iPod Weirdness

[simX]

OK, I've got a bizarre problem.

Before I got my new 17" iMac, I had a G4 cube which had data on it, and I had to give away my G4 cube before I got my iMac. So I transferred all my files over onto my mom's iBook, and then once I got my iMac, I transferred my files from the iBook to my iMac.

The thing is, I transferred all the library files and stuff directly into a new user on my mom's iBook (so as to create a user experience that was identical on my old G4 cube in the interim time that I needed to use my mom's iBook).

I have my iPod to synch automatically, and so my iPod synch's automatically when it's connected to my iMac. The thing is, I had this setting in place on my G4 cube, and when I transferred the files over to my mom's iBook, the setting stuck -- the iPod is still recognized as having the same configuration as the one on my iMac, so it auto-synch's whether it's connected to my mom's iBook or my iMac. This is kind of annoying, because the music on my mom's iBook is not my current collection, and so it will delete some of the music I want on my iPod -- I have to quickly stop the autosynch every time I connect my iPod to my mom's iBook.

I've tried deleting iTunes preferences (every plist file in the Preferences folder that conatins "iTunes", I've deleted -- including the ones in the "ByHost" folder), I've tried deleting the iPod preferences (com.apple.iPod.plist), but nothing works, my iPod still auto-synchs with my mom's iBook (it's supposed to warn me and ask if I want to switch the iPod's connection to the new library).

Does anybody have any ideas on how to stop this from occurring? Any ideas would be appreciated.

[Jadey]

Reinitialize your iPod by running the official Apple iPod Updater software. Follow the instructions that come along with the readme. Basically hook up the iPod, run the software, disconnect your iPod when prompted, allow it to finish its progress bar, then reconnect it back to your iMac. Do this all on your machine you want to use your iPod with of course. This will delete all the songs off your iPod, but you can copy them back over from your iMac after the initialization.

[cybergoober]

I assume you've already turned off the auto-synching in iTunes using the iPod configuration button that appears when you connect your iPod?

[simX]

Jadey, I figured that I could do that, but I wanted a simpler way, if possible. The configuration profile must be stored somewhere in some file that I can just delete, and then the iBook shouldn't recognize the iPod anymore, right?

cybergoober: Actually, the auto-synching preferences are stored on the iPod, so if I turn off auto-synch on the iBook, it will also be turned off when I connect it to my iMac. Then if I turn it back on my iMac, then it will be turned on again when I connect it to the iBook. So that wouldn't help. :\

[gmleeii]

If you go to the Terminal while the iPod is connected, there is a file called iPodPrefs. It is in

/Volumes/iPod_Name/iPod_Control

where iPod_Name is the name of your iPod.
Maybe trashing this will get it to forget the link.

[simX]

So, yeah, coming back to this issue:

I reinitialized the iPod like Jadey said, and then recopied all my songs. Guess what? The iBook still recognizes it and starts auto-synching. GRR!

gmleeii: The problem is, I like having my iPod named how it is, so I don't want to change it. There's GOT to be some sort of file or something that needs to be trashed in order to get the iBook to forget the link.

Anybody got any other ideas (besides creating a whole new user on my mom's iBook and transferring my stuff over to that user -- I would probably lose most of my settings which I don't want to do, since I don't want to transfer over the file that will allow the iBook to recognize my iPod)?

[Jadey]

Hrm, I took a quick look around Apple's site and they basically said to turn off the auto-synching feature, so the iBook will ask you if you want to synch. There could still be a pref somewhere you can delete though...

[simX]

Like I said before, that doesn't work, because the preferences are stored on the iPod, so that will turn off auto-synching on my iMac as well.

Grr.... where's that darn file?

[gmleeii]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by simX
gmleeii: The problem is, I like having my iPod named how it is, so I don't want to change it. There's GOT to be some sort of file or something that needs to be trashed in order to get the iBook to forget the link.

I wasn't talking about renaming the ipod I was telling you where the prefs file is located on the ipod itself.

[ultimanine]

Maybe you haven't done this:

Plug your iPod into your Mac. Open iTunes, and click on your iPod in the "Source" list on the left. Now, there should be a little button that looks like and iPod in the lower right corner of the iTunes window. Click on it; this brings up the iPod options window. From there, you can turn of auto-synchronization.

Maybe that's your problem.

[simX]

Quote: Originally posted by gmleeii I wasn't talking about renaming the ipod I was telling you where the prefs file is located on the ipod itself.

Whoops, you're right, I misinterpreted your suggestion. I trashed that file (and have yet to re-enable auto-synching on my iMac), so it's possible that this solution could work. However, since both computers recognize it even after erasing the hard drive via the iPod Software Updater application, I'm a little dubious as to whether it's going to solve the problem. Thanks for the suggestion, though.. I'll definitely reply back to say if it works or not.

ultimanine: I know about that preference, but that's not the problem. It's that both my mom's iBook and my iMac are linked to my iPod for auto-synching, and I want the iBook to forget the link. Turning off auto-synching via the iPod preferences in iTunes simply does just that, but doesn't make the iBook forget the link (and it also turns off auto-synching when the iPod is connected to my iMac, which I don't want to do).

[gmleeii]

you probably have to trash the iPod plist on both computers and the ipod prefs file on the iPod. Each of those probably transfers the info to the the other if one is trashed. So eliminating the info on both ends (the computer and the iPod) should solve your problem, but should doesn't always mean it does.

[simX]

So I tried gmleeii's suggestion (once I understood it ), and it didn't work.

So, on a hunch, I renamed the whole Preferences folder to "PreferencesOld", logged out, and logged in again. No change, the iBook still recognized the iPod and started auto-synching. Then I figured, heck with it!, and I renamed the whole _Library_ folder to "LibraryOld", logged out, and logged back in again. Funny, STILL no change.

Due to that, I had a realization that iTunes likes to store some preference files in the Music folder (whatever folder you have selected in the iTunes preferences), in the folder "iTunes". So I deleted all those files, and the iPod was no longer recognized by the iBook.

So the two files you need to delete to get a Mac to forget the connection are "iTunes 3 Music Library", and "iTunes Music Library.xml". Of course, your playlists will be forgotten as well. Ah, well, I figured it out. Thanks for all the suggestions, guys!

[darkpaw]

Damn. I was gonna say that the iPod is linked to a specific iTunes library file.

[gmleeii]

Cool glad you figured it out..

[RichB]

Thanks for the enlightenment! I used Carbon Copy Cloner and ran into a similar situation. I didn't understand why that autosynch preference wouldn't obey but now I do. I'm off to delete a couple files on the clone so iPod.iTunes will synch properly again!