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iPodista Author

Level 3

560 points

Green and Orange flashing lights.. how many others effected?

I have a 1gb shuffle, apples web site tells me was registered on 18 April 2005 so i cant get comp support.

It worked fine until a few weeks ago when on hitting play I got no sound just the alternating flashing of the green and orange light. It had been standing a few days after a recharge from the front USB port of my Dual G5 Mac it was working when inserted and i pulled it out and put it aside fully charged until i needed to use it

I have read a number of threads on this topic not of which appear to have an answer to solve my problems

My iPod updater software is 4.4 although i also have 4.2
When i insert the iPod neither versions recognise the iPod as attached Ihave tested this on my G4 1.33 Al powerbook which has a lot older versions of the iPod updater and none of them confirm the iPod is connected.
Checking 'About this Mac', under the Apple menu the iPod is listed as attached to the fast USB port and gives a serial number 000A2700101BA8FE which is not the same as is written on the case.

I have been maintaining my 'software update' as current as is possible and I know I recently recall taking both upgrades to iTunes and an iPod updater which conicided with the nano and the video launch although i did not recall manually applying the new updater to the Shuffle but i believe with the shuffle iTunes may be able to manage upgrading shuffle firmware when it is connected without the users knowledge. It appears to have expired about the time these upgrades appeared. I am prepered to accept this may not be co-incidental.

Have Apple introduced a bug during the firmware upgrade to some or all iPod shuffles that kills them? Have Apple confirmed there is a problem? Will it be possible for a forthcoming firmware update to correct this issue? Has anyone had this problem arise during normal cycle of use without the shuffle being connected to its mother computer (mac or pc) immediatly prior to it first being a problem.

If anyone has experienced the same process and symptoms listed above occuring and killing their iPod Shuffle please drop you name here and any thing you noted. Likewise anyone who had these symptoms and found a way to force the shuffle to wake up and become visible to the computer any tips on this will be very welcome

thanks

Posted on Oct 29, 2005 7:36 AM

647 replies

Lunica

Level 1

0 points

Jan 25, 2006 11:39 PM in response to AdyG

i'm starting to wonder if i should bother sending it back again. i got one for christmas and returned it cause it had the blinking light problem, and got a replacement. this worked once, then it got the same problem. is it really dead, or do you think it'll work again if apple ever make something to fix it or a new update?

ibook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.4)

IGOR T

Level 1

0 points

Jan 26, 2006 7:09 PM in response to iPodista

Same S#%&$* here!!! ANYONE HAS A SOLUTION???? I TRIED EVERYTHING!!!! APPLE WHERE ARE YOU???

Intel Pentium 4 1.50GHz Windows XP Pro

slobbes

Level 1

0 points

Jan 26, 2006 7:12 PM in response to iPodista

just adding my name to the list of disgruntled shuffle owners.... not very good is it.
But its slightly re-assuring knowing you are not the only one and the colours are nice....

Jan 26, 2006 7:57 PM in response to IGOR T

I second that! Apple where are you? I actually sent apple 2 emails in the past week (product feedback section in Contact US) describing the problems all of us are having. I have replaced my shuffle 4 times. 4 frikin TIMES!!!!! I'm finished with the shuffle. BASTA!!!!I'm moving on to a non-apple device...it's time. Here's to all of you apple devotee's....

stumcq

Level 1

0 points

Jan 27, 2006 1:38 AM in response to iPodista

Yep same problem. Thought my shuffle was dead so ordered repair via UPS which comes with replacement. The replacement does appear in itunes but not on the desktop other than for about half a second after pluggung in. I am betting it's got something to do with software update too!

Jan 29, 2006 11:03 AM in response to iPodista

Same problem here. Add me to the list of ridiculously peeved people....

Lunica

Level 1

0 points

Jan 29, 2006 2:50 PM in response to Annoyed Shuffle Owner #8033

i guess i'll return this one as well, and sell the new one on ebay when i get it. and buy something else instead. i'm just wondering if the problem is within itunes or ipod updater, and if our computers will recognize the ipods if we update itunes.. cause if its in the ipod updater, theres really no way to fix it?

Jan 29, 2006 3:56 PM in response to iPodista

Yeah, I have all the same problems. I am about to embark on a quest to either get a new one or a refund and buy an 80’s circa boombox, kick it old skool to run DMC in all of the parking lots across Canada. I’ve performed the 5 steps 4 times, making it a total of 20 steps. 20 steps is the exact amount required to get me within throwing distance to a body of water. Only fate will decide if this ipod floats or sinks. I am glad I live by the lake. I can charge the shuffle, turn it on, and tape the play buttn so it is pressed down and use the green orange flashing to catch toxic lake erie fish if this refund thing doesn’t pan out. I feel sorry for yous who own an Ipod and don’t live near water.

g4 Mac OS X (10.3.9) 1 gb of ram BABY!

Jan 30, 2006 5:59 AM in response to iPodista

my dad's shuffle has the same problem 😟

interestingly the shuffle won't mount on my mac and it ain't visible in the ipod updaters, BUT in the system profiler (Hardware/USB-section) it is "visible"...

does anybody know what this could mean? 🙂

greetings, roman

Frypod

Level 1

0 points

Jan 30, 2006 8:41 AM in response to iPodista

Just sent in my request for a replacement. My shuffle lasted 3 weeks then poof.

jpw79

Level 1

0 points

Jan 30, 2006 1:28 PM in response to iPodista

yet another person affected. I've gone through on line chat support and everything else offered by apple - nothing helps. basically I'm getting the run around. Can't restore it anyway because of the message - "Firmware update failure. disk write error." it appears terminal to me. after all the bottom line is that all ishuffle problems are supposed to be solved by restoring the shuffle but this error prevents that. forget suggestions to reconfigure start up or switch off virus scanning, they make no difference. is this a grounds for returning the thing??

Jan 30, 2006 10:04 PM in response to weeweeTodee

your funny. living by the water is indeed soothing...

Jan 30, 2006 11:58 PM in response to jpw79

WE NEED HELP?[/b]uh yeah.? I jsut bought my ipod Shuffle To day and the minute i took it out of my cpu and hit the play button my ipod started to flash green and orange. This is crazy u would think that APPLE would have figure this out by now? Oh well if it aint know then never just like the cpu. This is why Bill Gates and Microsoft will always be bigger. Lets hope he comes out with one or maybe Apple will get its act together. APPLE/Mac We are looking for help so if u can do that so we are not send ur junk back and forth through the mail help us or I will find a lawyer that has the same problem with ur equipment and have them shut u down. For manufacturing a defective product with no solution.

iPod Shuffle Windows XP

Jan 31, 2006 5:26 AM in response to kenneth is pist

I sympathize with your frustration. I am going on my 4th Frikin shuffle..they all seem to last about 4 months then something technical goes wrong. anyway after the last breakdown, I have resigned and said enough already. no more shuffle for me. I'm tempted to send the entire shuffle package..including apple care extended insurance back to apple. I have chosen to bow out of the apple craz and go pure pc....meaning the iAudio U2...it's getting great reviews. good luck. and yes, one would think that apple would get the problem by now..but not so. they just lost me!

48K

Level 1

35 points

Jan 31, 2006 9:41 PM in response to Roman Prem

Add me to the list.

We have 2 shuffles. The first died with the blinking green/orange lights, and doesn't do anything (although System Profiler does see it).

The second is filled with music, and iTunes registers no updates required, but it will not PLAY anything, and it fails when I try to update software, and the option for restoring is greyed-out (it suggests I connect it via Firewire! honestly! it's an iPod shuffle with a USB2 connector!).

Very annoyed at coming here and seeing how widespread these problems are. The second shuffle was fine until two hours ago, when I connected to the computer (first time in a month) to alter the playlist, and guess what else: I attempted to update the software following an Apple-generated prompt...

Yes. I am very p!ssed off at Apple - GET YOUR UPDATES CLEAN BEFORE YOU RELEASE THEM - it's not rocket science!

I will be demanding two replacements - but this is hardly environmentally friendly to keep replacing what were perfectly functioning machines prior to this software "update".

Green and Orange flashing lights.. how many others effected?