I'm running Kubuntu 11.10 with latest updates. Amarok version is 2.4.3

Trying to synch an iPod Nano model MC068. The device has been managed with iTunes under Windows previously.

I am able to connect the device to the laptop and look at the stored folders with dolphin and Amarok. I can play music from the device.

Moving music from my local collection to the iPod works as well and I am able to play that music from the device. The iPod folder are updated accordingly.

Once I remove the device from the PC I can't see the newly added mjusic under any of the iPod's menus.

I've already worked thru several forums, unfortunately without any success... iPod is already reformatted with vfat.

Any help highly appreciated

Please update Amarok to 2.5. There were a lot of improvements made to iPod handling for that release. The updated version should be available in ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports.

Sentynel wrote:Please update Amarok to 2.5. There were a lot of improvements made to iPod handling for that release. The updated version should be available in ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports.

Done. The repo changed the entire system... Amarok still says it's 2.4.3. No change - issue still the same

Amarok 2.5 is definitely available in that repo (see the package list) - please ensure the update has been done correctly.

Sentynel wrote:Amarok 2.5 is definitely available in that repo (see the package list) - please ensure the update has been done correctly.

I added the repo and sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade as suggested on the Amarok website @ http://amarok.kde.org/wiki/Download:Kubuntu

You might need to do apt-get dist-upgrade rather than upgrade due to some dependency changes in the other KDE packages in that repo.

Sentynel wrote:You might need to do apt-get dist-upgrade rather than upgrade due to some dependency changes in the other KDE packages in that repo.

Yep - I figured that one and as of this morning Amarok is 2.5 - unfortunately that didn't do anything, i.e. the issue is still the same. Only change is that Amarok is detecting orphans on the iPod but it can't identify the title/album/interpret nor can I permanently erase these (that is, after ejection and reinsertion of the device the orphans are still on the iPod) so apparently synch doesn't work.

I must say, I'm a bit lost...

Allright - just to be sure I purged Amarok and reinstalled. I can play music from the iPod. I can copy music from the iPod to the PC's HD. I can move music from the PC to the iPod but it doesn't show up in the iPod's menu after disconnecting the device.

I was able to remove the "orphans" (pls. see my earlier post) with dolphin.

The music piece I moved from the PC to the iPod can be found (using dolphin) under "/media/myiPod's_name/iPod_Control/Music/F47" and is named "kpod0349847.mp3". I can play the song with Amarok after reconnecting the device, so it has definitely been stored on the iPod but is not "registered" in the iPod's menu.

Additional observation: I can't eject the iPod from Amarok - works only with dolphin.

Any help highly appreciated.

So what to do next, now?

mgw2012 wrote:I'm running Kubuntu 11.10 with latest updates. Amarok version is 2.4.3

Trying to synch an iPod Nano model MC068. The device has been managed with iTunes under Windows previously.

I am able to connect the device to the laptop and look at the stored folders with dolphin and Amarok. I can play music from the device.

Moving music from my local collection to the iPod works as well and I am able to play that music from the device. The iPod folder are updated accordingly.

Once I remove the device from the PC I can't see the newly added mjusic under any of the iPod's menus.

I've already worked thru several forums, unfortunately without any success... iPod is already reformatted with vfat.

Any help highly appreciated

Hi mgw2012, I think I know the root of your issue. Your device is iPod nano 5G (the last non-touch nano), isn't it? Stupid Apple requires that iPod database is cryprografically hashed (in its futile attempt to prevent non-iTunes software accessing iPods) and if the hash is incorrect, the device will look as if 0 tracks were on it. libgpod (undelying library Amarok uses to access iPods) is able to compute the hash with some help, but with iPod nano 5G it is somehow tricky: For the first time libgpod reads iPod (after being reformatted), it needs to have its database generated by iTunes, it extracts some information form it and saves it to <mount point>/iPod_Control/Device/HashInfo. This file is then used to compute correct database hash.

I'm nearly sure you don't have this file, probably because tou reformatted the iPod. The remedy is quite simple, connect your iPod to iTunes, initialize it from iTunes, transfer one song, disconnect. Then connect the iPod to Amarok, HashInfo file should appear. They you can use iPod from Amarok freely as long as HashInfo is present.

For further information see http://gtkpod.git.sourceforge.net/git/g ... DME.sqlite

I hope this will work for you. If yes, I'd like you to popularise this solution, probably by renaming this thread (is it possible?) to something very descriptive such as "[SOLVED] iPod nano 5G shows 0 tracks even if Amarok shows there are many songs on it" or even by actively searching people with this problem on the net and informing them.

strohel wrote:...
I hope this will work for you. If yes, I'd like you to popularise this solution, probably by renaming this thread (is it possible?) to something very descriptive such as "[SOLVED] iPod nano 5G shows 0 tracks even if Amarok shows there are many songs on it" or even by actively searching people with this problem on the net and informing them.

No need to add a SOLVED to the title, there is a green button that marks the thread as solved. I will rename the thread slightly, not sure the user can rename a complete thread.

strohel wrote:Hi mgw2012, I think I know the root of your issue. Your device is iPod nano 5G (the last non-touch nano), isn't it? Stupid Apple requires that iPod database is cryprografically hashed (in its futile attempt to prevent non-iTunes software accessing iPods) and if the hash is incorrect, the device will look as if 0 tracks were on it. libgpod (undelying library Amarok uses to access iPods) is able to compute the hash with some help, but with iPod nano 5G it is somehow tricky: For the first time libgpod reads iPod (after being reformatted), it needs to have its database generated by iTunes, it extracts some information form it and saves it to <mount point>/iPod_Control/Device/HashInfo. This file is then used to compute correct database hash.

...

Hi strohel and thank you for the explanation. I've read about the hash key previously but couldn't get a detailled explanation - so thank you again.

However, what bugs me is the fact that the device has been filled by iTunes and an iTunes DB is definitely stored on the iPod. Also interestingly to note is the fact that Media Monkey on my Windows XP doesn't have any of the problems. I.e. I was able to move music to the iPod and play it from there without the HashInfo file being present today.

I've purged Amarok (but apparently missed some hidden files)... after filling the device with Media Monkey and reconnecting the device to the Kubuntu machine I received an error message that the device apparently doesn't have an iPod DB. Pressing "initialize" I received another error message that the iPod couldn't be initialized by Amarok.

Needless to say, I'm flabbergasted.

However, what bugs me is the fact that the device has been filled by iTunes and an iTunes DB is definitely stored on the iPod. Also interestingly to note is the fact that Media Monkey on my Windows XP doesn't have any of the problems. I.e. I was able to move music to the iPod and play it from there without the HashInfo file being present today.

Well, I was talking about libgpod & Amarok. MediaMonkey is proprietary software that may solve things differently.

I've purged Amarok (but apparently missed some hidden files)...

Why?

after filling the device with Media Monkey and reconnecting the device to the Kubuntu machine I received an error message that the device apparently doesn't have an iPod DB. Pressing "initialize" I received another error message that the iPod couldn't be initialized by Amarok.

Amarok & libgpod is developed to work with iTunes and on its own, MediaMonkey probably does things differently. Could you please try the solution I proposed (which certainly doesn't involve MediaMonkey) and tell whether it works? Also, the listing of <iPod>/iPod_Control/Device and <iPod>/iPod_Control/iTunes directories would be helpful for me to debug the problem. Please also answer what generation your iPod is.

strohel wrote:

I've purged Amarok (but apparently missed some hidden files)...

Why?

...

Amarok & libgpod is developed to work with iTunes and on its own, MediaMonkey probably does things differently. Could you please try the solution I proposed (which certainly doesn't involve MediaMonkey) and tell whether it works? Also, the listing of <iPod>/iPod_Control/Device and <iPod>/iPod_Control/iTunes directories would be helpful for me to debug the problem. Please also answer what generation your iPod is.

Why - I just wanted to make sure that the installation is "clean".

Allright, here we go. I installed iTunes on my Windows machine connected the iPod and moved a song from my PC to the iPod - everything works fine.

No HashKey entry was generated on the iPod. Here are the directory structures (pulled from the windows machine):

Code: Select all

Device:
clock   1 KB   File
iPodSettings.xml   2 KB   XML Document
SysInfo   1 KB   File
SysInfoExtended   33 KB   File
._Trainer   4 KB   _TRAINER File
PlayCounts   1 KB   File
accessories.reg   1 KB   Registration Entries
Users   1 KB   File
alarms   1 KB   File
Preferences   3 KB   File
Voices      File Folder
Trainer      File Folder
Radio      File Folder

Code: Select all

iTunes:
Play Counts   42 KB   File
iTunesPrefs.plist   18 KB   QuickTime Preferences
iTunesPrefs   2 KB   File
Rentals.plist   1 KB   QuickTime Preferences
iTunesCDB   341 KB   File
iTunesDB   2.187 KB   File
CurrentOnTheGoPlaylist.plist   2 KB   QuickTime Preferences
PhotosFolderPrefs   1 KB   File
PhotosFolderName   1 KB   File
PhotosFolderAlbums   9 KB   File
iTunesControl   20.480 KB   File
iTunes Library.itlp      File Folder

Allright, here we go. I installed iTunes on my Windows machine connected the iPod and moved a song from my PC to the iPod - everything works fine.

No HashKey entry was generated on the iPod. Here are the directory structures (pulled from the windows machine):

This looks okay, the HashInfo file is generated by libgpod (Amarok) first time it encouters the iPod, so now you can plug it to Amarok and transfer tracks freely. (You may check that HashInfo appears when iPod is opened in Amarok)