30gb 5 generation ipod with video, PLEASE HELP!!!!!

[carluverdrm2004]

go into disk mode, diagnostics mode, or continually show the apple symbol on the screen.
never normal screen so i can listen to my music.
any advice?
PLEASE?!

[Jesse Hollington]

Hi and welcome to iLounge.

This is likely a problem with the hard drive itself, although it may just be a software or database corruption problem, as opposed to a hardware problem.

If you can get the iPod into Disk Mode and connect it to iTunes successfully, my suggestion is to try performing a "Restore" on it from iTunes. This will erase everything on it, but if you're using automatic synchronization and/or have your library already in iTunes, reloading it is fairly simple.

If you're using manual management and don't have your music backed up, put the iPod into Disk Mode and then check out our iPod 201 article, Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer for instructions on recovering your music from your iPod before you do a restore on it.

[carluverdrm2004]

alright.
i did all the saving my files with one of the third party programs on the page you listed.
but now my newly restored ipod isnt being received by iTunes.
:[?

[Jesse Hollington]

You'll need to make sure the iPod is forced into "Disk Mode" before connecting it to iTunes and it should be detected properly.

If it's still not being detected, even in "Disk Mode" try shutting down iTunes and doing a format through the normal operating system -- right-click on the iPod's drive letter in Windows Explorer and choose "Format." Once you've done this, try restarting iTunes and it should complain about seeing a corrupted iPod and offer to restore it for you.