H120 Bad HDD, Need to replace, will this work?

[poopdedoop]

ok My H120's HDD died and i need to replace it. I got the exact serial number off of it and did a search on eBay.

I found one that is

lot of 13 -20gb mk2004gal hard drives

I there are also a few single drives i found but my big question is

Since these have the Apple Logo obviously they are taken from an iPod.. will this still work in my iRiver H120? They're the same Drive model...

I'm sooo ticked that my mp3 player crapped out. It's my most favorite thing ever!


*EDIT

i've also found a 30gb mk3004gah

will that work with my Player? I have looked around and i'm pretty sure it should... just since it's the iPod HDD i'm wondering.. i don't wanna spend the money on a HDD for it to NOT work with my player

[gorcorps]

Nobody can give a straight answer about ipod hdds for some reason. Some have said they have got them working after a reformat. Others have said they couldn't get it to work in the iriver at all. It's up to you if you want to take the gamble. You could always sell it yourself if you can't get it to work.

[shadesbass]

See the link in my signature regarding H1xx Hard Drive replacement. It should answer your questions.

[HorstIriver]

PoopdeDoop, there were large threads about Apple drives, and the most recent information that I have about them is that they have an invisible partition on them that is recognized nor by the iriver firmware nor by Windows. There were instructions how to remove it and how to create a new, regular FAT32 primary partition - that's what you need. As far as I remember, Swissknife can do the job, but I am not sure. I'd recommend a deep search through the forum. The 3004GAH won't fit into a 120 because it is an old dual platter drive, it will fit into a 140 only because it has a higher case. For the 120 you need GAL (L=low) drives, see the FAQ.
Horst

[adam917]

I would use Paragon Partition Manager Pro or other good third-party hard drive partitioning software for getting rid of this 'invisible' partition.

[poopdedoop]

ok thanks for the info guys!

[Scottie too Hottie]

I am new to this site and I have learned a wealth of information.Thank you to you all! Now I'll pass on to you what I have learned.
I also dropped my IHP and fubar'd the hard drive. I took a chance and bought a Toshiba MK3006GAL 1.8" 30G Apple branded Hard Drive off of E-Bay for $77 + shipping. Installation is a snap as long as you have a T5 torx bit ( I got mine at a local hardware store ) and when I turned on the unit it would not recognize the drive. Windows XP would'nt recognize it either other than tell you a mass storage device was detected. I downloaded Swissknife on my laptop and I clicked on the USB storage device and formatted the drive. Everything looked normal after that and I transferred some songs from my desktop ( my old PC ) plugged it into my laptop and Windows XP recognized the files and I was able to play them on my laptop. I then disconnected the IHP 130 and proceeded to play the files with the unit and it did not see the files and cosequently did not play the songs. I then reformatted the drive ( quick format this time ) nothing changed. I then formatted it with Windows reloaded the files and everything works like new!
So yes, you can use an Apple branded drive in your IRiver. I tried loading Rockbox but have not been successful with this process yet. When I try to upgrade the firmware off the IHP menu nothing happens. Fortunately I still have the stock firmware to operate the player!
Thanks to all for your help, I was able to salvage my IHP

[Sidorian]

I recently suffered a broken hard drive (accidently place a powerful magnet next to it, bad idea). Searching on ebay i took a chance on an AS-IS 40 gig iPod HD. I was worried from reports that it wouldn't work and on first installing it, windows did not recognized. Then I tried formatting through the player's menu and voila! I now have an ihp -140.
Main problem: the double platter mk4004gal barely fits inside the player.

Minus the feeling that it is about to fail (clicks from time to time) putting the cheap HD was a good stop gap until i can get a better hard drive or a new player

[ivealtehyoaskup]

Sidorian,

Do you have any more information on your MK4004GAL? I couldn't find it on Toshiba's website nor sold by any eBay sellers. I'm interested in the prospects of upgrading a H120 I hope to receive soon to 40GB without having to resort to the rare MK4007GAL.

Also, do you know if Rockbox will work on your player with the iPod-branded drive? Thanks.

[shadesbass]

Originally Posted by Sidorian

Main problem: the double platter mk4004gal barely fits inside the player.

Originally Posted by ivealtehyoaskup

Sidorian,

Do you have any more information on your MK4004GAL? I couldn't find it on Toshiba's website nor sold by any eBay sellers. I'm interested in the prospects of upgrading a H120 I hope to receive soon to 40GB without having to resort to the rare MK4007GAL.

Also, do you know if Rockbox will work on your player with the iPod-branded drive? Thanks.

There is no MK4004GAL. That's why you can't find it on the Toshiba website. It must be an MK4004GAH. (L = single platter, H = dual platter)
The only single platter 40GB drive is the MK4007GAL.

If it has been formatted correctly then Rockbox should work.

[ivealtehyoaskup]

Are there any particular instructions on what modifications are needed to fit a dual platter drive in the H120? I've searched the forums, and the closest thing that I've seen mentioned is the removal of the rubber mount to get the dual platter drives to fit.

Sidorian, how did you manage to fit the 40GB dual platter in your H120?