iPod skipping songs

Most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the red X usually mean the hard drive is failing. A failed drive is the ideal time for a flash upgrade: flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Battery too weak to spin up the hard drive

A worn battery cannot give the hard drive enough power to spin up, so the drive clicks and retries.

Free check first Connect it to a charger: that often tells whether the problem is the battery or something more serious.

Also possible

Worn headphone jack pausing songs

A worn headphone jack can pause songs on its own: these models pause when the plug loses contact. A new headphone jack fixes it.

Free check first Move the plug gently while a song plays: if the sound cuts out or crackles with another pair of headphones too, the jack is likely worn.

Most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the sad iPod face usually mean the hard drive is failing. A failed drive is the ideal time for a flash upgrade: flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Battery too weak to spin up the hard drive

A worn battery cannot give the hard drive enough power to spin up, so the drive clicks and retries.

Free check first Connect it to a charger: that often tells whether the problem is the battery or something more serious.

Also possible

Worn headphone jack pausing songs

A worn headphone jack can pause songs on its own: these models pause when the plug loses contact. A new headphone jack fixes it.

Free check first Move the plug gently while a song plays: if the sound cuts out or crackles with another pair of headphones too, the jack is likely worn.

Most likely

Loose or damaged hard drive cable

On the 4th Gen and Photo, an iPod that seems too weak to spin up its hard drive often has a hard drive cable problem. A loose or damaged hard drive cable can make the drive click, drop out or show the sad iPod face. A cable fault sounds like click, whir; a failing drive sounds more like click, click, whir.

Free check first Clean the hard drive cable's contacts with 99% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and re-seat it first; if that fails, it's likely a bad hard drive (our Hard Drive Repair Service is probably the best first option).

Next most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the sad iPod face usually mean the hard drive is failing. Flash storage is the silent alternative to a new drive. On the 4th Gen and Photo we can often fix the hard drive without replacing it, and in most cases all songs are saved.

Most likely

Failed microdrive (the Mini's hard drive)

When the Mini's tiny hard drive (the microdrive) fails, it shows the sad iPod face or a folder icon, or makes clicking noises. Replace it with a used original microdrive, or upgrade to flash: a failed drive is the ideal time for it. Flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Battery too weak to spin up the hard drive

A worn battery cannot give the hard drive enough power to spin up, so the drive clicks and retries.

Free check first Connect it to a charger: that often tells whether the problem is the battery or something more serious.

Most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the sad iPod face usually mean the hard drive is failing. A failed drive is the ideal time for a flash upgrade: flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Battery too weak to spin up the hard drive

A worn battery cannot give the hard drive enough power to spin up, so the drive clicks and retries.

Free check first Connect it to a charger: that often tells whether the problem is the battery or something more serious.

Most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the red X usually mean the hard drive is failing. A failed drive is the ideal time for a flash upgrade: flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Damaged song files

Damaged song files skip, stop or won't play. Check the songs on your computer for damage. If only the same few songs are affected, those files are most likely damaged, or in a format the iPod doesn't play (WMA files don't play on these iPods): delete them from the iPod and sync them again. If that doesn't help, copy off any songs that aren't on your computer, then restore the iPod and sync your music back (a restore erases the songs on the iPod).

Most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the sad iPod face usually mean the hard drive is failing. A failed drive is the ideal time for a flash upgrade: flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Damaged song files

Damaged song files skip, stop or won't play. Check the songs on your computer for damage. If only the same few songs are affected, those files are most likely damaged, or in a format the iPod doesn't play (WMA files don't play on these iPods): delete them from the iPod and sync them again. If that doesn't help, copy off any songs that aren't on your computer, then restore the iPod and sync your music back (a restore erases the songs on the iPod).

Most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the sad iPod face usually mean the hard drive is failing. Flash storage is the silent alternative to a new drive. On the 4th Gen and Photo we can often fix the hard drive without replacing it, and in most cases all songs are saved.

Next most likely

Damaged song files

Damaged song files skip, stop or won't play. Check the songs on your computer for damage. If only the same few songs are affected, those files are most likely damaged, or in a format the iPod doesn't play (WMA files don't play on these iPods): delete them from the iPod and sync them again. If that doesn't help, copy off any songs that aren't on your computer, then restore the iPod and sync your music back (a restore erases the songs on the iPod). On the 4th Gen and iPod Photo the restore can stop at a picture of a plug: connect it to a wall charger to finish. Generic or incompatible wall chargers don't always give the iPod the right voltage: Apple's A1070 wall charger works with every model and is the ideal choice.

Most likely

Failed microdrive (the Mini's hard drive)

When the Mini's tiny hard drive (the microdrive) fails, it shows the sad iPod face or a folder icon, or makes clicking noises. Replace it with a used original microdrive, or upgrade to flash: a failed drive is the ideal time for it. Flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Damaged song files

Damaged song files skip, stop or won't play. Check the songs on your computer for damage. If only the same few songs are affected, those files are most likely damaged, or in a format the iPod doesn't play (WMA files don't play on these iPods): delete them from the iPod and sync them again. If that doesn't help, copy off any songs that aren't on your computer, then restore the iPod and sync your music back (a restore erases the songs on the iPod). On the Mini 1st Gen the restore can stop at a picture of a plug: connect it to a wall charger to finish. Generic or incompatible wall chargers don't always give the iPod the right voltage: Apple's A1070 wall charger works with every model and is the ideal choice.

Most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the sad iPod face usually mean the hard drive is failing. A failed drive is the ideal time for a flash upgrade: flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Damaged song files

Damaged song files skip, stop or won't play. Check the songs on your computer for damage. If only the same few songs are affected, those files are most likely damaged, or in a format the iPod doesn't play (WMA files don't play on these iPods): delete them from the iPod and sync them again. If that doesn't help, copy off any songs that aren't on your computer, then restore the iPod and sync your music back (a restore erases the songs on the iPod). On the 3rd Gen the restore can stop at a picture of a plug: connect it to its FireWire wall charger to finish. Generic or incompatible wall chargers don't always give the iPod the right voltage: Apple's A1070 wall charger works with every model and is the ideal choice.

Most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the red X usually mean the hard drive is failing. A failed drive is the ideal time for a flash upgrade: flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Damaged song files

Damaged song files skip, stop or won't play. Check the songs on your computer for damage. If only the same few songs are affected, those files are most likely damaged, or in a format the iPod doesn't play (WMA files don't play on these iPods): delete them from the iPod and sync them again. If that doesn't help, copy off any songs that aren't on your computer, then restore the iPod and sync your music back (a restore erases the songs on the iPod).

Most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the sad iPod face usually mean the hard drive is failing. A failed drive is the ideal time for a flash upgrade: flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Damaged song files

Damaged song files skip, stop or won't play. Check the songs on your computer for damage. If only the same few songs are affected, those files are most likely damaged, or in a format the iPod doesn't play (WMA files don't play on these iPods): delete them from the iPod and sync them again. If that doesn't help, copy off any songs that aren't on your computer, then restore the iPod and sync your music back (a restore erases the songs on the iPod).

Most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the sad iPod face usually mean the hard drive is failing. Flash storage is the silent alternative to a new drive. On the 4th Gen and Photo we can often fix the hard drive without replacing it, and in most cases all songs are saved.

Next most likely

Damaged song files

Damaged song files skip, stop or won't play. Check the songs on your computer for damage. If only the same few songs are affected, those files are most likely damaged, or in a format the iPod doesn't play (WMA files don't play on these iPods): delete them from the iPod and sync them again. If that doesn't help, copy off any songs that aren't on your computer, then restore the iPod and sync your music back (a restore erases the songs on the iPod). On the 4th Gen and iPod Photo the restore can stop at a picture of a plug: connect it to a wall charger to finish. Generic or incompatible wall chargers don't always give the iPod the right voltage: Apple's A1070 wall charger works with every model and is the ideal choice.

Most likely

Failed microdrive (the Mini's hard drive)

When the Mini's tiny hard drive (the microdrive) fails, it shows the sad iPod face or a folder icon, or makes clicking noises. Replace it with a used original microdrive, or upgrade to flash: a failed drive is the ideal time for it. Flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Damaged song files

Damaged song files skip, stop or won't play. Check the songs on your computer for damage. If only the same few songs are affected, those files are most likely damaged, or in a format the iPod doesn't play (WMA files don't play on these iPods): delete them from the iPod and sync them again. If that doesn't help, copy off any songs that aren't on your computer, then restore the iPod and sync your music back (a restore erases the songs on the iPod). On the Mini 1st Gen the restore can stop at a picture of a plug: connect it to a wall charger to finish. Generic or incompatible wall chargers don't always give the iPod the right voltage: Apple's A1070 wall charger works with every model and is the ideal choice.

Most likely

Failing hard drive

Repeated clicking (the click of death: click, click, whir, or grinding) or the sad iPod face usually mean the hard drive is failing. A failed drive is the ideal time for a flash upgrade: flash storage has no heads, platters or motor, so the clicking, stalling and seizing that end an old hard drive can't happen. If your old drive still reads, add our music transfer ($129) and we copy everything on it onto the new flash storage.

Next most likely

Damaged song files

Damaged song files skip, stop or won't play. Check the songs on your computer for damage. If only the same few songs are affected, those files are most likely damaged, or in a format the iPod doesn't play (WMA files don't play on these iPods): delete them from the iPod and sync them again. If that doesn't help, copy off any songs that aren't on your computer, then restore the iPod and sync your music back (a restore erases the songs on the iPod). On the 3rd Gen the restore can stop at a picture of a plug: connect it to its FireWire wall charger to finish. Generic or incompatible wall chargers don't always give the iPod the right voltage: Apple's A1070 wall charger works with every model and is the ideal choice.