Cannot update ipod, unknown error (-208)

Hello,
For the past two months I've been using an 80GB iPod with my MacBook Pro, automatically syncing every few days, without a hitch. Suddenly, every time I try to update the iPod, I get an error to the effect of "iPod <foo> cannot be updated. Unknown error occurred (-208)."
I restored the iPod and synced it again. Everything was copied over fine, except for my contacts and the one photo album I want to copy over. So I tweaked those settings and first iTunes said I had no contacts to sync, and would I want to open Address Book. I open Address Book and sure enough, all my contacts are there. I get the same message about iCal, even though there are appointments in it. The photos did not copy over either.
Syncing even without those settings still brings up the error -208.
I googled around and couldn't find anything specific about this error code. When I looked up Apple error codes, I found this page: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=9805, and the if it's the same error as the one I'm seeing in iTunes, it's a Sound Manager Error:
-208 badFileFormat File is corrupt or unusable, or not AIFF or AIFF-C
What's also weird is that iTunes says this iPod has 12,486 songs on it, while the iTunes library itself has 12,489 songs. But in the About screen on the iPod itself, it says I have 12,491 songs. I also have bought only 5 songs from the iTunes Store. Coincidence? Those songs play on the iPod just fine.
All my music is stored on an external firewire drive. But that's been the case since I owned my previous iBook, so it's not a new issue.
Anyone see this before? Anyone figure out a workaround?
Many thanks!
pete
MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8) all songs stored on external firewire drive for 2 years

I posted too soon. Just read another post regarding
a folder called "iPod Photo Cache". I am on a Mac
and found two such folders named this: one was in
the Pictures folder, the second was in the iPhoto
Library folder. I deleted them both. I re-started
iTunes, checked off to Sync iPhoto albums in the iPod
"tab area" (not sure what that screen in iTunes is
called), hit the Apply button and iTunes proceeded to
optimize my photos for my iPod and sync them. No
more (-208) error!
Wow, this solved my issue... Thanks!

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Cannot update ipod, unknown error (-208)

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