Is
your iPod acting funny? There are
a number of things that can be wrong with it, but this super
fixsolution will cure most problems. In order
for this trick to work, your battery must be functioning normally.
See our battery
support questions for
more information with those issues.
What
we are going to do is ERASE your iPod and then re-install the
iPod's software. If
your iPod has a software problem, this will probably fix it:
WARNING: YOU
WILL LOSE ALL MUSIC, CONTACTS AND EVENTS ON YOUR iPOD. IF POSSIBLE,
YOU MAY WANT TO BACKUP THESE
FILES.
1. To erase your iPod, do the
following:
ERASE
YOUR iPOD (MAC OSX)
If you have OSX, you can use Disk Utility (Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities). If you have a PC running Microsoft Windows, click
here for more instructions or read the next paragraph.
Select
your iPod in the Disk Utility window and press the Repair
button
Then press the Erase button
to erase the iPod's hard drive. Extended Journaled should answer your
next question.
ERASE
YOUR iPOD (WINDOWS XP)
Open "My Computer"
on your Desktop
Select "IPOD".
It should be listed next to your C drive.
Right click and
chose "Format"
Select "FAT
32" and <Format>
Reboot Computer
ERASE
YOUR iPOD (WINDOWS VISTA)
If these Vista instructions are wrong, please let us know. Vista was such a piece of crap we banned it from the office.
Open "My computer" on your Desktop
Right-click on iPod
Click "Format"
Select "Restore Device Defaults"
Press "Start"
2. After you erase
your iPod,
you need to run the Restore function before your iPod will
work properly. To Restore your
iPod, do the following:
Connect the iPod
to your computer using the FireWire/USB cable that came with it.
Open iTunes. Make sure
you are using the newest version of iTunes. You can download
iTunes updates from http://www.itunes.com
iTunes may
sense that the iPod is connected and prompt you to install any
necessary software. If not, select your iPod from the Source
column on the left side of your iTunes window. There will be
several tabs along the top of the screen such as: Summary, Music,
Photo, Contacts, etc. You should select the Summary tab.
Click Restore.
You
may need to type in an Admin user's name and password. An alert
box will ask you to confirm the restore process. Say yes.
When the factory settings
have been restored, unplug the FireWire/USB cable from iPod.
When prompted by the
iPod, reconnect the FireWire/USB cable. After the iPod has updated
itself and restarted, you should see the message "Do not
disconnect" flashing on the screen.
You may be prompted by
iTunes to type in a name for your iPod. Feel free to get creative.
The "Automatically
update my iPod" option
is selected by default. Deselect this
option if you wish and click Done. The iTunes main window appears,
and the download status is displayed
in the iTunes display.
Wait until the iTunes
display says the update is complete.
Quit iTunes.
Disconnect
the FireWire/USB cable from iPod. After a few moments, the
Language display appears on the iPod screen.
Select a language.
If you screw up this step click here.
One time I accidentally selected Chinese for the language. That
sucked.
If
the iPod does not turn on at all, disconnect it from power and
let it sit unconnected for approximately 24 hours. Then repeat this procedure.
If your iPod is still unresponsive,
throw it away. Just kidding. If it is still under warranty,
go to the AppleCare iPod Support Page to arrange for service http://depot.info.apple.com/iPod/.
If your iPod is out of warranty, then use our VIP
Repair Service to
get it fixed.
Do these situations
or problems sound familiar?
NEW
iPOD WITH EXCLAIMATION MARK FOLDER
"Hi
- this is a question about that folder with the exclamation
mark. In short - 3 month-old, 40g iPhoto: about two weeks
ago it froze, and just had a charging battery sign on it.
I reset it, and it just showed the Apple logo, and then after
several more attempts at resetting it or trying to put it
into diagnostic mode (it wouldn't go), it showed the folder
with the exclamation mark. If I plug it into my computer
it doesn't recognize the ipod at all - not in itunes, not
as a disk, and if I go to the updater it just asks me to
plug in an ipod in order to update it. Whilst all this is
going on, it shows the 'do not disconnect' sign - but not
the large red-colored stop sign I am used to on the iphoto:
instead it has an earlier-black and white version that looks
like something off a c.1990 Apple Mac. It never stops telling
me not to disconnect, so in order to recharge the thing I
have just had to unplug it. NB I have installed new versions
of iTunes (still doesn't recognize it at all). Any ideas?" ~tom
"I would like to thank you and give you mad props for this page: Erase Your iPod. It showed me how to fix my video ipod (5th Gen) by formatting it. The error 1418 help on apple tech support and other websites just wasted more than 4 hours of my time. Your method worked right away. Your site did not immediately come up based on my search criteria or wording. In short you can also advertise this fix for the error 1418 and ipod's with missing files and would not sync. I truly want to say thanks from the bottom of my heart." ~sfcericbdaniels
Congratulations,
you did everything right when trying to troubleshoot this
problem. One last thing, try hooking
your iPod up to another computer. If you see the same problem,
then you know the issue is definitely with your iPod and
not your computer. If you are able to get a stable connection
with a computer, then erase your iPod.
Otherwise, it looks like you have a bad hard drive. It might
have gotten dropped. Since this iPod is only 3 months old,
it is still under warranty and you should have Apple repair
it. You can find more info from http://depot.info.apple.com/iPod/.
For future reference, If
your iPod is out of warranty, then use our VIP
Repair Service to
get it fixed.
"The iPod erase super fix worked BRILLIANTLY!! A recent software update fritzed my husband's Classic 30 GB and it was stuck in eternal recovery mode. I tried everything Apple suggested and everything anyone suggested in the message boards. I even tried repairing the disk via the disk utility, but nothing worked. I finally googled "disk utility erase iPOD" just to see what it would do if I hit erase and came up with your page. It was quick and easy and the iPod is working perfectly! My only suggestion is to put more key words on the page so other people having this problem who don't know about disk utility can find it more easily." ~ cheekymonkey516
Copy
Music Off Your iPod Has a virus or hard drive crash wiped out your entire music
collection on your computer? No problem. Here's how to copy music off
your iPod and back onto your computer.
Erase
Your iPod Is your iPod acting funny? There are a number of things that
can be wrong with it, but this super fixsolution will
cure most problems.
Do
Not Disconnect Won't Go Away Are
you trying to eject your iPod from your computer but the "Do Not
Disconnect" won't go away? Don't worry, this is a common problem
with a fairly easy solution.
VIP
iPod Repair & Mod Service If
you need some TLC for your iPod ASAP, contact us for our special
VIP repair service. We offer general or complex repair services as
well as many customization options.
Email or 
feed.
iTunes may
sense that the iPod is connected and prompt you to install any
necessary software. If not, select your iPod from the Source
column on the left side of your iTunes window. There will be
several tabs along the top of the screen such as: Summary, Music,
Photo, Contacts, etc. You should select the Summary tab. 
"Hi
- this is a question about that folder with the exclamation
mark. In short - 3 month-old, 40g iPhoto: about two weeks
ago it froze, and just had a charging battery sign on it.
I reset it, and it just showed the Apple logo, and then after
several more attempts at resetting it or trying to put it
into diagnostic mode (it wouldn't go), it showed the folder
with the exclamation mark. If I plug it into my computer
it doesn't recognize the ipod at all - not in itunes, not
as a disk, and if I go to the updater it just asks me to
plug in an ipod in order to update it. Whilst all this is
going on, it shows the 'do not disconnect' sign - but not
the large red-colored stop sign I am used to on the iphoto:
instead it has an earlier-black and white version that looks
like something off a c.1990 Apple Mac. It never stops telling
me not to disconnect, so in order to recharge the thing I
have just had to unplug it. NB I have installed new versions
of iTunes (still doesn't recognize it at all). Any ideas?" ~tom
Has a virus or hard drive crash wiped out your entire music
collection on your computer? No problem. Here's how to copy music off
your iPod and back onto your computer. 
Is your iPod acting funny? There are a number of things that
can be wrong with it, but this super fix solution will
cure most problems.
Are
you trying to eject your iPod from your computer but the "Do Not
Disconnect" won't go away? Don't worry, this is a common problem
with a fairly easy solution.
If
you need some TLC for your iPod ASAP, contact us for our special
VIP repair service. We offer general or complex repair services as
well as many customization options.
