Update causes loss of authority for i pod

Question

I installed the latest up date, and now itunes has removed all my purchased music from my ipod because it says it is not authorized. I have done nothing to any of the hard ware just installed the up date now all I have is imported CDs on the ipod but the purchases are still listed on itunes. but I can't play them there either because my computer is not authorized.
This is the second time this has happened to me, last time I just authorized my computer again, but you can only do that 5 times.
How do I actually get hold of some geek at apple to put this right, as it should not be down to an other users forum to fix a problem they have caused.
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Answer 1

I solved this well sort of.
Short answer,
Deauthorise the computer, as many times as it takes for itunes to say no authorised computers, reauthorise you computer and it works again. If like mine did your ipod refuses to sync all the tracks first try just keep hitting the sync button untill they all copy over.
Long rant.
I copied the itunes libary to a different partition on my hard disc, I thought about copying it to a removable hard disc just in case I managed to wipe it out completly. I then checked how many computers apple thought were authorised, it thought 2, once from my first instalation of i-tunes and the second when I had to re authorise the same machine last time this happened.
I then went to the store tab and deauthorised this computer I-tunes then belived I only had one computer authorised this one and i-tunes still said it was not authorised and would not copy purchases to the i-pod. So I went back to the store tab and deauthorised the same computer a second time. I-tunes then said no authorised computers, i-tunes still showed all purchased music but wouldn't let it play as the computer was not authorised, so copying the itunes libary was actually an unesersary precaution. I then authorised the computer again. Partial succsess purchase would now play on the computer through itunes.
I then tried to sync my ipod, 40 songs of 200+ copied before I got a windows error message telling me the remote disc could not be read or written to. I tried twice more to sync my ipod with the same result, I re booted the pc and tried again no difference, so reluctantly I hit the restore button and reformatted the ipod. BAD move on trying to resync the ipod 400 of almost 3000 tracks copied over (most are under 10 seconds of langauge learning material)I tried to sync a second time and a further 40 tracks copied over, between 20 to 150 tracks copied over at each sucsesive attempt it took a long time to restore.