 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Mac Forum / General / Hardware / October 2006iPod compatibility problem with Toshiba notebook computers (USB)
I've been trying to get a refurbished 30 GB iPod working for a friend that she just purchased direct from Apple. I struggled with painfully slow USB performance ("Can it really be this bad?") and frequent hard errors. After wasting several hours I gave up. The next day I called Apple Support, and learned that there's a known compatibility issue with Toshiba laptops. [Grrr!] Worse: 1. No immediate return or refund was offered. Instead I was expected to try a lot more to get it working. 2. The iPod was shipped without the latest firmware, so an immediate update was necessary 3. I was referred only to generic troubleshooting documents. I had to find the relevant document, "iPod not recognized correctly on Toshiba laptop" <http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300836>, on my own. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I'm skeptical that it will actually work -- the picture in that document doesn't even match the advice, which doesn't seem to make much sense to me in any event. 4. I got a suggestion to sync up (load) the iPod on a different computer, but then my friend wouldn't be able to sync her podcasts. 5. There's no word on when or even if this problem will ever get fixed. 6. I'm hoping I might be able to work around this problem by interposing a cheap hub, or perhaps with a cheap USB PC card, but my friend isn't willing to put up with much hassle. I've been underwhelmed by Apple quality and support in the past (e.g., with early versions of iTunes for Windows), and this hasn't left me with any better impression.  SignatureBest regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS: John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ> > 3. I was referred only to generic troubleshooting documents. I had > to find the relevant document, "iPod not recognized correctly on Toshiba > laptop" <http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300836>, on my > own. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I'm skeptical that it > will actually work -- the picture in that document doesn't even match > the advice, which doesn't seem to make much sense to me in any event. Try it before whining. If it doesn't work then whine..... SignatureCharles >> 3. I was referred only to generic troubleshooting documents. I had >> to find the relevant document, "iPod not recognized correctly on Toshiba [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Try it before whining. If it doesn't work then whine..... That was a heads-up, not a request for rude advice, much less a whine. Have you bothered to actually read the document, much less try to follow it? Are you rude by nature, or do you have to work at it? As I wrote, there are a number of obvious and apparent problems: 1. The picture doesn't match the advice (a bad sign). 2. The Toshiba laptop has no problems with other USB devices, including an iPod Nano. 3. There is a known USB problem with old Toshiba laptops <http://www.usbman.com/Guides/Computers%20with%20Known%20USB%20Problems.htm#Toshiba>, which may be what this document refers to, although it's hard to tell given the lack of any real details in the document, whereas the machine I'm using is a relatively new and different model. 4. Disabling USB drivers will presumably render the USB port unusable, which wouldn't be terribly helpful. 5. I also ran into problems when I tried this iPod on a ThinkPad T41. I'd be interested in anything constructive you might have to add, but not in any more rudeness. Thanks. SignatureBest regards, John Navas > As I wrote, there are a number of obvious and apparent problems: None of which are on-topic for discussion in comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc, so please stop posting to this group. Follow-up set. > 5. I also ran into problems when I tried this iPod on a ThinkPad T41. > > I'd be interested in anything constructive you might have to add, but > not in any more rudeness. Thanks. I think it is constructive to advise you to try the steps indicated first. You have not even tried it. Despite your statement of being underwhelmed by Apple quality and support, I have over the years found Apple's support to be very good. My point was that you have not reached the point that you have the right to complain if you have not tried their suggestion. If it doesn't work then complain. Are the problems with the Thinkpad T41 the same problem? SignatureCharles >> 5. I also ran into problems when I tried this iPod on a ThinkPad T41. >> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >I think it is constructive to advise you to try the steps indicated >first. You have not even tried it. True. I likewise don't try reinstalling Windows when I get that kind of dumb advice from PC sites. Much advice is simply scripted generic boilerplate designed for those that don't even know the basics. Do you think the USB port will work once the driver has been disabled? Really? How? >Despite your statement of being >underwhelmed by Apple quality and support, I have over the years found >Apple's support to be very good. My point was that you have not reached >the point that you have the right to complain if you have not tried >their suggestion. If it doesn't work then complain. I disagree. I think the response from Apple has been underwhelming and anything but reassuring. What part of there-are-known-problems- with-Toshiba-computers-and-we-can't-say-if-they-will-ever-be-fixed do you find to be "very good"? >Are the problems with the Thinkpad T41 the same problem? Yes. SignatureBest regards, John Navas > >Are the problems with the Thinkpad T41 the same problem? > > Yes. Then the problem is with the iPod. Request an exchange. SignatureCharles >> >Are the problems with the Thinkpad T41 the same problem? >> >> Yes. > >Then the problem is with the iPod. Request an exchange. Been there; done that. Why do you think I called Support in the first place? But, as I said way back at the beginning, no immediate return or refund was offered -- instead I was expected to try a lot more to get it working. That's part of why I think the response from Apple has been underwhelming and anything but reassuring. SignatureBest regards, John Navas > Been there; done that. Why do you think I called Support in the first > place? But, as I said way back at the beginning, no immediate return or > refund was offered -- instead I was expected to try a lot more to get it > working. That's part of why I think the response from Apple has been > underwhelming and anything but reassuring. Well it makes sense to try and get it working. Now that you have done that request an exchange. Sorry it won't fly that it is hard to get an exchange on a defective iPod, we know otherwise. SignatureCharles >> Been there; done that. Why do you think I called Support in the first >> place? But, as I said way back at the beginning, no immediate return or [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >that request an exchange. Sorry it won't fly that it is hard to get an >exchange on a defective iPod, we know otherwise. Climb down off your high horse. No matter what you may think you "know", that simply wasn't the case. The phone rep stated that she couldn't authorized a return, notwithstanding all I had already done, until I had gone through the iPod Five Rs and other troubleshooting on the phone. And no matter what you may think, that's crap -- the product should work properly right out of the box. If my digital camera hadn't worked right out of the box, the manufacturer wouldn't have expected me to mess around with Reset, Retry, Restart, Reinstall, Restore, disabling USB, etc. -- the product would have been promptly replaced. Apple isn't entitled to a lesser standard. SignatureBest regards, John Navas > >> Been there; done that. Why do you think I called Support in the first > >> place? But, as I said way back at the beginning, no immediate return or [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Best regards, > John Navas In the several years I've used Macs (not a lot, I know, I bought a powerbook and a color classic while in Japan in 99, and had my first Windows PC built that same month - and kept all three for years) I've been impressed positively at the quality of advice Apple can offer to rectify configuration problems and impressed negatively at how difficult their advice can be to actually obtain. FYI, I bought a brand-new Toshiba digital camera in '02, the USB port fried (literally smoke and fire) two days after purchase, and Toshiba absolutely refused to RMA/exchange the camera! I used it with CF cards for a year before its Toshiba-built NiMH battery died; replacement batteries are unavailable as it was a Toshiba-proprietary battery. On-sale $300 and one seriously dissatisfied customer. AppleCare, in my experience, is theft (they've literally robbed me once and tried to rob me twice, on top of the up-front policy cost; AppleCare is performed by contractors). Apple's own people are, in my own experience, good within the guidelines they are given. >I've been trying to get a refurbished 30 GB iPod working for a friend >that she just purchased direct from Apple. I struggled with painfully [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >with early versions of iTunes for Windows), and this hasn't left me with >any better impression. Resolution: Several more hours of work with the Toshiba, and I've discovered the iPod works fine on one USB port, but not on the second USB port. No other product (including a high-speed hard disk backup unit) has any problems on that second USB port, so it seems to be some sort of iPod sensitivity. But at least the basic problem is now solved. SignatureBest regards, John Navas |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.