Q: I’m trying to get my new 5G iPod loaded. Most of the songs download to the iPod OK, but some randomly “stick” when trying to put them on iPod from library. iTunes ends up hanging, and has to be restarted.
I’ve tried removing the errant songs, but then some others stick down the line that have previously been taken in by the iPod.
– Anonymous
A: One of our editors’ initial fifth-generation iPod exhibited exactly the same symptoms. The transfer would begin normally, but pause indefinitely (crashing iTunes) on nearly any (random) song in a many-gigabyte synchronization.
After extensive testing (including simple non-iTunes data transfers using the iPod’s hard drive functionality), we eventually concluded it was a hardware issue.
Our local Apple Store gladly replaced the iPod, and our replacement has worked flawlessly since.
That said, we urge you not to jump to this final conclusion without trying some troubleshooting steps first:
1) If you can, try it on a different computer, with a different music library.
2) Try restoring the iPod’s software using the latest iPod Software Updater.
3) Try reinstalling iTunes.
4) Try loading a large amount of non-music data onto the iPod’s hard drive to see if the problem lies with iTunes or the iPod’s drive.
