[QUOTE=Grendel’s Father]
A friend of mine had the same problem with his iPod. I think he went through 2 of them. At the time, he was using an older PC laptop with USB 1 ports. Apparently the slower speed of USB 1 (rather than USB 2) spells doom for iPod hard drives, or so the tech guy at the Apple store told him. Using USB 2 now and no more problems. Something to check on, at least.
I use FireWire for mine just to be safe, and I’ve had it for almost 2 years now with no problems.
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Just theorizing here, some laptops do not deliver the 500mA the USB standard requires to their USB ports as a power saving technique. Might be that when you first start using it, it manages, but as connectors get a little scuffed up…no more connection.
[QUOTE=Grendel’s Father]
\ Apparently the slower speed of USB 1 (rather than USB 2) spells doom for iPod hard drives, or so the tech guy at the Apple store told him. Using USB 2 now and no more problems. Something to check on, at least.
[/QUOTE]
The slower transfer speed requires that the iPod be in use longer, causing the hard drive to become very hot, and possibly overheat.
[QUOTE=Cleophus]
The slower transfer speed requires that the iPod be in use longer, causing the hard drive to become very hot, and possibly overheat.
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Hunh. That sounds at least plausible. Did the iPods stop functioning after particularly long updates?
Given the user name of the OP (percussion) – are you a drummer, by chance? I could see an iPod giving up the ghost if it were in your pocket during a particularly vigourous drum solo.
Shaking and vibration are the enemies of the standard iPod’s hard drive. The iPod nano has no moving parts, which is why my brother recommends it.