u/Artistic-Argument-49

Need help with an iPod Classic 3rd Gen repair issue.

I replaced the battery, but now it seems stuck in a boot loop. It will show the Apple logo, I hear/feel the HDD start spinning, then I get the folder/file ! icon, then it restarts. The HDD stops and starts again repeatedly.

If I boot into Disk Mode, the HDD spins continuously and the iPod shows up on Windows as a removable drive. The first time I connected it, Windows asked to format the drive, and I tried formatting in both FAT32 and exFAT.

Problem is:

• iTunes (tried both older 10.4 and latest version) does not recognize it at all
• In normal boot loop mode, Windows says “USB device not recognized”
• Then it automatically goes back into Disk Mode

Does this sound like:

1. Dead/failing HDD?
2. Ribbon cable issue?
3. Logic board problem?
4. Wrong formatting / needs Mac restore?
5. Something else?

Any advice on how to properly restore or diagnose a 3rd gen would be appreciated.