Warning: That old iPod you have might actually lose your music faster than you think

I pulled out my 2007 iPod Classic last weekend to show my nephew what a click wheel is (you know, for fun). Plugged it in after like 3 years of sitting in a drawer, and half the songs were just gone. The hard drive started clicking after about 15 minutes. Turns out the bearing grease dries up over time and the platters start scraping. Has anyone else lost a whole library this way or did I just get unlucky with my specific model?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_miles17d ago

I read somewhere that the older iPod Classics with the 80GB hard drives were especially prone to this because the rubber dampers around the drive get brittle and stop absorbing shock.

xena_taylor6416d ago

Totally agree with @the_miles on that. I had an 80GB model that I babied, kept it in a case, never dropped it. One day it just started making this grinding noise, and then it wouldn't even spin up. I cracked it open and the rubber grommets around the drive were completely rock hard and cracked. Ended up pulling the hard drive out and shucking it for data recovery, which cost way more than the iPod was worth. The grease drying up is a real thing, especially if you live in a hot or dry climate. If you've got one of these, honestly, you should back up the music to a computer or swap in an SD card adapter before it's too late.