Chosen Solution
My wife found her old iPod and wants me to fix it. It plays the music that is on it, it takes a charge through a wall outlet or when connected to a computer but will not connect to iTunes. It even plays on a speaker dock. I tried several USB cables so that is not the problem. I connected it to two Macs, an iMac and a MacBook, but does not show up on either one. It does not show up in Disk Utility. I reset the iPod several times. Any idea what the problem is with this thing?
You’ll need a new battery, the installation guide is here and linked there are the batteries for if you either have the 30GB or 60/80GB model.
Check your dock connector for any damage. I have one here where the pins of the connector are loose and stick up a bit. If I carefully plug it in, It works fine, if not I normally get the same issue as you, charges but wont detect in iTunes. If it appears damaged, you will want to find someone to replace it since it requires special tools to remove and replace the connector.
