Please help me wake my iPod.

December 24, 2005 8:17 PM

iPodFilter: My iPod bit the forbidden apple.

It is in a deep sleep. My grey clickwheel iPod froze one day. I tried to reboot it. The apple logo came up, as expected, but never went away. Whenever I try to reboot the reboot screen the Apple flashes and I hear renewed clicking noises, before it goes silent once more.
I can put it into disk mode sometimes. The checkmark comes up. Then I try to dive into normalcy, the apple sign comes up once more, and it returns to it's interrupted slumber.
It has been like this for about 30 hours.
Capable as I know they are, I do not really want to send my iPod into Applecare just now, because I am going on a trip rather soon, on which I will want it. (Of course, if there are no other fix-it-yourself options, I will have to do so.) Going to a Genius Bar is not an option, living where I am.
My iPod has not been exposed to liquids, abused, dropped, or anything like that to the best of my knowledge. However, not too long before this happened, it did run completely out of battery power. I have learned afterwards that that isn't very good for it. But surely that doesn't cause an instant iComa.
The iPod is relatively new (or refurbished). I've had it for a few weeks (I got it straight from Apple, as a warranty replacement.)
I know there are many iPod forums I could take my problem to. It's a testimony to your expertise that I do not do so.

posted by Count Ziggurat to Technology (6 answers total)

Best answer: The hard disk is dead and/or dying. Send it to Apple and hope they return it quickly (they're shouldn't be any problems, and it may be back within a week).
posted by cillit bang at 8:38 PM on December 24, 2005

Agree with cillit bang. I've had two pull the same thing on me - sounds like pretty much identical symptoms. The first one I called support and they had it picked up from my house the following day. They had a replacement in my hands in under a week.
posted by NsJen at 8:57 PM on December 24, 2005

sadly, I'm going to provide a third for this one. mine (60GB 5th gen) did much the same thing as yours about three weeks after I'd received it.
posted by heeeraldo at 11:36 PM on December 24, 2005

I've sent my 3G 40gig iPod in through Applecare twice and have had a turn-around of approximately one week. Their service is impeccable. Question for others, however. After about a month of use, my iPod out of the blue now freezes up my mac whenever I plug it in. It pulls up a screen saying I need to reboot in 10 or 15 languages. Doesn't matter if I plug in via firewire or USB. I love Apple, and I love my iPod, but it's required replacement now for the third time in less than a year. Anyone else have problems with their iPods like this? I haven't dropped it or anything out of the ordinary. My use has been minimal with this particular unit, if anything.
posted by lane73179 at 5:37 AM on December 25, 2005

I have had my ipod for a about 5 months, and have had to get it replaced twice. The first time because of problems with the clickwheel. The second time because I kept getting the folder icon with exclamation mark. I am amazed at how delicate these devices are.
posted by rsinha at 7:15 AM on December 25, 2005

Response by poster: Herm. What bad luck.
I've summoned a service package. I've leaving on the 27^th, so I can forget about it for the trip. Ah well.

Thanks to those who responded.
posted by Count Ziggurat at 3:40 PM on December 25, 2005