Tuesday, November 27, 2007
iHell
I've bought two 160 GB iPod Classics in the past month, and visited the Genius Bar twice. Each of the four times I went to sync the iPod to the iTunes on my iMac, it would copy about a few hundred songs and then give me this error message:
"The disc 'Melinda's iPod could not be read from or written to."
I would have taken this as a sign of a corrupted file if it were not for the fact that the files on which I've received the four error messages are nowhere near each other. And the possibility of two different iPod Classics from two different stores both having the exact same problem seems remote. (The problem is not the remote.)
After restoring, reformatting, troubleshooting and general do-si-do-ing, the Geniuses at the Genius Bar narrowed the problem down to...my computer.
"You have a problem with your serial bus. It's possible that the old G4's can support the new devices, but we wouldn't guarantee it."
Since my beloved G4 already needed so many upgrades that it would be worth the cost of a new iMac, I went to the Apple Store on Black Friday and bought a new iMac. It has this automatic migration tool that can copy all of your set-up information for your Internet and e-mail software and preferences from your old Mac to your new Mac. What it also copied was the old Mac's name and every buggy piece of shareware my husband ever downloaded.
So I plugged in my new iPod, and the new Mac tells me that I can't use it with my new iTunes, because I don't have the latest version of iTunes. I went to download the latest version of iTunes, and couldn't, because I couldn't figure out where the cable modem connects on the new Mac. Oh, I know where the USB thing connects, but the old Mac had a little port with a little icon of a phone and the new one doesn't have that icon.
So I hooked up the iPod to the old Mac and downloaded iTunes 7.5. And when I went to install it on my iPod, it tells me I can only install it on my iMac.
I'm looking at a long, long call to Apple when I get home this evening.
I think the problem is with the size of the hard drive on the new iPod. When I used to use 120-minute audio cassettes, I had a problem with them on my Walkman and on the little tape recorder I would bring to clubs to tape my act. The motor in these small devices was too underpowered to turn such a long tape properly.
I'll mention this comparison to the Apple tech support person. He or she will probably say, "It's not the same thing, Ma'am." Also, he or she will probably be too young to know what audio cassettes are.
"The disc 'Melinda's iPod could not be read from or written to."
I would have taken this as a sign of a corrupted file if it were not for the fact that the files on which I've received the four error messages are nowhere near each other. And the possibility of two different iPod Classics from two different stores both having the exact same problem seems remote. (The problem is not the remote.)
After restoring, reformatting, troubleshooting and general do-si-do-ing, the Geniuses at the Genius Bar narrowed the problem down to...my computer.
"You have a problem with your serial bus. It's possible that the old G4's can support the new devices, but we wouldn't guarantee it."
Since my beloved G4 already needed so many upgrades that it would be worth the cost of a new iMac, I went to the Apple Store on Black Friday and bought a new iMac. It has this automatic migration tool that can copy all of your set-up information for your Internet and e-mail software and preferences from your old Mac to your new Mac. What it also copied was the old Mac's name and every buggy piece of shareware my husband ever downloaded.
So I plugged in my new iPod, and the new Mac tells me that I can't use it with my new iTunes, because I don't have the latest version of iTunes. I went to download the latest version of iTunes, and couldn't, because I couldn't figure out where the cable modem connects on the new Mac. Oh, I know where the USB thing connects, but the old Mac had a little port with a little icon of a phone and the new one doesn't have that icon.
So I hooked up the iPod to the old Mac and downloaded iTunes 7.5. And when I went to install it on my iPod, it tells me I can only install it on my iMac.
I'm looking at a long, long call to Apple when I get home this evening.
I think the problem is with the size of the hard drive on the new iPod. When I used to use 120-minute audio cassettes, I had a problem with them on my Walkman and on the little tape recorder I would bring to clubs to tape my act. The motor in these small devices was too underpowered to turn such a long tape properly.
I'll mention this comparison to the Apple tech support person. He or she will probably say, "It's not the same thing, Ma'am." Also, he or she will probably be too young to know what audio cassettes are.
Update, 7:45 PM:
Okay, the connectivity problem's been resolved--it only needed one cable--and I'm posting this from the new iMac. I'm now on hold with the iPod specialists. Estimated waiting time: 15 minutes.
Waiting, waiting, waiting...
You know, dinner is really overrated as a meal.
Update, 8:00 PM:
Still holding.
You know, New York is on the same latitude as Madrid. That surprised me. I thought Madrid was hotter.
8:45 PM:
Okay, the iPod Specialist has determined that my iPod is broken, but he's consulting with an extra-special specialist just to make sure.
So now I've been on hold for another 20 minutes.
You know, even if it turns out that it was another bad iPod all along, I think I'll keep this iMac. I love the big screen and this thin keyboard. It goes clickity clickity clickity clickity
9:00 PM:
clickity clickity clickity
9:10 PM:
I would welcome root canal therapy right now.
9:20 PM:
Okay, the extra-special specialist said that my iPod got corrupted from being connected to my old iMac. Apparently, the iMac is a bad influence on the iPod.
They made an appointment for me to go to the Genius Bar and get a new one on Thursday.
