Ipod cord crashes Mac.

[NoisyCricket]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help me with this problem.

When I plug my ipod cord into my mac I would receive a warning saying the USB was drawing too much power and it would disconnect whenever I connected NOT THE iTOUCH but JUST the cord into the usb hub.

Now, one of the USB hubs won't even work, and plugging JUST THE CORD (again, no device attached) will cause my computer to crash.

Other USB devices work fine (my tablet, my cooling fan) on the one working hub, but not my ipod cord.

So to sum it up:
-Plugging the cord (and the cord alone) into my Mac causes my computer to crash. After reboots one out of two usb hubs does not work.

Is there anything that can be done short of sending my Mac book in?
What can be done for my non-working usb hub?

 

[clayneal]

Hello and welcome to Mac Forums

Sounds like the iPod cord is bad ( shorted) so get rid of it . As for the usb port your post is a little unclear as to if rebooting your machine resets the port. If not its probably a trip to the Apple Store to have that looked at.

Hope this helps
Clay

 

[blackmac11]

Now, one of the USB hubs won't even work, and plugging JUST THE CORD (again, no device attached) will cause my computer to crash.

The cord can be replaced, but I have less inviting news about the USB hub. It sounds like it has been fried, which is bad news for you. I know because I ruined my front two ports on my old PC. My flash drive had a piece of gum tinfoil stuck inside the connection (so never keep those two items in the same pocket). When I plugged it in, the computer smelled like burning because the tinfoil was connecting the wrong wire to the hub, which shorts it out in seconds

It sounds like something similar happened to your cord; the connection is touching where it shouldn't be. And there is no simple fix for this. The only way to fix fried ports is to take it to an apple store/certified apple repair shop and have them replace the whole logic board. OR you could take the less expensive, but more time consuming, method of having the logic board repaired.

However, if you don't absolutely need the port, buy a USB hub and and use your other ports from now on. Just remember not to use the broken one. Lastly, DO NOT keep using the cord!! Throw in out right away in case you forget. The system is crashing to prevent the logic board from being fried.

Good luck

 

[NoisyCricket]

Thank you so much, these are both extremely helpful answers.
(Despite the bad news!)