# I froze my iPod **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205 "2005-08-16T03:12:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/1 "2005-08-16T03:12:47Z")
Got me a 20 gig color screen iPod (previously called iPod Photo). Had it less than a week. It’s frozen on Music Quiz. Tried holding down every button on it. Plugging it into the AC adapter. Plugging it into the computer. Nothing. Ok, guys. I froze my iPod. It’s frozen. I can’t get it to come back to life. What do I do (short of returning it?) ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/2 "2005-08-16T03:14:56Z")
Did you try holding down Menu and Play together for at least 3 seconds? That’s the procedure for resetting an iPod. If that doesn’t work, I don’t know what to tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/3 "2005-08-16T03:16:53Z")
I found some instructions on [resetting an iPod](http://www.werty.net/2004/06/reset-ipod.html). Try that and see if it works for you. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/4 "2005-08-16T03:31:37Z")
I think the reset will work. If not, I believe Apple makes you ship them the iPOD for replacement. They all tend to freeze up now and then. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/5 "2005-08-16T03:35:28Z")
If the previous suggestions don’t work, is the battery removable? My Creative Zen mp3 player used to lock up occasionally on a previous software release, and Ireset it by removing all power, including the battery. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/6 "2005-08-16T04:28:16Z")
> [@brianjedi](#): > > Did you try holding down Menu and Play together for at least 3 seconds? That’s the procedure for resetting an iPod. > > If that doesn’t work, I don’t know what to tell you. Nope, not even holding it down for 10 seconds works. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/7 "2005-08-16T04:30:14Z")
> [@brianjedi](#): > > Did you try holding down Menu and Play together for at least 3 seconds? That’s the procedure for resetting an iPod. > > If that doesn’t work, I don’t know what to tell you. Aha. It was actually Menu and Select. My battery is now almost dead now, though, when I just charged it this morning. Growl. And I only listened to it when I was on lunch earlier, and then again when I got home from work. ---
**Author:** ![octothorpe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@octothorpe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octothorpe)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/8 "2005-08-16T04:30:24Z")
If it’s froze, resetting should straighten it out. However, plug it in using the cradle or direct to the adapter for a while just to make sure that it is charged (also try resetting it with it plugged in). If that doesn’t work, you may also be able to put your iPod into ‘Disk Mode’. Once in disk mode, you should be able to reset it. Follow the instructions for [Disk Mode](http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93651). Last resort: If it’s hosed, you’ll need to restore it. Follow the instructions for [Restore](http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60983). You will lose everything you have on your iPod though. If you live in a city that has an Apple store, take it there before restoring, they may be able to save you some grief. # ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/9 "2005-08-16T04:39:04Z")
The official problem is that stupid Music Quiz. It’s neat for when I’m bored, but I can’t run it without freezing up. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/10 "2005-08-16T10:23:00Z")
Chaotic if it can run music quiz correctly then send the damn thing back! In my head at least its a likely indicator of faulty hardware. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/11 "2005-08-16T14:10:43Z")
I do plan on taking it back, although not for that reason. I’m going to trade up to the 60 gig one. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/12 "2005-08-16T14:47:55Z")
> [@chaoticdonkey](#): > > Aha. It was actually Menu and Select. > > My battery is now almost dead now, though, when I just charged it this morning. Growl. And I only listened to it when I was on lunch earlier, and then again when I got home from work. It’s Menu and Play on my 3G iPod, but I guess they changed it on the later models. At least you got it fixed. Don’t always trust the battery meter. A lot of times it will be off (I’ve had it run for 3 hours on empty, and die with a full meter.) Music Quiz and Shuffle kill the battery, too, because they keep the HD spun up. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/13 "2005-08-16T16:28:28Z")
> [@brianjedi](#): > > Music Quiz and Shuffle kill the battery, too, because they keep the HD spun up. Do you have a cite for that? As far as I know, shuffle mode doesn’t select the music on the fly, it creates a random list in memory, and the tracks are preloaded to memory just like when you’re playing a non-random list of songs. I’ve never noticed any difference in battery life between having it in shuffle mode or not. What does kill the battery is skipping tracks a lot, because end up going through the preloaded list faster, and the iPod has to read off harddrive more often. [Apple’s Tips and Tricks to get the most out of your iPod’s battery.](http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61434) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/14 "2005-08-16T18:07:33Z")
Reset works on my 3G iPod. You have to switch the hold (lock) switch on and off, and then hold down the middle two buttons for at least five seconds. Sometimes it takes longer than that. The iPod seems to freeze mostly when it’s playing while it’s plugged into my Belkin car charger. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-froze-my-ipod/317205/15 "2005-08-16T23:03:48Z")
> [@chaoticdonkey](#): > > Ok, guys. I froze my iPod. It’s frozen. ) Years ago in the Yukon Territory when it was 70 below zero, I froze my iPod too, and boy was it painful! 😃