iPod iPod 5th gen syncing issue

[flyersgl]

I have had this problem since I bought the darn thing in 2006 or 2007--most of the time I plug my iPod in, the computer fails to recognize it. I usually need to both restart my computer and do a hard reset of the iPod itself. This problem has persisted through several computers, both Macs and PCs. In retrospect, I should have taken it back to Apple in year 1, but I didn't. Has anyone run into this issue? Do you think a total restore might help? (This option is never mentioned in the help section for this issue, so I have been reluctant to try it.) It otherwise works ok and the 80gb is sufficient for my needs, but the 15 minute sync process means I never sync and end up frequently not having the music I want to on it.

 

[rjt1000]

Do you think a total restore might help?

As long as you have all your music etc safely backed up on your computer (and somewhere else just in case), I would use the most recent version of iTunes and restore your iPod back to factory defaults. If there is a newer version of firmware available than you already have on your iPod, I would download that too. Then sync your iPod using iTunes to put all your media back.

That may very well fix the problem. If not, next thought would be replacement or repair.