Sad iPod?

There's little more annoying than the sight of the sad Apple symbol on your iPod when you were expecting music. Does it have to go back to Apple? Here are a few things to try before recourse to the manufacturer.

In my experience most iPod misbehaviour is down to low power. You can overcome many issues simply by connecting your iPod to an external charger and giving it a good few hours. Sure the USB port does supply some juice, but nothing is better than a proper feed from an external charger.

If USB is your only option then make sure it is connected for many hours. Don't be fooled by the full battery logo, give it a good feed.

You might find that suitably charged your iPod can be restarted. You can do this by holding the centre select button and the Menu part of the clickwheel at the same time, for a few seconds. This should prompt the iPod to go through its start-up rountine and hopefully restore normal service.

If this doesn't work connect your iPod to your computer. Does it appear in iTunes source panel?

If it appears then you might want to try to kick start the iPod's operating system. Using iTunes 7 click on the iPod panel and you'll see two restore options. One leaves your music in tact, the other resets your iPod to factory status, this means you'll lose all your music. Try the first option before a full restore. Alternatively you can try to force a synchronisation (an option found under the File menu).

If the iPod doesn't appear in iTunes you need take another tack. Does the computer recognise your iPod? Look in My Computer or Finder on a Mac. If the iPod is there that's good news, in all probablity if you wait a few minutes iTunes will decide to talk to your iPod. You can force a disconnect, then re-connect - it does sometimes work.

If My Computer or Finder doesn't show a fully charged iPod it is possible that you have a problem with your computer, or the cable you're using. Look at the iPod screen, if you see a spinning icon the chances are that the cable and computer are working OK. If you don't see that try another cable or attach to another computer. Ideally try another cable and another computer until you isolate the problem.

Don' forget the old IT Help Desk favourite - switch your computer on and off to see if that makes any difference. Sometimes it does. Sometimes all that's needed is to close then re-open iTunes.

What if none of this work? Well don't be in too much of a hurry to contact Apple. Coaxing life back into an iPod can be a frustrating experience and if you haven't given this task a good few hours you're wasting money. Leave the iPod connected to your PC over night, then try these steps again.

If you need more specific advice please feel free to contact me (ju@podserve.co.uk); jeffunderwood on Skype or ring 01277 222398.