..or so I think.

Executive summary: my iPod is toast and I don't know what to do.

I got a 3G 20Gb iPod yesterday. I installed the iPod software and MMJB on my winXP laptop (I didn't have MMJB installed before). I imported all my music into MMJB's library, copied some tracks over to the iPod (connected via a belkin cardbus firewire card). No problem! I can even connect it to my colleague's OS X TiBook and mount it flawlessly, on the desktop and in iTunes. Cross-patform bliss, sun shining, birds singing, all that jazz.

Today however the beast has turned. I decided I'd rather sync it with my desktop XP machine instead (the firewire ports in that are powered, unlike the laptop, so the iPod can recharge while syncing). I went through the same install rigmarole on the desktop machine, but the iPod wouldn't show for love nor money on the desktop or to the iPod manager. MMJB doesn't see it either.

I've reset the iPod a couple of times: I had to unplug it from the dock after an interminable "do not disconnect" wait once for example.

I have MacDrive 5 installed on both machines by the way, if that makes any difference.

So now my _laptop_ won't see the iPod either. Things looking bad, I decide to use the iPod updater software to zap it back to its original state. But neither PC can see the iPod at all (although it charges fine when connected via firewire), so the Updater says it isn't connected.

Panic increasing, I make pitiful noises and my Mac colleagues offer their OS X machines up as routes to salvation. But no dice there either: the iPod won't mount or be seen by iTunes or the Updater on either OS X machine.

I've tried force-firewire-mode on every machine, but again, nothing.

Is there any hope, or is it toast? It seems lots of others are having similar problems, which makes me think iTunes for Windows might turn out less than spectacular too...

Please, anyone with any advice, help!

EDIT: I'm discharging it totally now, to see if it will resurrect Lazarus-like when I reconnect it to the PC (which worked for someone else on this forum).

paw