Good day to all,
I have two first generation iPod 5gb (scroll wheel). Im trying to restore them on iTunes 9.2.1 via my iMac G4 with Mac OS X 10.4.11 on it. Both of them will restore just fine and can be recognized on a Windows 7 computer but my iMac G4 can only recognize and restore just one ipod. When i connect the other iPod it just say "Ok to disconnect" and itunes cannot see it. Any ideas why?
Does your Windows 7 PC have a FireWire port? I ask, because the 1st gen iPod can only connect over FireWire.
For the iPod that does not Restore using the iMac G4, try putting it into Disk Mode
Putting iPod into Disk Mode - Apple Support (See section Older iPod models without a Click Wheel)
Run iTunes on the iMac G4, and connect the iPod. If iTunes picks it up, it may prompt you to do a Restore with a message about "Recovery." Tell iTunes to proceed with the Restore.
YEs my Windows 7 PC has a firewire port and as i said earlier both ipods can been seen on Windows Explorer and can be restored just fine on iTunes (Windows).
i've already tried putting the other iPod into Disk Mode before but that also did'nt work on the iMac G4. The ipod screen just say "Ok to disconnect". I thought maybe it was restored with a newer iTunes (Windows version) so I tried using restoring with older windows versions like 9.1 and 9.2.1. It works and restores just fine on Windows but not on the iMac.
The version of iTunes should not matter, because the same software package gets downloaded and installed on the iPod. You're using the same FireWire cable with the iPod, when connecting it to both Windows PC and iMac G4? If you had one cable connected to the PC and a different one connected to the Mac, try using the cable used with PC (that worked) on the Mac. The FireWire port on each iPod is probably worn differently, so a cable that works with one may not work the the other.
The iPod does have a different disk format, depending on whether the Restore is done on a Mac or Windows PC. However, that should not affect the iPod being initially recognized on the Mac. And a Mac can actually use an iPod that is formatted for Windows, without doing a Restore, because Macs can read and write the Windows "FAT32" disk format.
I have 3 firewire cables. Two same 6-6pin apple firewire cable(for Mac) and one 4-6pin apple thin firewire cable(for PC). I cannot interchange these cables between my imac and pc because they have different firewire port. All cables work fine on their respective computer.
My iMac G4 can actually see both ipods on System Profiler. The recognizable ipod has more complete info than the unrecognizable ipod. Maybe the reason why it can't mount it? I don't know. Let me take a picture. BRB.
PLease see pictures at https://flickr.com/photos/91379880@N00/sets/72157665390536705
The difference is that the Do not disconnect iPod is mounted. The OK to disconnect iPod is not mounted.
What happens when you run Disk Utility? Do they both appear in the Disk Utility sidebar, or only one? If the OK to disconnect iPod appears there, tell Disk Utility to mount the iPod's volume. If that's possible, run iTunes after the iPod's volume is mounted.
Disk Utility cannot see/recognize the other ipod.
is there a way to force the ipod to go into a DFU mode or restore mode?
That's basically Disk Mode, which I linked to in my first reply. When connected in Disk Mode, iTunes should pick it up in "recovery" and prompt you to do a Restore.
My guess is that the FireWire port on that iPod is worn out in a way that allow the cable used with the PC to properly connect, but not the cable(s) used with the Mac. I realize that the iPod appears in System Profiler, but there are 6 "pins" in the connection. 2 are for power (which work), so there are 4 pins that are used for data. I don't know how the FireWire connection works, but it may make a one-way connection only, iPod-to-Mac but not Mac-to-iPod.
This is just an update.
I used an unofficial firewire cable and it works. I restored my ipod 5gb to its original mac format. 🙂
Thanks for reporting back with the final outcome... 🙂
iPod (Scroll Wheel) 5gb NOT RECOGNIZED on iMac G4 with Mac OS X 10.4.11
