Hi, help someone please. The error I'm receiving is: "An Ipod has been detected, but it could not be identified properly. Please disconnect and reconnect the ipod, then try again".
Tried this several times and even reinstalled itunes... didn't work. Tried using a different USB port as well.
All other ipods are working fine when connected. I'm using Windows XP. HELLLPPP please !! it's my kids new Christmas present
I had exactly the same problem - heres the procedure I used - hope it helps ?
It looks a bit daunting but only takes a couple of minutes.
Disconnect iPod
Go into Start - Control Panel - Add/Remove programs
Select iTunes and remove ( don't worry all your music should be safe - mine was still there when I reinstalled )
Next go to apple website, disable your antivirus ( not sure if this is needed, but it's what worked for me) and download and install latest iTunes 9.0.
After installation - close iTunes
Reboot your P.C. and then restart your antivirus.
Next
Go into Control Panel again, then administrative tools( if you can't see admin tools select classic view from the left panel.
Then select computer management - then device manager
Scroll down the list in the right hand panel and expand the universal serial bus controllers section.
Connect your ipod nano - you should hear a bleep and then the details in the USB controllers list should change ( if iTunes starts just close it )
From the USB controllers list select the new addition - it'll either say apple ipod usb or Mass storage device something like that( whichever one has just appeared on connection of your ipod )
Right click on the new entry and select uninstall - at the warning message select ok
wait for it to complete the removal.
Right click the entry again and select scan for hardware changes, keep your ipod connected.
The computer should now find your ipod and reinstall the necessary usb drivers for you.
Next
disconnect your ipod
start iTunes
on your ipod - press and hold centre button and menu for about 8 seconds - apple logo will appear, - then press and hold centre button and rewind for 6 - 8 seconds- ipod will go into a diagnostic mode.
a list will appear on ipod screen
press the centre button and it will select the first parameter on the list then press menu - you will be returned to the diagnostic list but you will be on the second item in the list - once again press the centre button to access, then press menu to return to the list - repeat until you reach the last item on the list "restore". press the centre button and the ipod should restore - apple logo will appear and the ipod will reboot(wait for a minute or so for this to complete )
Now connect to iTunes - hopefully your ipod will show up on the left hand side ( mine did )
click on your ipod on the list - you should now have a screen showing your ipod - it may prompt you to download a newer version of software - click don't download.
on this summary screen select enable disk usage and then click apply - now wait it can take a little while to complete.
When it is finished the apple logo will be back at the top of iTunes.
O.k. this is the fun bit and needs to be done quite quickly !
Read this next section completely before you start
click restore on iTunes.
it will say something like download and restore, click this.
a progress bar will appear - saying extracting software
followed by another progress bar, restoring "your name" iPod
my progress bar then showed 3 or 4 blue dots traveling across the progress bar without actually making any progress.
while this is happening unplug your iPod
press and hold centre button and menu for 8 seconds - apple logo appears
then press and hold centre button and play until it says disk mode.
reconnect your ipod - the progress bar should now slowly complete and at the end say something like ipod will show up on itunes when it reboots.
wait for the apple logo to appear on your ipod, followed by the start screen ( select language )
disconnect
select the language you want to use as from new.
reconnect and then sync as normal - everything should now work.
This is what worked for me - it's a bit long winded but so far so good.
I hope this helps you - it took me about six hours of searching and messing around to finally get this working - my 2 daughters were driving me mad as their new Nano's wouldn't work !!!!
My fix was less complicated. I downloaded latest Itunes to a different XP computer and luckily when I plugged in the Nano to that one, it setup properly, I was able to name the Nano and update the software in Itunes.
When I plugged the Nano back into my main PC it recognized it fine and it works great. Try this first if you have another computer(s) available. Hope this helps.
Here is a simple thing that might work: do not connect your ipod to computer with cord while computer is on. Close down your computer. Then connect ipod to usb cord while computer is still off. Then turn on computer. This has worked for me.
Sophronia, I just attempted your solution of powering up the computer with the ipod already plugged in. It did not work for me and I still get the same error message. Thanks, though.
I have Windows VISTA and mine did the same thing so I uninstalled I-Tunes AND Quick-Time from my Programs and reinstalled I-Tunes via Apple.com (which also re-installs Quick Time) and now all works fine. All my songs were still there; it didn't delete them. You might also have to use a different port to plug in the cord. I had to do this, don't know why but it works great! Hope this helps.
Hi maggymoo, glad this solution worked for you, although quite a few of us have tried this without success, it seems to be a fairly rare combination of circumstances causes this problem on Vista and XP computers, it will be great to find out. Reverting back to an earlier Itunes and then re-installing Itunes 9 does not seem to work for UKCharlie (posted on a similar thread), I thought it would only occur if Itunes was never on a computer but this appears not to be the case.
Just to encourage a few more people to try it, I've just successfully overcome a "can't be identified properly" problem by attempting a suggestion made by Sophronia in the "5th Gen Nano not recognised by iTunes- WARNING WARNING WARNING" discussion thread. This what she suggested: Disconnect ipod nano from computer. Turn off computer. Put ipod back into computer with computer still off(I did it via a different USB port). Turn on computer. Once our computer turned on,although initially my daughter's ipod again indicated it was "ok to disconnect" (as it had been doing before I attempted this) and therefore suggesting it wasn't going to work, the itunes came on and there on the menu after a couple of seconds was her ipod. Windows also recognised her ipod at the same time but we now have ipod/itunes contact. (Just in case this matters, our problem originated when my Daughter put her ipod nano into a second pc which doesn't have itunes and it consequently froze. On unfreezing it, our itunes on our normal pc wouldn't recognise it) Hope this helps.
FINALLY GOT ITUNES TO RECOGNISE THE 5TH GEN IPOD - Restored computer to factory settings ( Windows Vista Service Pack 1), got rid of Norton 360 v 2.0 which was pre-installed when computer bought in late 2008. Downloaded latest Itunes and Ipod recognised ! No anti-virus software currently installed but Windows firewall running. Ipod is only NOT recognised in Itunes if the printer is on and plugged into another USB port. Suspect still some conflict with other USB devices (eg printer) causing the original problem of the Ipod not being recognised. Suggest first of all unplugging all devices from other USB ports and see if Itunes will then recognise your Ipod. Norton 360 removal also seemed to do the computer a lot of good, starts much quicker, but uninstall using Symantics own uninstall software, dont use Add/Remove programs (Uninstall within Vista). Hope all this helps.
