Use iTunes to restore? iPod in recovery?

I just bought a nano today, my first ipod, and I don't know what's wrong with it.
On the display it says "use itunes to restore", but when I restore it using itunes, itunes says it has detected an ipod in recovery mode and the says I have to restore it before I can use itunes.
I've tried all the troubleshooting suggestions, although I'm not sure I did them properly.
Can anybody help?

Try here.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304503
If you are stuck in the recovery loop, try this.
Click on control panel/admin tools/computer management/disk management/right click on the iPod to re-assign the drive letter.
Choose something lower down the alphabet, say 'M' or something similar.
The iPod can be confused by any other storage devices assigned a similar drive letter even though they may not connected at the same time.

Similar Messages

ITunes cannot restore iPod in recovery mode.

I connect the iPod, and iTunes recognizes instantly, and tells me that it has detected the iPod in recovery mode etc. Then I click Restore and it normally extracts restoring software, and then a window appears that it cannot sync.
http://www.geocities.com/jjcalzada2009/Picture2.jpg

open iTunes
-plug the iPod into the computer
-hold both sleep/wake and home button until iPod restarts.
-let go of of the sleep/wake button when you see Apple logo.
-continue to hold home button until iTunes pops up with recovery mode
-click yes, and your iPod will be restored to its factory settings.

"Connect to Computer. Use iTunes to Restore" but can't 'see' it in iTunes

I got the error message on my iPod -- "Connect to Computer. Use iTunes to Restore iPod." Problem is, when I try to connect to my computer, it asks if I want to restore it with iTunes, I say yes, but iTunes doesn't 'see' the iPod, so I can't restore.
The iPod just sits with "Do not disconnect" on it and the battery icon moving. I'm dead in the water.
Any ideas?
Message was edited by: dragals

You might try forcing the iPod into disk mode first, then connecting it to your computer and see if that makes it show up in iTunes...
Putting iPod into Disk Mode
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93651
If that works, then you should be able to attempt a restore.
Patrick

"iTunes has detected an iPod in recovery mode - Use iTunes to restore"

When I updated my iTunes software, I connected my Ipod to my laptop to charge. By default, it opened iTunes. Immediately upon doing so, my nano flashed and displayed the message "iTunes has detected an iPod in recovery mode - Use iTunes to restore". I followed the instructions to reset, but to no avail, the message never disappears. However, if this helps at all, when attempting to reset the nano, the nano turns off, the apple logo displays, then returns to the same message. I do not want to "restore" my nano unless absolutely necessary since I'll lose everything I have stored on it. I'm open for suggestions. Thanks for reading.

Have you had a chance to look at this troubleshooting page? Have a look at the bottom section that covers what to try if restoring doesn't work, it may be of some help: iTunes has detected an iPod in recovery mode - Use iTunes to restore

New iPod Nano isn't being recognized, with "Use iTunes to restore"

I got this new Nano yesterday and I took it out the box, tried it for a while, etc. I then installed iTunes 9 and after that everything was fine, so I plugged it in, hoping to sync it with my library and charge it. It did both for a while. Unfortunately, it was at this moment my PC decided lock up, and I had to use CAD to stop all the programs that were running, including iTunes, with the Nano still plugged in. Now the only functions of the Nano are to show the Apple logo for a bit, go to black and then show the "Use iTunes to restore" screen. I Googled and found that this means it needs to be formatted for Windows use. However, I plug it in and Windows refuses to recognize it, as does iTunes. However, it does connect when I press both the select and menu buttons (I tried to put it into disk mode, but this doesn't work) only to disconnect a few seconds later when iTunes tries to download the recovery software. Can anyone help? Nothing is working. Thanks.

I have also just installed my new Nano, had to upgrade to itunes V9, this worked eventually and then the nano locked up along with the PC. rebooted the PC, reset the Nano, all looked good until I tried to reconnect the Nano to the PC. it connected and then immediately disconnected and itunes gave an error saying that it couldn't read the ipod, try to reconnect.

My ipod says "connect to your computer. use itunes to restore."

My ipod says "connect to your computer. use itunes to restore."
So I plug it into the computer and itunes says it needs to restore, so I click restore, everything seems to go fine, and it says the ipod needs to restart, it does, has a lil progress bar go across the ipod screen, then itunes detects the ipod again and says it needs to be restored again. This is an endless loop, anyone have any idea how to solve this problem?

Have you had a chance to look at this troubleshooting page? Have a look at the bottom section that covers what to try if restoring doesn't work, it may be of some help: iTunes has detected an iPod in recovery mode - Use iTunes to restore

Ipod says "Use ITunes to Restore", then Chinese! Did I lose all music?

I used my ipod nano (dont know the generatino, but got it x-mas 06) yesterday. I plugged into a new computer and then installed ITunes. When I ejected the ipod, it stated "Use ITunes to Restore" then everything was in Chinese. When it is plugged in initially it states "ITUnes has detected an ipod in recovery mode. You must restore this ipod before it can be used with Itunes". It is not even stating my ipod name on the itunes page . Has anyone any idea here? I am completely lost and have NO backup of my music Thanks!

So, hitting "restore" is the only way to solve this
Yes.
Basically all music that I downloaded from CD's, will be gone
Did you delete it from iTunes after you put it onto the iPod?

When i turn my ipod on it said use itunes to restore......

when i turn my ipod on it said use itunes to restore. SO i downloaded the new itunes (7.2 i think) and when i pluged ipod in it said ipod in recovery mode restore before use in itunes for sumthin like that... so i did that and at the end it said error occured (1413)...so im like ***...anyways iv ran out of ideas of what to do. and iv used my ipod before and one morning it didnt work...so yeah please help me!!!!

My Problem iz rather weird nd strange. about a month back, my 2GB nano just freezed due to no apparent reason. i used the hold-menu-and-centre-key strategy to reset it and the next screen said somthing like USE ITUNES TO RESTORE. i connected it thru my USB cable to my PC and i tunes wudn't recognize it. then i used the updater which said can't mount iPOD. i then checked ur forums and tried tht manual disk mode to format it in my PC. but on right clickin on
iPOD(which shows as REMOVABLE DRIVE), nothing happens. no format screen iz displayed. but somehow trying again and again and restarting and shutting down the ipod service solved the matter. for testing, i copied one song with couple of photos in it. it worked reallly fine until i
formatted my pc.
I re-did the partitions, reinstalled the windows
and every software. then i downloaded the latest iTUNES(7.0.2) from apple's website. ripped a few cds on my pc, then opened iTUNEs to copy more music in my iPOD. just after the copy started, iTUNES gave error which had something to do with the transfer. i unpluggged my iPOD
after ejecting frm iTUNES and found the same freaky error (USE ITUNES TO RESTORE) again. as i had tackled thru this error earlier, so i repeated the same procedure but with latest iTUNES this time. i had to download the latest iPOD updater(1.3 i guess) too as it is not included in iTUNES.
and after every step, it is still giving the same error over and over again. i hav another pc which iz using the same windows with previous iPOD updater and iTUNES. that updater givez errors like CAN'T MOUNT iPOD,FIRMWARE UPDATE FAILURE, etc. and also hangs sometimes. and even if it
restores, the iPOD never restarts. when i use my other PC with newer iTUNES and new windows on it, it givez errors like UNKNOWN ERROR, etc. also after restoring, the iPOD restarts and shows the same USE ITUNES to RESTORE error. main probelm i m facing in restoring process thru disk mode iz tht whenever i right click on the iPOD in my COMPUTER, there r 99% chances that it wont show any format dialogue at all (even if the iPOD service isn't running)
kindly help me az i m tooo much fed up of this thing. i mite smash the nano onto my computer screen if nuthin helps :S
kindly reply soon. please note tht the country i live in doesn't giv support for iPODs and i received this product as a gift about an year back and has been working fine ever since (except last two times) also i cant afford to send it bak to UK or something like tht. so online
help wud b much appreciated...
also i cudnt find any POST new TOPIC button on these forums, kindly help me in tht regard too...
THANKING IN ANTICIPATION
P.S. i've tried it three different PCs with frsh installations. so suggest me something different also drive letter can't b changed for iPOD in disk manager..

My iPod dispalys this message: "Connect to a computer. Use iTunes to restore." When I connect to a computer, iTunes doesn't recognise it. The iPod 5th Gen does not work at all. How do I fix my iPod without losing any data?

My iPod dispalys this message:
"Connect to a computer. Use iTunes to restore." When I connect to a computer, iTunes doesn't recognise it. The iPod 5th Gen does not work at all. How do I fix my iPod without losing any data?
I have seen the Apple webpage suggesting the "five R's" (including restore). Before doing anything, I want to be sure that restoring or any other action is not going to delete or risk my data.
I would be very grateful if anyone can suggest a fix for this problem, in a way that will not risk my data.
Thanks in advance!

Did you try a hard reset with the iPod still connected to your PC? Have you tried multiple USB ports, preferably high powered USB 2.0 ports?
To do a hard reset, first make sure the hold switch is in the Off position, then press and hold both the Select (Center) and Menu buttons together long enough for the Apple logo to appear.
Have you also worked through each and every single troubleshooting suggestion in this Apple support document?
iPod not recognized in 'My Computer' and in iTunes for Windows
B-rock

HT1363 My old iPod Nano says to use iTunes to restore and I've followed all suggested help steps, but I can't get it into disk mode nor can I get it to show in my computer or in iTunes.

My old iPod Nano says to use iTunes to restore and I've followed all suggested help steps, but I can't get it into disk mode nor can I get it to show in my computer or in iTunes. I have the latest version of iTunes. Windows has all the most recent updates too. I can reset the iPod, but the message to Use iTunes to restore comes back and I am stuck.

Already tried another USB port, still nothing.
I don't have another PC to check, I only have one which is the one not working with my iPod.
It appears under my Computer, just not under iTunes. Plus, the iPod classic troubleshooting assistant doesn't work because I can't restore since it can't come up onto my iTunes! Even my iPod says "Use iTunes to Restore" once in a while, but I plug it in & I'm not able to restore it since it won't come up under iTunes.
Please help

Made HDD, Battery and case upgrades to my ipod video 5th Gen and now I am told "Connect to your computer. Use iTunes to restore."

I have a 5th Gen iPod Video that I have had many years now. It has worked faithfully until about 2 weeks ago and the HDD totally died on me.
So I decided to upgrade from a 30 to 60 gb HDD, replaced the battery for the appropriate HDD and bought a new back shell for the unit. I made incremental installations as parts arrived. First the HDD itself and the next day the battery. Both went in with no problem and I have been running them in a jerry rigged case (basically the 30gb back case has been taped together to make sure it was going to work OK. I have been taking it to work with absolutely no issues, great response and great battery life. Synching is fabulous.
Here is the issue, I hope this makes sense...
Today I received my 60 GB silver back cover and moved all of my parts over. It seems to fit fine. Headphone jack is working fine. However, now the hold button is unresponsive (which is not a big loss to me but still just so you know). I can play music and I can sync. However, if I restart the unit, or I try synching a second time, I get screen saying "Connect to your computer. Use iTunes to restore." It does not matter if I snap it shut or leave the case loose, this happens.
I have this error until I open my case up again and do nothing else. At that time, the error goes away, and my ipod is fine again. Then, the screen comes back after restarting to a normal boot. But, if I sync or restart without doing anything else, we go through the motions again until I open the case back up.
I have disconnected the battery as well as the HDD, but still have the problem. I have also disconnected the cable coming from the hold button/earphone jack to the M/B,
Has anyone else ever experienced this issue or have any suggestions.

Shouldn't you contact the vendor or person who sold the back cover? At the very least, it has a Hold switch that doesn't work.
This web site has repair guides
http://www.ifixit.com/Device/iPod_Original
and they call it "Headphone Jack & Hold Switch"
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPod+5th+Generation+%28Video%29+Headphone+Jack+%26+H old+Switch+Replacement/604
Under Relevant Parts, they seem to list separate parts for the thick and thin back cover.
On a side note, another way to fix your iPod is to use a compact flash card instead of a hard drive. This web page has details
http://www.instructables.com/id/Convert-your-5th-Gen-iPod-Video-to-use-Flash-Mem or/
Then, you can use your existing thin profile back cover that works. I replaced the hard drive in my 4th gen iPod with a CF card. Currently, it is only 8GB, but with lower prices these days, I may soon upgrade it with a 64GB CF card. But it works great with the 8GB card. The iPod is noticeably lighter. There is no hard drive spin-up delay. The battery lasts longer per charge. And it is no doubt more shock-resistant.

IPOD ERROR MESSAGE: Connect to your computer. Use Itunes to restore.

Whenever I turn my ipod on after its been off for a few hours the screen displays "Connect to your computer. Use Itunes to restore" and then goes blank. I turn the ipod back on again and it appears to work normally but the battery is showing close to zero even though it has been freshly charged!
I have restored the ipod several times as it suggests but this does not get rid of the error message. Is my ipod screwed? I'm surprised there are very few posts on this topic too...
I have a 30Gb ipod video running v1.2.1

I just found this support document which explains the issue exactly.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303915
Looks like a visit to Regent St is needed.
The reason why I am surprised about the lack of posts on this topic is that I can't believe my issue is so unique. Surely out of the millions of ipod users out there this exact same issue would have been reported more frequently.

Ipod Nano 7th Generation is saying Use Itunes to Restore. Itunes no longer recognizes my device

Please Help, My Ipod nano 7th generation was syncing. When I disconnected from my computer, I no longer had any music on it. When I plugged it back in Itunes prompted me to restore my Ipod. I went ahead and restored it, but it kept asking me to restore. When I unplugged my ipod, I got a white screen saying Use Itunes to Restore. Problem is Itunes no longer picks up my device. I've tried plugging it into different USB ports, I've tried to update Itunes to the newest version, and uninstalled and reinstalled itunes. I've tried to reset the ipod, but it still goes back to the white screen saying "Use Itunes to Restore". I've been trying everything. Please Help.
Thanks

No. You need iTunes on a computer to restore it. If you don't have iTunes you can download it from here:
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
If you don't have a computer, can you can try to borrow one with iTunes installed.

My 5th gen Ipod won't do anything but show the " Connect to your computer, use itunes to restore" screen. However my computer nor anyone else's will recognize my ipod. What can I do?

My ipod will not do anything but show a screen that asks to "connect ipod to computer, use itunes to restore" My computer however will not recognize my ipod at all so there is no way to restore my ipod. I am not skilled in computers but if anyone has a step by step that would be great.

Did you try a hard reset with the iPod still connected to your PC? Have you tried multiple USB ports, preferably high powered USB 2.0 ports?
To do a hard reset, first make sure the hold switch is in the Off position, then press and hold both the Select (Center) and Menu buttons together long enough for the Apple logo to appear.
Have you also worked through each and every single troubleshooting suggestion in this Apple support document?
iPod not recognized in 'My Computer' and in iTunes for Windows
B-rock

TS1456 My 4th Gen iPod Nano isn't displaying a "Use iTunes to restore" message, but iTunes is displaying a restore message when I connect it. I have original music that I can't back up on my iPod. Is there any way that I can fix the iPod without restoring

My 4th Gen iPod Nano isn't displaying a "Use iTunes to restore" message, but iTunes is displaying a restore message when I connect it. I have original music that I can't back up on my iPod. Is there any way that I can fix the iPod without restoring it?

It's not designed to work like this. When you sync, the iPod stores some information that basically says 'this iPod belongs to computer xyz'. Apple did this to prevent copyright issues (syncing someone else's music).
If you really want to do this, you'll have to at least tie both iTunes installations to the same account. Maybe have them sync with each other.

Use iTunes to restore? iPod in recovery?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for