IPod touch won't start

Question

After upgrading to the 2.0 update, my iPod touch started getting really slow, and eventually crashed - it shut itself down and did the Apple logo thing. But it stayed on the Apple logo forever, never moving on. I tried restarting it again, turning it off, plugging it into a dock or computer, and everything else. As it crashed, it disappeared from iTunes, and as it didn't even get up to the Slide to unlock screen, it didn't appear in iTunes.
I restored it by holding down the home button, and did a clean, fresh install. Everything seemed to be working fine. Annoyed that I'd lost everything, but happy that it was working. Then, today, I had just finished syncing in iTunes, and it said 'iPod OK to remove', so I did, but the sync screen was still on the iPod, even after I removed it from the PC. I did the power + home button restore, and guess what - it got stuck on the Apple logo, exactly the same as last time. I know what to do now, and I have it backed up, but it's still going to take me 1/2 hours to re sync everything.
I am confident that there is some problem with the 2.0 update - I have never had this problem before. It is impossible for me to cope with the re syncing of ALL content if it simply freezes, but I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

It's not a particular application. The 2.0 firmware is a total disaster. I've had my iPod Touch since March, and I never once had to restore it in four months of running the 1.1.4 firmware. Ever since I updated to 2.0, I've had to restore it completely at least a dozen times. I have repeatedly lost all of my data and settings. The only way to avoid the problem completely is not to install or use ANY applications except the default ones.
If you do choose to use other applications, you have to exercise extreme caution at all times, but even that might not be enough. Here are a few tips...
1. Never install ANYTHING through the App Store on the iPhone/iPod itself. Not even updates. App installs on the device frequently get stuck, may never finish installing, and once that happens, you're hosed. You'll have to restore and reinstall everything again. All installation should be done through iTunes. Never, ever use the App Store on the device.
2. Never cancel a backup or sync (by clicking the X in the iTunes window). I realize the backup process takes forever, but if you cancel it, you'll end up with a corrupt backup, and if you try to restore from it, it will not work. The worst part is, it deletes your previous backup before starting the new one. So, if you cancel the backup, you will not be able to revert to a previous backup either. You will lose all of your data in all of your applications, and there is no way to get it back.
3. After completing a successful backup (during the sync process), you can disable backups so you don't have to sit through the whole process everytime you sync. To disable backups, paste the following command into Terminal:
defaults write com.apple.iTunes DeviceBackupsDisabled -bool true
However, you will want to turn it back on and do a proper backup at least once a day, if you're using any apps that store data that you don't want to lose. You can do so by changing "true" to "false" in the above line, like so:
defaults write com.apple.iTunes DeviceBackupsDisabled -bool false
After doing this, run a sync in iTunes, and it will do another full backup. Then you can disable it again.
4. Applications are going to crash. The 2.0 firmware is extremely buggy and it affects all third-party applications. Don't blame the apps. Don't bother removing and reinstalling apps. They are going to crash anyway. Sometimes it will just return you to the home screen with all of your app icons. But usually it will cause your iPhone/iPod to spontaneously reboot, and you'll have to stare at the Apple logo for at least a minute or so while it reboots.
Apple is furiously working to fix these and other issues in the 2.1 firmware update, which is currently in beta. Until that update has been released, and confirmed to have fixed the many, extremely serious problems in 2.0, the iPhone OS platform should be considered unstable and unreliable. If you decide to install any applications, you have to accept the risk that the entire device may freeze and completely stop working at any time. Even if you follow all of my advice, it might happen anyway.
So my final advice is this: If you absolutely need your iPhone/iPod to work, and you don't want to risk having to restore/reinstall everything all over again, DO NOT INSTALL ANYTHING ON IT. Not through iTunes, not through the App Store on the device. Use the built-in programs only, and wait for the 2.1 firmware.