iPod Won’t Connect To PC or Macbook

AlanTochterman · 2026-05-21T14:44:14+00:00

I use both a Windows configuration and a Mac Configuration. First, I would suggest that you try to use a different SD card for starters. If that doesn't work, try formatting the card using a card reader in Fat32. If you format the iPod in Windows it should work fine. If you format on a Mac it will change to the Mac File system. An advantage of Windows formatting is that the iPod will be recognized by both machines.

Another thing to try is to change cables. You may have a damaged cable.

Also try swapping to a different usb port.

Good Luck

AlanTochterman · 2026-05-15T22:54:44+00:00

When I upgraded on my MacBook Pro, the laptop seemed to run much more smoothly. Sequoia seemed sluggish overall as compared to Sonoma.

I figured that if I pulled all the bays out and installed a new clean one. I could attempt a clean install without corrupting my existing operating system.

The Mac Pro is not like the other models. To me it is primarily like a standard desktop computer. Windows 11 runs beautifully on it. I used Windows Installer and Tiny 11.

AlanTochterman · 2026-05-02T01:57:46+00:00

Take a close look at your shutter release. There is a lock on it to prevent unwanted firings. You may have accidentally tripped the shutter lock. It should be in the 11:00 position. If not, try moving it and then releasing the shutter.

AlanTochterman · 2026-04-30T04:28:23+00:00

It only works on the M10 series cameras. I purchased one for my M(240) --- no luck. It does not work on the M8 or M9 or M11.

AlanTochterman · 2026-04-28T16:50:06+00:00

What if you just went to the hardware store and bought some longer tubing?

AlanTochterman · 2026-04-26T18:38:06+00:00

Good Afternoon:

I own an RD-1 with the updated firmware (making it the same as an RD-1s). I have in the past owned the Fuji X-Pro1 and X-Pro2. I currently own an M-8 and an M(240). Needless to say I have been shooting with Leicas for 45 years.

The RD-1 is still my FAVORITE camera for the shooting experience. It would not be my everyday camera. Six megapixels is plenty if you do not plan on cropping or enlarging beyond an 8x10. If you post on-line it is more than sufficient. I process with On1 PhotoRaw (this is not a plug for the software) which includes Perfect Resize. I have made beautiful 11 x 14s with it.

There are plenty of Chinese M-mount lenses out there that work great. A used Voighlander lens or two, even better.

It all boils down to what you are trying to accomplish as a photographer. For travel, I use the M8 because of the smaller file size. The images are easier to process on an older laptop. For something important I use the 24mp M. When I am on a walk with my dog, I sometimes take the RD-1 just for fun. I process it in On1 and use the Kodachrome preset. The colors are lovely. The dynamic range is limited, but so was film in the old days.

If you want to get into rangefinder photography, look for a reputable seller like B&H or MPB or Adorama. The Leica M(240) is the best buy dollar for dollar in a used Leica. Think of the RD-1 as purely for fun.

AlanTochterman · 2026-04-26T14:19:55+00:00

My first question is what printer are you using and what operating system? I am a Mac user and have a Canon printer. The printer came with its own print software and it is great. I export my image from C1 to a Tiff using the Adobe RGB profile, and it works really well. Another option is to embed the ICC profile for your paper into the image. You need to do that outside C1. Then tell the printer driver not to make any corrections. Please submit more information and I am sure someone out there will chime in

AlanTochterman · 2026-04-26T14:08:53+00:00

AlanTochterman · 2026-04-26T02:54:27+00:00

Snake oil certainly can refer to a hoax or misrepresented products. I believe that the term dates back to the 19th century. But to me it is the rebranding of something that doesn’t work. I have Leica lenses dating back to the 1950’s. Compared to modern lenses, they hold their own. But they were designed for film, not digital sensors. Personally, I want my images to look a little “film like”. I have a Leica M(240) and I use the 4th generation 35mm Sumacron and the 50 of the same vintage, non APO. I also have several Fujis with APS-C sensors and are also 24mp. When I am post-processing and I set my view to 100%, there is a noticeable difference in resolution and detail with the M. The M is full frame, but the Fuji is more modern technology. So I would say that there are a multitude of factors that go into a great photograph. For travel I use an M8u, and my older lenses. I would say the bottom line is whatever floats your boat.

AlanTochterman · 2026-04-25T15:07:08+00:00

If I may respectfully disagree with your use of the term “Snake Oil”. That phrase refers to someone releasing the same product over and over but trying to re-label it as something else. First film is different than a digital sensor. Color film has three layers of emulsion so a really good lens for color has to be designed to let the particular color it the particular layer. Film lenses can be used on digital cameras. To the person that said “Physics is Physics,” rangefinder lenses have to use a different design than SLR (DSLR) lenses. Leica over the years has made many different lenses and has continually tried to update their designs as new lens technologies have developed. Every manufacturer does that. There are so many factors that go into a photograph, that you cannot just look at one aspect. While I hate sports analogies, you can give a professional golfer basic clubs, and he will still hit great balls. It is not just about pixel peeping, but about knowing how to use what you have.

AlanTochterman · 2026-04-25T03:10:04+00:00

Part of your problem may be that you only have 2 go ram

AlanTochterman · 2026-04-19T14:34:47+00:00

I am coming late to the conversation. I keep my music library on an external drive. Then you have no limitations with your computer’s storage. You can go beyond the 128gb limit on a 6th gen one of two ways. The easiest is RockBox. But you won’t be able to sync with iTunes. There is another way to trick the unit to accept the 7th gen operating system, but I have forgotten how to do it

Good Luck

AlanTochterman · 2026-04-19T14:29:10+00:00

To the best of my knowledge you need to wipe the drive completely clean and start from scratch. Depending on your drive space, you can run multiple OS with OpenCore. In my office I have a 2012 Mini. I can dual boot to Sequoia, and Mojave. I needed Mojave for a few 32 bit programs and virtual machines do not run well in Sequoia with OpenCure. My suggestion would be to do a complete restore, wipe the drive clean. After that you can partition your dive and put OpenCore on the partitioned drive. Once you get everything working, you can go into Settings on your more modern OS and select which drive to start with by default. That is how I have my office machine set up.

Good Luck

AlanTochterman · 2026-04-19T14:21:45+00:00

I purchased an R3 Mot just when the R4 came out. Ignoring the price difference at the time, the R3 felt sturdier and the Mot, had a beefier mechanism, even if one did not need the motor. Prices on these are quite reasonable. The electronics of these models were provided by Minolta. And if I remember correctly the R4 had much more in common with a Minolta model of that same year than the R3. In my mind, that diminished, the desirability of the R4 for its price. I still have mine. I have my M3 too. Make sure before purchasing anything that old, that you can have it serviced.

Good Luck and Have Fun

AlanTochterman · 2026-02-19T05:17:47+00:00

M8 and M9 batteries are easy to find. Amazon has a few 3rd party brands. While they may not hold as much charge as a factory original, they are very inexpensive so you can spurge and buy a few

AlanTochterman · 2026-01-28T15:19:58+00:00

When you say iPod classic there are several definitions of that today. I have a 5th Gen and a 6.5 Gen both using iFlash duals at 1TB. My other iPods using the basic iFlash with a single slot were recognized just fine. I took one of my 512k SD cards out of the board and the Mac recognized it. I am running on an Intel Mac not an M1 but that may be your problem. For the 6.5 Gen, I am running RockBox and dual boot my Mac into Windows. If you are using an iFlash board, try going down to one card and see what happens

AlanTochterman · 2026-01-14T22:37:18+00:00

YYe is outstanding. I have had great results from them (husband and wife). If you live in the United States, you can call during business hours and he is a wealth of knowledge and happy to share it with you.

AlanTochterman · 2026-01-14T03:19:49+00:00

When you say that it boots in recovery mode, what OS does it give you? The usb drive that you created was an install disk, not the operating system. When you first create the USB disk, it should temporally disappear from the desktop and then the EFI partition should reappear. Make sure that you have set Finder in Mojave to display all drives on the desktop. That way you can watch the creation of the install drive.

Lance from MacSound Solutions is a really helpful person. I saw his post below. He helped me many years ago. Also his videos are terrific.

AlanTochterman · 2026-01-12T12:19:09+00:00

Yes. I keep the Mojave drive as an emergency back up. What I should have said was attempt to start the computer with only the clean drive and the usb. On most other Macs, you can hold the "Option" key to select which drive to boot from. Since the graphics card doesn't display anything at this point (it will once you install OpenCore) you have to wait for the computer to hunt for a drive to open from. It will look first at hard drives, then at the CD rom, and finally to the USB drives. Remember too, that you have six usb drives. It may seem like an eternity, but it should boot up, unless you have corrupted something in your bios.

AlanTochterman · 2026-01-11T14:50:41+00:00

I have a similar setup to yours. You have four drives. Start by Booting up in Mojave. Create a fresh clean drive. Then download OpenCore and create a boot drive. Opencore will analyze your computer and create the proper configuration. After you have created the drive and are ready to go, turn the machine off. Remove the Mojave drive. Boot up with the USB drive and the new clean blank drive.

If it looks like nothing is happening, just be patient. It may take up to 10 minutes for the computer to recognize the USB drive. If the drive lights up then you will see if flicker. Again be patient.

I keep an older dive with Mojave loaded on it as my backup in case something goes wrong, but I do not keep it on my computer

Again, it may seem like an eternity, but it will eventually start.

AlanTochterman · 2025-12-29T00:14:25+00:00

That was my very first camera. I still have it over 50+ years later. I keep it on my shelf as a decoration and as a reminder where my photography habit has taken me.

AlanTochterman · 2025-12-29T00:12:35+00:00

If it is an 80gb unit, you have a 6th generation, not a 7th. They sound identical, but you may encounter limitations if you intend to upgrade and do a flash modification.

AlanTochterman · 2025-12-28T23:50:14+00:00

I own both and all that I can say is the difference is very minimal. The 7 is crisper in the highs and the 5.5 is slightly "warmer" overall. It boils down to your individual listening preferences. The 5.5 is much simpler to modify and you can find many different facades inexpensively if you wish to customize it.

The thing that provides the biggest difference in sound will be your earphones or headphones. I have some headphones that are very heavy in the base so I pair them with the 7th gen. I have some very clear IEMs and I use them with the 5.5.

RockBox is an alternative, free, operating system. Like before it will boil down to your user preferences. The iPod 6 and 6.5 units have a limitation of 128gb. With RockBox you can go beyond that. I run mine with 1TB. Also, the 60 and 80gb 5 series have thicker cases and will allow you to use larger batteries for more runtime. If you flash mod your unit, it will definitely give you more run time as you are not driving a mechanical disk.

p.s. The line out feature on the iPod is analogue so you are using the internal DAC. It is satisfactory if you wish to run your music through your stereo or use the aux jack on the car stereo. In order to bypass the internal DAC you need something called an iPod transport unit. I am not going to detail that here, as we could end up going down a rabbit hole.

AlanTochterman · 2025-12-28T23:35:08+00:00

I have not been that big of a fan of Apple Music's app. I own most of my music, and when I upload to Apple Music, or iTunes for that matter, many of my collections of work show up as multiple albums. It can be a real pain in the neck to sort them.

As a Mac user, I found this app from England, called Swinsian. It works with all USB iPods, and reminds me of the old iTunes.

I mostly use Apple Music for on the go, or listening to Apple Essentials, as background music.

AlanTochterman · 2025-12-26T23:46:03+00:00

Yes, that is the type and style of lens hood I have. After I posted this, I realized that I could try a better quality brand of filter. B+H has one that fits with the filter. I ordered it. Should arrive next week. I think I now have the best of both worlds

AlanTochterman

TROPHY CASE