No matter how well you take care of your iPod, one of these days it will freeze. You’ll either stare at a blank screen or a screen that won’t budge from the last song you played. Luckily, you don’t have to take your iPod to a repair shop, where they will absolutely make fun of you behind your back for that huge catalog of Wham! songs you’ve listened to 100 times in the past week. Instead, you can reboot the device without the help of a professional.
Image via CrunchBase
First Things First
Before you restart your iPod, make sure that you haven’t unintentionally engaged the lock button. If you find a padlock icon on the iPod’s screen, then turn off the lock function and your device should start to work again.
Early Generation iPods
If you have an early generation iPod (first, second or third gen), then you can reboot the device by following these easy steps
- Plug the iPod into a wall outlet or your computer
- Hold down the Menu and Play buttons at the same time until the device reboots
If the iPod reboots successfully, then you will see an Apple icon on the screen.
Clickwheel Generations
If you have a fourth gen or one of the later clickwheel generations, then you will take a slightly different approach to rebooting the device.
- Plug the iPod into your computer or wall outlet
- Hold down the Menu and Select buttons at the same time
When you see the Apple icon, you know that the device has restarted successfully.
