iPod is not recognized by computer firewire only says "ok to disconnect"

okay. its an old IPOD but does not have a click wheel. it has the wheel that is a touch wheel.

the problem is that I have loaded tunes onto the ipod before through the itunes software but for some reason iTunes no longer sees the iPod. It used to pop right up on the left side, but now it doesn't. it just turns on flashes to the iPod menu then flashes back to say "ok to disconnect." i tried to restore and read about every post in here for the past 4 hours....

some of the fixes say update the ipod, but I cannot even do that because for some reason iTunes will not recognize it....

I went into this section and did do the restore. I held down the Menu (top botton) and the Play Pause (bottom button). Waited for the screen to go blank, then when the apple showed up, I hit the forward and backward buttons at the same time. The way the diagram is set up there is something going on with the "select" button (the middle round button), but I did not see anything that said to do anything with this. Then after that it said ok to disconnect I would plug the firesire into the ipod, but nothing would happen. I am not sure if the firewire needs to be completely unplugged from both the computer and the iPod, or just the iPod when this is all being down.

thanks

when I say I went in an did the above, I meant I did them last night at my house. I have not done anything with this today.

what is strange is the iPod when plugged into the compter goes into the iPod menu screen for a split second before switching over to the "ok to disconnect" so I am not sure if this is an issue or if that is normal...

there are two sets of directions on that page. I need to know which ones to use. this is from the bottom set of directions. I used this because it says use for Older ipod Classics

3 - Press and hold the Play/Pause and Menu buttons until the Apple/iPod logo appears, then release them. This resets iPod.

4 - When you reset iPod all your music and data files are saved, but some customized settings may be lost.

5 -When the Apple logo appears, _*immediately press and hold the Previous and Next buttons*_ until the Disk Mode screen appears.

there is an issue with how the iPod Interfaces with the computer. I am listening to my iPod right now with the firewire cable and I tested the Firewire connect with my video camera and it worked so I know the cable works and the connection works. I will be curious to know what the answer is. Right now my iPod is full of songs but I don't want to blank out the drive just yet before I have to in case I cannot determine how to get songs back onto it. Then I would be without any music at all....

This is my iPOD

iPod (touch wheel)

All iPod (touch wheel) models have a FireWire port cover. Scroll wheel models don't, and dock connector models don't have a FireWire port. The iPod (touch wheel) model controls look similar to the iPod (scroll wheel) but the touch wheel itself does not turn. iPod (touch wheel) models are considered second generation iPod models. The top of an iPod (touch wheel) model is shown here:

I went into the link and looked at the 5 R's. Nothing there. I couldn't restore the iPod if I wanted considering I would need to connect my iPod to the Computer which I cannot do.

Putting iPod into Disk Mode - did not work - I tried the click wheel instructions, but it did nothing at all....it was totally unresponsive. then I went and did the *If you have an older iPod model without a Click Wheel* instructions get to the fourth step where it says

*When the Apple logo appears, immediately press and hold the Previous and Next buttons until the Disk Mode screen appears.*

but the Disk Mode screen does not appear. It goes straight to ""ok to disconnect"

Is there something else going on or something trivial that I could be doing that could be messing up these instructions?

this is where I wanted to know if I was doing something wrong.

should iTunes be on or off?

should the firewire be completely out of the computer? or can it be plugged into the computer but not the iPod and then after the ok to disconnect just plug into the iPod real quick or out of both and then plug firewire into computer AND firewire into iPod....

I had the firewire in the computer, but not the ipod with the itunes off. then I plugged in firewire into the ipod, but nothing. it still says okay to disconnect.....