Our IPod icon does not show up in I-tunes

January 22, 2014 2:18 PM

Hi, We just got an Ipod Nano (the latest one) for Christmas and when we first got it out of the box we were able to download music from our computer to the I-Pod. We did it with I-tunes and I remember seeing something that indicated that the I-Pod was being recognized by the I-tunes website. No problems downloading to the I-Pod. But now I'm trying to add some music and the I-Pod is not being recognized. The new songs are in my library (under I-tunes) and they are already paid for. I have Windows Vista. The little white USB cord is not having a problem with charging the I-Pod, but nothing on the computer indicates that the I-Pod is recognized. When I am in the library, I click on DEVICES, and I can see a word that says sync, but sync is not in bold, another words I can't click on it. Any advice? I already turned my computer off and on again, and also took out the USB and put it back in as well. I went to the website and read the manual but there is so much there and I don't see how to do any of the instructions if the I-pod is not recognized. Thanks, Lynnie-the-pooh
posted by lynnie-the-pooh to Technology (7 answers total)

What happens if you go to "My Computer", is the device recognized? It may be called Ipod or something like Removable Disc depending on the setup I believe.

But if you're looking for a quicker answer, this is the direct link to Apple support for device not being recognized. There are quite a few scenarios in there, but it does provide a starting point.
posted by lpcxa0 at 2:42 PM on January 22, 2014

Here is a step-by-step assistant to help you figure out the problem.

I would reset the iPod. Hold down the little button on the very top of the iPod, and the big round home button on the front. Hold them down together for about 6 seconds. The apple logo will appear and then the home screen. Try plugging it into your computer and seeing if it's recognized. This doesn't delete anything - it just reboots it.

Is the iPod being plugged directly into the computer? Or is it being plugged into something else first (like a USB hub)?
posted by barnone at 2:42 PM on January 22, 2014

Response by poster: It is directly into my computer.

Plus, I checked the Control Panel, and the IPod is installed in there.
posted by lynnie-the-pooh at 3:59 PM on January 22, 2014

A standard recommendation under Windows is to reinstall the software that is choking.
posted by yclipse at 5:05 PM on January 22, 2014

I'm not familiar with Windows or iTunes, sorry, but on my computer I have to mount the iPod before my music player recognizes it and I can transfer files to it. I do it by either right-clicking the desktop icon and selecting 'mount volume', or just opening (double clicking) the device in a file browser.
posted by mannequito at 5:47 PM on January 22, 2014

Did you follow that step-by-step assistant I linked? Or try resetting? Start there, and let us know how it goes.
posted by barnone at 6:11 PM on January 22, 2014

Re-installing iTunes may help. Sometimes some of the background processes/services (AppleMobileDeviceService, iTunesHelper, and iPodService Module) maybe have stopped running (which a restart usually helps with too) or may have gotten corrupt to where they cannot run.

Just be careful and make sure when re-installing iTunes that you leave your library intact so you don't lose it (cloud-available items are an exception). I think when uninstalling it may give you this option.

You could also try going to the Control Panel, and then to the "Programs and Features" area (the place where you uninstall), right-click on iTunes and see if a Repair option is available. This will effectively re-install iTunes without having to remove it and may be faster/safer to try first.

These options have fixed this issue for me in the past.
posted by kup0 at 7:35 PM on January 23, 2014