IPod Touch 3G in DFU Mode and won't come out

Question

Hello,
My daughter's iPod Touch 3G appears to be in DFU mode, but won't come out. The screen is completely black, and when I attach it to the computer, it comes up with the message "iTunes had detected as an iPhone in recovery mode. You must restore this iPhone before it can be used with iTunes." When I hit the restore button, I receive the error message "software for this iPhone is not currently available. Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes and try again."
I've seen this message posted several times in the forum, and I have tried all the troubleshooting tips offered by Apple Support and in the answers to some of the questions. I am a Systems Engineer, so I consider myself pretty technically savvy. These are the steps I have followed so far:
1) Completey removed and reinstalled iTunes according to the instructions provided by Apple.
2) Downloaded the firmware for both the 3G and IOS4 from http://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/ and attempted a manual install - when I do this, I receive the error message, "the iPhone "iPhone" could not be restored because the firmware is incompatible"
3) Downloaded RecBoot to attempt to exit recovery mode, but it does not appear to be detecting the iPod.
4) Attempted to exit and re-enter DFU mode several times to no avail.
5) Called Apple Express Lane and was willing to pay the 1 time phone support charge, however the agent told me that he could not help me, and that I needed to take the iPod into an Apple store (the iPod is 190 days out of warranty).
My last effort is to try the install from another PC. So, prior to taking the iPod into the store, I was wondering if anyone has had any success other than the steps I have tried above. I'm appreciative for any assistance anyone is able to provide.
Message was edited by: kander1625

Answer 1

Check the model number on the back, "A1318" = 3G, "A1288" = 2G. If it truly is a 32GB 3G Touch, then you're going to have a rough time going back to an iOS version earlier than the current release (4.3.1, available from iTunes). The iOS packs you get from the site you mention are not "signed" and you probably won't be able to install them ... I think 2G owners have better luck with those "unofficial" versions.
So, if you have a 3G, your best bet is to erase (or move) all earlier iOS versions and let iTunes download a fresh copy of 4.3.1 for the iPod -- no need to go to a 3rd party site. If you have a 2G, then the latest version you can install is 4.2.1, which is also available from iTunes. To increase your odds of this working out, you might temporarily disable any AV software and firewall(s).