My iPod Touch 2G 4.2.1 is acting up on me. What can I do?

Question

I have an iPod Touch 2G with an iOS of 4.2.1. I've had it since 2011, when I found it slightly beaten up but still usable in the bottom of an old sofa chair. I think that one of my relatives accidentally let it slip from their pocket, but that's another story. Since then, I've used it as my main portable Internet device. I've also jailbroken it. Unfortunately, the past few days have seen it work really badly, so much so that I had to reset the whole thing. Last night, I attempted to reset it. The instructions said that the reset would take about two hours to complete. But now, the thing keeps loading, shutting down, and re-loading and re-shutting down over and over. No main screen, just the Apple logo and my jailbreak logo, and then it shuts down and does it over and over and over and over. It's been almost 24 hours since I began to reset my iPod Touch. I'm so worried. I tried to disrupt the process by holding the home and power buttons at the same time, but no response. My computer can't even get it to respond.
I cannot afford to purchase a newer model (or even an iPad) or have it repaired. I'm on food stamps and still looking for work. Plus, the iPod Touch's warranty ran out years before I came across it, so Apple can't send me a new one. I have another iPod, but it's an iPod Classic. I've had it for over four years and it's become an indispensable part of my life, and so has the iPod Touch. I'm extremely upset right now. If I took this to the nearest Apple Store's Genius Bar and asked for help, I would probably be laughed out of the store. I just don't know what to do.

Answer 1

Try:
- iOS: Not responding or does not turn on
- Also try DFU mode after try recovery mode
How to put iPod touch / iPhone into DFU mode « Karthik's scribblings
- If not successful and you can't fully turn the iOS device fully off, let the battery fully drain. After charging for an least an hour try the above again.
- Try on another computer          
- If still not successful that usually indicates a hardware problem and an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store is in order. The appointment is free.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar