CONVERSATION
John Nemo: My 30GB iPod is frozen. When I press on any button, nothing happens. The little screen is illluminated, but it’s stuck and I can’t even shut off the iPod.
Apple Care: Do any of the buttons work, or the scroll wheel?
JN: No. Totally unresponsive.
AC: What were you doing when this occurred?
JN: Listening to music, and advancing a track using the fast forward buttom.
AC: Do you have your computer handy? Which Mac are you using?
JN: It’s a new G5 tower, but I’m not at the computer just now. Can we fix my iPod anyway?
AC: Try this. Hold down the [special reset pair] buttons for ten seconds, and then let go.
JN: Okay. [I pressed as requested.] Still no response.
AC: Can you shut off your iPod, or get any of the buttons or scroll functions to work?
JN: No, sorry.
AC: How handy is that G5?
JN: It’s nearby, but I have to go back to work. Can you please tell me what to do? I’m a computer professional, so I’m comfortable with hardware and software, but I’ve never heard of this iPod freeze in action. Have you?
AC: No, but don’t worry. Simply reinstall your music from the G5 onto your iPod, and you’ll be all set, I’m sure.
JN: Whoa! Easy for you to say. My collection is heavily edited, and it’s not a simple duplicate of the iTunes Library.
AC: If you’re a pro, that shouldn’t bother you, so just reload your songs and that will do it. Thanks for calling Apple Care.
JN: Uh, thanks for all your help.
ACTION:
After work, I plugged iPod into G5 the normal way, waited a minute, and observed my iPod in its familiar spot on the desktop and in the iTunes left Source panel. Whew! That iPod key reset must have done something beneficial, but it would have taken qujite a while to recreate my iPod with all its ratings, even with the help of Senuti, the iPod archiving application.
Now, one week later, iPod performs perfectly, and I’m glad to have purchased Apple Care, pleased with the first part of the support phone call, and delighted that my G5 recognized the iPod afterward.
QUESTION:
What really happened to cause my iPod freeze, and what should I have done to prevent and/or treat it?
[Nemo]
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