iPod Classic 6th Generation 80GB / 120GB Thin Hard Drive Cable Replacement

Measure case depth: 10.5 mm (0.41 inch) is thin, which is this listing. 13.5 mm (0.53 inch) is thick and uses the 821-0546 cable. Or match your order number: MB029LL/A and MB147LL/A are 80GB thin; MB562LL/A and MB565LL/A are 120GB thin; MB145LL/A and MB150LL/A are 160GB thick. Match the installed storage first: original thin 80GB/120GB drives and flash conversions in any of these shells use the thin ZIF ribbon; only the original thick 160GB CE-ATA drive uses 821-0546, so case depth alone is not enough after a conversion. Apple's figures are about 162 g for the thick 160GB and 140 g for the thin 80GB and 120GB; on a unit with a swapped back or new drive, trust the case depth: 10.5 mm thin, 13.5 mm thick. Refurbished units often wear swapped backplates, so trust the internals — the drive class and the code printed on the battery — over the engraving or the seller's title.

Every Classic says A1238 on the back, so the model number alone cannot tell you which one you have — owners who bought the wrong part once usually matched A1238 and nothing else. Capacity narrows it: 80GB and 120GB are always thin; a 160GB is either the 2007 thick model or a later thin one. Apple's serial lookup names the release (a plain "iPod classic" is a 2007 unit), but a serial describes the unit as it left the factory. Apple's figures are about 162 g for the thick 160GB and 140 g for the thin 80GB and 120GB; on a unit with a swapped back or new drive, trust the case depth: 10.5 mm thin, 13.5 mm thick. Across the thin 80GB and 120GB, rear panels, batteries, drives, cables and headphone jacks interchange; the 2007 thick 160GB keeps its own rear panel, battery, drive, cable, bumpers and headphone jack. Faceplates and click wheels fit every 6th/7th Gen. Screens are one-way: a 6th Gen needs a 6th Gen screen (a 7th Gen screen shows white in it); a 7th Gen can use a 6th Gen screen. A1238 identifies the Classic family; for the Video model, see its own pages.

Yes for the 120GB MB562LL/A and MB565LL/A models. Sellers and owners sometimes call those Late 2008, 6.5G, or 7th Gen, but they use the same thin ZIF cable as the 80GB models. The Late 2009 thin 160GB (7th Gen) is a different model with its own drive and logic board and no 128GB storage limit, but it uses the same ZIF drive cable as the thin 6th Gen (the thick 160GB takes its own cable): see its own pages.

Yes: our flash mod service fits 128GB flash storage by mail (128GB is the 6th Gen's limit on Apple's own software).

If the iPod goes from the Apple logo to a folder icon almost immediately, the cable is the more likely suspect. If the iPod hangs on the Apple logo for several seconds before showing the folder, or makes clicking or grinding sounds, the drive itself is more likely failing.

Yes. Restoring through iTunes or Finder (on Windows: iTunes for Windows) erases all content. Copy off anything that exists only on the iPod before using restore as a check.