iPod sync problem

[mrbelm]

iTunes won't update my iPod. It fails after adding about seven songs, after which I get the error message "error - attempting to copy to the disk failed. an unknown error (-36) occurred."

I have tried reinstalling iTunes, trashing my old playlist files, rebuiding the library, and deleting the .plist file. I've zapped the PRAM and repaired permissions on the main drive on the machine, a quicksilver G4. I have also performed a restore and update on my iPod, a 1st generation 10GB model. A new-out-of-the-box 20 GB model shows the same error.

The problem does not occur on my other G4 running the same version of iTunes (4.7) and OS X (10.3.6). I need to have iTunes working on the G4, so simply using the other machine is not an option.

Any ideas or suggestions on how to resolve this problem?

[ob1cannoli]

Have you tried the other firewire port perhaps? or un plugging an iSight...could it be that the computer's having trouble fully mounting external devices?

[mrbelm]

I don't have an iSight. I have already tried different FireWire ports, and have removed all devices from the chain except the external drive on which the iTunes library lives.

[ppatoray]

I had the same problem and couldn't get more than about 7-20 songs at a time to update. I tried switching from the USB cable to the firewire cable and this took care of the problem. The firewire cable is plugged into the back of the external firewire drive that my iTunes library is located on.

I have about 6 playlists set to sync, and I have a feeling that I was just running into a throughput issue, where iTunes was trying to shove 6 streams over at a time, and the data was having to transfer off of firewire onto the powerbook, and then out through the usb port to the ipod, and that was just too much.