Can't get iTunes to recognize iPod

Anyway, I've been getting that picture of the file with an exclamation mark on it. When I put it in my computer, it won't recognize my player at all, just locks up. I reset it, I put it in safe disk mode, and take it out. I'm trying to do a restore on the thing to wipe it...but that's proving difficult when iTunes won't recognize it.

I don't know which iPod you have, but go through the 5R's. If you can't get it to be recognized by your computer and you continue to get the folder with exclamation, it is likely that the hard drive in the iPod has become faulty.
If iTunes does not recognize it, but your computer does, one more thing you can try is to reformat the iPod as if it was an external drive (use the full format). If that works, try iTunes again to see if you can use Restore.

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I can't get itunes to recognize my ipod touch, 2nd gen. synced it yesterday. have restarted both computer and ipod. my iphone syncs just fine.

i can't get itunes to recognize my ipod touch, 2nd gen. synced it yesterday. have restarted both computer and ipod. my iphone syncs just fine.

You might find these sites helpful:
The New User's Guide for iTunes
iTunes 101
iPod 101
And of course the iTunes Help is a good, quick resource.
Regards.

I just purchased a new ipod touch 4g. I can not get itunes to recognize it. Everytime I try to connect it to my pc it recognizes it as a camera. Any suggestions?

I just purchased a new ipod touch 4g. I can not get itunes to recognize it. Everytime I try to connect it to my pc via usb cable it only recognizes it as a camera. Any suggestions?

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1538
There have been some problems accessing pages on the Apple web site. If the hyperlink gives you a "We're sorry" message, try again.

After OS clean install I can't get iTunes to recognize library on external drive

I have a Mac Pro that had an SSD boot drive and a separate hard drive that contains my iTunes Library and Media files. Because of problems with my boot drive I erased the SSD and did a clean install of Mavericks. Now I can't get iTunes to recognize the iTunes Media files on the hard drive. I've gone to Preferences/Advanced in iTunes and changed the "iTunes Media folder location" to point to the hard drive with the iTunes data on it. Nothing happens when I do this. No dialogs. Nothing. I've trashed iTunes preferences to no avail. I don't know what to do to fix this or troubleshoot it. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
John

John Baughman wrote:
Now I can't get iTunes to recognize the iTunes Media files on the hard drive. I've gone to Preferences/Advanced in iTunes and changed the "iTunes Media folder location" to point to the hard drive with the iTunes data on it. Nothing happens when I do this.
Nothing should happen when you do this. This simply tells iTunes where to put anything you add after this. It doens't tell iTunes where anything already in iTunes is located.
Hold Option, launch iTunes, select Choose library... and select the iTunes folder on the hard drive.

How can I get iTunes to recognize the apps that are missing from the library screen but still on the machine??

My apps are not showing-up in the iTunes library but they are present in the apps folder. How can I get iTunes to recognize their presence?
Library-Apps-All (only three of several hundred appear).
Apps are still present in Users-Music-Mobile Applications
I am running iTunes 11.0, OS X 10.8.2 on a Mac Pro.
Ran Disk Utility, Techtool, Disk Warrior and then reinstalled Mountain Lion, updated it and repaired permissions. No change.
There is a file that says 'iTunes Library (damaged), which is the iTunes Database file. How can that file be re-created?
Any technical help on replacing that file with a new, fresh one would be appreciated!

It has always been very basic to maintain a backup of media and other important files. If you chose to reinstall the OS without having a backup, well that just is not smart.
If you are in the US and running iTunes 10.3 or later, iTunes purchases can be redownloaded via iCloud. Simply log into the iTunes store, select purchases, purchase history and redownload the content.
If you are not in the US.... well, seems you just learned and important and possibly expensive lesson.

Can't get itunes to recognize my iphone

I'm a total newbie, just got my iphone 3G yesterday, I've read through all the troubleshooting but I still can't get itunes to recognize my iphone. Either nothing happens, like a device isn't hooked up, or it says that the "mobile device has not been activated" Hopefully this is a simple issue that I'm just overlooking, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I do realize I'm talking to myself here haha. Well, now it seems to be even weirder because I juet kept trying and trying and it finally recognized the iphone but then after I start syncing, it cuts out after about a minute or two and I get an error message saying there was an "invalid response recieved from the device". So I hooked it back up and it recognized it again (after several tries) so I hurried and manually tried syncing some of favorite songs and then it cut out again, when I checked the phone only the ones I added the second time were there, the first round of syncing had been erased. It's a vicious cycle I'm in here! I had this phone for a day and I HATE it!! I'd rather have my dinky little razor phone that at least had video and zoom capabilities. So far all I want to do is take this thing and chuck it into the street!

How can i get itunes to recognize my iphone so i can download it and then download that into my new iphone4s???

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Including going through all of Step 5? That can take some time, and should fix the problem. You have also removed and reinstalled iTunes following the steps in this support document? http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1923 As a last resort, see this support document. http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5376

Can't get iTunes to recognize library on external HD

I have been using my work computer as my main machine to run and store my iTunes. My library got too big so I moved it onto an external HD and pointed iTunes to it. Everything was working fine until my computer had to be reformatted recently. I reinstalled iTunes and went through the steps to point it to my hard drive, and nothing. For the life of me I can't get iTunes to recognize my library on the hard drive. I looked for a while in the discussions, but couldn't find anything that addresses my problem specifically. I'm dying at work without my music... Help!

juan grande
iTunes keepes a database about your Music called iTunes Library.itl, it is normally in a folder called iTunes. When you use an external drive, you can choose to keep the library database in the iTunes folder on your c: drive or you can move it to the external drive. It is vital to know which you did.
The critical question is - do you have an iTunes folder on your external drive containing your library file - iTunes Library.itl?
If you do and you do the shift key start correctly, you can select choose a library and navigate to the iTunes folder on the external drive and choose iTunes library.itl.
Here is some help on the shift key start:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304447
If you kept your iTunes library database in the iTunes folder on your c: drive and you did not back it up, then you must start again with a new library. You can put your music in it from the external drive with File>>Add folder to Library, but you loose your counts ratings and playlists.
wordswork
Could you ask your qustion in a new thread this kind of question is always highly specific to a particular user and it is much easier to deal with it in a separate thread.

How can I get itunes to recognize my 7th gen. ipod nano

My wife bought me an ipod nano the other day and I am unable to get itunes to recognize it in the device menu. I have spent over 2 hrs attempting differnt suggestions with no results. I down loaded the newest version of itunes and when I plugged in my ipod nothing popped up and I was never given a chance to set it up. When I open the side bar there is no device option to sync music to the ipod, so what can I do?

Wile connected to your computer:
Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button until the screen goes dark. The Apple logo should appear after a few seconds, then the Home screen should appear.
That is a reset and your nano should show up.

Cant get iTunes to recognize iPod can't do a restore

Hello,
After having the iPod Touch4 for one week i can no longer get iTunes to recognize it when i connect it.
1/ The USB cable is fine
2/ I have completed all troubleshooting steps suggested by apple support
3/ I have tried this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdSLzIQTxqE
and this one - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pVbIeSfvfI
4/ I have uninstalled and re-installed the latest iTunes
So, my next step was to do a reset back to the original factory settings (even the ipod is only a week old). When i click on restore in iTunes (because it recognizes the iPod is in recovery mode) i get the message - 'the iPod software update server can not be contacted. Make sure your network settings are correct and your network connection is active or try again later.
I have now gone through the troubleshooting section on the apple website with this issue and now can not even restore the iPod.
Can anyone else give me any advice as i can only think i am going to have to end up taking the thing back for a swap/refund which is pretty frustrating when it worked perfectly for a week and then started playing up for no apparent reason.......

You did not specify what Apple troubleshooting you tried. It is easy to miss Apple articles.
For the 3212, try this previous discussion
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1977551?threadID=1977551&tstart=30&messageI D=9330734
roosm wrote:
Thanks for your reply but i take it you didnt read/understand all of the post above.
I have gone through the troubleshooting guide

Can't get laptop to recognize iPod: tried all "solutions".

I have tried all the solutions here and I still can’t get a single iPod to properly work with my computer. I’ve pretty much come down to the conclusion that the only way I can get an iPod to work is to get a whole new PC.
Granted I have an “ancient” four-year-old Dell Inspiron 4000 laptop with only one USB 1.1 port. However I have updated it and am running with 512MB of RAM, Windows XP Home and have added a Comp USA USB 2.0 PC Card. Through this card I have successfully connected a number of items with no problem.
• Router
• Cable Modem
• Logitech Harmony remote
• Canon SD450 camera
• HP laser printer
• Zen Micro MP3 player
• Flash drives
Some items are USB 1.1 and some are 2.0. But I’ve had as many as four items running at the same time and had no problem.
However, I can’t get a single friggin’ iPod to work properly!
When I connected the first iPod to the USB2.0 ports on the card (after installing the software) the system would not recognize it. I let it charge overnight and came back to an iPod that was probably pretty close to catching on fire. The screen was bright white and the whole thing was so hot I could barely pick it up. I returned that one.
With the second one I have a little more success. After uninstalling the iPod software I went through a “fresh” install like I had a new one. The computer recognized the second one so far as to assign it a drive letter. However the iTunes and iPod updater software would not recognize the iPod being attached.
Based upon Apple support articles, information from this and other iPod forums I tried all of the following “solutions”:
• Tried all four USB 2.0 ports and the one USB 1.1 built-in port: no luck.
• Restarted the laptop
• Reset the iPod
• Uninstall and reinstall software 4 times
• Went into the hardware power settings for the USB ports and changed the settings
• Unistalled and reinstalled all hardware.
• Download and install new USB drivers
• Checked: I have latest version of iTunes
• iPod service is running
• reinstalled COM interface
• removed iTunes
• Emptied temp directory
• Clean up iTunes installer file
Still nothing. Couldn’t even get the iPod to power uo.
Went back to the Apple store to exchange after they couldn’t get it to power up.
As recommended I tried a few other USB 2.0 PC cards that were on the approved list. Including the expensive ($50) Belkin card that Apple claimed had been tested to work okay with the 5th gen iPod.
The only options I see
• wipe the hard drive, reinstall XP and all my software an starting fresh
• buy a whole new “current’ desktop PC.
So am I just pooched?

Granted I have an “ancient” four-year-old Dell
Inspiron 4000 laptop with only one USB 1.1 port.
However I have updated it and am running with 512MB
of RAM, Windows XP Home
So you installed Windows XP Home but did you install SP2!!!
Remember Ipods require SP2 If you have Windows XP Home Edition!!!!

How do I get iTunes to recognize iPod, post aborted sync?

Here is the rundown:
My friend who owed me money recently offered me his 4th gen. 20 GB iPod as a form of repayment, which I obviously accepted. This is the kind of iPod I would have wanted anyway. It had no songs on it as my friend was smart enough to clear them all off. However the iPod was formatted in Windows and as a staunch Mac lover and someone who wants to update the iPod to the freshest system it can handle, I plan to reformat it into Mac format so I can do this. Problem was I got ahead of myself and when iTunes finally recognized the iPod (battery was super low as my friend misplaced his charge cord), I approved it to sync to my laptop's iTunes library BEFORE I reformatted it to Mac. Long story short 3 songs synced out of several hundred, I halt all syncing processes so I could reformat it to Mac system first.
Now I can't get it to recognize anyplace, neither in iTunes nor in Finder. I erased and re-downloaded the iPod updater program about 5 times to see if it would shock it back to its senses, done about 4 iPod resets and now all I have to show for my efforts is a 20GB iPod with 3 songs and still in Windows format. How do I get it to where I want it to go from here. Every time I have tried to run the supposed iPod updater it locks up and stops responding, and to really rub it in refuses to force quit. Any ways to straighten this out would be welcomed.

First of all, I think the first time you sync an iPod that's formatted for Windows on a Mac, the sync process reformats it for Mac. You can check what it is now by looking for the iPod with Disk Utility. If it's Mac OS Extended, it's formatted for Mac already.
Also, there is no current iPod updater app these days. iTunes handles it through the Restore button. If you are not able to use the latest iTunes because of your Mac, I can understand. The latest version of iTunes should run with 10.3.9 or later, if the hardware can handle it.
You said the battery was low so let it recharge for a while.
You should also reset the iPod. It's part of the 5Rs, which you should go through as the starting point for iPod trouble-shooting.
http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/five_rs/wheel/

I can't get Itunes to recognize the oldest backup I have on my PC

So basically I lost photos and contacts during iOS 5 update. I messed up by doing a complete restore trying to get everything back but accidentally unplugged my phone while it was restoring the firmware. So I went under the appdata file/mobilesync/backups and found a back up that has 1006 files in it. Im assuming its the backup with all of my old media because the other 2 backups only have 82 files in it. (I should note that its not a really old back up, they were only created minutes apart) So I tried to restore from backup on itunes but iTunes isn't recognizing the older backup folder. How do I get iTunes to recognize old backups?

Make sure that your Quicktime is up to date with at least v7.1.5.
The video needs to be in a format that can be played on the iPod. You can use Handbrake or iSquint as well as iTunes to do the conversion from the Advanced menu in iTunes.
MJ

ITunes Media And Removable Storage Issue - Can't Get iTunes to recognize the new location. Any tips?

I've had my iTunes media on an external HDD for years. Let's call this drive B.
My iTunes library and xml file reside on my Mac HDD.
I decided that I wanted to buy a bigger HDD and move all of the media to it. Last night I copied all of the media files to the new HDD (let's call it P) from B. I also copied the iTunes folder from my Mac HDD to P and directed iTunes to look for the media in the Advanced settings.
Of course when I launched iTunes after all the hours it took to do all of this copying, it could not find any of the media on P without asking whether I wanted to locate it - and the library was full of explanation points. When I examined the info on a few songs, it was showing that all of the media was still pointing to B as the location with the complete directory structure pointing to that old location - and not to the new drive.
I tried creating a new library and still could not get the library to recognize that all of the media was now on P instead of B.
I remember when I did something similar years ago, I just changed the location in iTunes in the Advanced settings and iTunes realized that all of the music was on B instead of its prior location.
I finally gave up and restored things back to the original settings with all the media on B.
I did a lot of searches and followed everything explicitly -- which basically meant copying the iTunes folder (with the library and xml files within it), and the media to the new drive and then telling iTunes where the new location was. To me it shouldn't be any simpler than that to get iTunes to recognize a new location for all the music.
Can anyone offer a more rudimentary breakdown of things for me to try so that I can get iTunes to acknowledge that all the media is on P and not B?
P is larger than B for those of you who are wondering why I'm trying to get this to work. And P also will be a drive that dedicated to iTunes and media and nothing else. Unlike B, which has all kinds of assorted files on it along with my music, etc.
And yes, each time I made changes - I restarted iTunes

Thank you both for the information.
It sounds like I did something out of sequence based upon reading the split library information, thinking I was doing the right thing.
This is exactly what I did
I copied the folder with all the media from B to P
I copied the entire iTunes folder from the Mac HDD to P
I option click started iTunes and connected to the library file and when iTunes opened it was OK - and looked like it normally does when I was still using B as the storage
I connected to P
When it didn't work, I tried to create a new library and did the same exact things.
So let me ask this:
Should I hook up P again and delete everything off of it except for the folders that have the media in them and then copy the current iTunes folder over onto P again - and then copy all of the media from it's current location into the iTunes Media folder inside of the iTunes folder I copy over from the Mac and then try to connect and consolidate everything?
I assume that if I move everything from the current media folder into the iTunes/iTunes Media/ that I copy over everything will be under the iTunes umbrella as if things were never split?
I don't seem to recall it being this difficult when I originally set up things on B, as it was a split situation then too, if I'm not mistaken.
I really appreciate the instruction. And honestly it does make sense to have everything in one location to prevent problems like this from happening - it would just be great if iTunes had a feature that moved and/or copied the necessary files to the new location to prevent splitting links

From a new computer I can't get iTunes to recognize my old database.

I keep my iTunes database on an external hard drive. I only plug it into my work laptop (Windows 7) to update podcasts, load new music, and sync to my iPod. I'm forced to switch to a new have a new computer (also Windows 7) and can't get iTunes to use the database on the external drive. Can anyone help?

I would consider reposting your question over in the iTunes for Windows forum as this is more iTunes related. There are many brilliant people who help over there who should be able to help you resolve this.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/itunes
B-rock

Can't get iTunes to recognize iPod

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