iPod nano Lockup Reset When Frozen

Nick Momrik765 Comments

My iPod nano locked up and I had no idea what to do. Holding down buttons wouldn’t turn it off. Toggling the hold switch didn’t do anything either. It was in a stuck state where hold was turned on and none of the buttons would respond.

If you own an iPod with the Click Wheel (iPod with video, nano, iPod photo, iPod, or mini) follow these steps to reset the iPod:

  1. Toggle hold switch on.
  2. Toggle hold switch off.
  3. Hold down the menu and middle button for a few seconds.
  4. You might need to repeat.

Both times my iPod nano has frozen up I was plugging the ipod into the USB cable while the the hold switch was toggled on. Make sure to hold switch is togged off when connecting your iPod with the USB cable.

To reset some of the earlier iPods including like the iPod, iPod (scroll wheel), iPod (touch wheel), and iPod (dock connector), follow these steps:

  1. Toggle hold on.
  2. Toggle hold off.
  3. Press and hold the Play/Pause and Menu buttons until the Apple/iPod logo appears, about 6 to 10 seconds.
  4. You might need to repeat.

To reset an iPod shuffle:

  1. Move the switch on the back of iPod shuffle to the off position (green stripe not visible).
  2. Wait 5 seconds.
  3. Move the switch on the back to the play in order or the shuffle position (green stripe visible).

Still having problems?

  1. Connect to a different USB or FireWire port on the computer.
  2. Install the latest Operating System upgrades.
  3. Restart the computer.
  4. Reinstall the iPod with iPod Updater
  5. Reinstall iTunes
  6. Restore your iPod using the latest iPod Updater.

    *Restoring an iPod will erase all songs and files from the iPod, restoring it to the original state. Backup all files from the iPod before restoring it. Once restoration is complete, you can transfer your music and files from the computer back to your iPod again.

iPod displays sad iPod icon

In most cases, the sad iPod icon indicates a hardware issue. If you are able to force iPod into Disk Mode, then it may not be a hardware issue, and you should try to restore your iPod with the latest software.

765 thoughts on “iPod nano Lockup Reset When Frozen”

  6. I want to know how to delete all the tracks from my ipod nano. i dont wanna reset it because it has froze as this is not the problem. my stupid boyfriend uploaded loads of rubbish songs on there i dont want and i want to take them all of and put just the music i want back on. pleeease email me, i havent a clue how!

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  8. ok i tryed everything on here and my ipod nano STILL wont work i dont no what to dooo!!!!! when i turn it on it has an aplpe logo and then it goes to main menu, but thn i cant press any buttons so i tried to tuggle the hold switch and it just slowly fades away ( the menu) and i tryed the play pause thing and that didnt work either!! WHAT SHOULD I DO!!! i am so mad i just got it for christmass….

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  9. I turned my nano on today to listen to some music, next thing it popped up with a message saying “Disk Mode – OK to disconnect”. The problem is that its not plugged into anything anyway, its just frozen like that. I’ve tried the reset method but no luck, please can you assist me ??? It was a gift for Xmas from my G/f, she’ll kill me!

    Cheers,

    Steve

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  10. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!! Worked excellent!

    i’ve been kept awake all night trying to figure it all out!

    My iPodNano got stuck in “Disk Mode” for no sane reason…

    Apple got some serious buggs to take care off…

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  14. Thanks so much, I tried several times with your tip, but it finally worked when I read from a “Donna” to lay the ipod on a flat surface, then do the “fix” It worked right away. Thanks again!

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  15. Saved! Was about ready to abuse someone – I have a bloody long trip to do tmorrow, and would have been lost without the little bugga! Your a champ! Thanks again!

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  17. Thanks bunches!

    My iPod froze up and it said something about “Disk Mode.” but anyway, thanks!!!!!!!

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  18. I WAS READY TO KILL MY 12 YEAR OLD FOR ALREADY BREAKING HER XMAS PRESENT….YOU SOLVED A FAMILY CRISIS! THANKS SO MUCH!!

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