IPod Touch 4 Restore Ruined iPod?

Question

Hello -
I've had my iPod Touch 4 for under three years, and it's worked well enough, but earlier this week, I tried to restore it with the intentions of selling it, since it hasn't been used much lately.  Well, that idea went down the drain within a day.
When I connected it to my laptop, it prompted me to update iTunes to the latest version on my laptop - okay; done.  I reconnected my iPod to my computer again, and asked it to begin the restore.  Since my iOS is version 5.1 or around there, it prompted me to update it to iOS 6.1.2.  Of course, since it didn't give me an option to restore without updating it, I told it to go ahead.  Four hours later, the update was completed and my iPod stopped working. 
I tried to reconnect the iPod to my computer and tell it to continue the restore, but it would not.  It just tells me that the iPod is stuck in recovery mode, and needs to restore.  I tell it to restore, and iTunes quickly comes up with another message, saying that an error occurred, including the code for the error. 
I have done everything that the iTunes support page suggests I do when an error code comes up. I have let the battery drain on my iPod at least three times, logged out of every program and made sure that no other USB cables were plugged into my laptop, as well as no SD cards.  I've done hours of research trying to figure out how to fix it all this week, but I'm stuck in a rut.
The device is not jailbroken, and worked fairly well (and was always handled carefully), and it's never given me issues like this before.  I've also tried to put it into DFU mode countless times, but it just won't work.  Also, I am tech-savvy and pretty well know what I am doing, so it isn't like I clicked the wrong thing or did something stupid to get into this mess. 
Has anyone else encountered this problem?  And does anyone know how or if I can fix it?  Please advise, thank you very much for your time. 

Answer 1

Try the remaining items of:
Configure your security software
Related errors: 2, 4, 6, 9, 1000, 1611, 9006, 9807, or 9844. Sometimes as a result of this issue, a device might stop responding during the restore process.
Check your security software and settings, which can block ports and prevent connection to Apple servers during update and restore.
Check USB connections
Related errors: 13, 14, 1600, 1601, 1602, 1603, 1604, 1611, 1643-1650, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 4000, 4005, 4013, 4014, 4016, “invalid response,” and being prompted to restore again after a restore completes.
If there’s an issue with the USB port, cable, dock, or hub, or if the device becomes disconnected during restore, try troubleshooting the USB connection, then troubleshooting your security software.
To narrow down the issue, you can also change up your hardware:
Use another USB cable.
Plug your cable into a different USB port on your computer.
Try a different dock connector (or no dock).
Add (or remove) a USB hub between your device and computer.
Connect your computer directly to your Internet source, with no routers, hubs, or switches.
If you checked your connections and are still seeing the error message, check for hardware issues.
Check for hardware issues
Related errors: 1, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 1000, 1002, 1004, 1011, 1012, 1014, 1667, or 1669.
Try to restore your iOS device two more times while connected with a cable, computer, and network you know are good (this means try on another computer). Also, confirm your security software and settings are allowing communication between your device and update servers. If you still see the error message when you update or restore, contact Apple support.