Sad iPod and exclamation point.

Ok, I have read the support on this problem, but it talks about it not being found, etc.
That is not my problem.
I was listening to it one day, and it froze for a moment, then it unfroze and kept freezing and unfreezing, finally resulting with just frozen for about an hour.
So, I go home and reset the iPod, and left it in the thing to charge overnight.
Morning rises, and I unplug it, click the button, and the little Apple comes up
Then, the sad iPod and exclamation point comes up and directs me to this website.
When trying to turn it on I can hear it loading up and then clicking and stopping, and so on.
What is the problem here?

Here is a pretty comprehensive post about the sad iPod icon. Be aware that it's quite involved and contains some info that will almost certainly void the warranty. If your iPod is still within the warranty period, you should use that option first.
The Sad iPod icon.
You can arrange online service here.
Service request.

Similar Messages

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    Right.
    If you do have to send it in, then look at this link first...
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61771
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    DELL   Windows ME  

    Here ya go:
    iPod Doesn’t Appear in iTunes/iPod Sad Icon
    Good Thread About iPod Sad icon/Folder with Exclamation Point
    I hope this helps!

  • My nano displays a folder and exclamation point

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    Hello John,
    Check out this detailed post about this same problem, and see if the suggestions work.
    Also, there is an Apple article about this.
    iPod displays a folder icon and exclamation point
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    Have you tried connecting the iPod to different USB ports and/or another computer?
    You can also take a look at this website, which may help figure out what's wrong with your iPod.
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    Hello all,
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  • What is the grey triangle and exclamation point when trying to view pics in iPhoto?

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  • Ipod has a sad face with exclamation point and now it wont turn on at all!

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    See these troubleshooting articles.
    My iPod is sad.
    What does this picture on my iPod mean?
    PC doesn't recognize the iPod is connected.
    When restoring the iPod, it's useful to put into disk mode first.
    Putting iPod into disk mode.
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  • Sad face with exclamation point on my Ipod

    hi, my name is John and i live in South america.
    Two days ago i got a problem with my Ipod, it got frozen and i clicked on the menu and the select button. It turned off and never started anymore. Now i get a sad face and a exclamation point on the screen.
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    Sounds like it's hard drive is dying.  In that case, see this Apple support document.
    iPod displays a sad iPod icon
    You may also want to take a look at the extensive post from Mitch 751 from more potential solutions/fixes.
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/480759?start=0&tstart=0
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  • Ipod keeps resetting itself with folder and exclamation point.

    Well, I was listening to some music one day when my ipod just shut off on me.
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    At one point and time it would actually make an audible spinning sound and then come to a halt and repeat that over and over again.
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    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=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
    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

  • Ipod shows apple logo then folder and exclamation point then shuts off

    how do i make my ipod work it alternates from the ipod logo to do not disconnect to the folder logo to shutting off and sometimes it just stops working period

    See these.
    iPod shows a folder icon with exclamation point after disconnecting.
    iPod shows a folder icon with exclamation point when you turn it on.
    iPod only shows an Apple logo and doesn't start up.
    Only Apple Logo appears on display when turned on.

  • File and exclamation point

    Hi,
    I have a 40gb click wheel ipod and have had it for a few years now. All of a sudden when I turn it on it goes fron the apple logo to a file with an exclamation point.
    I went to the apple site and it said to move the hold button on and off then press select and menu together while it being plugged into computer or other pwer source. This I have done all day but I still het the same file and point showing up. I downloaded itunes 7 and when I connect the ipod it says it is corrupted and I need to restore it, when I do this the file and point just return and there is no life in the ipod even though it is fully charged.
    Can anyone help me please?
      Windows XP  

    Check these out:
    iPod Folder with Exclamation Point After Disconnected From Computer
    iPod Folder with Exclamation Point After Turned On
    Put iPod into Disk Mode Manually – Worked for Me!
    Good Thread About iPod Sad icon/Folder with Exclamation Point
    I hope this helps!

  • Taking the plunge - external drive and exclamation points

    Okay...
    I have cried for help on this forum before about the somewhat common problem of iTunes 7 having a strange relationship with music on my external drive. The drive in question is a Lacie 250 GB Firewire drive.
    A few months ago, out of the blue, one day I opened iTunes to find a sea of exclamation points. Though all the music I had added after a particular date was there, most of the music I had added prior to that was tagged with the exclamation. When I'd try to play one of these songs, iTunes would say it could not be found, though I could manually locate it and things would work fine. I tried a few fixes recommended on this forum by well-meaning but misguided people that resulted in a few sets of duplicate playlists but no fix to the problem. Then, one day, out of the blue again...it started working fine.
    I don't even recall having restarted the computer. iTunes had just fixed the problem somehow.
    Well, now the problem is back, and I've dealt with it for about a month. But I'm not convinced that it will just go away this time. So, even if I destroy my painstakingly cultivated hundreds of playlists, ratings, play history and comprehensive information (artwork, composer, etc.), I am determined to fix this problem without manually locating over 10,000 songs.
    I am posting my attempts here as a record that will hopefully help those struggling with this problem in the future. Though I would welcome any and all comments or questions, I have frankly come to expect very little assistance or even the willingness to assist from this forum (that is to say, I imagine my unresolved question will languish for awhile as a monologue until I either fix the problem or die).
    The first thing I will do (after doing a final backup, of course) is to determine whether it makes a difference if an updated version of my iTunes library file and .xml are in the Music folder (on my hard drive) or in my Musica folder (on the external drive). The latest edition of the file is currently on the external drive.
    So, here we go...
    Grant
    Dual 1GHz G4, 1G RAM, 80G HD   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   iPod (1st Gen), iPod Shuffle (1st Gen), iPod Mini, External HD

    Well, I've made quite a mess of things. So I have 14,000 songs. Most were added years ago. Looking at the date added in correlation with the exclamation points, it seems as though iTunes forgot the location of most of the songs added before 5/9/06. Mind you, iTunes worked fine (with the exception of doing this whole thing once before) until about a month ago. So, in May 2007, iTunes forgot most of what happened before 5/9/06.
    (For reference purposes, the gap seems to exist between two songs I downloaded. "Help Me, Ronda" by the Beach Boys is the last song with an exclamation point in the date added list (see two exceptions below). "Proud Mary" by Ike & Tina Turner, on the other hand, is exclamation point free and only a couple of songs added after "Proud Mary" have exclamation points. They are:
    Freedom, by Richie Havens, added 6/3/06.
    Slow Free Bird, by Geesekey, added 12/17/06, a song I made in Garageband.
    Now, don't let me give you the impression that there is a solid wall of exclamation points up to "Help Me, Rhonda." Maybe about every 10/20 songs, there is a song with no exclamation point that plays fine. Following Jase's lead before (his advice to another user), I have investigated some of these songs that work fine, but can't find any reason why these work and others don't (any difference in the iTunes Library.xml, files created with/without track number, etc.).
    So, here's what happened in the past couple of days: I dragged my "iTunes Music" folder (located in my "Musica" folder on the external drive) into the iTunes source list). Most everything was duplicated, with the new songs playing just fine but lacking ratings and play history. Also, the new songs were not included on any playlists.
    What I did next was poorly executed. I sorted iTunes by the Date Added and selected the first few thousand (roughly, A-J; seeing them according to the Date Added reveal that they weren't added in exactly a linear fashion). I hit the delete button and selected "Remove", but I then told iTunes to "Move to Trash." What I should have done, I imagine, is told iTunes to "Keep Files". So, my A-J songs are now deleted off the External Drive and gone (though I have backup DVDs generated by the iTunes "Back up to Disc" feature).
    What should I do next? is the pressing question. Should I rip everything out and start from scratch with my backup discs? I guess the question I would have with that approach is this: if I restore from backup discs made three months ago, will I still have all my playlists, ratings and play history as they were when I made the backup? If that's the case, that'd be fine with me...I just want to make sure that's what will happen. Also, I have a backup of my iTunes Library file before I've done all this crazy stuff of the past few days, so if that enters into the equation, let me know.
    Otherwise, let me address your comments, Jase.
    Anyway, here's a question. Can you export your
    playlists, even though they're made up of songs with
    exclamation marks? If so, you could try exporting one
    of them as an XML file. Then import it--you'll
    probably wind up with duplicates (playlists, not
    songs). Does the newly imported playlist play, or
    does it still have the exclamation mark problem? I
    wouldn't know what to expect, but it might be worth a
    try.
    My playlists themselves are all still the same as they were (though there are exclamation marks all over the place). From what I can tell, they look fine when exported to an .xml (the music folder seems to have the correct path). When I import it, it's the same deal: exclamation points at the same places.
    If your playlists are exportable, you might want to
    export them to XML files, just so you'll have those
    little databases of them. Then, if worse came to
    worse and you had to give up on your current Library
    file and reload your Music folder into a new library,
    at least there's a chance you could import your
    playlists and not have to build them again from
    scratch (assuming nothing has changed in terms of the
    organization of your Music folder).
    I'm not willing to export every playlist, because I have hundreds and it would just take too long. Is there a way to export all or a lot of playlists at once? Anyway, I figured that my playlist data was stored somehow in the iTunes Library file, so I felt I had a backup already. I could be wrong about this, though, as I really don't understand much about the iTunes Library file and .xml and the like.
    Can you drag songs that have exclamation marks into a
    playlist? Somehow, I doubt it. But if you can, you
    could use new playlists to make a record of some
    information that you might want to save if you had to
    start all over again with a new Library.
    Believe it or not, I can add songs with an exclamation point into playlists and they're added just fine (though, they still have the exclamation point). How this works is: I can't drag and drop them into a playlist. However, I can control-click and select "Add to Playlist" and it works. There's another mystery for you.
    Have you looked at your iTunes Library.xml file --
    specifically at the location information for
    individual songs -- to see if the location
    information exactly matches the information you see
    in the Finder? I have found mismatches when
    investigating some exclamation marked files. I didn't
    know how that happened, and I didn't know what to
    about it, but it was intriguing to see evidence of
    some iTunes mischief.
    Is the iTunes feature to start music file names with
    the track number turned on? To my mind, fewer missing
    song file problems occur when this is on.
    Yes and yes. Based on what you told others, I have looked at the .xml of some of the problem songs and the working ones and could find no difference, but I didn't really know what I was supposed to be looking for. I also use the Add Track Number feature and always have.
    If you still have the 28,000 songs in your Library
    and want to go back to the 14,000, you could sort all
    your songs by Date Added and delete the ones you
    added on June 21. Or, if you saved a copy of your
    iTunes Library file before you dragged your iTunes
    Music folder into the library, you could just throw
    out the more recent Library file and reinstitute the
    back-up copy.
    I probably should have done the latter (just restore the backup of the iTunes Library file). Oh well...
    Some advice for future experiments. Try them with a
    small sample if possible unless you're absolutely
    sure they will work the way you want them to. For
    example, drag one album in your Music folder into
    iTunes rather than the whole Music folder.
    This is a great idea. I wish I would have checked my sample more closely or done more tests before I plunged off the cliff.
    Back up your iTunes Library file, as well as your
    Music folder. (You might already do this.)
    Check.
    Those are a few things to think about. They probably
    will not be helpful. Like I said, I don't think there
    are clear answers to this problem. The best I can
    wish for you is that iTunes will magically fix the
    problem, like it did once before. Then, maybe there
    are some preventive measures you can take.
    Since iTunes did fix it once before, I would not
    throw your current iTunes Library file away, no
    matter what. If you decide to start a new library so
    that you can actually listen to your music, rename
    this Library file and keep it around, since it has a
    lot of your metadata in it. You can try it every now
    and then and see if iTunes spontaneously revives it.
    Okay, I will post what I do next, provided that I don't hear any compelling advice and make my own decision (though I should be even more gun-shy after my recent blunders).
    Grant

  • Moved library from PC to Mac w/ iPod now exclamation points next to songs

    I used the instructions at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300173 to move my iTunes library from a PC to my new MacBook Pro.
    Everything seemed to go smoothly...I moved the iTunes folder from the iPod to the Music folder on the Mac, then opened iTunes. Then something went wrong that I can tell will take me hours to fix. Or at least I hope not:
    The first time I did it, all the songs had the exclamation point next to them and when attempting to play, I got the 'file not found do you want to spend hours re-linking all the files?' message. I moved the iTunes folder and tried it again. This time, about 95% of the 1,100+ songs had the exclamation point. And as I clicked on the few without the exclamation point to try and play them, they too developed the exclamation point blues.
    Is this fixable? The .itl and .xml files are in the 'Music' folder. Should I try moving the iTunes folder from the iPod again? I also noticed that while my playlists and custom genre tags, etc. made it, the album artwork did not .
    Please help! Thanks so much!

    It is a likely possibility that the format of the folders is different between the 2 OS. Troubleshoot these
    Make sure you have actually music files in the folder from your XP. Make sure you transfered your main music folder (My Music)
    Do you have the folders in this order in your music category on your MacBook? iTunes>(iTunes Music Library.xml and iTunes Library data file)iTunes Music>(all of your music
    If these dont work, then use Yamipod, a 3rd party utility that can extract all your info/music off your iPod into iTunes...

  • Sad iPod and not found on computer -tred all relevant articles

    My iPod was working fine until I finally decided to update the software. After i did this, it told me to update my firmware by plugging it in. I did, and then when I unplugged it later on, every song on my iPod was gone. A few days later, I plugged the iPod into my computer and all the songs magically came back on it, even the ones that were not backed up on the computer I plugged it into. It worked fine for a couple of days, but this morning when I tried to play a song, it kept lagging and would struggle, making some clicking sounds (not continuous ones like when a harddrive crashes, just occasional ones like it was having trouble reading), so I reset it. When I started up again, I got the sad iPod icon. I have since tried everything in every relevant support article I could find. I tried the 5 R's, and I also put it into disk mode (which it finally did, after much lagging), but still my computer would not recognize it, even after reinstalling iTunes.
    Basically, what it comes down to, is I cannot restore it, because I cannot get my computer to recognize it. It has always worked fine on this computer -- in fact, I never had a single problem with my iPod until I tried to update the software. I guess I learned, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' - but how can I ever get my iPod to work again? Please help me!
    PS: Somehow I accidentally put this topic in the wrong thread at first... I never even clicked on any fourm, so I don't know how it got there, and I cannot figure out how to delete my post either. For an award-winning site, it just doesn't seem very user-friendly to me >.<

    The Sad iPods icon or folder with an exclamation mark are the toughest problems to deal with, and must do a Restore in order to fix it. However, when your iPod is showing this icon, it is probably too late for your computer to recognize the iPod.
    1. Try these five steps (known as the five Rs) and it would conquer most iPod issues.
    http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/five_rs/
    2. 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
    Still can't see your iPod?
    Several things could keep iPod from appearing in iTunes or in the Desktop/Finder when you connect it to your PC/Mac. The most likely causes are listed below in logical order. Check from the top of the list to see if that is what's keeping iPod from appearing.
    3. Try to wait 30 minutes while iPod is charging.
    4. Try another known-good FireWire or USB through Dock Connector cable.
    5. Try another known-good FireWire or USB port on your computer .
    6. Try to disconnect all devices from your computer's FireWire and USB ports.
    7. Windows users having trouble with their iPods should locate a Mac user. We've found that 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.
    8. Try to do an Erase (Disk Utility) on a Mac computer or a format with a PC (Disk Management tool) but ensure you choose the right Drive (your iPod not your Hard Disk of your computer). You may need to plug and unplug your iPod with the computer for several attempts, and switching around Format and Restore, and hope out of sudden, it will get recognized.
    9. Diagnostic mode solution – which I copied from a thread of a post from thinktwice
    “Then I cam across this special Diganostics Mode that you can get to by resetting and then while the Apple is showing pressing the Select and backwards keys simultaneously. It bring up and weird Diagnostic utility witha a abunch of tests. Here is what I did
    - I tried the 5in1 test and got and error on Firewire.
    - I did the HDD R/W and surprisingly it passed.
    - I went on to the HDD scan. This supposedly tkaes acouple of minute so I waited. I think 4-5 dots appeared then nothing. The iPod started to get hot. THe disk was spinning away. After a while the battery got very low. THis test chews up the battery. So I escaped out by resetting and went to connect it to a power source.
    My USB was dangling out of my computer and I was too lazy to get the Firewire AC adapter thing going so I connected expecting the whole lockup thing with iTunes. Surprise. IT was recognized immediately and has been working like a champ. So go figure.
    Details on Diag mode can be found at http://www.methodshop.com/mp3/ipodsupport/diagnosticmode/index.shtml
    10.Let me ask you a question, if an iPod with no iPod software with it. When your connect it with a computer, what would happen?
    Yeah, the computer will treat it as a fresh external hard disk, which will get force mounted, the computer will ask you to format the iPod. It does not really matter the format is completed or not, the key is to erase (or partly) the corrupted iPod software on the iPod, after that the computer will recognize it.
    Once it has been completed, eject your iPod, open the iPod updater and interestingly, you will able to do the Restore this time.
    Base on the above, that's why I suggest Windows users who experience trouble with their iPods should locate a Mac machine or vice versa. PC computer will not recognize a Mac formatted iPod, but it will get mounted in an attempt to format your iPod.
    But, if none of these steps address the issue, your iPod may need to be repaired. You can arrange for service at the iPod Service Website.
    I have just read an interesting solution about the Sad iPod, it does make sense but the warranty will be waived once you open the iPod, I would not do it myself as I am not good on doing this
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=412033&tstart=0
    Pictures and instructions of how to open the iPod case for battery replacement
    http://www.kokopellimusic.us/KM_instructions.htm

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