iPod: The Missing Manual, 11th Edition

Chapter 17. What to Do When Your iPod Isn’t Working Right

You’ll learn to:

• Reset your iPod

• Restore an iPod

• Reinstall iTunes

• Update the iPod software

• Replace the battery

• Find an iPod repair shop

IT’S BOUND TO HAPPEN sometime: Your iPod locks up, freaks out, or just isn’t its usual cheerful self. Luckily, you can solve many iPod problems with a button-tap here or a battery charge there. Then your portable ’Pod is back to normal.

But your iPod is a mini-computer in its own right, and getting it back in working order might involve more than a tap or two—and maybe even the attention of a technical expert. This chapter explains what to do if your iPod starts acting up—and where to go if you can’t fix it yourself.

iPod triage isn’t all about magnifying glasses and tiny screwdrivers. Yes, the iPod is a nice piece of hardware, but where there’s hardware, there’s software. In this chapter, you’ll also learn how to keep your iPod up to date with the most recent software from Apple so you have the latest bug fixes and new features right in your pocket.

The Five “Rs” of iPod Repair

YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN disaster (or annoyance) will strike, but when you encounter trouble with a Nano, Shuffle, or Classic, Apple suggests its easy-to-remember “Five Rs” approach to troubleshooting:

• Reset your iPod, as explained on the next page.

• Retry your iPod connection by plugging it into a different USB port on your computer. ...