i have a 40gb 4g ipod and whenever i try to charge it via computer the battery drains. it connects fine because i can transfer songs to it. it charges fine through the ac outlet, it just gets drained when i connect it to the computer. help please. thanks.
The problem is your battery itself... that's what happens to them when they get old. And since your iPod is old, I would suspect that you should get a new battery.
How fast does it drain your battery? Let's say one hour in your computer, about how much battery life after fully charged to you have left (and how much should their be?)
in a couple of hours the ipod was a little under halfway drained. so i would say 4-6 hours to completely drain. then once its drained, it says something about how it needs to be charged or how theres no power left and beeps 3 times, then shuts off.
Then there is something wrong with your iPods hardware. Your best bet will either to buy a new iPod or go to your local Apple store and get it repaired. Unless you have warranty, I can promise you that it's worth getting a new iPod (or creative... bigger screens, better battery life, same price of iPod and lives much longer than the iPod.)
You might aswell because in the tech world, your iPod is almost extinct. It's definitly not your computer, but still if your not too sure try recharging your iPod on another. Getting a new mp3 player would be your best bet. Maybe sell your iPod on ebay, people will want to buy the parts.
i dont use this ipod. i have an ipod video. i just bought this on ebay thinking it was an easy fix and was going to sell it for more. i probably should just sell it and try to get my moneys worth now i guess
i noticed something just recently. when i plug my ipod into the wall to charge the ipod charges fine and the animation of a battery shows it filling with bars. when i connect it to my pc though the animation shows one bar of power but stops there. it doesnt show it filling up. does that mean anything? is there a certain setting on the ipod that makes it not charge via pc that you know of? EDIT: also have you heard of the diagnostic mode. when you restart your ipod by holding menu and select at the same time, and while the apple logo shows you press back and select at the same time and it will go into diagnostic mode. from there theres a 5 in 1 test and heres what it says when i do it. SDRAMPASS CHKSUM: 64718 OK RTC: 6 USBFAIL NOCON any thoughts?
I have no clue what they mean, but notice the "USBFAIL" error which appears? Again I think there is something wrong with your iPods hardware. With a quick google search: http://www.spiceforums.com/archive/index.php?t-5980.html
I would still guess it's the battery going bad. Have you seen ipodjuice.com? I got a <a href="http://www.ipodjuice.com">great new ipod battery</a> from them and replaced it myself. They send tools and instructions and it's so easy.
USB Fail probably means that there is a problem with your USB cord or the port on your iPod. Try a new USB cable then if that doesn't work the problem is probably on the iPod.