Bear is Driving!

And then download directions to the nearest bar to celebrate:
http://www.ipodiway.com/

to be honest, I'm disappointed there was no duct tape involved, but good work MacGyver.

i would've thought you could do it by holding the prongs to your tounge while simultaniously jamming a fork into the nearest electric socket. but your way is ok too.

Your a Genius!

=( it didn't work for me

I started laughing when that actually worked for me. Its so simple

hey i tried your thing but idk how can i tell if its working/worked and how far in is just partially

OMG. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
A thousand thank yous.

WOW! I too started to laugh when it worked! A million thank yous!

my goodness, I freakin' LOVE YOU!!

Good shit man... saved me a ton of headache. Thanks!

It's not working!!! :( Gonna try one more time..>God please let it work!

well it didnt work for me either

Oh god please help me im trying your solution but it aint working. how far in? do you hav to leave it for long? please reply to this message

please someone help me

Thank's, it erally helps

That is fantastic. For the people who tried and it didn't work - try every usb port on the computer. I tried one and it didn't work so I tried another slot and it worked perfect. I put it in between 1/2 to 1/4 way in. Thank you for giving us your free knowledge. Kel

sorry me again. i appreciate you replying back kells but it still aint working. how long do you have to leave it in? or do you just need to get a jolt of electricity through it

The quickest way for me to get this fixed turned out to be to drive over to Best Buy (in my case, about 5 minutes away) to use one of the wall chargers they have hooked up to their display iPods.

So my inconvience turned out to be minimal. But I've got to say that I really question Apple's judgment in issuing this firmware upgrade without giving any advance warning that allowing the upgrade would mean that the iPod would be unusable until it could be hooked up to a wall unit.

Just got a used iPod and my PC had a little trouble seeing it for music DL. After doing a large DL, inadvertently pulled the USB plug without "disconnecting" it. Nothing showed on the iPod at all. Tried several times and decided to update the software/firmware. That went well until asked to connect the wall power. Fortunately I DID have the power cord, but the picture requesting it never went away -- not even after an hour. Didn't know what to do so tried to reconnect it to the PC, but it can't be recognized. I've read and read, but everyone assumes the iPod is OK and the PC connection is at fault. Please help! I wonder if a weak battery could cause this, or even a bad connection at the iPod jack. Any ideas?

My 16 year old has a nano. IT WILL NOT CHARGE from my computer I'm his dad, He's asked for me to help. He clueless so I'm I. What can I do.

Wow. Even though it makes total sense, I cannot believe this worked. Thanks a bunch. :)

Yo your fucking smart that fixed my prob in two seconds thanks alot..

thats so genius but how far into the computer do i put it ?

That was excellent! I plugged the cable into my iPod and then 1/4 of the way into my USB port and in about two seconds the firmware update continued. You rock the house!

i love you - no really i do. i lent my power supply to someone who never brought it back... i thought i was going to have to shame myself to my brother and get him to post me his...

thank yoou!!!!

You are the smartest man alive

not working :( ..... tried on 4 different ports, no luck .. spend ages fiddling and adjusting but no luck... stuck with a very expensive paperweight until i get my hands on a charger.im just crossing my fingers that the charger makes it work. i need my ipod back!!!!!!!!!!!! any additional tips on pats really sketchy charger?

Any other solutions? I am living in France sans wall charger, and there is no Best Buy down the street for me to run to. I have tried using your 'Sketchy Wall Charger' on multiple computers with multiple USB cables to no success.

Nope, not working. Tried plugging it into 3 different computers... Tried safe mode, tried jiggling the USB cable. Nothing.

I'm not giving up though, I'll spend the rest of the day trying this method, will report back if it works.

Haha, got it to work just now... At first I tried putting a piece of electrical tape on the 2 middle pins but it didn't work... It's obvious certain computers just dont have that kind of power. So here's what I did, and I guarantee it will work:

Get a battery, I used those Box ones with the 2 heads. Get 2 wires and hold one end to the battery and the other ends to the 2 side pins... Tada! The screen should turn black, simply hold it there for around 4 seconds and the ipod will start back up and load the new firmware. Works great and I don't see any sign of damage.

You are a star thanx I had that very problem did what you said and yes it works thanx again.
I bought my I-Pod of ebay and the ipod power adapter was not in the box of course i upgraded not knowing and got stuck. Regards kay

I'm trying this trick at the moment and can't quite get it to work. I'll keep going with it, though. Probably my fault for being technologically inept, although it sounds like it ought to work! Thanks for the tip.

This would be really helpful, but im not sure how far I have to put the cord into the ipod and I'm not sure how long i would have to hold it. Could someone please email me or post more direct instrucitons.

It would be really appreciated.

Thanks!!! Saved me from an 8.5 hour ipod-less bus ride...And for those of you still trying... I have a few additional suggestions that might help:
If the USB thing isn't working, try the same thing with the firewire cable. Also, try a desktop instead of a labtop- I think it gives a better power boost. Good Luck!!!

Thank you man, you are a bloody genius. That's so simple it just made me laugh! Cheers mate!

Thank you, so glad I stumbled on this. Works great! I recently moved I can't find the damn wall charger.

YOU FUCKING ROCK... it worked.

my ipod has been a paper weight for 3 months.

YAHAAAAAAAAAA thx a lot !
but i think it was not my last problem with my iPod! xD

This is awesome! It worked great! I was sceptical at first, but after trying it for just a few seconds the ipod was up and running again. Thanks a lot!!!

ohhhhhhhhhhh
I can't do it
please help me , someone mail me on how to do it .. I have 4 usb ports , a 400w power for pc , an external hd case with 2 usb ports in , and a laptop ..
nothing works

please someone mail me , I'll be very grateful to you ..

I'll be damned. Couldn't get the usb trick to work but the battery one did. Just use a 9volt and you're good to go. Thanks for the tip!

You are a god among men. May you have many sons that choose the IT field.

This looked very promising. I just encountered the same problem when I foolishly caved in to incessant demands from iTunes to update my iPod software. I'm on the road this week, so no charger. Alas, I don't think the USB ports on a laptop provide enough power. Nice of Apple to provide some warning. It's going to be a long trip home without my tunes...

About the battery trick... I no longer recommend it, sure it works. But there is a change you can mess your ipod up... I fried the battery on mine by doing it twice. I found a better method... do the USB trick with a firewire cable.

Worked for me.

That is brilliant!!

I didn't think it worked at first, so I just kept pushing it in bit by bit....and then the update status bar appeared and started moving. Yahtzee.

A million thanks! Love the simplicity of the solution!! Brilliant!

man you did it , and it saved me alot of fucking moiney!!! thankyou soomuch u fuckinmg genious. God bless you and your smart ass!!!!

By the way you started to explain it, I was thinking I was gonna have to like attack the firewire with a dremel or something, your a lifesaver, thanks!

the battery trick is NOT recommended.. the battery you used was probobly 4,5 volts, and the voltage in the USB power supply is 5 volts, so 4,5 would be fine.. but if anyone tries the same with a 9volts battery, the ipod would be fried after a few times. A little trick if the "lirk it slowly into the usb port" thing dont work, open the case of your computer, grab one of those small wires going out to start, reset and led switches, "borrow" one of the pairs, and use it on the two pins on your ipod..

hey man...
youre a fuckin savior thanks a bunch

It didn't work for me. Maybe that you need a high powered usb2 port to make it work... I have only a usb-1

Fuck USB.
Does not work for me.
Firewire did!
Thanks!

*********************
* Worked thanks guy *
*********************

wow, that was amazing!! thank you soo much.!! that worked great!!! :)

THANK YOU!!!! I was seriously ready to cry at the thought of replacing ANOTHER ac adapter! When the cost of acessories exceeds the costs of the actual ipod it makes for one frustrated girl!

i wasn't able to get this trick to work for me on usb 1 or 2, but it did work when i plugged my ipod into a co-worker's car charger. as long as the thing you're connecting to is ONLY providing power (not interfacing with any of the ipod data functions) it will do the job.

Arghhh it won't work for me! Please can someone e-mail exact directions for me please? thanks

i love you. thank you!

Too cool dude, worked great.

Just as an FYI for people: Blackberry chargers do NOT work. but the trick USING the blackberry charger worked like a champ. Thanks!

So I had a blast reading the article and trying to get this thing to work.... alas... it did not. Tried all ports but nothing. Then I remembered that I have a car charger that I never use. That worked! Thanks for the post. I love the dude who wrote it!

that was genius! i thought u wanted to put the USB port into the wall socket or something. incredible how simple that actually was. thanks!

You do deserve the big bucks !

Thanks a bunch !

You are a god! 10,000 cool points!

I actually HAVE an AC Wall Adapter, and THAT does not work. I have tried the USB trick explained here and THAT does not work....I am leaning to try the battery trick, but do not want to fry the Ipod... Please HELP ME!!!!

OH MAN! thanks thanks thanks thanks

heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp its not working!!!!it appears the same image

when i am making this tip...the ipod is opening..showing a apple then the plug iPod into the wall charger" icon and then is shuttin down ive done this 6 times why is not working???please im desperate!!!!!!!!

Praise the Lord and thank you for taking the time to carefully explain what to do. It seems to have worked. A better solution than throwing it away. God is good and you are VERY clever! Thanks.

What is a firewire?

boss's

that's great. now only one question remains: Where do i get a usb christmas tree? haha

ps- no, boss' is correct, if you go by AP style.

There goes my hero!

Thanks a lot, my ipod no longer powers up.. dont ask me how.. but it started smoking..

Amazing! saved my life :D

You saved my life! thanks so much omg I was freaking out cos I lost my wall charger in the process of moving!

You, Sir, are a legend!!

Thank you so much

Grr, been trying for two days but the morbid image of the charger and the wall socket demanding insistently for the wall charger i've never had, continues to scare me in my dreams, I've tried it in every USB socket in every pc in my house and still it doesn't work.

Oh well, there is always the "wack it with a mallet" approach.

I really don't recommend the battery idea, unless you're extremely confident. I just fried my ipod. The smell is terrific, lol.

YOU ARE MY GOD!! MY "BRICK" IS NOW AN OVER-PRICED MEDIOCRE MUSIC CENTER AGAIN! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

-bLAQ

Wow! You are a freaking genious!!!

had a similar incident here.. it just froze up and showed the wall receptacle picture.... The wall charger unit did not free it up....

I believe the ipod runs on 3.3 volts battery, your USB on a computer is 5 volts as is the wall charger.....

I thought what the heck, this thing is toast anyways if I can't get the update to go, and as I had a duo chord, ( usb and firewire ) I went for the firewire.... which is 12 volts....

As soon as this added voltage hit the IPOD it immediately went into a progress bar and updated within 2 minutes...

It's now up and running.... It seems to me that voltage or "lack thereof" is the problem....

I was lucky in that I purchased a duo purpose chord that had both firewire and USB plugs on the ends....

I remain certain if you folks use the firewire and because of the added voltage your IPODS will come to life again

The trick didn't work (laptop). Good idea though.

Seems the real question is "why does Apple not get it?" This isn't a case of simply failing to anticipate a situation, these posts are a year old and they've haven't added a single line of alert to the boxes inviting you to download and install. There are two reasons this company isn't in chapter 11: they are design geniuses and they have a fanatically loyal customer base. Why piss away one out of two reasons for your existence. It's not just arrogance, it's bad business.

My fix. Why'll traveling, walk over a mile to a media store and use my iPod to "test drive" one of the desktop sound systems (with integral charger).

Didnt work for my bro's iPod. It didnt come with any wall charger when he bought it second hand. I was surprised why apple had to do this process for the older ipod, i didnt experience anything like this on my 5G iPod. Maybe i'll just have to dropby one of the tech stores outside and do what alph did.. thanks for all the tips.. ;)

na didnt get it. how far in. how long should it take

This did not work for me via USB. Thank you for the tip tho.

It's really dicked up that Apple had us do this shit without any warning.

Hello, Didn't work for me. I tested in an iBook G4, a Speedstream DSL modem and in a PC. :-(

Thanks for the tip anyway. Keep working. Sorry for the bad english.

Thanks, It worked!!!! First time up!!!!

YES My IPOD NANO IS UNFROZEN NOW!!!! THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH!!! YOUR THE BEST I SWEAR!!!1

It wont work for me.
*cries*

Hey - maybe you can help us. We have the charger, but the annoying plug me into the wall icon won't go away no matter where or how I plug it. The computer doesn't see the thing, Itunes doesn't see the thing and it just sits there. 4Gig - Is it dead, Jim?

My Ipod froze up and is stuck on and inbetween screens i saw several people with the same problem can you please send me a cure.

Meghan

maybe you can help me good sir...
i have the older 40 gig ipods and i tried to update which ended up me needing the wall charger i am unable to leave my house(due to official circumstances) and it would help me pass my time if you could tell me if that technique is capable with my version of the ipod

waiting in caliJo

The touch pad on my iPod(iPod with video) sometimes freezes or moves by itself. Any help for me?

Good stuff, much appreciated.

Also plugging your Ipod into your car stereo if you have a Ipod interface works too.

hey guys thats so cool.. it can also be hooked into ur car if you have the alpine adapter.. it resets it like that too!

unbelievable. you're awesome

I have an original ipod and thanks to you... it still works!

hi im having problems with my 80gb ipod. when i click on menu to turn it on it lights up and says connect to computer. use itunes to restore. I RESTORE IT TWO TIMES NOW and it still say the same thing (connect to computer. use itunes to restore.)i cant seem to see the list such ass MUSIC VIDOE AND SO ON. please help me

Oh....Shit.....

Just tried the jump technique with a 6v PSU, I saw something orange light up through the Ipod case near the connector socket!! I plugged the USB back into the computer and the Socket icon came back up.... Have I fried the board & battery!!!

Thank you so much for this tip!
=)
You're a genius!

Man u´re fckn genius!!
I don't know like you this discovered that malice, but it worked!!
thank you very much same, i was thinking that my ipod did have died

good work.

I can't get it to work, and now the battery is dead so I can't tell if I pushed it in too far... though, I'm sure if I hike back up to the apple store and drop it on the counter, they'll let me borrow a damn power adapter for a few minutes. Otherwise, I'll just have to cause a scene. So what, I paid for it, it should work. It's a photo, by the way.

I couldn't get the usb thing to work, so I tried the 9V battery, and it worked lickity-split. Fuck the corporate giant that would force me to buy a wall charger!

Genius! Thank you! You saved me!

having trouble plugged my ipod into the computer with the USB didnt show up on the computer and the ipod (mini) is frozen on the "do not disconnect" sign any1 help?

i alreadi tried the reset the ipod step it it didnt work either plz help

didn't work for my 4th gen. ipod. help me plz

i have an ipod 40 Gb and a Nano.. well the wall adapter works for the nano and it wont restore my old ipod... im thinking it might be the ipod and not the chord.... im so mad i might want to try to use my car to fix it... RUN IT OVER!!!! i need help.. please

IT WORKED FOR ME :D I use mu IPod to transfer my music. I DJ all around town. Saves me Time! Million Thank You's

IT WORKED! I DJ. I use my IPod to Get my Music Back n Fourth. Saves Me A lot of time. THANKS A MILLION! Good Lil Trick.

RemiiX

IT WORKED! I DJ. I use my IPod to Get my Music Back n Fourth. Saves Me A lot of time. THANKS A MILLION! Good Lil Trick.

RemiiX

another successs!!! your a frickin genious!! my advice to anyone who is still struggling... find out what a firewire is and use it instead of a usb!!good luck all and don't forget to praise the great one who saved us all!

what is a firewire!?

I tried using a variable supple with a 5v regulator and it was a no go. I don't get it. The power supply should have worked. What is the voltage of the regular charger? Oh, the USB thing didn't work for me either.

I tried to help out a friend by loading my songs to her I pod mini and there was no problems untill I updates the software. Now it shows a picture of the wall charger. I have plugged in to the wall with the charger and I have also plugged into the computer with the usb. The picture is still there and the computer and itunes refuse to reconize the damn thing. I have tried to reset it and that darn picture keeps popping up. Have I ruined my friends ipod or what? I have left it plugged in for like 2 hours and still the same thing. Help please.

LOVE.YOU. fucking genius!

I think the only way around this one (in my case) is just buying a charger. I tried building a DIY charger but that failed... I don't know why; voltage seems right... Anyway, I'm sure the USB method works, just not for me. :(

When this first happened to me, I thought all I needed was a charger so I went out and bought one. BIG MISTAKE because it still didn't work... One of the comments here talked about a firewire providing enough voltage to do the trick, and because my PC didn't have a firewire port I hiked my ass down to the Apple store and had them plug it in for me via firewire. IT WORKED!!! Don't fry your ipod trying to take it apart, and don't buy an adapter. If your problem is like mine, you'll need to find a firewire connection for about 5 seconds and the headache will be over.

WOW! Amazing. Thanks for this incredible tip, and shame on Apple.

I can't think of any non-shitty reason Apple would require an extra power adapter to complete a process that is perfectly achievable with the user's regular hardware.

You and google saved my day. You da bomb!

YOU ARE DA MAN!!

Du musst ein Fachmann sein - wirklich guter Aufstellungsort, den du hast!

FLIPPIN AWESOME!!! Thank you so much!

the ipod i brought is a piece of ship I'm returning mind, and my wifes $150 for mind $299 my wifes and contacted washington state attorney general and if i can i'm sueing

You rock, dude.

i actually love you

Okay, tried every port I could find: wall charger, laptop, desktop, server. I had heard that the key to getting the 'pod to rejuvinate was an (intentional) over-voltage from the OEM charger. USB is supposed to be 5V+/-10%, 1000mA, iirc. If the Apple charger was 5.5 volts, it would still be in-spec, but higher than normal and allow the pod recognize a non-computer source (why this was a good idea to them I have no idea).

Anyway, I tried a 6V power supply, and almost made it work (apple symbol briefly before returning to wall outlet picture), but I didn't want to sacrifice my only female-B adapter, so I tried to old to wire to the contacts. I'm guessing either the ps didn't have the amps, or I had the shakes 9ps was 800mA, so it probably was me.

Anyway, I remembered I had a B-socket cigarette lighter power supply I got with some cell phone accessory which was rated at 1A. Gave it a shot and it worked. I have not checked the voltage off that PS as (1) it worked and (2) the battery in my DVM is dead and I'm out of 9V batts to get it working again. I'd bet a donut that the voltage off the car is in the high-5V range.

So I guess the moral is to get a cheap computer to try the power-only hack (all my machines are high-dollar dells, with the PS voltages within a couple hundreths, even under full load), or just keep searching for an over-voltage supply.

My Ipod is just frozen and won't do anything and it is fully charged so I don't know if you have any ideas please E-mail me

my ipod is frozen and light is still on i need help

Only thing that worked was the car charger thing but thanks anyway

my ipod is frozzen and i need help!! then when it is un frozzzen it has this one folder thing with an explamation mark like this!

I couldn't believe that worked...You freakin rock!

Thank you soooo much, it worked like a charm!

AMEN!!!! it works!!

my ipod is not working i put 9 songs on it so the totaly songs was 208 and i put on a song and i just frozz

The problem is my ipod is frozen on the "genre" screen of my ipod. I tried to put it into the computer to put more songs on it and it froze. WHAT DO I DO? How do you run "update iPod Software Updater thing. Firmware." I think if I get that part it'll work for me. Please I need your help asap! :<

IT DONT WORK 4 ME AND I DONT HAVE A FIREWALL CABLE AND IM NOT GON TRY THE BATTERY THING SO SEND ME AN EMAIL ANYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!

shadow-012@att.net

I went to Best Buy and used the AC adapter from an iPod on display. Thanks to whomever it was who suggested going there!

I plugged into an AC adapter at Best Buy. Thanks to whomever suggested to go there. Worked great! It took about 30 seconds total; first you'll see the Apple logo, then an update progress bar. Once the bar is filled it will restart. You'll see the Apple logo again, and then the menu. That's when I disconnected and left.

my ipod just frozed and will not work i tryed everything i pluged it in and it just will not work what can i do it was a $600 ipod

my ipod just frozed and will not work i tryed everything i pluged it in and it just will not work what can i do it was a $600 ipod

Thanks - worked a dream.

didn't work 4 me =(, i'm pissed off ¬¬, i didn't understand the battery thing, i even tried to connect the usb to my ps2 xD

It's nice

Like about 2-3 months ago all I did was press pause on my ipod for like a minute, then I pressed play and it woulden't play at all... it froze on a song... but the song woulden't play.
N now I just tried this n it still woulden't work... I don't get it about the fireware... n the 2 pins being lines up!?.... so when you get this commment can you please help me n write back!?

Like about 2-3 months ago all I did was press pause on my ipod for like a minute, then I pressed play and it woulden't play at all... it froze on a song... but the song woulden't play.
N now I just tried this n it still woulden't work... I don't get it about the fireware... n the 2 pins being lines up!?.... so when you get this commment can you please help me n write back!?

srry bout that... idk how i was agelino....

You are not only an absolute genius but you are so generous to share this trick with everyone. Thank you soooooo much!!!! It worked beautifully!!!

:D

ok, thank you thank you thank you!

I actually was like leaping for joy.

me and my buddy Holt have been jumping for a while, because I run with that ipod and I didnt want to run with out it (2weeks of my own breathing and footsteps)

Suckk Ur Nan All Of u MotherFucckkaazzz I Tried All Them Wayz and Now My Usb Is No Longer working Thanks To Whoeva Made That Battery Thing Up

I used a Schose FM transmitter (w/charger cable). Plugged the Schose into the cig lighter - plugged the charger cable into the Ipod- and WHAMMO - 2 progress update bars - now- Ipod works like a champ. Give it a try...

This sucks! I hope you can help. My 30 gig ipod has always worked fine, but now it's stuck on a game screen and no buttons function! Please help. Aloha

I love you. No, seriously...I don't even have a wall charger (lost it ages ago), so this totally saved me. :)

This really works!!! I use those Box batt the ones with the 2 heads (or u can try other type of batteries). Get 2 wires and hold one end to the battery and the other ends to the 2 side pins in the usb calbe (usb cable should be connetcted to ipod). The screen should turn black, simply hold it there for around 1-2 seconds and the ipod will start back up and load the new firmware. Good luck!!!

THANK U SO MUCH.. I WAS GOING CRAZY!!!

it doesn't work!!!!!!!

I just tried this and after a few minutes of fiddling with the USB end, I made it work with my laptop! If you are using a laptop and are having trouble with this, PLUG IT INTO THE WALL (the computer that is). It didn't work for me until I had done that. Then I was able to do this just fine.
Again, all you laptop users, plug in the computer before trying this, that way you are indeed plugged into the wall, just indirectly.

Hope that helped a lot of you!

thank you

woo hoooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! brilliant.

Your such a diomond geezer. thanx, i laughed when it actually worked . !!!

DO I TRYED EVERY SOFWARD TO DOWNLOAD MOVIES TO MY I POD WHATS THE BEST WAY TO DO SO.

ive tried this method several times. when i do the apple sign appears, and then a picture of the ipod with a sad face, and an exclamation mark. what does this mean?? can anybody please help me? reply back asap..thanks

hi
i m new ipod user..i got ferozen my ipod 4gb..first it was showing do nt disconnect and then ok to disconnect and when i connect it to my computer and access and restore it from itunes..then it is just showing plug logo..what is this..i m also pluging it on wall but still same error.will anybody tell me.will any one help me..plz.u can even tell me .in my maill..
zaheerdin@hotmail.com

Thanks brother! Really clever!

hey how do i know if i have a firewire port? and if it works does the wall charger icon dissapear? what happens? i plugged it in "partially" but the screen just went blank....n if i plug it in all the way... the screen still has the wall charger icon so i dnt know if its working or not.... SOME1 HELP ME PLEASE

I had the file with the exclamation point after buying off e-bay. So I went to iTUNES and downloaded the current updater software for window 3.1.1 and did the reset proceedure. I ended up with the wall charger icon for 3 days. I read all the posts here and saw a few of you fryed your batteries or even your drives and or usb root hub controllers. I went to Wal-Mart and purchased a Belkin back-up battery pack for iPOD Model # F8E464. Yes this jewel holds 4 AA batteries atb 1.5 volts each for a great fast charge of 6.0 volts. It reset the charge icon the apple came back and the software upload indicator continued and whoolah my menu is back and it works fine with the 7.0 itunes soft ware. My model is the 3rd gen. 20 Ghz. click wheel. this was cheep and painless. I carry my back-up every where now. It gives you an extra 10 hours of play for those really long road trips or flights. Play it safe.

Ok guys, in case there haven't been enough warnings, I tried to "fool" my ipod by hooking up a 9V battery to the USB cable, and it fried my 4th gen iPod color. At the very least the logic board, possibly the hard drive and screen as well, it's hard to tell since it won't do anything right now.

Maybe there's a chance you can trick the ipod with another source of power, but there's also a very real chance you'll fry the circuitry. Think hard about whether it's worth it to you to risk losing your whole ipod just to avoid having to pick up a wall charger.

The original idea of putting the USB plug in halfway seems pretty safe, but any source of power that's not a USB port or an iPod adapter is way too risky IMHO.

ok, i tried everything for my 4th gen ipod, nothing worked. i even modded my motherboard so that i was just getting power from my usb ports. not the thing gets really hot, and makes a funny noise. i thinking about taking it to the apple store and asking for a replacement, because they should have told us that you would need the charger before you do the update. it was not my fault. it toasted while updating.

anyone want to give me their old ipod?

(((HOLYSH*T))) IT WORKED!!!

This didn't work out for me. What did work was going to a Radio Shack and plugging it into one of their clock radio/boomboxes with an iPod dock. The firmware installed, the iPod rebooted, and I was back in business.

FANTASTIC, THANKS ALOT, YOUVE MADE MY DAY!!

oh you Genious! You are a fucking Star!!! BRAVOOOO!!!! Thank you and fuck you soo much !!!

dude u just saved me $25. You are now my hero.

omg omg omg fire wire! maybe moms going to get it
crossing fingers

nvr mind... any ideas for somebody who this doesn't work for? (cant go to store)

me again... anybody use microsoft compaq with usb2.0?

THAT WAS AMAZING
i was gunna have to go find one today on Christmas eve and that shit would have sucked
u saved my ass

fu#"$ my ipod doesn't load it's daead after the battery trick! anyone can help¡?

I've tried this trick, I have a wall charger, tried plugging it into my AUX jack on the home stereo and the car stereo and nothing works. Is there a chance that the battery is just fried and needs replacing?? It an original ipod 20GB.

Just happened to me. None of the tricks work. I'll try it in a desktop's USB at work tomorrow. Failing that I'll call in the local Apple Store and beg them to plug my iPod in a charger for a few minutes.

If Apple is stupid enough to require external power for this process WHY oh WHY do they not have a simple line of warning in iTunes? It would be a very simple code change for their next update.

Come to think of it, the iTunes, iPod interface just sucks, full stop.

It is a good job that Windos and PCs are so awful, or my Apple loyalty might be more severely tested

Yeah, I couldn't get this working.
I've got a 4th gen(?) color, 20gb.
I've tried multiple ports, jiggling, etc.

If anyone can give me further help, e-mail me:
xxraygexx@hotmail.com

Wow, thanks! I do work on iPods quite often, and this is an AWESOME trick.

I have an Icraig. Which a cheap boombox that an ipod hooks into. I tried the usb thing to no avail. But then I set in in the boombox dock and whammy...it worked. Most walmarts and the like, have Ipod compatible boomboxes. Just set it in there and it should finish the firmware update cycle.

It looks like the original Ipod (the ones that came with a firewire 12v cable) require more power to do a firmware update. My guess is that the successful usb replies on this sight probably have newer ipods. If you have an older ipod and you cannot get the usb trick to work try one of the following.
1. Try a Car Charger
2. Go to an electronics store and plug into a display model.
3. Try setting it in a dock station on a radio/boombox or anything else that is meant to power an ipod.
4. Try the same usb trick with a firewire cable.

Do not try a battery. There is more to power than just volts, and you are more than likely gonna fry your ipod if you try a battery. Even it it seems to work, you could cause long term problems down the road.

Also if anyone is having the "Sad Ipod" icon. I tried everything that I could find. Nothing worked...my hard drive just kept clicking and reving up and down. Then I found a sight that said to hold it and slap it...and it worked. I held it in my right hand with the screen facing me, and then with my left hand I slapped it "really hard" on the side of the ipod. The thing fired right up. Every 3 months or so it crashes again, but after a quick slap, I am good to go again. Kinda crazy...but it works.

-Good Luck

-Brock

Two blondes were going to Disneyland when they came to a fork in the road. The sign read: "Disneyland Left."
So they went home.

sorry I couldnt get it working

I had tried with a wall charger but no response

When I press both menu and select button just appearing ipod logo for few seconds after that it shows the plug in logo. When I connected with wall charger it only shows a battery icon

THANK YOU!!! Worked like a charm

the USB trick didn't work for me. Neither did the car adapter or a generic usb wall charger. The Alpine ipod adapter finally did the trick though.

The USB trick didn't wrk 4 me.. so frustrated.. guess I'll have 2 buy a wall charger....:(

what if you cant get to a usb port and have nothing to plug it in to?

ive spent lots of time searching and reading stuff about what to do to un-freeze my old 20g ipod(the one with the wheel)..i even own a wall charger thing but the daamn plug into the sochet icon doesnt seem to go away! and all this after the foolish update from itunes...im so pissed of with apple and im wondering is atleast some1 sent them an email complaining about this?? coz in their oficial site it seems like they know nothing about this....

How the hell can i get the "plug in to wall" icon get away?? I tried my wall charger but still there, also the tricks with the usb abd firewire but nothing...and im not gonna try batteriez and shit....IM SO PISSED OFF WITH APPLE!

Here's what worked for me. Head down to your local RadioShack and ask them to hook up your Ipod to an iGo charger. They'll almost certainly have one behind the counter as they use them to charge devices that they keep under the counter. If it's still being stubborn after it's connected, do a reset (hold Menu and Center buttons for 6-8 seconds until Apple logo appears).

Ipod mini here-tried the wall charger, the USB trick, the car charger and the battery trick. None worked. Then I plugged it into a boombox and it finished the upload. Hooray! Thanks for the tips.

For my 4th gen Ipod classic no USB powering trick worked. What I needed was Firewire power, which provides 12v instead of 5v, on different pins in the dock connector. What I did is bought a Scosche car charger at Wal-Mart, which did the trick. Car chargers with a USB port provide 5v and will not work for 4th gen and earlier classic models.

you're such a genius! how'd you know that? very handy dandy. very impressive. thanks a lot, man. you just save my money to buy an adaptor [or whatever that is] and my ipod's life! thank you! :)

Profit? You're a /b/tard aren't you?

Thank you! I just got an old iPod mini from a friend and thought I was going to have to go buy a wall charger. Now I can use it right away instead!

Roflmao, thats brilliant.

This is why first generation shit is so good.
Loopholes n security flaws n ...

HI
I got a old U2 Version of Ipod I restored after having problem not connecting with the Computer. NOw Everytime I click a button it get stuck on one option. No matter what I press it keeps jumping back and forth whn I press anything. Anyone know how to fix this problem. I called Apple they are asking for 249$ with that I can get a new Ipod. :-(

thanks man!!!!!!!!111
thank you so much!!
that worked !
you saved my day.:)
thanks.:)

shlulia, israel

Thanks for this info man. I updated my friend old ipod mini just to be nice and got into this jam. i didnt have that damn charger and didnt even know that one was needed.good thing there are smart people like ya out there in the internet world who figure out things such as this ans beat the system. :)

ok well i have the new ipod nano and i got it for christmas well yesterday all my songs got deleted and i didnt have my libary so i downloaded everything again and i guess i wasnt waiting to disconnetect and now everytime i try charging my ipod on and ipod charger or anythat the apple logo just keeps popping up its get me really mad some please help me

ok, i just got my ipod 2 days ago, and all i keep on seeing is that stupid icon thing. I have charged it on and off each night. I tried that tip u told me to do and i havent gotten to my home screen yet, someone please help!!!

I mean Age of Conan, of course )

hi,i bought a ipod 20gb couple of days ago off of ebay,kept freezing so i reseted it,no luck kept happening,decided to restore it,then it shows me the plug into a wall,tried it for over a day,no luck.tried your usb thing.no luck.

any help.

thanks

I had a blackberry wall charger handy that had a removable USB cable. Used that with my USB iPod cable and it worked great!

So glad I stumbled across this thread last night. Stopped at BestBuy and told the tech my dilemma. Not only did he understand what I was talking about, but also went in search of a firewire cable after he found an old firewire wall charger in a cabinet under the display. Plugged me in and status bar came up and I am back in business. Tried the USB "jumpstart" and the car charger fixes to no avail. I fully believe that the firewire cable is the way to go for my 4G iPod and am searching eBay as of this writing. Thanks again!

Hey man... The USB trick didnt work for me and I wasnt ballsy enough for the battery trick... I tried everything! My Mac (every port), my ps3 (every port), my 360 (every port)... then i remembered... My iHome! worked fine.

UN...FUCKING...BELIEVABLE!

So simple, so effective. Thank you so much!

"Jump start" worked for me. Just have to use the light touch....

Great trick, doesn't work for me, I built my pc's with power meeting demand, to save money.

As a side note, if you have an older (5gen or older) ipod, with the sad Ipod screen, just pop it open and unplug and replug the ribbon cable for the hard drive. Fixes it 99% of the time.

I guess this doenst work for 4th gen 20gb ipods(the usb trick)

i got a ipod photo 60gb. my problem is after i use the system restore in my itunes, the "plug your iPod into the wall charger" picture appears on my screen.

is my ipod photo dead?

PLEASE WILL SOMEBODY HELP ME :(

i got a ipod photo 60gb. my problem is after i use the system restore in my itunes, the "plug your iPod into the wall charger" picture appears on my screen.

is my ipod photo dead?

PLEASE WILL SOMEBODY HELP ME :(

You are f-ing brilliant, mate. I inherited an old mini from a friend, but I didn't have his old brick, yeah? So, when it came time to reformat it.. I was like.. "Uhhhh..." I googled, found this article and plugged it in and BAM! Insta-format.

It makes absolute sense too-- Just wish I'd thought of it.

So ace.

Thanks a bundle. I'm restoring my girlfriend's iPod mini to breathe new life into it and have not ever used a wall charger for my iPod video. Great work.

Truly amazing; worked like a charm.

I millimetered the USB end in, waiting 10 seconds between nudges(to be safe), and it started charging just before halfway in.

This is useful knowledge.

Worked for me to!!
Thanks this actually works

thnx it really worked, gt sum other ipod tricks 4 us

I coudln't get the USB option to work for me so I took an old 5.0v adapter and cut the plug off the end. Then stripped back about an 1/8th of an inch on both the + and the - sides. Then I stuck them into the USB side of the connector on the two outer pins and it updated just fine. It had a bit of a burnt almond smell after words because I probably didnt get the + and - right the first try but it works fine now

You're a beast, plain and simple.

propz man works great

I couldn't get the usb to work either, I went to a friend he had a wall plug. It worked, you can pick one up for about $10 bucks at a discount computer store.

This is retarded.. all of you who say "OMG IT WORKED!!!" are just dumb to understand that it was the USB port all along not the "half-way-in" connector.

Just try different ports, and if it works you are lucky. No disrespect for the author. You're probably a good guy or whatever.

Now go and buy iRiver SPINN and save yourself from iPod misery.