iPod "Use iPod software updater"

[enfinity]

today i found out that my ipod (now 3.5 years old) suddenly deleted all my songs for absolutely no reason. when plugging into my computer, itunes gives me an error that says, "ipod not recognized, use ipod software updater to return ipod to factory settings" (not verbatim but basically that's what it said).

i guess it's time for me to buy a new ipod.

questions:
1) how long is an ipod meant to last anyway?
2) before i get a new ipod, is there a way to fix this problem so i can at least have some tunes before I get the new ipod??

 

[kepner]

how long is an ipod meant to last anyway?

Apparently 3.5 years.

For what it's worth... my original iPod, purchased in 2001, still works great.

is there a way to fix this problem so i can at least have some tunes before I get the new ipod??

Restore and re-sync your iPod like iTunes told you to do.

If you're looking for a new iPod cheap, check the refurbs at store.apple.com. Look brand new, great prices, same 1-year warranty, etc...

 

[kuebby]

There is no set life span for the iPod but 3.5 years is pretty good/average. The hard drives in the iPod are of the 1.8" variety which are extremely fragile (the head used for reading the plate is practically microscopic) and are not rated to last as long as full size drives.

As for your second question, I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean tunes on your computer or some portable solution?

 

[kepner]

There is no set life span for the iPod but 3.5 years is pretty good/average. The hard drives in the iPod are of the 1.8" variety which are extremely fragile (the head used for reading the plate is practically microscopic) and are not rated to last as long as full size drives.

Thanks for the info. I'm curious how flash iPods' average life span compares to HD-based iPods. I would assume that they last longer, since there are no moving parts in there, is that correct?

 

[TEG]

The SSD manufacturers have stated that even if you rewrite every bit on the drive once an hour every hour of the day, it would take nearly 10000 years. So you should be fine. As for the 1.8" drives, they are just as fragile as the 2.5" drives. The problem isn't the drive, but Entropy. If you don't add or subtract data from the drive for a period of time, the data just begins to half-life away, it is true of all closed systems.

TEG

 

[enfinity]

There is no set life span for the iPod but 3.5 years is pretty good/average. The hard drives in the iPod are of the 1.8" variety which are extremely fragile (the head used for reading the plate is practically microscopic) and are not rated to last as long as full size drives.

As for your second question, I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean tunes on your computer or some portable solution?

basically my ipod is still alive but it just refuses to connect to itunes. all the songs are deleted and when i plug it into my computer it gives me the "use ipod software updater" response.

I d/l the ipod software updater and it said that the "firmware" for the updater and the ipod are not compatible, thus it couldn't update the software. i guess that means it's time for me to buy an ipod that isn't 3 generations old =P.

my second question was how i could temporarily get some tunes on my old ipod before i get my new ipod, but it seems that might not work with this problem since no software updater seems to work.

 

[TEG]

You need to make sure you are downloading an updater for your generation. When they stopped releasing updates for each model, they removed those pieces from the newest updates. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60983 should help.

I still use my 3G (from 2003) and love it.

TEG