# An unknown error occurred (-54)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unknown-error-occurred-54/424522>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 30, 2007, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unknown-error-occurred-54/424522 "2007-10-30T01:45:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unknown-error-occurred-54/424522/1 "2007-10-30T01:45:31Z")

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Sorry, but I lack the proper punch for the Pit, so here I am.

I just lost two hours trying to figure out why my Macintosh couldn’t sync to my iPod Shuffle.

“Attempting to copy to the disk “Bozo iPod” failed. An unknown error occurred (-54)”

The one tiny thing I did since the last time I successfully synced was an upgrade to the new Mac Os, “Leopard” – Of course, that’s the cause of the problem.

Want to know what my intense research and trial-and-error found? That cryptic message means that my MP3 files are flagged as read-only. Of course, they are because I did that intentionally! This wasn’t a problem in Tiger. It’s apparently a problem in Leopard.

Why do they need to be able to write to my MP3s?  
Why doesn’t the stupid software say “Can’t write to file xyz.mp3”

No. I am stuck googling for error -54.

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**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unknown-error-occurred-54/424522/2 "2007-10-30T01:53:44Z")

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**ERROR 144**

::flips through user manual to error codes section::

**ERROR 144: Serial bus data frame checksum error.**

“Oh, well _that_ just explains _everything_.”

-Me, ca. 1986, discovering how an 8-bit Atari computer tells you it has encountered a disk read error, because it is etched forever into my brain.

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**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unknown-error-occurred-54/424522/3 "2007-10-30T01:58:21Z")

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[QUOTE=minor7flat5]

Why do they need to be able to write to my MP3s?  
Why doesn’t the stupid software say “Can’t write to file xyz.mp3”  
[/QUOTE]  
Attempting to answer your questions failed. An unknown error occurred (-53)

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**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unknown-error-occurred-54/424522/4 "2007-10-30T01:58:47Z")

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[QUOTE=Mindfield]  
ca. 1986, discovering how an 8-bit Atari computer tells you it has encountered a disk read error  
[/QUOTE]  
The real shame is that this is appearing in a brand new OS release from Apple in 2007. Mac’s are supposed to be the absolute pinnacle of user friendliness.

I normally speak greatly of my Mac. I love it dearly and I show it off at all opportunities (indeed, I took it to work today and showed everyone Time Machine). This is not a particularly shining example of Macness, however ☹