iPod Linux Woes

[Da_iMac_Daddy]

I'm having difficulties with my iPod starting up and not being able to find it's system files. I have an iMac at my parents house, no room for it around here and that is what I used to upload songs onto my iPod. I'm trying to access the iPod from my laptop running Slackware (which shouldn't be a problem) but when I plug in the iPod I get some strange errors from dmesg. I think the iPod may be physically damaged.

Got this thing for Xmas this year so it should still be under warranty.

Here's my output from dmesg after plugging in the iPod through USB

  Vendor: Apple     Model: iPod              Rev: 1.62
  Type:   Direct-Access                      ANSI SCSI revision: 00
sdb : READ CAPACITY failed.
sdb : status=0, message=00, host=7, driver=00 
sdb : sense not available. 
sdb: assuming Write Enabled
sdb: assuming drive cache: write through
usb 2-1: USB disconnect, address 10
sdb : READ CAPACITY failed.
sdb : status=0, message=00, host=1, driver=00 
sdb : sense not available. 
sdb: assuming Write Enabled
sdb: assuming drive cache: write through
sdb : READ CAPACITY failed.
sdb : status=0, message=00, host=1, driver=00 
sdb : sense not available. 
sdb: assuming Write Enabled
sdb: assuming drive cache: write through
sdb:<3>Buffer I/O error on device sdb, logical block 0
Buffer I/O error on device sdb, logical block 0
 unable to read partition table
Attached scsi removable disk sdb at scsi5, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
Attached scsi generic sg1 at scsi5, channel 0, id 0, lun 0,  type 0
usb-storage: device scan complete

I can't mount the disk to rewrite the fs. I guess the last thing to do is try doing a software update from the iMac to see if it is hardware related (at this point I'm almost positive it is).

 

[HomunQlus]

It actually is a problem. And not only in Slackware. To my knowledge, an iPod hasn't working properly on any Linux.

However, you might want to use the Linux installer for your iPod, which makes it pretty easy then to mount the iPod, once the Linux is on the iPod as well. It will give you Multiboot on the iPod.

http://ipodlinuxinstl.sourceforge.net/

 

[Da_iMac_Daddy]

The iPod works on almost all flavors of Linux as long as they support USB or Firewire. Which is I think anyone running the 2.4 version of the kernel or later (2.4 is pretty much standard).

The thing is the iPod is actually just a hard drive with some special firmware that allows it to do nifty things. But once you mount the iPod as a regular drive you are free to use it as such. One quirk is that the iTunesDB has to be updated or else your iPod won't recognize the songs you place on the hard drive. GtkPod is an application that allows you to upload your iPod's music and automagically edits your iTunesDB for Linux. I don't know if there's anyway of updating the iPods system software through Linux though.

If anyone can tell me if this is a hardware problem that would be awesome.

Thanks for the help.


*As for installing Linux onto my iPod that is a project for another day although I don't think it would help in my situation.