20gb clickwheel ipod (2004) not connecting to itunes 7.7.1

The #1 reason for failure in an hard drive -based iPod is the hard drive. A faulty hard drive would cause it not to connect, so that is a possibility.

Does the iPod still play songs properly? Try several. If it seems to work fine by itself, the hard drive may be OK. It might be a faulty cable (FireWire connectors can get worn). It might be a faulty FireWire port in the Mac, so be sure to try the other one (if there is more than one). It might be the dock connector on the iPod.

If you connect it and run Disk Utility, does it show up in the sidebar? If so, try using +Repair Disk+ on the iPod's hard drive (select the iPod's DRIVE in the sidebar, not the volume indented under the drive).

If the iPod operates and plays fine by itself, the hard drive is probably OK.

There are multiple pins on the iPod's dock connector and cable. Only two are for power. So it is possible for it to charge, yet not connect for data syncing. You should try a different cable. If something is worn out or faulty, hopefully the problem is on the cable side of the connection (not on the iPod's dock connector or the Mac's FireWire port)

my ipod which is a 30GB photo ipod (older model-says 2005 on back) flashes between 3 screens: one which is the black apple, one is an folder with an exclamation point?? and the last is do not disconnect.. I have my ipod connected to my computer via USB so it should be charging but it isnt?? and my itunes doesnt recognize or load my ipod either. How can i make it charge so it will turn ON and how do i connect to itunes?

Did work before, or is this iPod new to you? Does the iPod play music and otherwise work properly while disconnected?

Your cable may be bad. You should try another one, or confirm that it works with another iPod.

Your USB port may be bad. You should try it on another port, or another computer.

The dock connector on the iPod may be bad.

I've just come across this, and I'm having the same problem as of tonight. My ipod is fully charged, and itunes won't recognize it. I did a restore, to no avail.

The firmware, according to itunes is 3.1.1 as well. Now, I did just get an update on itunes tonight - did that have anything to do with this problem? I'm just wondering if the update made my ipod a brick (I hope not!).

I have three different screens showing up on my ipod: The apple logo, a folder icon, and the "Do not disconnect" flashing bit. When it's unplugged from my computer, I can navigate thru ~ but since I did a restore it's all empty.

??? Anybody?

Version 3.1.1 on a monochrome screen 4th gen iPod has been the latest version for years. So unless you never did an update previously, you did not just get an update. If you did a Restore, iTunes just gave you the same version as before.

If the hard drive was becoming faulty after the years of use, doing the Restore may not be able to make your iPod usable again. That would cause iTunes to not see the iPod.

Is the iPod recognized by Windows, in a My Computer or Windows Explorer window? If so, you can try re-formatting the iPod's hard drive through Windows first; use a full format instead of any option for a quick format. Then run iTunes and immediately do another Restore to install the iPod's software.

Other possibilities include:

Bad docking cable. The connectors can get worn out. Only two of the pins are for power, so it is possible for it to charge, yet not connect for data.

Bad USB port on computer. Be sure to try another.

Bad dock connector on iPod.

Bad logic board in iPod.

Bad or loose internal connection between iPod's logic board and hard drive.

Well I actually meant that itunes had an update that night... not necessarily an update on my ipod.

It sounds to me like I now have a useless paperweight on my desk. What a disappointment. 😟

I had this problem about a year ago (4th generation clickwheel 20GB) and finally resolved it - thanks to either this forum or another (mac) one - by following instructions to remove itunes and downgrade to version 6. It was a frustrating process but my expensive paperweight now works again.

I'm now searching the forum to find out if any more recent itunes upgrades have resolved the issue as itunes knows that I'm not up to date and bossily insists that I need more recent ipod software to sync all my music - but it appears that all more recent ipod software is wrapped up in a later version of itunes. I'd like to be as up to date as I need to be but am scared to upgrade in case my ipod reverts to its paperweight status. Any feedback on this greatly appreciated from any knowledgable source!

For what it's worth, I use a 4th gen and 3rd gen iPod regularly with Leopard and the latest iTunes, and it works just fine. Also, the iPod software that gets installed by iTunes when you do a Restore is the same version that's been around for years, for both my 4G and 3G iPods. The software version on the iPod does not change just because iTunes got an update.

Thanks Kenichi. Your confidence means I am now brave enough to try updating again.
I have a pc too and after looking at pros and cons have decided to to re-format it for windows to give me flexibility. The only thing is I can't find the "restore" tab/button in the ipod preferences panel. The ipod is happily sitting in my source panel and accessible. I'm using iTunes 6.0.5. You sound very knowledgable - is there another method to restore it?

OK. Update.

I thought that the absent restore button may be in the later versions of iTunes, so I have followed apple support's restore instructions more closely and installed the latest version 8.0.2 (20) first.

I have the same problem as I (and many others) did with v7.

Disaster!
iTunes does not recognize my iPod. "An iPod has beed detected, but it could not be identified properly. Please disconnect and reconnect the i~Pod, then try again."

It is not enabled for disk use and not visible on the desk top.
It has a brand shiny new USB/30pin connector bought to try and rule out cable problems with the previous upgrade. This was working fine immediately before the upgrade. All USB ports are working fine.

Any ideas?

(This is still using the Mac.)

Message was edited by: bopeep06

Try putting it into Disk Mode first.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1363

Then connect it to the Mac. If it is now recognized by iTunes, use the Restore button.

NOTE: If you are connecting via USB, the iPod will probably bring up the +connect to power adapter screen+ after it restarts. You will have to connect it to a power adapter to finish the Restore, so I hope you have one. If you are connecting it using a FireWire docking cable, this screen does not seem to come up.

If you are using this 4th gen iPod with a Mac, it may work more reliably (from my experience) using FireWire (if you happen to have a FireWire docking cable), although it should work fine with USB 2.0.

If you have further questions, you may want to start your own topic instead of tagging on to the bottom of someone else's topic. It will be more easily seen by others. For example, in this case, you would go here to the forum level.

http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=825

and click the link that says +Post New Topic+ toward the upper left corner of the page.

No further questions so won't start a new topic unless I get frustrated by being PC-only iPod wise. If I had realised the forums were so useful I might have before. Many thanks for your help.

Final update: The mac problem remains.
I was half a pace ahead of your welcome suggestion to put it manually into diskmode.
Although still no joy with recognition on the mac, it was recognised by my pc and I was able to restore it, formatted for windows.
It now works (with latest iTunes) and is synced to the PC but sadly is still unrecognized by the Mac(same message as before), despite (officially) being compatible with them both.

Resigned to the status quo.

One more note: If you want to use it that way with more than one computer (particularly if one is a Mac and the iPod is formatted for Windows), you have to set it to +manually manage music+. You said it was "synced to the PC," which to me mean it is NOT set to +manually manage music+.

Macs can read and write the Windows format, so it should be recognized by the Mac and iTunes, but you cannot set it to sync automatically if it is formatted for Windows (and the iPod can only be set to sync to one iTunes library at a time).