Ipod prob.. who woulda guessed? stupid folder icon

Notorious folder icon!!!! ipod shows up in my computer but will not show up on itunes and ipod updater will not allow me to restore, i get a mesg thats says to connect ipod when it already is. Rest assured i have tried all the 'r's serveral times i have current itunes/ have reinstalled it several times, i have put ipod in disk mode and it still will not recognize. Its gotta be a sopftware gap somewhere right?? If anyone has any original ideas please let me know, i am fustrated and fed up w/ these r's they are worthless.

i had the same problem with an ipod photo 30 gb. just sat there and reset the thing about 15 times and it started to work. i tried the error check thing, but it worked until about 5 min later when it showed up again. reseting a lot somehow worked for it and now it works. too bad i fixed it AFTER i bought a new video 30 gb, but with this i got a best buy 3 year warranty for $60.

Similar Messages

  • Can't restore iPod after seeing the "Exclamation point folder icon"

    My iPod showed me the "Exclamation point folder icon" out of the blue... i tried resetting, restoring (upgraded to 7.1 in the process) but when i connect the ipod to my computer it still shows me the icon, then the Apple sign, then "Do not disconnect" (while charging) and then the ipod itself starts clicking...
    any help would be GREATLY appreciated!! very furstrated over here...

    Hello,
    If a sad iPod icon or an exclamation point and folder icon appears on your iPod’s screen, or with sounds of clicking or HD whirring, it is usually the sign of a hard drive problem and you have the power to do something about it now. Your silver bullet of resolving your iPod issue – is to restore your iPod to factory settings.
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60983
    If you're having trouble, try these steps at different levels one at a time until the issue is resolved. These steps will often whip your iPod back into shape.
    Make sure you do all the following “TRYs”
    A. Try to wait 30 minutes while iPod is charging.
    B. Try another FireWire or USB through Dock Connector cable.
    C. Try another FireWire or USB port on your computer .
    D. Try to disconnect all devices from your computer's FireWire and USB ports.
    E. Try to download and install the latest version of iPod software and iTunes
    http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
    For old and other versions of iPod updater for window you can get here
    http://www.ipodwizard.net/showthread.php?t=7369
    F. Try these five steps (known as the five Rs) and it would conquer most iPod issues.
    http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/five_rs/
    G. Try to put the iPod into Disk Mode if it fails to appear on the desktop
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93651
    If none of these steps address the issue, you may need to go to Intermediate level listed below in logical order. Check from the top of the lists to see if that is what keeping iPod from appearing on your computer in order for doing the Restore.
    Intermediate Level
    A. Try to connect your iPod with another computer with the iPod updater pre-installed.
    B. Still can’t see your iPod, put it in Disk Mode and connect with a computer, instead of doing a Restore on iPod Updater. Go and format the iPod instead.
    For Mac computer
    1. Open the disk utility, hope your iPod appears there (left hand side), highlight it
    2. Go to Tab “Partition”, click either “Delete” or “Partition”, if fails, skip this step and go to 3
    3. Go to Tab “Erase” , choose Volume Format as “MAC OS Extended (Journaled), and click Erase, again if fails, skip it and go to 4
    4. Same as step 3, but open the “Security Options....” and choose “Zero Out Data” before click Erase. It will take 1 to 2 hours to complete.
    5. Eject your iPod and do a Reset
    6. Open the iTunes 7 and click “Restore”
    For Window computer
    Go to folder “My Computer”
    Hope you can see your iPod there and right click on the iPod
    Choose “Format”. Ensure the settings are at “Default” and that “Quick Format” is not checked
    Now select “Format”
    Eject your iPod and do a Reset
    Open the iTunes 7 and click “Restore”
    In case you do not manage to do a “Format” on a window computer, try to use some 3rd party disk utility software, e.g.“HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool”.
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=501330&tstart=0
    C. Windows users having trouble with their iPods should locate a Mac user. In many cases when an iPod won't show up on a PC that it will show up on the Mac. Then it can be restored. When the PC user returns to his computer the iPod will be recognized by the PC, reformatted for the PC, and usable again. By the way, it works in reverse too. A Mac user often can get his iPod back by connecting it to a PC and restoring it.
    Tips
    a. It does not matter whether the format is completed or not, the key is to erase (or partly) the corrupted firmware files on the Hard Drive of the iPod. After that, when the iPod re-connected with a computer, it will be recognized as an fresh external hard drive, it will show up on the iTunes 7.
    b. It is not a difficult issue for a Mac user to find a window base computer, for a PC user, if they can’t find any Mac user, they can go to a nearest Apple Shop for a favor.
    c. You may need to switch around the PC and Mac, try to do several attempts between “Format” and “Restore”
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2364921&#2364921
    Advance Level
    A. Diagnostic mode solution
    If you have tried trouble shooting your iPod to no avail after all the steps above, chances are your iPod has a hardware problem. The iPod's built-in Diagnostic Mode is a quick and easy way to determine if you have a "bad" iPod.
    You need to restart your iPod before putting it into Diagnostic Mode. Check that your hold switch is off by sliding the switch away from the headphone jack. Toggle it on and off to be safe.
    Press and hold the following combination of buttons simultaneously for approximately 10 seconds to reset the iPod.
    iPod 1G to 3G: "Menu" and "Play/Pause"
    iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Menu" and "Select"
    The Apple logo will appear and you should feel the hard drive spinning up. Press and hold the following sequence of buttons:
    iPod 1G to 3G: "REW", "FFW" and "Select"
    iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Back" and "Select"
    You will hear an audible chirp sound (3G models and higher) and the Apple logo should appear backwards. You are now in Diagnostic Mode. Navigate the list of tests using "REW" and "FFW". The scroll wheel will not function while in diagnostic mode. For further details on Diagnostic mode can be found at http://www.methodshop.com/mp3/ipodsupport/diagnosticmode/
    Try to do the 5in1, HDD R/W and HDD scan tests. Some successful cases have been reported after the running the few tests under the Diagnostic mode. In case it does not work in your case, and the scan tests reports show some errors then it proves your iPod has a hardware problem and it needs a repairing service.
    B. Format your iPod with a start disk
    I have not tried this solution myself, I heard that there were few successful cases that the users managed to get their iPod (you must put your iPod in disk mode before connecting with a computer) mounted by the computer, which was booted by a system startup disk. For Mac, you can use the Disk Utility (on the Tiger OS system disk), for PC user, you can use the window OS system disk. Try to find a way to reformat your iPod, again it does not matter which format (FAT32, NTFS or HFS+) you choose, the key is to erase the corrupted system files on the iPod. Then eject your iPod and do a Reset to switch out from Disk Mode. Reboot your computer at the normal way, connect your iPod back with it, open the iPod updater, and hopefully your iPod will appear there for the Restore.
    If none of these steps address the issue, your iPod may need to be repaired.
    Consider setting up a mail-in repair for your iPod http://depot.info.apple.com/ipod/
    Or visit your local Apple Retail Store http://www.apple.com/retail/
    In case your iPod is no longer covered by the warranty and you want to find a second repairing company, you can try iPodResQ at your own risk
    http://www.ipodresq.com/index.php
    Just in case that you are at the following situation
    Your iPod warranty is expired
    You don’t want to pay any service charges
    You are prepared to buy a new one
    You can’t accept the re-sell value of your broken iPod
    Rather than leave your iPod as paper-weight or throw it away.
    You can try the following, but again, only do it as your last resort and at your own risk.
    Warning !!!! – It may or may not manage to solve your problem, and with a risk that you may further damage your iPod, which end up as an expensive paper weight or you need to pay more higher repairing cost. Therefore, please re-consider again whether you want to try the next level
    Last Resort Level
    1. . Disconnecting the Hard Drive and battery inside the iPod – Warning !! Your iPod warranty will be waived once you open the iPod.
    In Hong Kong there are some electronic shops offering an iPod service for Sad iPod, the first thing they do is to open up the iPod’s case and disconnecting the battery and the Hard Drive from the main board of the iPod. Wait for 5-10 minutes and reconnecting them back. The reason behind which I can think of is to do a fully reset of a processor of the iPod. In case you want do it itself and you believe that you are good on fixing the electronics devices and have experience to deal with small bits of electronic parts, then you can read the following of how to open the iPod case for battery and HDD replacement (with Quicktimes)
    http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/index.cfm?page=Video/directory.html
    2.Press the reset button on the Hard Drive inside the iPod – Suggestion from Kill8joy
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2438774#2438774
    Have I tried these myself? No, I am afraid to do it myself as I am squeamish about tinkering inside electronic devices, I have few experiences that either I broke the parts (which are normally tiny or fragile) or failed to put the parts back to the main case. Therefore, I agree with suggestion to have it fixed by a Pro.
    2. Do a search on Google and some topics on this discussion forum about “Sad iPod”
    Exclamation point and folder and nothing else
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3597173#3597173
    Exclamation point and folder and nothing else
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2831962#2831962
    What should I do with my iPod? Send it or keep it?
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=469080&tstart=0
    Strange error on iPod (probably death)
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=435160&start=0&tstart=0
    Sad Face on iPod for no apparent reason
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=336342&start=0&tstart=0
    Meeting the Sad iPod icon
    http://askpang.typepad.com/relevanthistory/2004/11/meeting_thesad.html#comment-10519524
    Sad faced iPod, but my computer won’t recognize it?
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2236095#2236095
    iPod Photo: unhappy icon + warranty question
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2233746#2233746
    4th Gen iPod Users - are we all having the same problem?
    http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=2235623#2235623
    Low Battery, and clicking sounds
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2237714#2237714
    Sad faced iPod, but my computer won’t recognize it
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2242018#2242018
    Sad iPod solution
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=412033&tstart=0
    Re: try to restore ipod and it says "can't mount ipod"
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=443659&tstart=30
    iPod making clicking noise and is frozen
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2420150#2420150
    Cant put it into disk mode
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3786084#3786084
    I think my iPod just died its final death
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3813051
    Apple logo & monochrome battery stay
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3827167#3827167
    I am not suggesting that you should follow as well, but just read them as your reference. You are the person to make the call.
    Finally, I read a fair comments from dwb, regarding of slapping the back of the iPod multiple times
    Quote “This has been discussed numerous times as a 'fix'. It does work, at least for a while. In fact I remember using the same basic trick to revive Seagate and Quantam drives back in the mid to late 1980's. Why these tiny hard drives go bad I don't know - could be the actuator gets stuck in place or misaligned. Could be the platter gets stuck or the motor gets stuck. 'Stiction' was a problem for drives back in the 80's. Unfortunately the fix can cause damage to the platter so we temporarily fix one problem by creating another. But I know of two instances where a little slap onto the table revived the iPods and they are still worked a year or more later.”UnQuote

  • Cold Hard Disk - iPod won't boot with bad folder icon.

    I have a 5G iPod, and after a couple months of use, I found that the iPod will start to refuse to boot if it's anything less than 60ºF. I use it a lot, and right now it's cold out, around 40ºF.
    We're a poor little white family up in costal Maine where the temperatures are low in the winter, around 20-40ºF. When I drive around in my Jeep Grand Cherokee, I have the heat turned up so that I'm comfortably warm, but my iPod isn't. It will play music fine when it's warmer than room temperature, but I will notice when driving, sometimes the music will just stop -- I look at the iPod and notice that the whole thing is just frozen up - no controls work, the lock doesn't show/disappear when i turn on/off the hold switch, and when I reboot it it will show that silver apple, then light the screen with a grayscale image of a 'Folder with exclamation point' icon, seemingly not finding the iPod Operating System on its hard disk. The unit will refuse to work again unless i bring it to higher temperatures. When it does work, I have to keep it under my leg when I'm driving, and that sometimes doesn't work.
    It will work fine indoors, unless it's been in my bedroom overnight, which gets down to 55-60º at night (i have a room thermometer in here), which is normal for us.
    Also, if I hook up the iPod to my computer, even if I force it into Disk Mode (grayscale DO NOT DISCONNECT logo), the computer has a hard time mounting it.
    I can't imagine that the hard disk wasn't designed to operate in such a normal temperature range for us distant poor Maine residents. There must be something wrong with it. Will I need to send it away?
    --CLL
    PowerBook G4 15"   Mac OS X (10.4.5)   circa Nov2005

    It would apear the ipod's hdd just won't power up after it shuts down on a restart

  • Restored IPOD but still seeing exclamation point folder icon -- Help!

    Hi,
    I'm trying to get my IPOD back up and running and am having difficulty. I've tried all the Rs and downloaded the iTunes 7.0 software. After restoring it twice, I was disappointed to see it didn't work. I'm still seeing the icon with the exclamation point and my computer is not recognizing it. Still says it's corrupted and needs to be restored. I go through the process but it always returns to the corrupted status. Any other suggestions? I'd like to repair it myself but don't know where else to look in terms of what part to replace.
    Thank you for your help!
    Kiersten
    IPOD Click (no color screen)   Windows XP  

    I'm still seeing the icon with the exclamation point and my computer is not recognizing it.
    is it not showing up in My Computer at all, Kiersten?

  • IPod with folder icon, won't reset

    I bought my third iPod at the end of summer, an iPod photo 60 GB. It has worked perfect until 2 days ago, when it suddenly froze. I rebooted it, but the display showed a sad iPod. Checked the support files and tried to put it into Disk mode, but it didn't work, so I just left it in the charger overnight, which, surprisingly enough, managed to solve the problem for a while. When I woke up, the iPod was OK.
    So I took it out for another day of adventures. At first it skipped all of the songs from an album that I had recently transferred to my iPod, but it played older songs. But after maybe 20 minutes, it froze again. Another reboot and another sad iPod icon. This time, however, I managed to put it into Disk Mode, and restored it to factory settings. It didn't restart itself after the restoration (waited for an hour or so), so I manually removed it from my desktop and unplugged it. On the screen there is a folder icon with an exclamation point. Replugged it, and it appears on my desktop and in iTunes, and starts filling up with songs. When it's finally done I remove the iPod from my computer. Once again I see the folder icon.
    Each time I connect the iPod to my iBook it's on my desktop and in iTunes. The software can't be out-of-date because there hasn't been an update since I bought it.
    Restoring it to factory settings shouldn't have harmed the iPod - or should it?
    It's charged, it's filled with music, at least according to iTunes. It's just that STUPID folder icon that I can't get my head around. Why is it there and what can I do to get rid of it?

    Well, here are the two pages that might be useful to you:
    iPod does not appear in iTunes or on the desktop, an exclamation point or sad iPod icon appears onscreen
    iPod shows a folder icon with exclamation point when you turn it on
    Those give some possible ways to deal with the Sad iPod/Folder problems. The first step in the Sad iPod steps involved putting it in disk mode:
    Putting iPod into Disk Mode
    If you can get it into disk mode, you may be able to get your music off. I hope so. But I also hope that if you do, you make sure to have a backup of all your music; since Apple only allows one download, it should be protected as any other investment would be.

  • Ipod restore successful but still folder icon

    Hi, I have a fourth gen 20 gig iPod click wheel. recieved this the other day and folder icon showed up so I tried to reset (no go) so I restored it with iPod Updater and was successful, but folder icon still there. I was playing around with it for a while last night and sometimes when I plugged into pc I would get a message saying that "iPod needs to be formatted for your pc" I have restored this several times but stil unable to access any menu on iPod. The updater software says that software is up to date 3.1.1, I was thinking since I am able to restore it that the harddrive is not completely pouched. iTunes does not recognize the iPod, tried reinstalling both iPod updater and iTunes same reults, able to restore iPod but thats about it. Any help or suggestions would be appriaciated.
    Regards Axall

    You could try to format the iPod in Windows. It does the same thing as restoring and you would need to restore the iPod as normal (using the iPod updater) afterward. This can work when the iPod is recognized by the computer, but not by the updater.
    First, put the iPod into forced disk mode.
    See: How to put the iPod into disk mode.
    On your PC, go "my computer" and right click on the iPod, then choose "format". Ensure the settings are at "default" and that "quick format" is not checked. Now select "format". When that's finished, restore the iPod using the updater.

  • Help! Ipod nano with exclamation point folder icon.

    My ipod nano (1st gen) showed a folder icon with exclamation point after an unsuccessful sycronization. Then the ipod didn't work anymore. I tried several times to use the reset method mentioned here http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61003 without any success. Basically, after I force it into disk mode, my computer still did not recognize it and asked me to insert the disk (when click with right button).
    Since I bought it more than one year ago, the warranty has expired. So return it to apple is probably not a viable option. I am wondering whether there is anything else I can to to fix the problem? Does anybody know what kind of problem it might be, hardware problem or just the software screwed.
    Thanks in advance.

    In my opinion, iPod with exclmation mark folder icon means a corrupted OS with an iPod.
    . Windows users having trouble with their iPods should locate a Mac user. In many cases when an iPod won't show up on a PC that it will show up on the Mac. Then it can be restored. When the PC user returns to his computer the iPod will be recognized by the PC, reformatted for the PC, and usable again. By the way, it works in reverse too. A Mac user often can get his iPod back by connecting it to a PC and restoring it.
    Tips
    a. It does not matter whether the format is completed or not, the key is to erase (or partly) the corrupted firmware files on the Hard Drive of the iPod. After that, when the iPod re-connected with a computer, it will be recognized as an fresh external hard drive, it will show up on the iTunes 7.
    b. It is not a difficult issue for a Mac user to find a window base computer, for a PC user, if they can’t find any Mac user, they can go to a nearest Apple Shop for a favor.
    c. You may need to switch around the PC and Mac, try to do several attempts between “Format” and “Restore”
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2364921&#2364921
    or if you cant find a Mac
    For Window computer
    Go to folder “My Computer”
    Hope you can see your iPod there and right click on the iPod
    Choose “Format”. Ensure the settings are at “Default” and that “Quick Format” is not checked
    Now select “Format”
    Eject your iPod and do a Reset
    Open the iTunes 7 and click “Restore”
    In case you do not manage to do a “Format” on a window computer, try to use some 3rd party disk utility software, e.g.“HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool”.
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=501330&tstart=0

  • Change folder icons in Acrobat X Portfolios?

    Will I be able to change foder icons an an Acrobat X portfolio? Other file icons too?

    Yes and no. Adobe has an SDK for creating custom portfolios (which would include creating folder icons). Information can be found here: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/portfoliosdk/    However, this requires additional tools to accomplish (ie Flash Builder).
    If the changes you want to make are fairly minimal (e.g. changing the color, size, etc) you could always try entering a feature request.

  • Thunar and folder icons

    I would like to folder icons look like the screenshot of the Faenza-Cupertino for this: http://gnome-look.org/CONTENT/content-pre1/129008-1.png
    Can I achieve this in thunar? How to assign icons for Dropbox, Folder bookmarks, Folder recent, Folder search, and other which is not here, and icons are Faenza-Cupertino.
    Run xdg-user-dirs-update and configure the .config/user-dirs.dirs file did not help. How can this be done?

    Unfortunately, Xfce doesn't support different icons for different folders. The only exceptions are your home folder and desktop folder, as these are the only ones required by Xfce.
    As an alternative, you can set emblem icon overlays through the folder's properties dialog.
    You can add/change/remove emblem icons in the emblem folder of your chosen icon theme.
    Cheers.

  • Auto assign folder icon as folder.jpg

    back in the dark ages (when i used widows), i had all my music separated into different folder for each album. In each folder i would put the cover, calling it folder.jpg, and windows would assign the folder icon as that jpg.
    now, how can i assign each folder's folder.jpg as the icon for each folder, so that in Finder the folder icon is the cover?
    naturally, this would need to be done in an automated manner, as i have thousands of albums.

    I've played around with this a little (seemed like a fun task to work on).
    I'm not sure what the best way to give these instructions is, so if you need more help with any step, please let me know.
    WARNING: I've tested this as best I can, but there may be issues. I advise making a backup first and doing a test run.
    1) Install osxutils (I used macports to do this)
    2) Open Automator and create a new workflow with the following items in order:
    Ask for Finder items select Type: Folders
    Get folder Contents with Repeat for sub folders selected
    Filter Finder Items with File Type is JPEG
    Add Thumbnail Icon to Image Files
    Run Shell Script
    In the shell script you want to pass the input as arguments and paste the following into the text window
    for f in $@
    do
    dir=`echo $f | sed 's/\(.)/./\1/'`
    /opt/local/bin/seticon $f $dir
    done
    3) Save as application and run.
    Some things to note:
    You may need to change the location of seticon in the shell script if you install osxutils using a method other than macports.
    This script adds thumbnails to your jpeg files, this seems like a harmeless side effect to me, but you should know that it is happening.
    If you want to remove an icon, get info on it, select the icon and press the backspace key.

  • IPod: Folder icon -- Disk Mode -- won't mount on desktop or iTunes

    Hi all.
    I'm getting a folder icon with ex point on my iPod (see my pic for version). Reset doesn't work. The solution to that is to restore but when I plug into my computer it doesn't show up so I can't restore. Then it goes into "Disk Mode."
    Anyone have any ideas?

    What about the Hardware? I had a similar problem with my iPod 10G scrollwheel not mounting in Finder or being recognized in iTunes. I read all these posts, did the powerdown/uplug thing to reset the FireWire port, refreshed settings, etc., all to no avail. Then the iPod wouldn't even take a charge. In digging around for repair options on the web, I discovered a site where they said that the #1 killer for scrollwheel iPods was faulty connections on the FireWire socket to the main board. With all the plugging-in and unplugging I did trying to get the iMac to see the iPod, my connector now would slide a few mm forward with a light pull. More searching revealed someone who described how to DIY fix the connector, so I figured I'd try it and ... TA-DAA. Back to life, hello iTunes6, life is good. If you are up to the task, check out: homepage.mac.com/toj/PhotoAlbum20.html for step-by-step pictures. PDAsmart.com gives the details about the bad FireWire connector, and does a fix for $50. Be advised the soldering is on fine pitch surface-mount pins, so you need a steady hand and patience.
    Good luck!

  • 1st Generation iPod problem - folder icon/exclamation!

    Any help would be appreciated. I have a 1st generation iPod and it has worked fine since 2002. The battery seems fine and have had no problems with it until yesterday. When I connected my iPod via firewire to my Mac, iTunes wouldn't recognize it. Then, I tried to reconnect the firewire cord and still nothing. So I went with the 5 "R's" . I tried to reset it, then that's when it started. The apple icon came on and then the folder icon + !. I then went through all 5 "R's" and it never did reset or restore or anything. Any combination of buttons I push on it, I get the apple icon for a couple of seconds and then the folder icon + ! and then it goes blank. I can't put it in disk mode or anything. It does the same thing every time. I don't think it's the battery b/c it was charged and the charge time was still very good. anyone with any history on this may be able to help! THANK YOU!

    I'm not sure about not sync'ing properly, but plug in your earphones and your volume bar should re-appear.
    Maybe if you give more info on what's happening when you try to sync, someone will be able to offer more assistance.

  • IPod not recognized by computer - folder icon

    Hi.
    I have a 3rd generation iPod that displays the folder icon with the exclamation mark when I try to start it. If I hook it to my computer, the icon changes to the "OK to disconnect" message, and it indicates that it is in "Disk Mode". If I disconnect, the iPod freezes and, when resetting, the cycle starts over.
    I would like to restore the iPod but, unfortunately, my computer never 'sees' it (neither in iTunes nor as a disk), so there is nothing I can do to bring it to a point where I can try to do something with it.
    Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.
    Xis

    Well start with these articles and see if that gets you anywhere (this is my canned response, so some links below you may have already referenced in your post)...
    iPod is not recognized properly by computer when USB drivers are not installed properly or are out of date
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305136
    iTunes for Windows: iTunes 7 doesn't recognize iPod
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304434
    iPod missing in "My Computer" or in iTunes for Windows
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61711
    Also you might try forcing the iPod into disk mode first, then connecting it to your computer and see if that makes it show up in iTunes...
    Putting iPod into Disk Mode
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93651
    Cheers,
    Patrick

  • Exclamation point and folder icon appears on iPod screen

    I have a 20g Ipod and I am having lots of problems. Whenver I press a button it shows the apple logo followed by an exclamation point and folder icon. It ends with sounds of a clicking or HD whirring. Also, when I plug it into the computer, itunes prompts me with a message saying "Itunes has detected an Ipod in recovery mode. You must restore this Ipod before it can be used with Itunes". When I chose the option to restore it, it begins, but does not finish restoring it. It then gives me a message: "The Ipod "ipod" could not be restored. An unkown error occured (1418)". I also tried to restore by doing the following, but this failed as well:
    Go to folder “My Computer”
    Hope you can see your iPod there and right click on the iPod
    Choose “Format”. Ensure the settings are at “Default” and that “Quick Format” is not checked
    Now select “Format”
    Eject your iPod and do a Reset
    Open the iTunes 7 and click “Restore”
    In case you do not manage to do a “Format” on a window computer, try to use some 3rd party disk utility software, e.g.“HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool”.
    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
    Thank You
      Windows XP  

    Check these out:
    iPod Folder with Exclamation Point After Disconnected From Computer
    iPod Folder with Exclamation Point After Turned On
    Good Thread About iPod Sad icon/Folder with Exclamation Point
    I hope this helps!

  • 2nd Generation Touch Wheel iPod - iPod displays a folder icon with a ! mark

    Hi,
    My girlfriend has been using my old 2nd generation touch wheel iPod, and yesterday she was trying to listen to some music, and the iPod would load the name of the song, artist, album etc, and then skip to the next song without playing any music, and would keep skipping to the next song over and over and over.
    My girlfriend showed me this with an album that she had recently just added to the iPod, from a CD that she purchased and ripped to mp3's using iTunes, so initially I thought maybe it was just a problem that occurred when the CD was being ripped, so some corrupt mp3's or something. However we tried a range of other songs on the iPod and the same problem occurred.
    So I figured something must have gone array with the firmware on the iPod, and thought maybe the problem might be solved by resetting the iPod, which I did by holding down the menu and play / pause button until the iPod reset.
    When the iPod reset, the apple logo came up on screen and interchanged between the apple logo and the folder with a ! mark icon. When I connected the iPod to the computer, iTunes wouldn't find it, and the screen on the iPod said it was in disk mode.
    Listening to the iPod I could hear the disk spinning, and then make a click sound, and then repeat, and it is not possible to turn it off.
    Does anyone have any suggestions as to what has caused the problem, and more importantly how it can be fixed?

    f a sad iPod icon or an exclamation point and folder icon appears on your iPod’s screen, or with sounds of clicking or HD whirring, it is usually the sign of a hard drive problem and you have the power to do something about it now. Your silver bullet of resolving your iPod issue – is to restore your iPod to factory settings.
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60983
    If you're having trouble, try these steps at different levels one at a time until the issue is resolved. These steps will often whip your iPod back into shape.
    Make sure you do all the following “TRYs”
    A. Try to wait 30 minutes while iPod is charging.
    B. Try another FireWire or USB through Dock Connector cable.
    C. Try another FireWire or USB port on your computer .
    D. Try to disconnect all devices from your computer's FireWire and USB ports.
    E. Try to download and install the latest version of iPod software and iTunes
    http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
    For old and other versions of iPod updater for window you can get here
    http://www.ipodwizard.net/showthread.php?t=7369
    F. Try these five steps (known as the five Rs) and it would conquer most iPod issues.
    http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/five_rs/
    G. Try to put the iPod into Disk Mode if it fails to appear on the desktop
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93651
    If none of these steps address the issue, you may need to go to Intermediate level listed below in logical order. Check from the top of the lists to see if that is what keeping iPod from appearing on your computer in order for doing the Restore.
    Intermediate Level
    A. Try to connect your iPod with another computer with the iPod updater pre-installed.
    B. Still can’t see your iPod, put it in Disk Mode and connect with a computer, instead of doing a Restore on iPod Updater. Go and format the iPod instead.
    For Mac computer
    1. Open the disk utility, hope your iPod appears there (left hand side), highlight it
    2. Go to Tab “Partition”, click either “Delete” or “Partition”, if fails, skip this step and go to 3
    3. Go to Tab “Erase” , choose Volume Format as “MAC OS Extended (Journaled), and click Erase, again if fails, skip it and go to 4
    4. Same as step 3, but open the “Security Options....” and choose “Zero Out Data” before click Erase. It will take 1 to 2 hours to complete.
    5. Eject your iPod and do a Reset
    6. Open the iTunes and click “Restore”
    For Window computer
    Go to folder “My Computer”
    Hope you can see your iPod there and right click on the iPod
    Choose “Format”. Ensure the settings are at “Default” and that “Quick Format” is not checked
    Now select “Format”
    Eject your iPod and do a Reset
    Open the iTunes 7 and click “Restore”
    In case you do not manage to do a “Format” on a window computer, try to use some 3rd party disk utility software, e.g.“HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool”.
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=501330&tstart=0
    C. Windows users having trouble with their iPods should locate a Mac user. In many cases when an iPod won't show up on a PC that it will show up on the Mac. Then it can be restored. When the PC user returns to his computer the iPod will be recognized by the PC, reformatted for the PC, and usable again. By the way, it works in reverse too. A Mac user often can get his iPod back by connecting it to a PC and restoring it.
    Tips
    a. It does not matter whether the format is completed or not, the key is to erase (or partly) the corrupted firmware files on the Hard Drive of the iPod. After that, when the iPod re-connected with a computer, it will be recognized as an fresh external hard drive, it will show up on the iTunes.
    b. It is not a difficult issue for a Mac user to find a window base computer, for a PC user, if they can’t find any Mac user, they can go to a nearest Apple Shop for a favor.
    c. You may need to switch around the PC and Mac, try to do several attempts between “Format” and “Restore”
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2364921&#2364921
    Advance Level
    A. Diagnostic mode solution
    If you have tried trouble shooting your iPod to no avail after all the steps above, chances are your iPod has a hardware problem. The iPod's built-in Diagnostic Mode is a quick and easy way to determine if you have a "bad" iPod.
    You need to restart your iPod before putting it into Diagnostic Mode. Check that your hold switch is off by sliding the switch away from the headphone jack. Toggle it on and off to be safe.
    Press and hold the following combination of buttons simultaneously for approximately 10 seconds to reset the iPod.
    iPod 1G to 3G: "Menu" and "Play/Pause"
    iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Menu" and "Select"
    The Apple logo will appear and you should feel the hard drive spinning up. Press and hold the following sequence of buttons:
    iPod 1G to 3G: "REW", "FFW" and "Select"
    iPod 4G+ (includes Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Back" and "Select"
    You will hear an audible chirp sound (3G models and higher) and the Apple logo should appear backwards. You are now in Diagnostic Mode. Navigate the list of tests using "REW" and "FFW". The scroll wheel will not function while in diagnostic mode. For further details on Diagnostic mode can be found at http://www.methodshop.com/mp3/ipodsupport/diagnosticmode/
    Try to do the 5in1, HDD R/W and HDD scan tests. Some successful cases have been reported after the running the few tests under the Diagnostic mode. In case it does not work in your case, and the scan tests reports show some errors then it proves your iPod has a hardware problem and it needs a repairing service.
    B. Format your iPod with a start disk
    I have not tried this solution myself, I heard that there were few successful cases that the users managed to get their iPod (you must put your iPod in disk mode before connecting with a computer) mounted by the computer, which was booted by a system startup disk. For Mac, you can use the Disk Utility (on the Tiger OS system disk), for PC user, you can use the window OS system disk. Try to find a way to reformat your iPod, again it does not matter which format (FAT32, NTFS or HFS+) you choose, the key is to erase the corrupted system files on the iPod. Then eject your iPod and do a Reset to switch out from Disk Mode. Reboot your computer at the normal way, connect your iPod back with it, open the iPod updater, and hopefully your iPod will appear there for the Restore.
    If none of these steps address the issue, your iPod may need to be repaired.
    Consider setting up a mail-in repair for your iPod http://depot.info.apple.com/ipod/
    Or visit your local Apple Retail Store http://www.apple.com/retail/
    In case your iPod is no longer covered by the warranty and you want to find a second repairing company, you can try iPodResQ or ifixit at your own risk
    http://www.ipodresq.com/index.php
    http://www.ifixit.com/
    Just in case that you are at the following situation
    Your iPod warranty is expired
    You don’t want to pay any service charges
    You are prepared to buy a new one
    You can’t accept the re-sell value of your broken iPod
    Rather than leave your iPod as paper-weight or throw it away.
    You can try the following, but again, only do it as your last resort and at your own risk.
    Warning !!!! – It may or may not manage to solve your problem, and with a risk that you may further damage your iPod, which end up as an expensive paper weight or you need to pay more higher repairing cost. Therefore, please re-consider again whether you want to try the next level
    Last Resort Level
    1. . Disconnecting the Hard Drive and battery inside the iPod – Warning !! Your iPod warranty will be waived once you open the iPod.
    In Hong Kong there are some electronic shops offering an iPod service for Sad iPod, the first thing they do is to open up the iPod’s case and disconnecting the battery and the Hard Drive from the main board of the iPod. Wait for 5-10 minutes and reconnecting them back. The reason behind which I can think of is to do a fully reset of a processor of the iPod. In case you want do it itself and you believe that you are good on fixing the electronics devices and have experience to deal with small bits of electronic parts, then you can read the following of how to open the iPod case for battery and HDD replacement (with Quicktimes)
    http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/index.cfm?page=Video/directory.html
    2.Press the reset button on the Hard Drive inside the iPod – Suggestion from Kill8joy
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2438774#2438774
    Have I tried these myself? No, I am afraid to do it myself as I am squeamish about tinkering inside electronic devices, I have few experiences that either I broke the parts (which are normally tiny or fragile) or failed to put the parts back to the main case. Therefore, I agree with suggestion to have it fixed by a Pro.
    2. Do a search on Google and some topics on this discussion forum about “Sad iPod”
    Exclamation point and folder and nothing else
    Spank your iPod
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ljPhrFUaOY
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3597173#3597173
    Exclamation point and folder and nothing else
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2831962#2831962
    What should I do with my iPod? Send it or keep it?
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=469080&tstart=0
    Strange error on iPod (probably death)
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=435160&start=0&tstart=0
    Sad Face on iPod for no apparent reason
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=336342&start=0&tstart=0
    Meeting the Sad iPod icon
    http://askpang.typepad.com/relevanthistory/2004/11/meeting_thesad.html#comment-10519524
    Sad faced iPod, but my computer won’t recognize it?
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2236095#2236095
    iPod Photo: unhappy icon + warranty question
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2233746#2233746
    4th Gen iPod Users - are we all having the same problem?
    http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=2235623#2235623
    Low Battery, and clicking sounds
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2237714#2237714
    Sad faced iPod, but my computer won’t recognize it
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2242018#2242018
    Sad iPod solution
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=412033&tstart=0
    Re: try to restore ipod and it says "can't mount ipod"
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=443659&tstart=30
    iPod making clicking noise and is frozen
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2420150#2420150
    Cant put it into disk mode
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3786084#3786084
    I think my iPod just died its final death
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3813051
    Apple logo & monochrome battery stay
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3827167#3827167
    My iPod ism’t resetting and isn’t being read by my computer
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4489387#4489387
    I am not suggesting that you should follow as well, but just read them as your reference. You are the person to make the call.
    Finally, I read a fair comments from dwb, regarding of slapping the back of the iPod multiple times
    Quote “This has been discussed numerous times as a 'fix'. It does work, at least for a while. In fact I remember using the same basic trick to revive Seagate and Quantam drives back in the mid to late 1980's. Why these tiny hard drives go bad I don't know - could be the actuator gets stuck in place or misaligned. Could be the platter gets stuck or the motor gets stuck. 'Stiction' was a problem for drives back in the 80's. Unfortunately the fix can cause damage to the platter so we temporarily fix one problem by creating another. But I know of two instances where a little slap onto the table revived the iPods and they are still worked a year or more later.”UnQuote

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