My device is recognized by itunes but won't sync and failed the sync diagnostic test. I've restarted the computer, reset the ipod . . . nothing works. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Question

iTunes shows the iPod is connected but doesn't show it in the drop down menu under Devices, and the "sync" option is grayed out, so I can't sync the nano with iTunes.  I ran the diagnostic tests and it shows the device is connected, but it failed the sync test - it said nothing was connected, even though it passed the connectivity test.  We've had the iPod for a few months but this is the first time we've tried to do anything with it.  It's fully charged but just won't sync.  I turned it off, turned it on.  I reset it.  I restarted the computer.  I'm not sure where to go from here.

Answer 1

A couple of things to check:
Are there any backups listed in iTunes/settings/devices? Since backing up is the first step of the sync process, iTunes might be stuck trying to read the content of the last backup in order to replace it with the new one.
Copy the whole backup folder to a safe place, delete the backup from the list afterwards and make sure that the folder has no content after that. The folder is located here:
Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
If you do not see the AppData or Application Data folders, you may need to show hidden files
After that, make sure autosync is disabled in iTunes, connect your ipod, right click on it in the device list and choose "backup". If you can backup manually, transfer your purchases the same way, to copy apps and purchased media to your iTunes. If this worked, you should be able to sync again.
To speed up the sync process, copy your photos to your computer prior to the sync and delete them on your ipod before you start.
Message was edited by: Ingo2711