Macbook pro won't sync my iPhone

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So I bought my Macbook Pro 3 weeks ago, and I finally got around to copying my music from my old IBM laptop to my MacBook last night using my USB Hard Drive, and ever since then, my USB ports have been acting up.

Last night, when I would hook up my iPhone to the computer using the first USB port, I would get an error message saying that the USB port was drawing too much power, and was shutting down. When I would plug it into the second USB port, it would cause my MacBook to spontaneously shut off, and it wouldn't turn back on until I unplugged it. When searching for a resolution to this problem, I didn't really find much useful information on it besides that fact that A. This seems to be a common issue and B. The USB ports on my MacBook are not as powerful as their PC counterparts.

So I couldn't get it working last night, but I chalked it up to the fact that maybe it was because my USB Data Cable was a bootleg third party knock off I got on eBay from China, and my Mac just didn't like it. Of course this wouldn't explain why I had no problem syncing before I used my USB Hard Drive to transfer data, but whatever. So I stopped at AT&T on my way home from work tonight, and picked up a new data cable hoping this would solve my problem.

Now using this new data cable, I no longer get the spontaneous shutdowns or too much power errors, and the Mac does recognize the existence of the iPhone, but it absolutely refuses to sync with the computer for longer than about 30 seconds. I plug it in, iTunes pops up, iPhoto pops up, and it begins to sync, but then it just stops recognizing the iPhone after about 30 seconds, and won't sync up. The MacBook obviously still recognizes the iPhone, because it continues to charge it, but it doesn't seem to be working with the software.

Does anyone have any advice on how to clear this problem up? Thanks in advance
 

chscag

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2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
It sounds like your iPhone is drawing too much power from the USB port on your MBP. I've had that happen with an older iPod. It'll continue charging but will no longer sync or respond with iTunes.

Which iPhone do you have? Also, you might try charging the iPhone first, and when it's fully charged, then try to sync again. Sometimes that will work.

Perhaps someone else will have a better suggestion. Stay tuned.
 
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It's an iPhone 3GS, and even when it's fully charged it still won't sync...
 

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