iPod restores but cannot restart properly, displays /!\ file folder icon

[runtimeerror200]

Hello all,

Tried making sure no one else has posted anything about this, or at least nothing too similar, but this seems to be quite quirky a problem indeed:

At first it seems like my iPod had a problem with playlists being erased in iTunes but now it seems to not work at all, now! I've tried to rule out all other possible factors like disk errors (ran DiskWarrior on local hard drive to minimize any possible iTunes errors) and making sure the proper items have been checked off (iPod set to manual update, making sure not to disconnect iPod when it says so, etc.) but it's still coming up with wacky errors.

Basically, the problem now is just getting the iPod to work again: I tried using the iPod update utility's "Restore" function, and a dialogue box says to "wait for the iPod to restart for restore to complete," to that effect. However, the iPod itself won't continue to do anything, and will only display an "OK to disconnect" message with a giant check mark (conflicting message). Making sure to wait until it did something (it did not) I then proceed to disconnect it (since the iPod says so) and it seems to start fine...then a file folder with an exclamation point in a triangle icon displays and iPod stops working.. I've tried "Restore" several times and the same error comes up.

The oddity is that the iPod can be seen in iTunes and mounts to the desktop fine, when it's plugged in. When you want to disconnect the iPod and proceed to eject the iPod safely, it won't work anymore. Can an iPod just go bad? Any ideas?


thanks a plenty,
Alan

Hardware:
iPod 20GB clickwheel connected to a Sawtooth G4 PowerMac 400Mhz

[tinsey]

Any solutions to this?