Identifying and Solving iPod Problems

Okay, I admit it. The iPod isn't perfect. Once in a while, it might not act the way you expect it to. Hey, no one or no technology is perfect after all. In this section, you'll read some information that will help you in the event you do experience problems.

Solving iPod Problems

Troubleshooting iPod problems isn't all that different from troubleshooting other kinds of problems. First, observe exactly what is happening. Determine what you are doing and how the iPod is responding or not responding, as the case may be. Then, use the information in the following sections to see if you can solve the problem yourself.

Checking the Basics

We all do things that can be classified as dumb once in a while. And using the iPod can result in a few of these events, so use the following list to make sure you haven't done anything to shoot yourself in the foot:

• If the iPod won't respond to any controls, make sure the Hold switch isn't active. The Hold switch does just what it is supposed toit prevents the iPod's controls from doing anything. It can be rather embarrassing to panic that your precious iPod has suffered a major failure only to realize that the Hold switch is on. (Of course you understand that this has never happened to me.)

• If the iPod won't turn on, connect it to the power adapter or to a computer using a six-pin FireWire connection. It might simply be that the battery is out of power. Remember that the iPod uses some battery power even when you aren't using it, and after 14 days or so, it might not have enough battery power to wake up. Sometimes the empty battery icon will appear when you try to turn on a fully discharged iPod and sometimes it won't.

• Try connecting the iPod to a computer. If it mounts, you probably just need to do a minor reset to get it to work again.

Resetting an iPod

If you can't get an iPod to do anything (and you've checked the Hold switch) or if it is behaving badly, try resetting it. When you reset an iPod, its temporary memory is cleared, but your data won't be affected. Follow these steps:

1.	Connect the iPod to the power adapter using the FireWire cable and then plug the power adapter into a wall outlet or connect your iPod to your computer using a six-pin FireWire connector. Caution If your iPod is mounted on your computer (check on the desktop or in iTunes), eject it before you reset it to prevent any damage to its data.
2.	Move the Hold switch to the On position and then slide it to the Off position again. Note The buttons to reset an older iPod are slightly different; press the Play/Pause and Menu buttons in Step 3.
3.	Press and hold both the Menu and Select buttons down for about five seconds until you see the Apple logo on the iPod's screen. This indicates that the reset process is complete.
4.	Try to use the iPod to do what you were trying to do when you noticed a problem.

If resetting your iPod solves your problem, you are home free. If not, you might want to try restoring it.

Restoring an iPod

As you read earlier, you can also use the iPod Software Update application to restore an iPod. When you restore an iPod, its hard drive is erased and a clean version of its software is installed. The purpose is to configure the iPod with factory settings that will likely solve many problems you are having.

Caution

Restoring an iPod also deletes any data that you have stored on its hard drive, so make sure you have any data that is unique to the iPod backed up before you restore it. You don't have to worry about its music because that will be replaced the next time you connect it to your computer to perform an update from iTunes (assuming all the iPod's music is stored in your iTunes Library of course).

For the steps to perform a restore, see "Updating or Restoring an iPod's Software" on page 157.

Getting Help with iPod Problems

Although I could have added a lot more pages to this book with specific problems you might encounter and potential solutions to those problems, that would have been kind of wasteful for two main reasons. One, it is likely you won't ever experience the problems I would include. Two, Apple maintains an extensive iPod Web site from which you get detailed information about iPod problems. You can use this information to solve specific problems you encounter (that aren't solved with the information in the previous sections, such as a reset).

Tip

Feel free to write to me with questions about your iPod or to ask for help with problems you are having with your iPod. You can reach me at [e-mail].

To access this help, use a Web browser to move to www.apple.com/support/ipod. On this page, you can search for help, read FAQs, and get other information that will help you solve iPod problems (see Figure 10.6).

Figure 10.6. Need iPod help? You got it.

There are a number of other Web sites that might be helpful to you as well. These include www.ipodlounge.com and www.ipodhacks.com. You can also use www.google.com to search for other iPod information; you'll find no shortage of it.