[usernamehere]

My 4th generation 40gb iPod has had problems in the past (freezing up and noisy hard drive, and eventually, the dreaded sad iPod icon), and I just got it back from the repair shop. According to the repairman, my iPod had internal issues (not with hard drive...I think he said it was the logic board but I'm not sure), was now working fine and was ready to go. I charged up my iPod and hooked it up to my computer to resync it, but iTunes didn't recogize my iPod, and it wasn't showing up in my computer, although I was getting the "do not disconnect" sign on my iPod. I ran the iPod updater to try and restore it, but it repeatedly froze up. Eventually, an alert popped up saying something along the lines of "Your iPod is not formatted for windows, click the 'update' button to restore it.". The button took me to the iPod updater, which of course froze. Disconnecting the iPod doesn't appear to do any damage to it.

I've gone through all the steps on apple's support site (well, all the ones the i could anyway),l and nothing's worked. I'm getting desperate! I'm going on vacation in a few days and I NEED my iPod! How can I fix this?

[ghporter]

When it's wiped, an iPod is restored to the factory settings, including being "formatted" for a Mac, NOT a PC. You need to run the Windows iPod updater-the current one- to get it running.

Start by resetting the iPod; hold Menu and Select for about 10 seconds until you get the Apple logo. Once it finishes booting, plug it into the computer and see what happens.

[usernamehere]

Tried that. The iPod updater froze up and didn't do anything for 15 minutes.

[ghporter]

What was it doing when it froze? Loading? Looking at the iPod?

And have you talked to the shop yet?

[usernamehere]

It usually freezes when it's loading. The one time it didn't freeze, a message popped up saying that it couldn't update the iPod because it was being used by another program. I didn't even have anything else open at the time. Reinstalling the updater didn't help.

[ghporter]

Redownload the updater and try it again. It sounds like it got corrupted somehow, and a fresh download should fix that. And of course a fresh restart of the computer is indicated too.

[usernamehere]

Just tried redownloading it and reinstalling it and it's still freezing.

No, I haven't talked to the shop yet.

Could this just be my computer being quirky? It's been known to cause me trouble in the past. Do you think it's worth trying to restore it on another computer?

[ghporter]

Restoring can be done on ANY computer, though you'll want to use a PC if you're interested in syncing it with a PC. But if you're having this kind of problem, and it IS the PC, I think you'll have problems syncing with it too.

[ipodGuru]

Background

It is important to understand the difference between "update" and "restore". Update simply installs the software that controls iPod and does not affect the songs and files stored on iPod's disk. Restore erases the iPod's disk and restores iPod to its original factory condition.

Warning: because Restore erases all of the songs and files on iPod, make sure to back up any files you've saved on the iPod disk. All of your songs, videos, podcasts, audiobooks, and games can be loaded back to your iPod provided that you have them stored in your iTunes Library. If you use the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, see this document for more information.
How to restore iPod

1. Ensure that you have an active Internet connection as new versions of iTunes and iPod Software may need to be downloaded to your computer.
2. Download and install iTunes 7.0 or later if you do not already have it installed.
3. Open iTunes, and then connect your iPod to your computer using the USB or FireWire cable that came with your iPod.
4. After a few moments, your iPod will appear in the Source pane in iTunes.
5. Select your iPod in the Source pane and you will see information about your iPod appear in the Summary tab of the main iTunes windows.
6. Click the Restore button. You will be prompted with one or more restore options that may prompt iTunes to automatically download of the latest iPod Software. The 4 possible restore options are:
7.
* Restore Option 1: Restore - Restores with same iPod Software version already on iPod.
* Restore Option 2: Use Same Version - Restores with same iPod Software version already on iPod even though a newer version is available.
* Restore Option 3: Use Newest Version - Restores with the latest iPod Software on your computer.
* Restore Option 4: Restore and Update - Restores with the latest iPod Software on your computer.
8. If you are using a Mac, a message will appear prompting you to enter an administrator’s name and password.
9. A progress bar will appear on the computer screen indicating that the first stage of the restore process has started. When this stage is completed, iTunes will present one of two messages on screen with instructions specific to the iPod model you are restoring.
10.
* Restore Instruction 1: Disconnect iPod and connect it to iPod Power Adapter (typically applies to older iPod models).
* Restore Instruction 2: Leave iPod connected to computer to complete restore (typically applies newer iPod models).
11. During the stage 2 of the restore process, the iPod will show an Apple logo as well as a progress bar at the bottom of the display. It is critical that the iPod remains connected to the computer or iPod Power adapter during this stage. Note: The progress bar may be difficult to see since the backlight on the iPod display may be off.
12. After stage 2 of the restore process is complete and the iPod is connected to the computer, the iTunes Setup Assistant window will appear asking you to name your iPod and choose your syncing preferences similar to when you connected your iPod for the first time.