I had all kinds of problems

disk error
write read
chkdsk
itunes freezing
corrupt files
dock station didnt work

I was about to give up and give my brand new 40gb ipod away

Then someone suggested usb power might be an issue, so I bought a usb hub with ac adapter for added power. Before I could even get the ac plugged in. The ipod started working. Extremely well i might add

I don't understand why it works but it does

If anyone can tell me why I would love to know