Try another FireWire or USB port on your computer .
    D. Try to disconnect all devices from your computer's FireWire and USB ports.
    E. Try to download and install the latest version of iPod software and iTunes
    http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
    For old and other versions of iPod updater for window you can get here
    http://www.ipodwizard.net/showthread.php?t=7369
    F. Try these five steps (known as the five Rs) and it would conquer most iPod issues.
    http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/five_rs/
    G. Try to put the iPod into Disk Mode if it fails to appear on the desktop
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93651
    If none of these steps address the issue, you may need to go to Intermediate level listed below in logical order. Check from the top of the lists to see if that is what keeping iPod from appearing on your computer in order for doing the Restore.
    Intermediate Level
    A. Try to connect your iPod with another computer with the iPod updater pre-installed.
    B. Still can’t see your iPod, put it in Disk Mode and connect with a computer, instead of doing a Restore on iPod Updater. Go and format the iPod instead.
    For Mac computer
    1. Open the disk utility, hope your iPod appears there (left hand side), highlight it
    2. Go to Tab “Partition”, click either “Delete” or “Partition”, if fails, skip this step and go to 3
    3. Go to Tab “Erase” , choose Volume Format as “MAC OS Extended (Journaled), and click Erase, again if fails, skip it and go to 4
    4. Same as step 3, but open the “Security Options....” and choose “Zero Out Data” before click Erase. It will take 1 to 2 hours to complete.
    5. Eject your iPod and do a Reset
    6. Open the iTunes 7 and click “Restore”
    For Window computer
    Go to folder “My Computer”
    Hope you can see your iPod there and right click on the iPod
    Choose “Format”. Ensure the settings are at “Default” and that “Quick Format” is not checked
    Now select “Format”
    Eject your iPod and do a Reset
    Open the iTunes 7 and click “Restore”
    In case you do not manage to do a “Format” on a window computer, try to use some 3rd party disk utility software, e.g.“HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool”.
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=501330&tstart=0
    C. Windows users having trouble with their iPods should locate a Mac user. In many cases when an iPod won't show up on a PC that it will show up on the Mac. Then it can be restored. When the PC user returns to his computer the iPod will be recognized by the PC, reformatted for the PC, and usable again. By the way, it works in reverse too. A Mac user often can get his iPod back by connecting it to a PC and restoring it.
    Tips
    a. It does not matter whether the format is completed or not, the key is to erase (or partly) the corrupted firmware files on the Hard Drive of the iPod. After that, when the iPod re-connected with a computer, it will be recognized as an fresh external hard drive, it will show up on the iTunes 7.
    b. It is not a difficult issue for a Mac user to find a window base computer, for a PC user, if they can’t find any Mac user, they can go to a nearest Apple Shop for a favor.
    c. You may need to switch around the PC and Mac, try to do several attempts between “Format” and “Restore”
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2364921&#2364921
    Advance Level
    A. Diagnostic mode solution
    If you have tried trouble shooting your iPod to no avail after all the steps above, chances are your iPod has a hardware problem. The iPod's built-in Diagnostic Mode is a quick and easy way to determine if you have a "bad" iPod.
    You need to restart your iPod before putting it into Diagnostic Mode. Check that your hold switch is off by sliding the switch away from the headphone jack. Toggle it on and off to be safe.
    Press and hold the following combination of buttons simultaneously for approximately 10 seconds to reset the iPod.
    iPod 1G to 3G: "Menu" and "Play/Pause"
    iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Menu" and "Select"
    The Apple logo will appear and you should feel the hard drive spinning up. Press and hold the following sequence of buttons:
    iPod 1G to 3G: "REW", "FFW" and "Select"
    iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Back" and "Select"
    You will hear an audible chirp sound (3G models and higher) and the Apple logo should appear backwards. You are now in Diagnostic Mode. Navigate the list of tests using "REW" and "FFW". The scroll wheel will not function while in diagnostic mode. For further details on Diagnostic mode can be found at http://www.methodshop.com/mp3/ipodsupport/diagnosticmode/
    Try to do the 5in1, HDD R/W and HDD scan tests. Some successful cases have been reported after the running the few tests under the Diagnostic mode. In case it does not work in your case, and the scan tests reports show some errors then it proves your iPod has a hardware problem and it needs a repairing service.
    B. Format your iPod with a start disk
    I have not tried this solution myself, I heard that there were few successful cases that the users managed to get their iPod (you must put your iPod in disk mode before connecting with a computer) mounted by the computer, which was booted by a system startup disk. For Mac, you can use the Disk Utility (on the Tiger OS system disk), for PC user, you can use the window OS system disk. Try to find a way to reformat your iPod, again it does not matter which format (FAT32, NTFS or HFS+) you choose, the key is to erase the corrupted system files on the iPod. Then eject your iPod and do a Reset to switch out from Disk Mode. Reboot your computer at the normal way, connect your iPod back with it, open the iPod updater, and hopefully your iPod will appear there for the Restore.
    If none of these steps address the issue, your iPod may need to be repaired.
    Consider setting up a mail-in repair for your iPod http://depot.info.apple.com/ipod/
    Or visit your local Apple Retail Store http://www.apple.com/retail/
    In case your iPod is no longer covered by the warranty and you want to find a second repairing company, you can try iPodResQ or ifixit at your own risk
    http://www.ipodresq.com/index.php
    http://www.ifixit.com/
    Just in case that you are at the following situation
    Your iPod warranty is expired
    You don’t want to pay any service charges
    You are prepared to buy a new one
    You can’t accept the re-sell value of your broken iPod
    Rather than leave your iPod as paper-weight or throw it away.
    You can try the following, but again, only do it as your last resort and at your own risk.
    Warning !!!! – It may or may not manage to solve your problem, and with a risk that you may further damage your iPod, which end up as an expensive paper weight or you need to pay more higher repairing cost. Therefore, please re-consider again whether you want to try the next level
    Last Resort Level
    1. . Disconnecting the Hard Drive and battery inside the iPod – Warning !! Your iPod warranty will be waived once you open the iPod.
    In Hong Kong there are some electronic shops offering an iPod service for Sad iPod, the first thing they do is to open up the iPod’s case and disconnecting the battery and the Hard Drive from the main board of the iPod. Wait for 5-10 minutes and reconnecting them back. The reason behind which I can think of is to do a fully reset of a processor of the iPod. In case you want do it itself and you believe that you are good on fixing the electronics devices and have experience to deal with small bits of electronic parts, then you can read the following of how to open the iPod case for battery and HDD replacement (with Quicktimes)
    http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/index.cfm?page=Video/directory.html
    2.Press the reset button on the Hard Drive inside the iPod – Suggestion from Kill8joy
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2438774#2438774
    Have I tried these myself? No, I am afraid to do it myself as I am squeamish about tinkering inside electronic devices, I have few experiences that either I broke the parts (which are normally tiny or fragile) or failed to put the parts back to the main case. Therefore, I agree with suggestion to have it fixed by a Pro.
    2. Do a search on Google and some topics on this discussion forum about “Sad iPod”
    Exclamation point and folder and nothing else
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3597173#3597173
    Exclamation point and folder and nothing else
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2831962#2831962
    What should I do with my iPod? Send it or keep it?
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=469080&tstart=0
    Strange error on iPod (probably death)
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=435160&start=0&tstart=0
    Sad Face on iPod for no apparent reason
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=336342&start=0&tstart=0
    Meeting the Sad iPod icon
    http://askpang.typepad.com/relevanthistory/2004/11/meeting_thesad.html#comment-10519524
    Sad faced iPod, but my computer won’t recognize it?
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2236095#2236095
    iPod Photo: unhappy icon + warranty question
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2233746#2233746
    4th Gen iPod Users - are we all having the same problem?
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