Troubleshooting iPod: iPod QuickTopic; Unlocking an iPod; iPod requires a powered bus?; more
Troubleshooting iPod: iPod QuickTopic; Unlocking an iPod; iPod requires a powered bus?; more
"Unlocking" an iPod Kenji Kato found that his iPod will "lock-up" if he unplugs the FireWire cable while copying data to the iPod (not a big surprise here; this is something you should never do with any type of external drive connected to a Mac). To get the iPod working again, he did the following: "Hold down the Menu button and the Play/Pause button for 5 seconds or more. The iPod will reboot to the iPod Apple screen and your ready to go."
Clayton Crawley had a crash/lock of his iPod for a somewhat different reason. He unmounted the iPod but he pulled out the FireWire cord while the iPod was still in FireWire mode). To get things working again, he used essentially the same solution. "The iPod restarts, Apple logo and all, good as new. All the music is intact as well."
iPod requires powered FireWire bus? Maybe; Maybe not Gabriel Sterritt states: "Apparently, the iPod requires a powered FireWire bus, so older G3 laptops using the likes of Orange Micro's and Newer's FireWire PC Card products, will be unable to use it. I verified this at an Apple Store with my Wallstreet and the Orange Micro card. The staff tried putting the iPod into manual FireWire mode but this also failed to have it show up either in iTunes or on the desktop. So even though the iPod is self powered when in portable use, bus power from the computer is necessary to establish the FireWire link for data transfer."
However, Peter Hillman had success with his Sonnet Tango Combo Card connected to a beige G3. At first, like Gabriel, he could not get it to work with the card. Then he checked the online help for iTunes 2. It suggested the following sequence: Turn on the iPod; turn on the Mac, then connect the cable. This worked. Make sure the battery on the iPod is charged before doing this.
Using a powered FireWire hub may be a work-around for problems here.
In perhaps a related situation, Ed Strauss had a problem getting his iPod to work successfully if he connected it to the FireWire port on his external FireWire hard drive, which was in turn connected to his PowerBook G4. "While iPod showed up on the screen, the hard drive disappeared from the desktop. Nothing I could do would remount it except shut everything completely down and start over."
iPod hard drive freeze Regis McDuffee writes: "The hard drive on the iPod froze immediately upon connection to my Mac. I disconnected it and it remained frozen. The unit felt hot to the touch, like a hand warmer. After calling Apple, I got a replacement iPod but had the problem again. This time, when I called Apple, they said that there would be no phone support for the iPod." We note that most users do not have this freeze problem.
iPod is "revolutionary" This cnet.com article picks up a drumbeat we have heard elsewhere: the iPod is more than a music device. It is a harbinger of things yet to come. "I know that Mac-only compatibility is just one of the things that people will complain about in reference to this device. But the naysayers have it wrong, and I'll tell you why: The iPod is revolutionary in a number of ways, and its descendants will replace the PC."