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”

  1. Just had my nano decide that it didn’t want to switch itself off too, so I’ve reset it and it now works fine. Thanks! 😀

    Like

  2. My roomates nano has frozen before while making a loud buzzing sound, she had to drive all the way to the mall to get it reset and the lady didn’t tell her how to reset it. My nano froze this morning, but thanks to you I was able to fix it. Thank you.

    Like

  3. Thanks so much for your tip. It is not given in the manual, what the $%^#%@! Couldn’t have done it without you, mate. Thanks again.

    Like

  4. Thanks a ton. Mine froze when I connect it to USB plug-in charger and I thought I had fried the electronics inside. I was almost panicking when I searched Google. This trick rocks. Seems to be similar to Ctrl+Alt+Del sequence except that Apple did not make it public. Their support site really needs some redesign, you can not find a topic there.

    Thanks once again.

    Like

  5. Thank you so much!

    My Nano was plugged in, hold on and I got a messasge about ‘disk removal’ on my Powebook.

    Suddenly I’m holding a dead ipod and a worried expression. 30 seconds later and you’re the top hit on google and my ipod is fixed – thanks!

    Like

  6. Thanks a million… too bad they could not post tis on the apple site. I was about to turn my nano into a mush!

    Like

  7. My nano locked up the first time I connected it to my computer. “The #@&%$# thing is broken” I thought.

    But Google and you guys saved the day.

    Thanks a lot.

    Like

  8. I gave my best friend a brand new nano today for the christmas present he had wanted for so long… Dead! reset would not work… nothing! menu and select 6 seconds, 10 seconds, more nada than nano! SO disapointed. Then I remembered that neither my iMac or my iPod worked when it arrived. should have known better. thank you and well done apple!

    Like

  9. This actually is written in the nano’s manual , or atleast it is in the one my cousin got today. I’d still rather google than read a manual though 😀

    Like

  11. Thanks for the fix. Nano locked up on connection to my Xbox360 when it was paused on a DRM’d aac. Note to the massess on that front.

    Like

  12. Another thing to keep in mind guys is that when you plug sensitive electronics into your computer…you need to remember…when connecting a device…computer first device second…and when disconnecting it’s the same thing….computer first device second…this will avoid any static discharge from unshielded cables

    Like

  19. im so angry about my new ipod nano ive had it all of a day and the information given didnt make mine work, so i threw it at the wall then it fell apart. this is worse than the time i ate my pet dog!

    Like

  20. my ipod nano has fell down a well do u have anything i can do to retrieve the data from it and also kevla didnt eat his dog it was my baby brother that he ate 🙂

    Like

Comments are closed.