Help with slow sync on iPod Touch

[phillyTIM]

I have someone with an iPod Touch that takes 30 minutes to 3 hours to sync. She only has about half a Gig of data/music on it, but it just takes forever to sync.

I tried the Restore via iTunes, I tried the ballistic "Erase settings and everything" on the unit. I tried deleting the CrashData information in her iTunes profile on the PC. Directly thereafter, it will sync within 5 minutes. But then it starts taking 15 minutes, then 30 minutes, then an hour or two....etc. and so on. I even totally wiped iTunes out from the PC and started from scratch, to no avail.

The iPod Touch is a new 3G 16Gb model, new from this past Christmas. It has the latest iTunes on a not-too-old Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit computer (5 years old) and syncs via the Apple USB cable in the front ports of the PC (didn't make a difference when plugging the cable into the motherboard-integrated USB ports in the PC rear).

What's your guys' thoughts to go from here?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Is it doing a backup or just synchronizing? The backup is what takes forever for me.

 

[TheStu]

Try a different cable, try doing a restore on the Touch and start from scratch.

You are positive that the rear ports yielded the same results?

 

[rudeguy]

Buy a Zune
<ducks>

 

[TheStu]

Buy a Zune
<ducks>

Assuming the person can get a good price for the Touch, doesn't have a bunch of non-iTunes Plus music on their system, and doesn't mind losing access to their purchased apps (if any), then actually, the Zune isn't a bad idea.