Ipod Mini seems dead, with occasional twitches suggesting life

I have an iPod mini 4GB (Second Generation). It has performed without a hitch up until a couple weeks ago. It's usually left plugged in to its AC adaptor, but had been unpowered -- AND unplayed -- for a week. When I went to use it, I couldn't get anything to show up on the screen. I hooked it up to my PBG4, where it opened in iTunes looking absolutely normal, but no joy on the iPod screen itself. I could transfer songs back and forth between the iPod and iTunes on the PBG4. I tried charging on the AC power adapter. I did the "5Rs" (repeatedly). I dumped all the songs off the iPod and did a reset after doing the hold-button shuffle. Every once in a while, when I did the two-finger reset with the Menu and center buttons, I'd be rewarded with a briefly backlit (?) iPod screen, and once, a quickly-appearing-then-fading Apple logo. Other than those ghostly visitations, no joy whatsoever: the iPod still happily shows up in iTunes, but won't operate on it's own a-tall.
SIDEBAR: Can I make a suggestion, please? When the iPod is ACTIVELY showing in iTunes, how about an iTunes-based iPod battery monitor? Because I have no working screen on my iPod, I don't know if it's charged or dead.
I've exhausted every tip I could find on the web, except the one about putting the iPod on a cinder block, and dropping ANOTHER cinder block on it from a height of 6 feet or so.
Can someone help me out here?
Thanks
Bart Brown

Well, at least the response in this discussion forum is fully equal to Apple's customer care AND quality control...
On the apparently infinitesimal chance that someone actually reads this post, I'll report the latest manifestation of the semi-deceased 2nd gen iPod Mini (meaning mini-lifespan, I guess): after leaving the little metal corpse unplugged from either adapter or USB port for a few days, I plugged the adapter back in last night. Immediately upon plugging in, a faint, evanescent apple logo mockingly showed itself for a second or two, then faded away like the Cheshire cat's grin, and I swear I could hear Steve Jobs' ghostly voice whispering "Just buy another one, sucker!" I heard that same voice saying the same thing when my PBG4 SuperDrive died untimely, and when my wife's SuperDrive, and then her HD, did the same -- all within the space of two months. You gotta hand it to apple: they've got planned obsolescence down to an exact science. Oh, and "service"? You gotta PAY for that, too, sucker. Don't come looking in a FREE forum for help.
Thanks for your kind help, and have a great iLife.

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My screen on my ipod mini is black with small dots. It looks like space. Does anyone have any suggestions, please?
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This is an iPod mini, not the iPod nano in your profile info?
If you have not already, try doing a reset
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1320
This restarts the iPod. It is not erased.
If that does not help, the next thing to try would be a Restore (as long as the iPod is still recognized by iTunes when connected. The Restore button is in the iPod's Summary screen in iTunes. This DOES erase the iPod, reinstall its software, and set it to default settings. If a software problem on the iPod is the cause, a Restore should fix it.
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My daughter has a 4GB second generation iPod Mini. It has worked fine, other than a few freeze ups every now and then, for several years. Yesterday it stopped working altogether. We have tried charging overnight with the AC charger but still there is no sign of life. Her iMac does not recognize it and we cannot get it to turn on. There is no charging icon when it is plugged in. It appears to be totally dead. Prior to this the battery still had reasonable running life. She would get about 6 to 8 hours of playback time per charge.
We have tried toggling the "hold" button. Nothing seems to work. I would appreciate any ideas.

I got tied up and forgot to respond to the earlier post. The iPod Mini is back in working order. While I had tried a reset procedure before and got no where, I tried it again. Finally on the third attempt the "apple" logo appeared and all was well. Since I had not gotten any response from the Mini the first time I tried a reset, I assumed that the resetting procedure would not work. So a good lesson to this is to attempt re-setting several times if it does not work the first time.
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My iPod mini only works when it is plugged into a car charger. It is 4 months old. It does not work (frozen - no response or display at all) on its own, or plugged into the AC charger, or the USB connection on the computer. I have tried the reset procedure several times and with different power connections with no results. The iPod seems perfectly fine when using a car charger otherwise nothing! Whats going on!!?!?!
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Try to reset it.
Press and hold the MENU and CENTER buttons - at the same time - until you see the Apple logo. This should take about 6 seconds. Also, you want to do this procedure while your iPod is connected to your computer. Ipods are supposed to work with USB port cable and AC Adapters, not only car chargers.
If this doesn't work, then try to update it using iPod Updater software. Open iPod Update, plug in your iPod to your computer and wait until the software recognizes it. Once it does, you should be able to click on the "Update" button. If you can't, click "Restore"

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iPod cannot be synced. An unknown error occurred (-48).
itunes then attempts to sync it anyway, then comes up with the error again.
iTunes then says it is updating the files on my ipod. It updates a certain amount then stops, but no error message comes up. The ipod page says it has 3G of music on it.. but I have 4G of music that should have been put on it. When you click the arrow next to the ipod's name on the menu and click on a play list you can see the names of some songs in there, but not all of them. When I disconnect my ipod and go to play something I find there are no songs on it and no play lists. It still charges fine when it's connected to the computer.
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The user data is stored in the profile folder. You can copy the data manually by copying the contents of the profile folder, for details see [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_backup Profile backup - MozillaZine Knowledge Base] or [[Backing up your information]].
There are some add-ons and utilities that can make this process easier. The first one is the [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2109/ FEBE] add-on which can be used to copy a profile. Another option is the free [http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/ MozBackup] utility.

IPod Mini STILL dead, though appearing briefly as a zombie.

Way back on Dec 17, 2007, I wrote
"I have an iPod mini 4GB (Second Generation). It has performed without a hitch up until a couple weeks ago. It's usually left plugged in to its AC adaptor, but had been unpowered -- AND unplayed -- for a week. When I went to use it, I couldn't get anything to show up on the screen. I hooked it up to my PBG4, where it opened in iTunes looking absolutely normal, but no joy on the iPod screen itself. I could transfer songs back and forth between the iPod and iTunes on the PBG4. I tried charging on the AC power adapter. I did the "5Rs" (repeatedly). I dumped all the songs off the iPod and did a reset after doing the hold-button shuffle. Every once in a while, when I did the two-finger reset with the Menu and center buttons, I'd be rewarded with a briefly backlit (?) iPod screen, and once, a quickly-appearing-then-fading Apple logo. Other than those ghostly visitations, no joy whatsoever: the iPod still happily shows up in iTunes, but won't operate on it's own a-tall."
And there the matter rested, until two weeks ago. About 2 months back, I thought I'd try plugging the iPod Mini into the Power Adapter just for old times' sake. Nothing happened, despite another round or seven of the 5Rs, the 4H, and the Aztec 2-Step. I gave up and just left it there.
Imagine my gobsmacked astonishment, then, when 2 weeks ago, passing by the wretched thing, I happened to notice the "full-charge" battery icon on the display screen -- the first sign of life from the display screen since December of 2007. Could it be? I wondered? I hooked it up to my PBG4, and danged if it didn't open iTunes, allow me to add music (and update the software to 1.4.1), and when I disconnected, it played merrily away just as if the financial meltdown had never happened. "Hot diggity!" thought I, an Apple product that actually came back to life after its warranty had long since expired!"
For two weeks, everything was oojah-***-spiff, and I was rockin' out every day to some swell tunes... but yesterday, having done nothing different to it, the Mini once again went into suspended animation, with the exact same behaviors I detailed in December of '07. Once again I did the 5Rs, etc., and -- except for one brief and tantalizing glow of the Mini's display, which faded faster than the Cheshire Cat's grin -- the object seemed as lifeless as Rush Limbaugh's frontal lobe.
The thing still showed up in iTunes (the iPod, not Limbaugh. Brrrrrr....), so I bit the bullet and did a Restore. iTunes dutifully wiped everything out, and left me with the 1.4.1 software, but the iPod still gave no joy. I could put songs on it, but it would not play, period.
What in the Wide, Wide World of Sports is a-goin' on here?
I'd really like to believe someone from Apple will read this, and actually be concerned enough to offer some constructive ideas other than the EAL (Endless Apple Litany) of "Buy a NEW one!" but I'm afraid I'm too old and too Mac-experienced (since my 1988 or '89 IIF) to really believe that will happen. Ahhh, the illusions of one's youth! How bitterly they sting in our Golden Years!
Peace & Love
Bart Brown

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Do these show you anything that you haven't tried yet?:
iPod Doesn’t Appear in iTunes/iPod Sad Icon
Good Thread About iPod Sad icon/Folder with Exclamation Point
Another really Good thread About the iPod Sad Face
I hope this helps!

Can it be that my iPod mini is dead?

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(I'm very sorry if my English is very bad, I'm from Holland you see and meanwhile the holidays I'm not doing English...)
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Check these out:
Resetting iPod That is Unresponsive
iPod Won’t Turn on Article
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I hope this helps!

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Hi,
I found my old ipod mini 2nd generation and I would like to update it
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Ull

You should definitely not use the very old version of iTunes on that CD.
The latest version of iTunes works fine with my ancient iPod from 2003. It should work with your iPod mini. What happens when you connect it to your computer running iTunes?
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The software required for communicating with the iPod is not installed correctly. Please reinstall iTunes to install the iPod’s software.
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The software required for communicating with the iPod is not installed correctly. Please reinstall iTunes to install the iPod’s software.
if you are using an iTunes 4.9, it would also help to have the IPod Updater software installed. here's a link through to that:
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/ipodupdater20060628forwindows.html

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She updated Pink using firewire, it synched fine. When she tried to update Blue, it wasnt recognized.
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I did everything Apple recommends, I reset, I manually put it in disk mode, checked and rechecked cables, all to no avail. I couldnt restore using the updater as it wouldnt mount - even in disk mode.
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After a frustrating hour or so, I was about to just give up and send it for repair when I remembered the USB cable and decided to try that.
It worked! I restored the software, remounted and reinstalled all of her music. I ejected the Blue from the USB and tried to plug it in using the firewire cable.
Nothing. No ipod mounts. Again, the Pink is fine.
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Try to reset it.
Press and hold the MENU and CENTER buttons - at the same time - until you see the Apple logo. This should take about 6 seconds. Also, you want to do this procedure while your iPod is connected to your computer. Ipods are supposed to work with USB port cable and AC Adapters, not only car chargers.
If this doesn't work, then try to update it using iPod Updater software. Open iPod Update, plug in your iPod to your computer and wait until the software recognizes it. Once it does, you should be able to click on the "Update" button. If you can't, click "Restore"

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Hello sportyjenny19,
So your iPod never appears in the Devices section of your iTunes library correct? Have you tried resetting the iPod with it still connected to your PC?
What happens when you try manually putting it into *Disk Mode* ?
[Putting iPod into Disk Mode|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1363?viewlocale=en_US]
You may also want to have a look at this article describing different ways to troubleshooting this situation.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1369?viewlocale=en_us
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I tried this a few times, just to make sure i was doing everything right, and then i tried deleting a song from my ipod... once again, after i disconnected my ipod [correctly] it was as if i hadn't done anything at all, the song i'd deleted was still there [though it wouldn't play] I don't know what this could be a problem with though.
Also, please note that earlier this week i was on a vacation with my sister and had to use her laptop to charge and handle my ipod, whenever i connected it to her laptop, it wouldn't let me disconnect it properly because it said that some of it's files were still in use by the computer, so i'd have to disconnect it even though it still read "DO NOT DISCONNECT", i'm not sure if that would have much to do with the problem though. anyway, any and all help would be greatly appreciated! thanks so much and sorry this was so long!
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Have you seen these articles?
iPod won't turn on
iPod stops responding or won't wake from sleep
-Kylene

Ipod Mini seems dead, with occasional twitches suggesting life

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