IPod Photo Being USELESS

Ok, here is my story...
I bought a 60 Gig iPod Photo in June of 2005, thus the two year warrentee has now expired. I now have about my 7th or 8th iPod, because I have sent mine away soo many time for service. What is up with that? And now, out of nowhere, my iPod has done it again, the sad iPod icon strikes AGAIN... and there is nothing I can do now, because I am not covered. Thankfully I just ordered a new MacBook Pro for school and I decided to get the 80 Gig Video iPod with it, because I KNEW this would happen to my Photo one again. I am so frustrated with the iPod right now that it is SICK... like... does anyone know what is wrong! I always take care of my iPod... disconnect properly, etc. Is it because I have nearly 60 gigs of stuff on it...?? Can the HD not handle it all?! Would that make a difference?! I don't know... I am just wondering if ANYONE else has had this problem... I mean, sending my iPod away to get a new one has become nearly a monthly thing... not sure why... it is so odd... these things just freeze up and there is nothing you can do... once you get that sad iPod symbol it's jsut time to say some curse words and head to Apple Support... only now I have NOTHING to turn to... because my Apple Care is expired... does anyone know even how much it costs to replace it if you're not covered...?? Probably a lot... and probably not worth my money if I have a video one on the way.... Any input from anyone...??

There are many reasons your iPods are sad:
You may have:
-corrupt files on it
-a bug/virus on it (even though, it is not likely if you use a Mac)
-installed 3rd party software unapproved by Apple (e.g. iPod Linux)
-placed your iPod in an unsafe environment (e.g. hot temperature, like a parked car...well your in Canada so I don't know about that)
I had an iPod photo 40GB, and it erased itself after about half a year of using it as a backup hardrive (I used like 37GB of it). So, it is possible that too much space is taken. If you are constantly accessing large files (like I was - files over 1-2GB like movies) it may just say to itself "I've had enough!" like mine did.

Similar Messages

IPod Photo no longer recognized by iTunes 10

I do not know how long ago my iPod Photo stopped being recognized by iTunes. It is certainly an old iPod that I occasionally use to record voice for podcast.
Today, I noticed that this iPod Photo no longer shows up in iTunes 10. I connected it to two Mac's; one is a G5 tower running OS 10.5.8 and the other is a Mac Pro running OS 10.6.1.
My current objective is to get the voice file off of this iPod Photo. But, of course, it will be nice to have access to it in iTunes 10.
Please advise.

Hello Profinite,
And welcome to Apple Discussions!
Not sure as to why this happening, other than the fact that is probably related to the new iTunes 10. Have you try any of the basics yet? Since the iPod does not appear on either system, the cause could be the cable you are using to connect it with. If at all possible, try using a different cable. I would also try different USB ports on each computer as well. What happens when you reset it with it still connected to either Mac?
Another possible solution to at least get it mounted as drive on one of your systems is to place the iPod into *Disk Mode* as described in this Apple support document.
[Putting iPod into Disk Mode|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1363?viewlocale=en_US]
And here is more troubleshooting techniques for this situation.
[iPod not recognized in iTunes and Mac desktop|http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1410]
B-rock

Help!! Locked out of ipod photo

My girlfriend updated our ipod photo and said she couldnt get it unlocked(hold). I tried messing with the hold switch to no avail and then restored it but even after restoring it's still locked and the wheel is useless. Any suggestions?? Please...
G4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

try to do a reset for the iPod by pressing "select"+"menu" keys until you see the apple logo

IPod Photo 60GB goes from sad icon to no reaction at all

After getting the sad icon after plugging it in, I took apart the iPod so I could reseat the hard drive and see what happens. I still got the sad icon (yes, sometimes re-seating the hard drive brings it back to life, based on my experiences), so I wanted to try again and put pressure on the center of the hard drive platters with my thumb.
In doing so, I accidentally disconnected the molex connector to the hold-switch. I forgot the state of the hold switch when this happened.
I put everything back together to see what will happen when I plug in the sync/power cable.
There's no reaction and no Apple logo.
How can I bring back the iPod at least back to the sad-icon state?
Thanks for reading.

I believe you broke the iPod completely, but have a read of the following and see if it helps
If a sad iPod icon or an exclamation point and folder icon appears on your iPod’s screen, or with sounds of clicking or HD whirring, it is usually the sign of a hard drive problem and you have the power to do something about it now. Your silver bullet of resolving your iPod issue – is to restore your iPod to factory settings.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60983
If you're having trouble, try these steps at different levels one at a time until the issue is resolved. These steps will often whip your iPod back into shape.
Make sure you do all the following “TRYs”
A. Try to wait 30 minutes while iPod is charging.
B. Try another FireWire or USB through Dock Connector cable.
C. Try another FireWire or USB port on your computer .
D. Try to disconnect all devices from your computer's FireWire and USB ports.
E. Try to download and install the latest version of iPod software and iTunes
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
For old and other versions of iPod updater for window you can get here
http://www.ipodwizard.net/showthread.php?t=7369
F. Try these five steps (known as the five Rs) and it would conquer most iPod issues.
http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/five_rs/
G. Try to put the iPod into Disk Mode if it fails to appear on the desktop
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93651
If none of these steps address the issue, you may need to go to Intermediate level listed below in logical order. Check from the top of the lists to see if that is what keeping iPod from appearing on your computer in order for doing the Restore.
Intermediate Level
A. Try to connect your iPod with another computer with the iPod updater pre-installed.
B. Still can’t see your iPod, put it in Disk Mode and connect with a computer, instead of doing a Restore on iPod Updater. Go and format the iPod instead.
For Mac computer
1. Open the disk utility, hope your iPod appears there (left hand side), highlight it
2. Go to Tab “Partition”, click either “Delete” or “Partition”, if fails, skip this step and go to 3
3. Go to Tab “Erase” , choose Volume Format as “MAC OS Extended (Journaled), and click Erase, again if fails, skip it and go to 4
4. Same as step 3, but open the “Security Options....” and choose “Zero Out Data” before click Erase. It will take 1 to 2 hours to complete.
5. Eject your iPod and do a Reset
6. Open the iTunes 7 and click “Restore”
For Window computer
Go to folder “My Computer”
Hope you can see your iPod there and right click on the iPod
Choose “Format”. Ensure the settings are at “Default” and that “Quick Format” is not checked
Now select “Format”
Eject your iPod and do a Reset
Open the iTunes 7 and click “Restore”
In case you do not manage to do a “Format” on a window computer, try to use some 3rd party disk utility software, e.g.“HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool”.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=501330&tstart=0
C. Windows users having trouble with their iPods should locate a Mac user. In many cases when an iPod won't show up on a PC that it will show up on the Mac. Then it can be restored. When the PC user returns to his computer the iPod will be recognized by the PC, reformatted for the PC, and usable again. By the way, it works in reverse too. A Mac user often can get his iPod back by connecting it to a PC and restoring it.
Tips
a. It does not matter whether the format is completed or not, the key is to erase (or partly) the corrupted firmware files on the Hard Drive of the iPod. After that, when the iPod re-connected with a computer, it will be recognized as an fresh external hard drive, it will show up on the iTunes 7.
b. It is not a difficult issue for a Mac user to find a window base computer, for a PC user, if they can’t find any Mac user, they can go to a nearest Apple Shop for a favor.
c. You may need to switch around the PC and Mac, try to do several attempts between “Format” and “Restore”
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2364921&#2364921
Advance Level
A. Diagnostic mode solution
If you have tried trouble shooting your iPod to no avail after all the steps above, chances are your iPod has a hardware problem. The iPod's built-in Diagnostic Mode is a quick and easy way to determine if you have a "bad" iPod.
You need to restart your iPod before putting it into Diagnostic Mode. Check that your hold switch is off by sliding the switch away from the headphone jack. Toggle it on and off to be safe.
Press and hold the following combination of buttons simultaneously for approximately 10 seconds to reset the iPod.
iPod 1G to 3G: "Menu" and "Play/Pause"
iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Menu" and "Select"
The Apple logo will appear and you should feel the hard drive spinning up. Press and hold the following sequence of buttons:
iPod 1G to 3G: "REW", "FFW" and "Select"
iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Back" and "Select"
You will hear an audible chirp sound (3G models and higher) and the Apple logo should appear backwards. You are now in Diagnostic Mode. Navigate the list of tests using "REW" and "FFW". The scroll wheel will not function while in diagnostic mode. For further details on Diagnostic mode can be found at http://www.methodshop.com/mp3/ipodsupport/diagnosticmode/
Try to do the 5in1, HDD R/W and HDD scan tests. Some successful cases have been reported after the running the few tests under the Diagnostic mode. In case it does not work in your case, and the scan tests reports show some errors then it proves your iPod has a hardware problem and it needs a repairing service.
B. Format your iPod with a start disk
I have not tried this solution myself, I heard that there were few successful cases that the users managed to get their iPod (you must put your iPod in disk mode before connecting with a computer) mounted by the computer, which was booted by a system startup disk. For Mac, you can use the Disk Utility (on the Tiger OS system disk), for PC user, you can use the window OS system disk. Try to find a way to reformat your iPod, again it does not matter which format (FAT32, NTFS or HFS+) you choose, the key is to erase the corrupted system files on the iPod. Then eject your iPod and do a Reset to switch out from Disk Mode. Reboot your computer at the normal way, connect your iPod back with it, open the iPod updater, and hopefully your iPod will appear there for the Restore.
If none of these steps address the issue, your iPod may need to be repaired.
Consider setting up a mail-in repair for your iPod http://depot.info.apple.com/ipod/
Or visit your local Apple Retail Store http://www.apple.com/retail/
In case your iPod is no longer covered by the warranty and you want to find a second repairing company, you can try iPodResQ or ifixit at your own risk
http://www.ipodresq.com/index.php
http://www.ifixit.com/
http://www.rapidrepair.com/shop/g4-ipod-parts.html
Just in case that you are at the following situation
Your iPod warranty is expired
You don’t want to pay any service charges
You are prepared to buy a new one
You can’t accept the re-sell value of your broken iPod
Rather than leave your iPod as paper-weight or throw it away.
You can try the following, but again, only do it as your last resort and at your own risk.
Warning !!!! – It may or may not manage to solve your problem, and with a risk that you may further damage your iPod, which end up as an expensive paper weight or you need to pay more higher repairing cost. Therefore, please re-consider again whether you want to try the next level
Last Resort Level
1. . Disconnecting the Hard Drive and battery inside the iPod – Warning !! Your iPod warranty will be waived once you open the iPod.
In Hong Kong there are some electronic shops offering an iPod service for Sad iPod, the first thing they do is to open up the iPod’s case and disconnecting the battery and the Hard Drive from the main board of the iPod. Wait for 5-10 minutes and reconnecting them back. The reason behind which I can think of is to do a fully reset of a processor of the iPod. In case you want do it itself and you believe that you are good on fixing the electronics devices and have experience to deal with small bits of electronic parts, then you can read the following of how to open the iPod case for battery and HDD replacement (with Quicktimes)
http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/index.cfm?page=Video/directory.html
2.Press the reset button on the Hard Drive inside the iPod – Suggestion from Kill8joy
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2438774#2438774
Have I tried these myself? No, I am afraid to do it myself as I am squeamish about tinkering inside electronic devices, I have few experiences that either I broke the parts (which are normally tiny or fragile) or failed to put the parts back to the main case. Therefore, I agree with suggestion to have it fixed by a Pro.
2. Do a search on Google and some topics on this discussion forum about “Sad iPod”
Exclamation point and folder and nothing else
Spank your iPod
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ljPhrFUaOY
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3597173#3597173
Exclamation point and folder and nothing else
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2831962#2831962
What should I do with my iPod? Send it or keep it?
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=469080&tstart=0
Strange error on iPod (probably death)
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=435160&start=0&tstart=0
Sad Face on iPod for no apparent reason
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=336342&start=0&tstart=0
Meeting the Sad iPod icon
http://askpang.typepad.com/relevanthistory/2004/11/meeting_thesad.html#comment-10519524
Sad faced iPod, but my computer won’t recognize it?
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2236095#2236095
iPod Photo: unhappy icon + warranty question
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2233746#2233746
4th Gen iPod Users - are we all having the same problem?
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=2235623#2235623
Low Battery, and clicking sounds
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2237714#2237714
Sad faced iPod, but my computer won’t recognize it
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2242018#2242018
Sad iPod solution
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=412033&tstart=0
Re: try to restore ipod and it says "can't mount ipod"
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=443659&tstart=30
iPod making clicking noise and is frozen
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2420150#2420150
Cant put it into disk mode
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3786084#3786084
I think my iPod just died its final death
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3813051
Apple logo & monochrome battery stay
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3827167#3827167
My iPod ism’t resetting and isn’t being read by my computer
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4489387#4489387
I am not suggesting that you should follow as well, but just read them as your reference. You are the person to make the call.
Finally, I read a fair comments from dwb, regarding of slapping the back of the iPod multiple times
Quote “This has been discussed numerous times as a 'fix'. It does work, at least for a while. In fact I remember using the same basic trick to revive Seagate and Quantam drives back in the mid to late 1980's. Why these tiny hard drives go bad I don't know - could be the actuator gets stuck in place or misaligned. Could be the platter gets stuck or the motor gets stuck. 'Stiction' was a problem for drives back in the 80's. Unfortunately the fix can cause damage to the platter so we temporarily fix one problem by creating another. But I know of two instances where a little slap onto the table revived the iPods and they are still worked a year or more later.”UnQuote

Syching Photos from Itunes to Ipod Photo 30G

I am having the worst time syching my photos from my PC computer to my ipod photo. I am using my family computer because my laptop is kaput.
I am starting over...from scratch. Deleted everything on my ipod and hoping to synch it all back on there from point blank.
I have succesfully synched my music. --playlists still in progress but that is my problem!
I am having trouble synching my photos back onto my ipod. It shows no progress just says "Syncing iPod. Do not Disconnect." And it kills be because I started out with about 15,000 pics to sync...I've taken it down to only 15 and it is still not doing what I want it too.
Maybe I should be more paitent but I don't remember it ever being this slow or without any progression showing on the screen.
What can I do, what am I doing wrong? What should I do?!
Help! Please!
PC

In case you still didn't get this to work, I found that iTunes didn't have permissions writing to the iPod photo cache directory on my Vista machine by default.
If you suspect that's happening for you, go ahead and try this:
1) Find the directory on your computer where the "iPod Photo Cache" is stored.
2) On that directory, grant "Read" and "Write" access to the "Users" group.
After that, try synching your photos, and hopefully you'll start to see some success...
Windows Vista

Possible cause of ipod not being recognised in itunes

Hi there from a first time poster
I have had a problem that judging by posts here and various other forums a lot of people have had. I have found what may be a cause and would be interested to know if the same applies to other people with the same problem.
Background first, and sorry i know this will be a long read:
The problem is that itunes will not recognise your ipod (60gb ipod photo in my case). I had tried a number of things, including everything in this apple support article: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93716 and various other things I found around the web. I even reinstalled Windows in the hope that it would help, but to no avail.
I took the ipod to an Apple service centre in Sydney, they tested it and said it worked fine. After some more hair pulling i gave Apple support a call, but didn't get a lot of help due to my ipod being over 90 days old. The support guy did mention something about faulty USB ports though. My USB ports work fine with everything else I have ever plugged into them, but i got googling.
It seems that motherboards using Silicon Integrated Systems (SiS) chipsets are known for havin dodgey USB ports. This may only apply to older ones, not sure (my PC is about 3 years old). So i decided to bite the bullet in the hope of fixing by ipod paperweight and bought a USB PCI card. After installing the card the ipod worked perfectly with itunes first go, and has had no hiccups since.
A few days ago I checked out a friend's PC who was having the same problem with her ipod... SiS chipset. Once again bought a USB card and installed it. The ipod has worked fine since.
Please everyone don't rush out and buy USB cards in the hope of fixing this problem, but if anyone has i'd be curious to know if it also fixed their problem. After fixing the same problem the same way twice i was thinking that perhaps ipods may not be completely compatible with SiS chipset USB ports? If the same problem and solution can be identified as occuring more frequently perhaps there is some way to bring it to Apple's attention.
OK there it all is, hope this interests someone out there. Thanks for reading, Steve
Some PC Windows XP Pro

hi Daniel!
Could this confict be created by one of last weeks Critical Windows Updates? It seems to me that it could be because it seems many who have WinXP are suddenly all having the same problem.
i've always been a bit concerned about that. (more so this week than ever before, since the noir household had their Outlook Express address book blown up by KB911567.) but i haven't seen many confirmed links between updates and itunes/ipod problems.
this caused a few 1607s on software installs (because of the way it blew out Windows Installer on some PCs):
Systems that have changed the default Access Control List permissions on the %windir%\registration directory may experience various problems after you install the Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-051 for COM+ and MS DTC
and SP2 broke some Firewire connections for some folks (although i believe that issue may have been patched in later updates).
i still get a bit uneasy when an automatic update comes down the pipe, though ... and i try to keep an eye on the possibility.
love, b

40GB iPod Photo came with FW cable, doesn't work with FW cable

I have a 40GB iPod photo that I love. I bought another (used) one for my wife, being careful to get the identical model so we could share things such as docks, cables, etc.
Her iPod works fine with the USB cable, but will only charge with the FW cable -- no computer can see her iPod through FW. I've reset the iPod, updated it with the iPod updater, but nothing. When I connect her iPod to any of my Macs (her 12" iBook, my 12" PowerBook, my G5 iMac) with FW, the iPod appears to be charging, but is not detected by the computer, nor are any of the iPod controls usable. It doesn't go to the "do not disconnect" screen, but simply freezes where it is until the FW cable is disconnected.
Specifics: both iPod Photos are the 40GB model M9585LL, version 1.2.1. The 2nd one CAME WITH a FW cable, which is why I'm puzzled that it won't work with it. Help?

Here is some info for the pinout for the iPod.
http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/2006/04/zen-vision-m-video-cable-other-4 pole-35mm-pinouts.php
You need to find the pinout of the camera cable you have.
Probably be easier to get get an AV cable with a 3.5mm plug to (whatever fits into your TV) cable.
Usually, you simply have to swap the Red and the Yellow for it to work properly.

IPod Photo stuck in "connect external power" mode

I recently purchased a used 60gb iPod Photo from a Goodwill. I restored it, but it required me to update. Restored, updated, but being an older iPod, the screen showed the "connect external power" icon. I found an external power source and it has been connected for nearly 2 hours, and it still isn't responding. I think it's stuck but I'm not sure. I've tried resetting it and using multiple different outlets, but nothing seems to be working. It still shows the external power logo.

The iPod photo is a 4th gen iPod, and that particular model requires you to connect it to an Apple USB power adapter to complete the Restore process (it's not related to doing an update). These iPod's came with a USB power adapter, so the expectation is that the iPod's owner has one. I heard this is because the iPod needs a higher voltage that is not available from a computer's USB port to complete the Restore, which is probably why it does not work with the "external power source" you tried.
You need to get an Apple USB power adapter. Or, if there is an Apple Store nearby, you can probably take it there (to the store's Genius Bar) and ask if you can plug it into one of their power adapters, to complete that last step. Do not have them do the full Restore process on a Mac, if you use Windows.

Error iPod Photo won't update

I have 2600 songs in my library, but my iPod photo will only update about 1500. Then I get an error -XX Unable to update Cali's iPod an error occurred. I have 60GB so I know it is not a capacity issue. I tried the tips from Apple (deleting the photo directory) and completely re-formatting my iPod 3 times.
To make things worse. My library keeps getting corrupt and I have to import my CDs over and over again. The new thing is that all the files are being renamed to four letter files randomly. I have spent literally days on this. Can someone please help me? I never had this issue with my 20GB regular iPod. Could that be it?
Please help,
Cali

When's the last time you ran a virus checker?

IPod Photo refuses to sleep when hard drive is spinning

I am own an iPod Photo 60GB running the iPod Software 1.2 (for iPod with color display).
I cannot turn my iPod Photo 60GB off/put it into sleep mode while the hard drive is being accessed or spinning. This normally means that some music is playing, but it also can happen when a track is paused. This issue occurs for both ways to put an iPod into sleep mode: 1)"Sleep" from the menu, or 2)holding the play/pause button for a few seconds. Attempting either of these methods of turning my iPod off/putting it to sleep while the hard drive is spinning results in the iPod NOT going to sleep. When I select the "Sleep" item from the menu, I can hear the "click" sound, so I know the selection of that menu item is being detected by my iPod.
Generally speaking, this issue happens when I have just removed my iPod from being docked with my computer, and it starts playing a track because I hit the play button accidentally while disconnecting the iPod. Usally the first thing I want to do is put the iPod to sleep, because I am going somewhere and don't want to use that battery when I'm not listening to it.
My workaround: If I select a track at the end of an album/playlist, and then fast forward to the end of that track so that NO music/sound is playing on my iPod Photo 60GB, and the hard drive is not spinning, then I am able to use the "Sleep" menu item or the hold the play/pause button for a few seconds method. Also, if I let the track play for anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute or two until the the hard drive is not spinning anymore, then I am able to put my iPod to sleep. But shouldn't the sleep feature work immediately? None of Apple's documentation or TIL articles suggest otherwise.
This problem is not related to the hold switch being in the "hold" position, as I am trying all of this with the hold switch NOT in the "hold" position. Also, it is not related to the battery power being low, as it happens with a full charge.
I have read threads with a similar issue to mine, however the clarification needs to be made that this "bug", as I'll call it, only occurs when the hard drive is spinning/being accessed. Many people have mentioned troubles with putting their iPod to sleep while listening to a Podcast. This makes sense because some Podcasts are too large to fit into the iPod's RAM cache, and so the hard drive is accessing the Podcast through it's entire length. None of these threads have any useful input from Apple Computer support other than the suggestion of resetting the iPod or restoring the iPod's software. In both cases, the suggested solution DOES NOT fix the problem permanently.
With the hopes that because ALL iPods that Apple sells currently will most likely have this problem, by starting a "new", more detailed thread on this issue, perhaps Apple will get this message to a higher level and actually do something about it.
I would highly suggest if you have an iPod Photo (any size) or one of the "new" color iPod's, that you try seeing if you can put your iPod to sleep when your hard drive is being accessed, and if not - Please Post on this Thread. The more posts that come up on a thread, the more likely that someone with Apple will notice.
Thanks for reading...

To elaborate more on what Rob said. Since the iPod is a hard drive based device(similar to your computer) the disc inside spins and there is a needle to read the data.
What you are suggusting would be like yanking the power cord out of your computer in mid install of something, the chance of data lose is there and if happened enough bad sectors can arise. Should you do that? No, Would you do it? In most cases not.
A bad sector would in most causes make the ipod freeze when accessing it or make it fail its disk check and requiring replacement.

Erasing iPod Photos

Once you've uploaded photos to your iPod Photo, is there a way to delete them?? For some reason I can't find anything on how to erase photos from my iPod Photo. I'm hoping that resetting my iPod isn't the only way to do this. Thanks in advance.

Welcome to your first post response.
If you think of photo's being replaced rather than deleted when video + PC are synchronised it helps.
Should you create one 'Album file' on your PC which contains many subfolders, and it is the subfolders that contain your photos, then you can add or delete from these PC subfolders, and this will be reflected on your iPod when next you 'synch' it with the 'Album' file.
There are currently 500 answers listed in the Search Forum Discussions (upper right) - type in "photo" - you may find all you want to know here.
Also the manual that came with your iPod (on CD) spells it out (I printed mine out & stll refer to it if needed) - where your every question will be answered - good luck.

IPod Photo battery life & re-charging

I bought a 60GB iPod Photo solely to upload photos from my digital camera on an overseas trip. When transferring photos I can see the green battery symbol drain in front of my eyes! Then it takes 12-15 hours to recharge, making it useless in time for the next day's batch. Is this normal? What can be done? I understand Apple's advice is that re-charging should take 5-6 hours.

You might want to read KB 61385, Caring for iPod's battery and KB 61434, Tips and tricks to get the most out of your iPod's battery.

60 gig iPod Photo won't sync

I have a 60 gig iPod Photo that has stopped being recognized by the computer. I tried a new USB cable. Sometimes it will charge when connected to the computer, sometimes not. It will charge when plugged in to 12V source. I have tried it on more than one Mac, but no dice. Any suggestions/help would be appreciated. And yes, we have tried the reset several times!

Since you tried it on multiple Macs with a different cable, you've mostly eliminated the +bad docking cable+, +bad USB port+, and +something wrong with the Mac's system+ possibilities.
Question: When you have it connected to the power adapter, does it operate properly as an iPod? So does it display its screen menu and play songs?
If it does, then the hard drive is probably OK and not the problem. The problem may be that the dock connector on the iPod side has become worn or otherwise damaged. There are many pins on the connector, so it is possible for it to charge yet not connect for data.
If it does not work as an iPod (play music), for iPods with a hard drive, the hard drive is the most common failure point. So it is possible that the hard drive in your iPod has become faulty. Other possibilities are problem on the logic board and problem in the connection between the logic board and hard drive.
If the iPod does not get recognized by Disk Utility, the only other idea I can think of is to open it up. You can try disconnecting the battery and see if it connects to the Mac with no battery. You can try disconnecting the hard drive, inspecting the two connection points between the hard drive and logic board, and reconnecting.
Here is a helpful guide.
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPod/iPod-4th-Generation/93
When opening the 4G iPod, it is easiest to start from the seam at the top end, because there are no clips there. Be careful at the top left corner (looking at the iPod from the front) because there is a delicate ribbon cable there connecting the two halves of the case. You do not want to yank it open at that corner. If possible, leave that connection alone; it can easily get damaged when trying to disconnecting the ribbon cable. You should be able to lay the iPod open, like a book, from the right side.
Be sure to use plastic tools to open the iPod. Metal tools will damage the case.

IPod photo album art test! Please read!!

One day, while is was not paying attention, my one year old daughter was walking around with my iPod photo. So naturally I gently removed my most prized possession from her greasy grasp and analyzed it for damage. No damage was done, but I noticed something peculiar. The songs album art was being displayed in the large format and it was staying that way! I spent the next several hours trying to repeat the glitch and this is what I came up with:
Step 1:
First, select a song that has album art and play it like normal. While the song is playing, press and hold the select button first, and then press and hold the menu button. If the screen changed while you did this , then start over, otherwise proceed to Step 2.
Step 2:
While still holding down the select and menu buttons, let go of the select button and then release the menu button. Timing in this step is very crucial. You must let go of the select button first and the menu button immediately after. If you have done this correctly, the screen will either show the full screen album art, or go back to the previous menu. If your iPod is now in the previous menu just select the song you are playing and the album art should show up immediately.
In this mode, you can change songs or increase the volume without affecting the album art. If you would like to get out of this mode, just press select a few times and your iPod should return to its former self.
If you would like to display the album art and star rating, then follow the steps above, but begin in the position bar screen first. Here is what I mean:
progress bar<<large album art<<position bar<<Star rating<<progress bar
For those that are still lost, if you press the select button while a song is playing in iPod photo, the screen will change in the succession above.
I can reproduce these glitches without any problems. If this works for you, please let me know by email or by a reply to this post!
Akuma

Raymond,
The key here is not how long you would hold the buttons, but the timing involved with releasing them. Some things to remember are:
The song must have album art.
You must be in the progress bar screen. (initial screen)
Press and hold the select button first, and then press and hold the menu button.
The tricky part is releasing the select and menu buttons. The select button must be released first and then the menu immediately afterwards. I mean within a tenth of a second. (Almost as if you are releasing them at the same time!)
It does not matter at all if you hold the select button for 10 seconds before pressing the menu button, just as long as you release the menu button after the select button.
Hope this helps!
Feel free to rate the initial post if this works out for you.

Repaired iPod Photo frozen again already

My 30GB iPod Photo froze up on me a little over a week ago and my computer failed to recognize it anymore. The screen froze on the apple logo and refused to fully boot up. The backlight also would not dim. I tried resetting it multiple times (toggling hold switch and everything), while it was plugged in and when it wasn't. Nothing. I let the battery drain and tried to reset it again, nothing. I let it sit for 24 hours unplugged like the support site suggested, and nothing.
Finally I gave in and sent it off to be repaired. I just got it back yesterday (they sent me a brand new one as far as I can tell), and this morning the same EXACT problem is happening again. This time, on a different computer. I just got a new Dell Inspiron 700m running Windows XP (same as other machine) and when I tried to run iPod updater on my iPod, my machine and my iPod froze. When I unplugged the iPod it rebooted itself and stuck on the apple logo again.
Has anyone had this happen? I am loathe to send it off again as I'll be moving overseas in one week and won't get it back before I go. Also, apparently there's no guarantees it will actually get fixed this time around. Any tricks? Anybody have a phone number where I can talk to an actual human being? Any help would be VERY appreciated!!!

Does anybody have an idea or even better a solution for this or is it possible to make a feature request to the product management to get soon a neat solution?
Not sure about getting a solution "soon", but it is possible to make enhancement requests. Here's a link to the iTunes product feedback form:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

IPod Photo Being USELESS

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