The Last Gasp Solution
Right. So my 4th-generation 20GB clickwheel iPod died yesterday morning. I figured, when I saw the dead ipod face, that I’d just reset it and restore it later.
No dice.
Then I figured I’d have my buddy Bryan look at it.
Even he was stumped.
So I thought, well, my the good folks over at an area Genius Bar will have something to say.
Nada, except buy a new one [pffft! ha.] or spend $250 to have it replaced.
So a quick troll of the apple support pages, discussion forums, and the internet at large revealed a few tidbits of information:
1. The 5 R’s
2. The dead iPod epidemic
3. Apple Customer Service blows monkey chunks
4. The firm-slap repair method [which I have redubbed Whack-a-Mole].
Since neither I, Bryan, nor the Apple Geniuses could get the iPod functional by using Apple-recommended tips, and since even third-party repair was quickly looking to be cost-prohibitive [or downright untrustworthy], I decided to try beating it into submission.
Whack-a-mole: How to bring your dead iPod back from the grave
Only recommended if you’ve done everything under the sun and want to see what happens to your pretty white paperweight. I will not be responsible for damage to your ‘pod if you undertake this advice, dumbass.
1. Plug it in.
2. Whack the hell out of it.
You could hold it firmly and whack it bottom-side down on a flat surface. Since my flat surface was also supporting my laptop, I decided to hit the iPod on an angle on the stiff arm of my crappy loveseat, instead. I gave it a few very firm whacks and then set it down gently on the coffee table, made sure it was connected to my mac, and did a reset [hold down the Select and Menu buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds or so].
Boom: it powered up. Then I made sure the software was up to date [it is] and restored the whole motherfucker.
Now I’m reloading all my music onto it.
So far, it works like a dream.
Let this be a lesson to you: If at first you don’t succeed, resort to violence and cross your fingers.
I went to the Apple store with an appointment to see their “genius” and wasn’t too surprised to see a person with a similar problem as mine. So I watched the interaction with him and the sales person only to find her jump to selling him a new one. (oh and the “genius” asked who she was, she was a short girl in a orange shirt, dark hair, and was doing door duty at 5:45pm (I hope they give her the training to do the following because she was lost as to what I was talking about)) I then piped up “have you tried diskmode?” I mean his light on his ipod still came on unlike mine. I’m sure his could have been saved. She gave me a dirty look and said “CAN I HELP YOU?” Like why are you staring? and talking about stuff I don’t know. She offered him the 10% off your next iPod offer. Which was $25 off the next, I should have offered the guy $40 in cash for his iPod, but I wasn’t thinking. I was upset that she was being rude.
N-e-ways, I get to the genius bar and the guy was like what’s the problem. I tell him all the information and all my solutions and he goes, wow actually you did everything I would have done… I was like…what… Are you kidding? This is my second day here and I was told you would do more than what I did, why did you make me drive back out here? Fine whatever, thanks for nothing. I leave…Frustrated now, I stood there thinking of this article and I go, why not, what do I have to lose right? So I grab onto the iPod firmly into my hand and give it a good whack against the railing (mind you I’m on the second floor of a mall right outside the apple store) and bam, the light comes on and it starts working. I’m like WTF!!! I run back into the store with my impossible to fix, going to cost hundreds to repair, iPod. I show the “genius” and go, “Whack-a-mole works.” Funny thing is the “genius” during the appointment knew exactly what it was, because when he was telling me I didn’t have many solutions, I said sure I do, I could take a hammer and smack it real hard (he said oh, you mean “whack-a-mole”, lol) I go yea, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll turn the hammer around and pry it open. Check connections and if not, oh well, I did more than was offered to me.
Thanks a million for posting this! You saved my 60g old school iPod.
such great stories, everyone. i’m glad that it’s working for (most of) you. crazy iPods.
Ha - My 20gig just croaked on me - first skipping from track to track unable to find, harddrive chirping, then folder icon, then sad ipod icon. I’d seen this before and knew it was terminal.
So I decided to try “concussive maintenance” - smacked it hard a few times, and then rapped it sharply all over the backside with a good sized socket wrench, pretty hard.
And it worked!
Googled “ipod concussive mainenance” and found this page - just wanted to mention mine was NOT plugged in - simply beating the crap out of it seemed to work fine.
Hmm…I wonder if this works on a 30gb video…lets find out
Well I for one had no forewarning that my 30G video ipod was about to croak. It’s worked like a dream for two and a half years I really haven’t had one problem at all. Then mid-dance two nights ago the music just stopped and there pops up the little dead face and a stupid churning sound from inside it. I went on the apple website which surprisingly offered no real help, at least not for a 15 year old girl like me who has no idea about technical bits and bobs.
After googling dead face ipod thingy thing I found this website and have spent the last 30 minutes bashing it, throwing it, singing to it and everything else recommended. The stupid thing still isn’t working. I think this is my punishment for going so long without problems. My infallible ipod can not be resurrected by this fool-proof method. Is there no hope?
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OH MY GOD !!!!!! IT WORKED ( THE BASH THE CRAP OUT OF IT METHOD) MY 3 YEAR OLD IPOD STOPPED WORKING SO I FOUND THIS ARTICLE ( BY MISTAKE I MIGHT ADD )AND DID WHAT YOU SUGGESTED AND BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF IT. SUDDENLY I HEARD THE HARD DRIVE KICK INTO GEAR AND THE DO NOT DISCONNECT SIGN CAME UP AND BEEN WORKING PERFECTLY EVER SCINCE. THOUGHT THIS WAS A CRAZY IDEA AT FIRST BUT WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS…….. THANKS HEAPS.
found this totally by accident and it WORKED!!!! I’d tried everything and was about to purchase a new ipod (ouch says my wallet) when I found this!!!! now all I need is the external power source to complete the process (previously it wouldn’t restore and then not turn on) and my ipod will be back! THANK YOU!
DUDE, IT WORKED. THAT IS INSANE.
haha no way it worked. Thanks bro!
It worked!!! genious solution!
lol I cant believe this worked
thank you
Wow, I think this is the reason why my refurbish 5th gen video 80g ipod that is 5 years old and never died on me since the day I purchase from ebay for 1/3 of the price.
I listen to my ipod everyday for 5 years, and drop it like 20+ times always happen when it is in my pant pocket while I bike in rain, snow and sunny days. I think its this extreme fast speed 4 foot high drop on the hard asphalt road that kept my ipod alive with no problem all this time.
Every time I drop the ipod, the aluminum case is the first thing that pops open and my ipod is approximately 10 ft away from the case and every time I hope it doesn’t time and it didn’t.
Nothing like a little 4ft drop on the road can keep my refurbish ipod kicking with no problem. I like to think of this as random exercise for my ipod.
This website solves the mystery of why my refurbished ipod lasted so long (5 years+ and going and going ^^)
Oh, forgot to mention, my aluminum case now has major den on all 4 edges of its corners and its back clipper is gone. And the ipod has corners chipped because it pop out of the case every time it is dropped. Anyway, a good suggestion is to use a rubber band around the aluminum case and when you drop it your ipod won’t have so much surface damage.
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Just wanted to leave a thank you for your suggestion. A little blunt trauma fixed my iPod right away. I was worried that I would lose all of the files I have on there, but thanks to you, it’s working as good as new…or as close to “as new” as I could ask for.
OMG I ACTUALLY LOVE YOU RIGHT NOW!
IT WORKED
Totally worked for an old canon powershot I had too. Best method ever.
my ipod touch died, or i thought, while overseas… read on a different forum about this solution… now it works. happily i only have to ‘whack it’ once every other day or so
you fucking ledgend it works with every one ive tried loads of people are paying me to beat the shit out of there ipods lol and i enjoy it cheers dude
hey and spread this news me and my mate are starting up a radio station on things about games hacks cheats glitches and posting it on youtube and if we get sponsord and approved fm radio right and if you dont mind we are going to use this in our radio we will also play some cool songs and shit so people tell your freinds and listen in
http://www.youtube.com/user/LJSRADIO
IT WORKED. I HAD TO WHACK IT LIKE 5 TIMES ON A BRICK WALL TO MAKE IT WORK
omg i cant believe it! when i saw this i thought, wow, that is simply rediculous, but it really works!!! just give it a firm pat on the back and poof! it works! Thanks very much
supa wrote:
This is now November 2010 and I can’t believe I found your post and better yet IT WORKED!!!! I am sitting here once again enjoying my IPOD … a boon to the hearing impaired. So THANKS!
granny annie
I had to name you “the resurrector God of dead iPods”
ha ha ha ha…It works ha ha ha ha ha it works ha ha ha ha it works works works, ha ha ha ha ha it works ha ha ha ha it works works works. Just beat the crap out of it and it works, ha ha ha ha it works ha ha ha ha
Holy crap. It worked. I whomped the snot out of the darn thing on the desk…I mean HARD. Hard enough to startle the cats and make ‘em tear out of the room. And boom - my iMac saw the thing and away it went. Amazing.
omg!! this totally worked!!! i had to do it couple times, but it worked! and now i can listen to my music again! thank you!!!! =]
Hysterical. Here I am, desperate for a quick fix (my Ipod is like my crack addiction) after just being turned down by genius bar (the IPad 2 is out this week) when I stumble upon this 3 year old post.
This worked like a charm. Thank you!
I beat mine like a rented mule. Now nothing but a lot of chirping and whirring and shutting back down after I hold the center button and menu buttons. Sad, hoping that I can salvage some of my music.