[Todd Madson]

My iPod had been acting odd, producing
a folder with an exclamation mark on it
upon power on, sometimes allowing me to
play tunes but sometimes abruptly just
shutting off all by itself in the middle
of a song and sometimes abruptly going
back to the iPod menu.

After recharging the unit via both the
computer and the AC adapter I figured out
the problem:

By itself it still does this. BUT!

When I connect the firewire cable to my G4
and play tunes directly off of the iPod
via iTunes it works great, for as long as I care to listen to it.

Are there battery issues with iPods? Anyone have any information on this?

[G-mac]

Which model iPod do you have?

I haven't experienced this with my 5 GB, but then again, I haven't had it for more than a few months.

Have you upgraded to the newest iPod system or cleaned and reinstalled the system? Perhaps there is a software glitch.

I've heard that some people have faulty iPod batteries that Apple has been servicing and even replacing under warranty. However, I'm not sure if faulty battery issues cover what you are experiencing.

Check out the forums at www.ipodlounge.com and www.ipodding.com. Both are great sources of iPod information, but tend to be frequented by more immature individuals than here at MacNN.

[Todd Madson]

It's a 5GB iPod, had it since the day
iPods first shipped (out of warranty).

Gotta be the battery. Plugged into the
G4 and playing via Firewire no problems.