is my ipod possessed?

July 13, 2010 4:25 PM

is my ipod possessed?

My ipod works, but won't be recognized by the computer.

disk mode doesn't help
deleted itunes, quicktime, and everything else apple recommends and still, doesn't work
reformatted in itunes several times, doesn't help
rebooted several times, no go!
ipod test shows no problems!
ipod charges fully from the usb cable.

what on earth is wrong with my ipod?

perhaps its the ipod cable itself?

is there any way to do a hard reset/reformat of the ipod without a computer?

I look forward to (hopefully) something simple I haven't thought of...

thank you mefi!

posted by Izzmeister to Technology (9 answers total)

Do you have access to another usb cable? Give that a shot.
posted by special-k at 4:26 PM on July 13, 2010

You can do a hard reset which may help in your situation. To do a "restore" where it effectively erases the computer and rewrites the system software, you pretty much need a computer.
posted by birdherder at 4:28 PM on July 13, 2010

Try to snag another iPod cable (maybe you could politely ask the Genius at your local Apple Store, if they're so disposed) and test it.

My old iPhone 3G cable would charge and sync my 3G fine, but flipped out when I tried it on my iPhone 4.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 4:31 PM on July 13, 2010

I had this happen, a hard reset solved it. Good luck.
posted by fifilaru at 4:36 PM on July 13, 2010

Response by poster: hard reset is not working. (tried many times.)

will try to get another cable tomorrow.

any other ideas? i tried a format command in DOS, no dice....
posted by Izzmeister at 4:43 PM on July 13, 2010

Seconding the cable; I've had the same problem with my iPhone (will charge but not sync) and a new cable solved it.
posted by immlass at 5:24 PM on July 13, 2010

If you're using XP, it's most likely the good ol' Windows + USB = GAH!!!!!! problem.

It's almost certainly not a problem with the iPod.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:36 PM on July 13, 2010

If the cable does not work, can you get it to an Apple store (or a friend with a Mac) and try reformatting it using Disk Utility? I've had success doing this with other USB devices that Windows refused to recognize.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 6:51 PM on July 13, 2010

I've also had this problem. Was mystified for days until I saw that I had a small amount of pocket fluff in the port at the bottom. It clearly wasn't covering the pins which allowed it to charge but we covering enough that it wasn't recognised. Shine a bright light in there and see what you can see.
posted by dmt at 9:27 AM on July 14, 2010