Apr 28
iPod on Windows XP: Delayed Write Failed
Note: Be sure to read my Update to this post
When trying to update my shiny new iPod via iTunes on Windows XP, I kept getting the following error:
Windows was unable to save all the data for the file x. The data has been lost. This error may be caused by a failure of your computer hardware or network connection. Please try to save this file elsewhere.”
The iPod would lockup and I’d have to reset it to get it to work again. After some research I found the cause: Write Caching was disabled on my hard disks. Because iTunes tries to push as much data as possible as quickly as possible, Windows was unable to keep up, resulting in the error.
To enable Write Caching on your hard disks:
Start > Control Panel > System > Device Manager > Disk Drives > Properties > Policies > Enable Disk Caching
Note that this option was unavailable to me (greyed out), and after some research I realized it was because I had the Intel Application Accelerator installed, which turns OFF write caching and prevents you from enabling it. So after a quick uninstall of Intel Application Accelerator and a quick reboot, I was able to enable Write Caching on my hard disks, and now the error is gone and my iPod is updating as expected.
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June 19th, 2005 at 4:52 am
That’s really intereresting. I have a disabled policies tab and Intel Application Accelerator installed, and disk caching was permanently fixed to ON, the opposite of what you indicated. Disk caching can improve performance maginally; therefore, it makes more sense that it would lock the policies tab with disk caching enabled, if indeed that is what locked the page. I’ll have to uninstall IAA and see what happens though. Thanks.
June 19th, 2005 at 6:33 am
Indeed, Intel Application Accelerator does remove the “enable write caching on the disk” check box just below the two removable drive options above it. Those two “removable drive” options are naturally”greyed out” because hard drives are by convention not “removable .”
The confusion arises when IAA is already installed, and the policies page only shows two disabled options with “optimize for performance” ticked on. One can easily and incorrectly think that the disk caching has been permanently enabled.
Perhaps Microsoft can update the policies page with this information to prevent this annoyance for its customers.
I would be interested in knowing what the registry key is that controls the appearance of that “enable write caching on the disk” option on the policies page.
Thanks, your webpage solved my problem.
June 28th, 2005 at 7:09 pm
I am as of this night, 6.28.2005 @ 11.06pm EST, VERY displese with the IPOD. I have had nothing but a load of crap trying to get this thing to work properly. I get the Delayed write failed sign from win XP PRo on this IPOD device. I got that one before when i used an external 80 gig firewire drive. Except that the drive was 2 years old and the IPOD is 4 hours old. What a crock!! Thankx for letting me rant and rave tonight.