EphPod "iPod locked" error and bad index

[Jeffrey Kaplan]

Help!

I was doing some file maintenance and I seem to have screwed up Ephpod
(v2.75) and my iPod (3G, 15Gb w/dock) in the process. What happened
that got me here:

I rearranged the "My Music" directory structure on my desktop (WinXP
Pro sp1) so that I could synch most of my music to the iPod while
leaving some items out, but leaving them on my desktop. In EphPod, I
changed the configuration to reflect the new directory structure I
wanted it to synch. Then, with the iPod connected and using EphPod, I
selected all of the tracks, some 1280ish files, and deleted them. When
it seems to have finished, EphPod gave me an error about the index
being bad (sorry, I didn't note down the exact error message) and the
"Synch Folders" button became inactive. I closed and restarted EphPod.

I was able to use the Synch Folder button, and it went through the
motions. I closed EphPod and disconnected my iPod. I went to play it
and... nothing. This is problem number one. It shows no music files
installed, yet the files are there. The "About" display shows only
3.8Gb available, which is about right.

Problem number two is, I restarted EphPod without the iPod connected.
I got the "welcome" screen when there is no iPod connected, so I
connected the iPod and finished going through the wizard, selecting the
iPod drive. It asked about locking it, so assuming that meant locking
the configuration to Ephpod, I allowed it. Well, now I get this when I
try to start EphPod:

The iPod has been locked. Please quit iTunes, and then load EphPod
again.

EphPod then quits. iTunes is not loaded. It's not even installed.

I shut down Windows, unplugged the iPod and rebooted. I plugged the
iPod back in, waited for it to show up in Windows Explorer and tried to
start EphPod, and I get that "iPod has been locked" error.

I've even tried a reset of the iPod by holding the Menu and Play/Pause
buttons until the Apple logo shows.

Now what? How do I fix both of these problems?

[Joe Masters]

Delete the \iPod_Control\iTunes\iTunesLock file.

--joe

Post by Jeffrey Kaplan
Help!
I was doing some file maintenance and I seem to have screwed up Ephpod
(v2.75) and my iPod (3G, 15Gb w/dock) in the process. What happened
I rearranged the "My Music" directory structure on my desktop (WinXP
Pro sp1) so that I could synch most of my music to the iPod while
leaving some items out, but leaving them on my desktop. In EphPod, I
changed the configuration to reflect the new directory structure I
wanted it to synch. Then, with the iPod connected and using EphPod, I
selected all of the tracks, some 1280ish files, and deleted them. When
it seems to have finished, EphPod gave me an error about the index
being bad (sorry, I didn't note down the exact error message) and the
"Synch Folders" button became inactive. I closed and restarted EphPod.
I was able to use the Synch Folder button, and it went through the
motions. I closed EphPod and disconnected my iPod. I went to play it
and... nothing. This is problem number one. It shows no music files
installed, yet the files are there. The "About" display shows only
3.8Gb available, which is about right.
Problem number two is, I restarted EphPod without the iPod connected.
I got the "welcome" screen when there is no iPod connected, so I
connected the iPod and finished going through the wizard, selecting the
iPod drive. It asked about locking it, so assuming that meant locking
the configuration to Ephpod, I allowed it. Well, now I get this when I
The iPod has been locked. Please quit iTunes, and then load EphPod
again.
EphPod then quits. iTunes is not loaded. It's not even installed.
I shut down Windows, unplugged the iPod and rebooted. I plugged the
iPod back in, waited for it to show up in Windows Explorer and tried to
start EphPod, and I get that "iPod has been locked" error.
I've even tried a reset of the iPod by holding the Menu and Play/Pause
buttons until the Apple logo shows.
Now what? How do I fix both of these problems?

[Jeffrey Kaplan]

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 00:52:13 -0500 Joe Masters wrote:

; Delete the \iPod_Control\iTunes\iTunesLock file.

Ok, done.

EphPod starts. No songs listed. I probe the iPod for music, it
populates the list. Save changes and exit, no songs show in the iPod.
"About" on the iPod shows the approximate correct disk use. Lather,
rinse, repeat. I try the "Wipe iPod" command, it tells me to use the
iPod Updater.

The Updater reformats the iPod. I then use EphPod to synch my mp3
files to the iPod. Half hour later, EphPod finishes and the list
appears correct. Save the changes, close EphPod and disconnect the
iPod.

The iPod is still refusing to show me my friggin' music. Reconnecting
it, EphPod again shows nothing in the list.

Probe for songs populates the list, save changes and exit, still
nothing showing. Lather, rise, repeat.

Argh.

So far as I can tell, whatever the problem is, it's in EphPod and not
the iPod. Diagnostics that don't involve a reinstall?

[Gordon Harris]

What sort of an iPod do you have? I've been having the same problem with a
new 40gig model and Ephpod 2.76. So far, I've been forced to use iTunes
with this one. (ugh.)


-----Original Message-----
From: ephpod-***@wso.williams.edu
[mailto:ephpod-***@wso.williams.edu]On Behalf Of Jeffrey Kaplan
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 12:06 AM
To: ***@wso.williams.edu
Subject: Re: [Ephpod] EphPod "iPod locked" error and bad index


On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 00:52:13 -0500 Joe Masters wrote:

; Delete the \iPod_Control\iTunes\iTunesLock file.

Ok, done.

EphPod starts. No songs listed. I probe the iPod for music, it
populates the list. Save changes and exit, no songs show in the iPod.
"About" on the iPod shows the approximate correct disk use. Lather,
rinse, repeat. I try the "Wipe iPod" command, it tells me to use the
iPod Updater.

The Updater reformats the iPod. I then use EphPod to synch my mp3
files to the iPod. Half hour later, EphPod finishes and the list
appears correct. Save the changes, close EphPod and disconnect the
iPod.

The iPod is still refusing to show me my friggin' music. Reconnecting
it, EphPod again shows nothing in the list.

Probe for songs populates the list, save changes and exit, still
nothing showing. Lather, rise, repeat.

Argh.

So far as I can tell, whatever the problem is, it's in EphPod and not
the iPod. Diagnostics that don't involve a reinstall?

--
Jeffrey Kaplan <*> www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled <*> Send personal mail to gordol

"No, no. I'll go and I'll bring him back. And some day I'm going to
remind you of this conversation. And maybe then you'll understand."
(Vir Coto, B5 "The Coming Of Shadows")

[Jeffrey Kaplan]

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 00:10:45 -0700 Gordon Harris wrote:

; What sort of an iPod do you have? I've been having the same problem with a
; new 40gig model and Ephpod 2.76. So far, I've been forced to use iTunes
; with this one. (ugh.)

Same version of the iPod I've always used, and I mentioned this in my
first message. It's a 15GB 3rd gen iPod. I had updated it to v2.1 of
the firmware. Using EphPod 2.75. This combo has had no problems until
I apparently did something stupid and/or wrong last night.

There's no way the iCarPlay
(http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=T8585LL/A)
could cause this, is there? It just arrived yesterday so I used it.
It was after using it that I was doing the file maintenance.

[Gordon Harris]

I've been suspecting that upgrading to iTunes 4.2 somehow killed Ephpod.
I've been having the same symptoms as you: with Ephpod, file transferrs go
ok, Ephpod writes out the new iTunesDB...no problems. But when I disconnect
the iPod, no contents (really...no songs...nothing) show up in the iPod's
menus.



-----Original Message-----
From: ephpod-***@wso.williams.edu
[mailto:ephpod-***@wso.williams.edu]On Behalf Of Jeffrey Kaplan
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 9:34 AM
To: ***@wso.williams.edu
Subject: Re: [Ephpod] EphPod "iPod locked" error and bad index


On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 00:10:45 -0700 Gordon Harris wrote:

; What sort of an iPod do you have? I've been having the same problem with
a
; new 40gig model and Ephpod 2.76. So far, I've been forced to use iTunes
; with this one. (ugh.)

Same version of the iPod I've always used, and I mentioned this in my
first message. It's a 15GB 3rd gen iPod. I had updated it to v2.1 of
the firmware. Using EphPod 2.75. This combo has had no problems until
I apparently did something stupid and/or wrong last night.

There's no way the iCarPlay
(http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMor
e=T8585LL/A)
could cause this, is there? It just arrived yesterday so I used it.
It was after using it that I was doing the file maintenance.

--
Jeffrey Kaplan <*> www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled <*> Send personal mail to gordol

"The future will be better tomorrow." - George W. Bush

[Jeffrey Kaplan]

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 09:39:27 -0700 Gordon Harris wrote:

; I've been suspecting that upgrading to iTunes 4.2 somehow killed Ephpod.

Well then call the Pope because we have a miracle here... as I said in
my first message, iTunes is not installed here.

[Gordon Harris]

You know, Jeffery, this is a voluntary listserv. It's not like we're paid
tech-support here. I'm ever so sorry that I haven't sifted through days of
email looking for your original message. I'm just trying to be helpful.
Here's the Pope's number: 1-800-328-7448.







-----Original Message-----
From: ephpod-***@wso.williams.edu
[mailto:ephpod-***@wso.williams.edu]On Behalf Of Jeffrey Kaplan
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 9:54 AM
To: ***@wso.williams.edu
Subject: Re: [Ephpod] EphPod "iPod locked" error and bad index


On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 09:39:27 -0700 Gordon Harris wrote:

; I've been suspecting that upgrading to iTunes 4.2 somehow killed Ephpod.

Well then call the Pope because we have a miracle here... as I said in
my first message, iTunes is not installed here.

--
Jeffrey Kaplan <*> www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled <*> Send personal mail to gordol

"To quote a Human phrase 'it gives me the screamin' willies.'" (Draal,
B5 "Voices Of Authority")

[Jeffrey Kaplan]

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 10:00:49 -0700 Gordon Harris wrote:

; You know, Jeffery, this is a voluntary listserv. It's not like we're paid
; tech-support here. I'm ever so sorry that I haven't sifted through days of
; email looking for your original message. I'm just trying to be helpful.

I appreciate the attempt.

OTOH, it's not like you have to sift very far. I started this thread
only 13 hours ago and it's not like there's a hundred messages a day
here.

[Joe Masters]

Jeffrey--

After you transfer your files, can you check to see whether they're on
the iPod? (iPod_Control\Music\F?? folders)?

Can you check to see the last updated time on the iTunesDB?

I'm wondering if (a) It's sending the files to the correct drive (is
there an iPod_Control directory on any of your other drives?), and (b)
if it's actually updating the database file.

--joe

Post by Jeffrey Kaplan
; Delete the \iPod_Control\iTunes\iTunesLock file.
Ok, done.
EphPod starts. No songs listed. I probe the iPod for music, it
populates the list. Save changes and exit, no songs show in the iPod.
"About" on the iPod shows the approximate correct disk use. Lather,
rinse, repeat. I try the "Wipe iPod" command, it tells me to use the
iPod Updater.
The Updater reformats the iPod. I then use EphPod to synch my mp3
files to the iPod. Half hour later, EphPod finishes and the list
appears correct. Save the changes, close EphPod and disconnect the
iPod.
The iPod is still refusing to show me my friggin' music. Reconnecting
it, EphPod again shows nothing in the list.
Probe for songs populates the list, save changes and exit, still
nothing showing. Lather, rise, repeat.
Argh.
So far as I can tell, whatever the problem is, it's in EphPod and not
the iPod. Diagnostics that don't involve a reinstall?

[Jeffrey Kaplan]

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 18:45:30 -0500 Joe Masters wrote:

; After you transfer your files, can you check to see whether they're on
; the iPod? (iPod_Control\Music\F?? folders)?

Yes, they are there on the iPod. 1268 mp3 files totaling 10.7G bytes
in 20 "Fxx" directories (F00 through F19).

; Can you check to see the last updated time on the iTunesDB?

iPod_Control\iTunes\iTunesDB is time stamped the last time EphPod ran
and is listed as 1K in size. There is also an iTunesDB.backup file of
922K bytes, which is time stamped the +previous+ time I ran EphPod.

Running a test, I can probe the iPod for lost music which populates the
list and creates the iTunesDB file. This file is retained when EphPod
closes, but apparently disappears when I "eject" the iPod using the
same bog-standard "Safely remove hardware" command that I've always
used.

; I'm wondering if (a) It's sending the files to the correct drive (is
; there an iPod_Control directory on any of your other drives?), and (b)

It is sending to the correct drive. That was actually the first thing
I checked, since I have two internal hard drives and two external
"removable" hard drives, including the iPod. The music files are being
sent to the iPod, and the time stamps on the mp3 files on the iPod
correspond to my sync attempts.

; if it's actually updating the database file.

It appears so, but for some reason the updating is being lost. Do you
think I should try iTunes to see if that works? If it does, then the
problem has something to do with EphPod, and if it doesn't, then the
problem is likely the hardware.

[Joe Masters]

Give iTunes a shot. EphPod and iTunes should play nice together, as
long as you don't use them at the same time.

--joe

Post by Jeffrey Kaplan
; After you transfer your files, can you check to see whether they're on
; the iPod? (iPod_Control\Music\F?? folders)?
Yes, they are there on the iPod. 1268 mp3 files totaling 10.7G bytes
in 20 "Fxx" directories (F00 through F19).
; Can you check to see the last updated time on the iTunesDB?
iPod_Control\iTunes\iTunesDB is time stamped the last time EphPod ran
and is listed as 1K in size. There is also an iTunesDB.backup file of
922K bytes, which is time stamped the +previous+ time I ran EphPod.
Running a test, I can probe the iPod for lost music which populates the
list and creates the iTunesDB file. This file is retained when EphPod
closes, but apparently disappears when I "eject" the iPod using the
same bog-standard "Safely remove hardware" command that I've always
used.
; I'm wondering if (a) It's sending the files to the correct drive (is
; there an iPod_Control directory on any of your other drives?), and (b)
It is sending to the correct drive. That was actually the first thing
I checked, since I have two internal hard drives and two external
"removable" hard drives, including the iPod. The music files are being
sent to the iPod, and the time stamps on the mp3 files on the iPod
correspond to my sync attempts.
; if it's actually updating the database file.
It appears so, but for some reason the updating is being lost. Do you
think I should try iTunes to see if that works? If it does, then the
problem has something to do with EphPod, and if it doesn't, then the
problem is likely the hardware.

[Jeffrey Kaplan]

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 20:59:44 -0500 Joe Masters wrote:

; Give iTunes a shot. EphPod and iTunes should play nice together, as
; long as you don't use them at the same time.

iTunes does not seem to like my iPod. If my iPod is plugged in when I
start iTunes, iTunes crashes. If it's not plugged in, I can start
iTunes, but there is no command or option anywhere I can find - even
grayed out - to synch an iPod. When I plug the iPod in, iTunes
crashes.

It seems to be hardware.

Any ideas before I contact Apple?

[Ben Draper]

Just a thought, have you tried doing a restore from the apple updater?
I don’t know if this will help but if it is a file system problem then
that should sort it.



-----Original Message-----
From: ephpod-***@wso.williams.edu
[mailto:ephpod-***@wso.williams.edu] On Behalf Of Jeffrey Kaplan
Sent: 01 February 2004 04:00
To: ***@wso.williams.edu
Subject: Re: [Ephpod] EphPod "iPod locked" error and bad index

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 20:59:44 -0500 Joe Masters wrote:

; Give iTunes a shot. EphPod and iTunes should play nice together, as
; long as you don't use them at the same time.

iTunes does not seem to like my iPod. If my iPod is plugged in when I
start iTunes, iTunes crashes. If it's not plugged in, I can start
iTunes, but there is no command or option anywhere I can find - even
grayed out - to synch an iPod. When I plug the iPod in, iTunes
crashes.

It seems to be hardware.

Any ideas before I contact Apple?
--
Jeffrey Kaplan <*> www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled <*> Send personal mail to gordol

"I believed I was the divine messenger, I believed I was -" "Chosen?"
"I was found by the Vorlons. They showed me the terrible depth of my
mistake. My crimes, my... presumption." (Sebastian/Jack and Capt.
Sheridan, B5 "Comes The Inquisitor")
_______________________________________________
Ephpod mailing list
***@wso.williams.edu
http://wso.williams.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ephpod

---
Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.572 / Virus Database: 362 - Release Date: 27/01/2004


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.572 / Virus Database: 362 - Release Date: 27/01/2004

[Jeffrey Kaplan]

On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 08:12:46 -0000 Ben Draper wrote:

; Just a thought, have you tried doing a restore from the apple updater?
; I don't know if this will help but if it is a file system problem then
; that should sort it.

Done it twice so far. Once to see if that would cure the problem when
I thought it was confined to talking with EphPod, and then again after
installing iTunes. Doing that seems to have cured the iTunes crash,
but not the problem with the iPod itself.

Oh, and iTunes wants to volume-level all my tracks even thought it's
configured not to. :(
--
Jeffrey Kaplan <*> www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled <*> Send personal mail to gordol

Peter's Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord, #125.
Should I actually decide to kill the hero in an elaborate escape-proof
deathtrap room (water filling up, sand pouring down, walls converging,
etc.) I will not leave him alone five-to-ten minutes prior to
"imminent" death, but will instead (finding a vantage point or
monitoring camera) stick around and enjoy watching my adversary's
demise.

[j***@builderadius.com]

Try restoring the ipod to factory settings and the try itunes. if it
still doesn't like it, call Apple.

--joe

Post by Jeffrey Kaplan
; Give iTunes a shot. EphPod and iTunes should play nice together, as
; long as you don't use them at the same time.
iTunes does not seem to like my iPod. If my iPod is plugged in when I
start iTunes, iTunes crashes. If it's not plugged in, I can start
iTunes, but there is no command or option anywhere I can find - even
grayed out - to synch an iPod. When I plug the iPod in, iTunes
crashes.
It seems to be hardware.
Any ideas before I contact Apple?

[Jeffrey Kaplan]

On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 08:14:13 -0600 (CST) ***@builderadius.com
wrote:

; Try restoring the ipod to factory settings and the try itunes. if it
; still doesn't like it, call Apple.

Well, it's not crashing anymore. Newest info:

Did the restore thing, iTunes now doesn't crash. iTunes saw the iPod
once. But it wanted to volume-level my music, so I stopped that
process, closed it and synched with EphPod. Same results as before
with EphPod.

When I then retried iTunes... it didn't see the iPod. I'll let iTunes
do it's volume leveling thing (and see how good it does it) and try it
one more time. Then I'll try to get in contact with Apple about it.

[Samuel Atlan]

iTunes doesn't volume-level the files. The first time you add them, it
computes their maximum volume so it remembers it in case you actually decide
to use the "Sound check" feature. I concede the interface is confusing, but
as far as I know (on my iPod) the files remain unchanged even when I
activate sound check.

--
Sam

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeffrey Kaplan" <***@gordol.org>
To: <***@wso.williams.edu>
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 10:27 AM
Subject: Re: [Ephpod] EphPod "iPod locked" error and bad index

Post by Jeffrey Kaplan
; Try restoring the ipod to factory settings and the try itunes. if it
; still doesn't like it, call Apple.
Did the restore thing, iTunes now doesn't crash. iTunes saw the iPod
once. But it wanted to volume-level my music, so I stopped that
process, closed it and synched with EphPod. Same results as before
with EphPod.
When I then retried iTunes... it didn't see the iPod. I'll let iTunes
do it's volume leveling thing (and see how good it does it) and try it
one more time. Then I'll try to get in contact with Apple about it.
--
Jeffrey Kaplan <*> www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled <*> Send personal mail to gordol
"The fact that he relies on facts, says things that are not factual,
are going to undermine his campaign." George W. Bush, New York Times,
March 4, 2000
_______________________________________________
Ephpod mailing list
http://wso.williams.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ephpod

[Jeffrey Kaplan]

On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 12:42:46 -0600 Samuel Atlan wrote:

; iTunes doesn't volume-level the files. The first time you add them, it

It did something to the files, as the timestamps on all of my mp3s have
changed to when iTunes was doing it's volume-leveling thing.

[Jeffrey Kaplan]

On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 11:27:16 -0500 Jeffrey Kaplan wrote:

; When I then retried iTunes... it didn't see the iPod. I'll let iTunes
; do it's volume leveling thing (and see how good it does it) and try it
; one more time. Then I'll try to get in contact with Apple about it.

One more "restore", and letting iTunes do its thing with the source
files, and it synched. I was able to see and play the music on the
iPod, and it has survived use of the iCarPlay. The next real test will
be the next time I add music to my collection and re-synch.

I don't know what happened, but the way I see it, EphPod failed and
iTunes eventually succeeded, so it looks like I'm moving to iTunes.

[ike phil]

I use Kazaa Lite and I need the most efficient way to transfer songs to Ipod

-----Original Message-----
From: ephpod-***@wso.williams.edu [mailto:ephpod-***@wso.williams.edu]
On Behalf Of Joe Masters
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 9:00 PM
To: ***@wso.williams.edu
Subject: Re: [Ephpod] EphPod "iPod locked" error and bad index

Give iTunes a shot. EphPod and iTunes should play nice together, as
long as you don't use them at the same time.

--joe

Post by Jeffrey Kaplan
; After you transfer your files, can you check to see whether they're on
; the iPod? (iPod_Control\Music\F?? folders)?
Yes, they are there on the iPod. 1268 mp3 files totaling 10.7G bytes
in 20 "Fxx" directories (F00 through F19).
; Can you check to see the last updated time on the iTunesDB?
iPod_Control\iTunes\iTunesDB is time stamped the last time EphPod ran
and is listed as 1K in size. There is also an iTunesDB.backup file of
922K bytes, which is time stamped the +previous+ time I ran EphPod.
Running a test, I can probe the iPod for lost music which populates the
list and creates the iTunesDB file. This file is retained when EphPod
closes, but apparently disappears when I "eject" the iPod using the
same bog-standard "Safely remove hardware" command that I've always
used.
; I'm wondering if (a) It's sending the files to the correct drive (is
; there an iPod_Control directory on any of your other drives?), and (b)
It is sending to the correct drive. That was actually the first thing
I checked, since I have two internal hard drives and two external
"removable" hard drives, including the iPod. The music files are being
sent to the iPod, and the time stamps on the mp3 files on the iPod
correspond to my sync attempts.
; if it's actually updating the database file.
It appears so, but for some reason the updating is being lost. Do you
think I should try iTunes to see if that works? If it does, then the
problem has something to do with EphPod, and if it doesn't, then the
problem is likely the hardware.