[Davie]

I'm afraid my experience with my new 4g ipod on my Windows XP machine has been kind of ugly. During installation I got an error message of a "drive not found" variety with a retry, cancel, continue option. After retrying unsuccessfully a few times I opted for continue but when the installation was done the problems continued. When the ipod is connected via USB my computer won't boot. A couple of times I've had to reset the ipod to get the pc to recognize it (though I know it's connected since it recharges via the USB cable). Nothing unmanageable here so far but, as I said, kind of ugly stuff. So I'm wondering if ipod and Windows are a good combination. There's horror stories on the various ipod message boards, but then again that's what you'd expect.

Overall, how has ipod worked out for Windows XP users?

 

[TWIFOSP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davie I'm afraid my experience with my new 4g ipod on my Windows XP machine has been kind of ugly. During installation I got an error message of a "drive not found" variety with a retry, cancel, continue option. After retrying unsuccessfully a few times I opted for continue but when the installation was done the problems continued. When the ipod is connected via USB my computer won't boot. A couple of times I've had to reset the ipod to get the pc to recognize it (though I know it's connected since it recharges via the USB cable). Nothing unmanageable here so far but, as I said, kind of ugly stuff. So I'm wondering if ipod and Windows are a good combination. There's horror stories on the various ipod message boards, but then again that's what you'd expect. Overall, how has ipod worked out for Windows XP users?

Works like a champ here.

Do you have USB 2.0? What SP you running? Done a spyware/virus scan recently? What exactly happens when your computer "won't boot". Does it POST? Do you get any specific error messages? Do you have any bangs in device manager?

Software isn't an exact science, but I'm sure we can get it working.

 

[AuroraProject]

Works fine with my XP box, no problems what-so-ever.

 

[CheewyMuffin]

NO problems here either.

 

[Oddball]

No problems, but I used firewire.

And my iPod did die while connected to my PC...but I don't know if the two factors are related.

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TWIFOSP Works like a champ here. Do you have USB 2.0? What SP you running? Done a spyware/virus scan recently? What exactly happens when your computer "won't boot". Does it POST? Do you get any specific error messages? Do you have any bangs in device manager? Software isn't an exact science, but I'm sure we can get it working.

Yes, USB 2.0 Recently installed the latest XP service pack. Virus scan yes, spyware no. The boot problem happens during the initial startup screen (what I think of as the BIOS load though that may be incorrect); the progress bar stalls at about 80% and I have to do a cold shutdown. What is "POST"?

EDIT. It may also be relevant that I have another USB drive installed. Also, I'm using a laptop so I can't test the connection with the 6-pin firewire cable that is supplied.

 

[Jahn]

zero probs, i use the usb/firewire dongle - the usb goes in the comp, the firewire goes in the wallwart.

 

[AuroraProject]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davie Yes, USB 2.0 Recently installed the latest XP service pack. Virus scan yes, spyware no. The boot problem happens during the initial startup screen (what I think of as the BIOS load though that may be incorrect); the progress bar stalls at about 80% and I have to do a cold shutdown. What is "POST"?

Do you have any USB hard drives? Is your BIOS set to look for USB devices during the boot sequence? If so disable it.

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuroraProject Do you have any USB hard drives? Is your BIOS set to look for USB devices during the boot sequence? If so disable it.

AuroraProject,

Thanks for the suggestion. How do I do this?

 

[AuroraProject]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davie AuroraProject, Thanks for the suggestion. How do I do this?

It varies, on my Dells I get into BIOS by pressing F2 during the first splash screen, who is the manufacturer of your computer?

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuroraProject It varies, on my Dells I get into BIOS by pressing F2 during the first splash screen, who is the manufacturer of your computer?

I have a Dell also.

 

[AuroraProject]

Ok, let me run throught it on mine, then I'll post how to do it. Give me a few minutes.

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuroraProject Ok, let me run throught it on mine, then I'll post how to do it. Give me a few minutes.

Thanks, I really appreciate it.

 

[TWIFOSP]

That progress bar with the dell splashscreen is your POST portion. POST stands for Power On Self Test and is what happens when you first boot your computer before you get the windows splash screen.

Allthough I can't imagine the problem being boot order if that progress bar is freezing. You aren't even getting to the point where the BIOS hands off control to the next bootable device.

What kind of laptop do you have? Head over to support.dell.com and set up your system type and look for the latest BIOS flash for your system. That fixes A LOT of problems with Dell systems.

Also, go to google.com and type in your system type IE "Inspiron 8200 IPOD issues" or "Inspiron 8200 IPOD NO POST" stuff like that. Try and find no issues with the IPOD USB interface and the laptop itself. If it's a known issue, I got 10 bucks that says a bios flash fixes it. I've had quite a few dell notebooks and you'd be suprised what kind of crazy stuff that's fixed in those flashes.

The problem might be with the USB port itself. Do you have any other usb devices like a mouse or a camera you can plug while booting? Do they cause problems in the same port? Is the iPod the only USB device? If, not try it by itself. Could be overloading the onboard USB controller.

If it's not just a problem with the ipod call dell support if your laptop is still under warranty, you should be eligible for a motherboard replacement if more than one USB device causes your system not to post while plugged in.

 

[AuroraProject]

Ok, here's how to get into the BIOS and change the USB boot setting.

1. Disconnect all devices from the computer. Turn the computer off, power on and when the Dell splash screen appears press F2 a few times.

2. The computer should now enter the BIOS settings menu, from here you can use ALT-P to move around the pages, you need to find the "Boot Order" page. Don't mess with anything else!

3. Once you've found the boot order page you should see a list of devices like hard drive, floppy drive, cd-rom, usb storage device, media bay hard drive, etc. If there is an arrow next to USB Storage Device then USB boot is enabled, using the arrow keys highlight the "USB Storage Device" and press the spacebar to remove the arrow.

4. Press ESC to exit, if it asks if you wish to save settings answer yes.

5. Allow the computer to boot and reconnect all devices, power the computer down and back up. Check to see if everything works normally, if the computer boots ok with everything connected then it's fixed!

Post back so we know if this worked.

Note: This works for my 600m, your Dell may be slightly different. If you don't feel comfortable doing this then you should call Dell, they can guide you through it over the phone.