How to Reset or Restart Your iPod

So you didn't do anything "wrong", yet your iPod is sitting there with a dark screen (with the evil "apple shadow" logo mocking you) or it's frozen on the last thing you were trying to do.

Well, here's the easy way to get back to happy iPodding again:

- First of all, make sure the "hold" switch on the top (the oval button that shows a hint of orange when your iPod is on "hold" or locked) is not LOCKED! Slide it so no orange is showing - I've been fooled by this one myself a couple times - even though they show a little "lock" icon on the screen, it can't be seen if your screen is black, eh Apple?

- Next, you have two choices, depending if you have a "Scroll Wheel" iPod, or "Click Wheel" iPod.

SCROLL WHEEL

1. Turn the Hold/Pause switch from off to on to off again. (No hold, to hold, to no hold)
2. Press and hold the "Menu" and the "Select" buttons for 6-10 seconds until the apple logo appears, or some other sign of life happens. The "Menu" button is the top part of your scroll wheel, and the "Select" button is the round button in the middle of your scroll wheel.

CLICK WHEEL

1. Turn the Hold/Pause switch from off to on to off again. (No hold, to hold, to no hold)
2. Press and hold the "Play/Pause" and the "Menu" buttons for 6-10 seconds until the apple logo appears, or some other sign of life happens.
   

That should do it. You can also try connecting your iPod up to a power source like your computer or a charger if the button tricks fail. Fire up iTunes if you're connecting to a computer, and sometimes that wakes your iPod up!

Tags: apple, nano, shuffle, shuttle wheel, click wheel, reset, restart, ipod