Sync Icon on Menu Bar? What does this mean? How can I get more info on it?

Question

I just noticed for the first time, a SYNC icon on the Macbook Pro/Lion menu bar and it is going strong - twirling its little heart out.  Im not sure what this is or what it is doing.  Im having a feeling something got set up (I dont really know what Im doing ) that had to do with maybe syncing a calendar with Google? for an Android phone?  Is t here a way I can check out what this is and what its doing -   It just keeps twirling around so Im not sure what its doing or how long it will take and I dont know that I want it doing wh atever its doing.  Maybe it has something to do with contacts?  The only option I can find when I click on the icon, it says 'cancel sync.'  Is there a way to "get info" - and find out what its doing.  I dont want it twirlling forever as I assume thats going to eat up the battery...I dont have anything set up to sync consistently so I dont know whats its doing or whether I should stop it.  Its been going on for like over 5 minutes and that doesnt seem right to me

Answer 1

If it's a one-time "glitch," you can try restarting your computer with the iPod still connected.  Try ejecting again after the restart.
If the problem recurs, you may have a process running (other than iTunes) that is accessing the iPod's storage.  When connected, the iPod's "disk" is like other mounted volumes.  This process may be some type of utility that continously monitors your mounted volumes for security reasons, such as to prevent access by malware.
If you know of such a program that you have running in the background, there may be a setting to exclude your iPod's disk.