The Windows Vista team has been working very closely with Apple to fix a problem whereby iPod's data becomes corrupt when you eject your iPod. Wow, Microsoft working closely with their arch rival to fix a bug? Considering Microsoft Zune's lackluster sales, you'd think Microsoft would not be so quick to fix this problem. Imagine if millions of Apple iPods start becoming corrupted. Precious MP3 music files and video files gone forever (if you don't have them backed up on your PC). Think of the user revolt and public relations backlash against Apple. Then again, Apple is pretty much immune against just about any sort of user revolt or attacks. Microsoft would be blamed even if it wasn't their fault, so it probably behooved Microsoft to get this fixed quickly. I have to say, Microsoft has taken a much "nicer" tact toward their competitors than they did in the 1990s where Microsoft used just about every trick they could to get people to use their products. Netscape and Real Networks could fill you in on that.

In any case, according to the Windows Vista Team site, "we're publishing at the Microsoft Download Center a recommended final compatibility update for users of Windows Vista and the Apple iPod; this same update will be automatically available via Windows Update on Tuesday 22 May.  The release is for users worldwide and works with the latest version of Apple iTunes to correct an issue that caused some iPods to become corrupted when ejecting them using Windows Explorer or the "Safely Remove Hardware" function in the System Tray.

The good news is that this problem only applies to Windows Vista according to the Microsoft KB article - "Consider the following scenario. You have an Apple iPod that is connected to a Windows Vista-based computer through a USB connection. Then, you disconnect the iPod from the computer. In this scenario, the data on the iPod may become corrupted."

Download iPod patch