error -54

I, too, have this problem. After attempting to sync my G5 iPod, I now have NOTHING on it, except podcasts. Why was all of my music erased? Why do I have no music (whether downloaded from Apple Music Store, my own CDs, Acquisition, or any other source)?!!

And, yes, I have had an iPod since the first generation; I have had this machine for more than one year; I am using a Macintosh (not a Windoze machine), and I have done so since my G4 in 2001 (and Macs in general since 1984).

Thanks.

I just got this problem today.

So far it doesn't look like I've lost any data. I unmounted my iPod & I still appear to have my audiobook, games, contacts, music & podcasts as always.

I've had my 5th gen video iPod for over a year & have been updating it weekly (if not daily) during that time. I've been running the latest updates since 3 days after they were released.

Any ideas?

for pic see here http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v43/pupspals/iPodsyncerrormsg.jpg

In attempting to re-sync (almost "brute force," i.e., continually hitting the re-sync button), I was able to get some, *but NOT ALL*, of the music restored (about 75%). The process starts at the bottom of the alphabetic list, and gets partially through, then halts.

There are no problems with the contacts and calendars syncing, however.

Anyone have any ideas? Anyone at Apple reading this thread, who has any ideas ... this does not appear to be an isolated incident.

a couple of days ago by syncing by hand I discovered something: certain songs (DRM from the iTunes music store) had been causing the trouble! I was able to narrow it down to 2 files.

When I didn't include the 1 song (Radio Disney version of 1985) & 1 vid file (classic Disney short Chip 'n Dale) that was causing the problem everything else synced fine! They were the 1st items I bought from the iTunes music store (the 1st downloads were those free Universal & Atlanta Records demo CDs they used to let you get for free when you bought an iPod - which were free of problems).

So with these files in the sync, it would sync as normal until it hit those files & stop. I think it depended on how you sorted your playlists on when you hit the "bad" files. Once those files were removed from the sync (only sync checked files, etc) then the sync proceeded as normal and added files that would normally not be synced with the "bad files"!

I went to a back up of the song (1985) & swapped out the files in Finder. Then switched back to automatic sync instead of manual (minus the problematic vid file). It worked! And has worked fine ever since! So I think it's a corrupted file problem. I haven't tried the video file yet but I think the same thing will occur.

I guess it just shows the importance of backups once again!

Message was edited by: Stephanie Lucchesi - I added details I forgot

But how, then, do you find out which files are the corrupted ones?

I too, just keep pushing the resync-button, and sometimes it does not post the error -54 message, and then I get another little part of my very large library...but never the complete library.

I found the file by manually syncing each song. Tedious, but I found it.
I switched to manual sync. Dragged one song onto my iPod. File-sync iPod. Repeat until find problem file when the dialogue box appears with the error message.

I suppose an alternate (& slightly easier) method would be to have the sync only checked items box. Then uncheck all your songs, check one song, file-sync iPod, & keep checking & syncing one song at a time until you get the dialogue box with the error message.

Might save time to do 10 songs at a time or so & then if you get the message eliminate from there...

I too had the mysterious (error -54 sync) bug. I found a not-too-helpful article suggesting that I watch the activity pane and find a corrupted file as the file "usually the last one to appear before the failed sync" method(!). Awful.

The problem occurred every time I synced my favorite play list. I found the file by eliminating good files: disabling half the list-->sync-->disable half remaining-->sync...and so on. I went from 1/2 to 1/4 to 1/8 finding the files in no time. I do not suggest testing each file. Our time is too valuable.

The problem was not a corrupted file as the Apple tech file assumes but merely two locked (in the Finder) audio files. All versions of iTunes prior to the 7.3.2 "upgrade" handled these just fine. I simply unlocked them. No more error -54.

Yep! That's it! The 2 video files I had yet to track down were indeed locked in the finder!

Sorry I suggested 1 at a time earlier. I haven't bought much so there were only 15 or so songs to go through. Your method is a lot better!

Is there a way to do a search for locked files in the iTunes folder? This would save even more time!