[iTunes] Problem docking iPod Classic since iTunes upgrade

[Carol F. Bruml]

Since I upgraded my 1.2 GHz Mirror Door G4 (running OS 10.4.11) to iTunes
8.0, I am having great difficulty docking my 80 GB iPod Classic, which is
about 6 months old, and has about 9 GB of free space. It docked (direct-wire
USB2 connection) fine before the iTunes upgrade.

Now, when I plug it into the computer, the iPod icon does not appear in my
Finder window and does not appear in the iTunes window. Yet, if I
unplug/replug the USB plug, the iPod lights up/turns on, so IT is
recognizing a valid connection of some sort. Ditto, if I log out or in, it
senses something happening and turns on.

If I restart the computer with the iPod plugged in, so far, it usually then
does show up in Finder and in iTunes, so I am struggling along that way for
the moment. 

If I attempt to dock it with my 1.67 GHz Aluminum PowerBook, using the same
wire, it docks fine and shows up right away in Finder and iTunes.
Occasionally, I have to plug it in two or three times, though. But the
PowerBook does not have nearly enough spare drive space to hold my iTunes
Library, so moving that over is not an option.

If I take my husband's older 40 GB 3rd Gen iPod and dock it to the Mirror
Door G4 (Firewire connection), it docks just fine, as does my older 60 GB
one, but I don't have another USB2 iPod to check with.

Changing which USB2 port I'm plugged into has had no effect (the USB2 ports
are all on a PCI card in the computer). Other items plugged into those ports
(external drives) seem to be working fine.

1.Is there a fix for this? It seems to be a well-documented problem with a
variety of iPods and a variety of computers, with recent iTunes updates.
2.Is it something that means the iPod itself needs to be looked at while
it's still under warranty?
3.Might resetting the iPod or something of that sort improve the problem?

Carol