09.14.06
What to do if iPod not recognized by iTunes
With the recent release of iTunes 7, lots of folks are upgrading and finding that their iPods are no longer recognized. This is actually a common problem, and not isolated to iTunes 7. Sometimes it just happens, even without upgrade. I found my iPod nano was no longer being recognized by iTunes after upgrade, but fortunately, the fix is pretty simple.
First, some details. After upgrading, I plugged in my iPod nano, and heard it detect the hardware. However, it never showed up in iTunes. I opened up My Computer, and found that the drive was being recognized, so Windows was acknowledging its presence. iTunes just no longer was recognizing its existence. I unplugged it and re-plugged it in, but it just wouldn’t pick up.
Apple recommends the five Rs when you’re having troubles: reset your iPod settings, retry on a different port, restart your computer (after updating software), re-install your iTunes software, and restore your iPod (erasing all data on it). Trying each of these steps (one at a time, not all of them) will solve most problems with iPods.
In my case, I first reset my iPod settings by scrolling to Settings->Reset All Settings (on the iPod itself, silly). Once I did this and my iPod rebooted, it was recognized by iTunes. Yay! However, the firmware was out of date, and iTunes requested I update to the latest. (Note: the old iPod updaters appear to no longer work — you now appear to have to use iTunes to do firmware updates.) Unfortunately, the update didn’t work. Here’s a tip: wait until your iPod finishes syncing. Once finished, I did a restore + update, to get it to the newest firmware. Once that was done, my iPod re-picked up, and I had to configure its sync settings anew, and leave it to copy music.
Amaurys Firpo said,
November 20, 2006 at 6:26 pm
my ipod shows a sad ipod what can i do to fise it
Techie said,
November 20, 2006 at 6:29 pm
It can vary; I’d refer to this article on Apple’s web site:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61771
Mega Aggrevated with Nano said,
November 25, 2006 at 12:02 am
There are numerous problems with I-Pod Nanos. We have a few in our family and they are nothing but trouble. We have the same problem with one of the devices and the 5 Rs did’t work.
Apple’s customer service and warranty policies amount to out and out fraud in my opinion. They should stand behind these devices and get them working properly and answer their phones. They have made enough money that they should be able to spare a bit on the unsuspecting masses that have bought their garbage.
Apple is ripe for a nice class action lawsuit. Any lawyers out there looking to make 10 or 20 million?
Techie said,
November 26, 2006 at 6:43 pm
Wow, I’m sorry to hear that. Except for a few exceptions (like this post) I haven’t had any issues, or at least nothing I couldn’t fix with a little work.
frustrated said,
December 14, 2006 at 11:45 pm
I am equally annoyed. I have 2 new ipods. After, talking to costumer support about how to fix song order of which they had no clue, I resigned to restoring both ipods at which point itunes stopped recognizing the ipods.
KJ said,
December 24, 2006 at 12:05 am
I have two brabd new Nanos and my computer can’t see them. I have spent hours. Can’t get any help from Apple or anyone. Very frustrated…
eileen said,
January 18, 2007 at 10:07 am
i have new ipod mini-tried to hook up on my home computer. did not recognize at all. plugged in at work and recognized right away. went home changed usb ports-tried all and used new cable still does not recognize at all. help – thanks
arif mian said,
January 21, 2007 at 2:18 am
My itunes has stopped working and giving me the message “the itunes application could not be launched. An unknown error occurred (-69)”
I have downloaded itunes 7 thinking it may help and reinstalled ipod but keep getting the same message.
Can anyone help?
Bernie said,
April 21, 2007 at 1:43 pm
same problem for a week-ipod nano not recognized- tried everything suggested -all 4 “r’s” but not “restore”- then-disconnected my printer from usb port -rear port on pc.-plugged ipod cord into that port and nano syncd and worked perfectly!!
Doe said,
April 22, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Arif Mian. I had the same problem and what I did is I uninstalled Itunes completely and reinstalled it. If that doesn’t work, then I don’t know what to do. But if anyone can answer my question: my ipod is a 3rd gen and recently my computer wont recognize it at all. I am trying to Idump it because my other HD died and all my music is on my Ipod and I can’t afford to lose it all. Help?
Hilary said,
June 5, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Hi guys I had the same problem.Ipod was not being recognised after I updated i-tunes so I reset the ipod itself. Toggle hold switch back and forth, hold centre button and then press meny button till apple icon appears. When I connected the ipod to the computer following this it was recognised.. Good luck!
shamonica said,
June 29, 2007 at 3:00 am
I am having the hardest time with my ipod video. my battery will not hold a charge, itunes has stopped recognizing it, and it doesn’t work with my home pc and now has stopped working with my work pc. does anyone have a clue as to what i should do besides buy a new battery. i really would hate to have to buy another ipod video and i have only had this one for a few months. help me please!
SAZ said,
July 7, 2007 at 1:10 pm
I have had enough of it. I’ve tried four of the r’s but if I restore my ipod I will lose a lot of music (a lot of which I bought from itunes) and I cannot afford to do so. I currently have a 4g ipod photo and I ordered a 6g ipod video which will probably be no use to me. Here’s a lesson kids – don’t buy an ipod if you don’t have a MAC. I had to learn it the hard way. I hear Zens are pretty good.
brownc3cbrown said,
August 2, 2007 at 1:21 am
hi my ipod would not turn on it jus said connect to computer and restore when i did it said the same message and i tried every thing from uninstalling ituns still would work im going on a roadtrip and i need my music please help
lauren said,
August 12, 2007 at 3:44 pm
my ipods stoped working and the itunes dosent recognize it and the song only play for about 2o seconds and any time i turn it off it dosent stay off the apple sighn keeps coming up and grrrrrrrrr and its sooooo ANNOYING if this has happened to ne 1s ipod before plz tell me wat to do and o ya if im trying to fix it it just crashes
Mark said,
August 15, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Regarding Bernie’s comments about disconnecting his printer from the rear USB and then iPod being recognised. I didn’t disconnect printer, just simply switched it off and iPod was recognised immediately. Very strange!
Henk Ensing said,
September 14, 2007 at 12:55 am
The problem is that Apple isn’t very clear on what type of reset they want you to do on your iPod – as most of you have found out a simple reset from the iPod menu won’t always do the trick.
There’s another way to reset your iPod however. First shut down your iPod and remove the cable from your mac or pc. Then press the select button (the one in the middle) and the menu button (make sure you press it right) for about 10 seconds. If you’ve done this correctly you’ll see the white apple logo on an otherwise black screen immediately afterwards.
Connect your iPod as normal and it should be recognized again…
Success!
Jim Blankenship said,
September 24, 2007 at 9:25 am
I too have an iPod classic that has locked up. The display only shows the apple. The battery is fully charged but none of the switches or keypad do anything. This all started when I upgraded iTunes. It just will not turn off until the battery is dead.
tom said,
October 19, 2007 at 10:26 pm
I have a very strange problem. i have a new ipod nano with video and a 5g 80gb ipod video. both worked fine on my old dell. however, i recently got a new Lenovo T61p laptop and neither ipod is working at all on this. i have tried everything listed on apples website about this issue to no avail. i can see the ipods in my computer…just not itunes. also the both still work fine on my old laptop…..i cant figure this out
rob mac said,
November 1, 2007 at 10:58 pm
This happened to me. I had just bought a new iPod, and for some reason, it wasn’t being recognized by windows at all. I had been using the cord for my old iPod, so i tried my new cord, and that worked…
Maybe a cord change will fix most problems?
Lightning said,
November 3, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I had the same problem. Nano wasn’t recognized by my Windows anymore. So I reset the nano (hold button back and forth, and then press the center together with the menu button for a few sec) and it fixed the problem !!
Jen said,
November 22, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Im so sick of my ipod nano.
It worked perfectally fine and now its gone to shit. Im really frustrated. Itunes does not recongize my ipod. Ive tried EVERYTHING. But when my boyfriend goes on his name on the computer, his ipod works perfectally fine. Theres nothing wrong with my ipod. but its not working. help!
joe yearsley said,
December 5, 2007 at 3:01 pm
while searching on blogs how to get my ipod to stop showing the sad face i came across some info that says smack it on the back or spank it and apparently it works. it
Did with mine!
toni said,
December 28, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Thank you! Mine has been “not recognized” for weeks now and I finally found your tip. It took two seconds to fix the problem by rebooting the iPod!
Sok40 said,
January 18, 2008 at 4:54 pm
After 3 or 4 syncs iTunes stops recognizing my iPod. The only solution after trying dozens of suggestions from dozens of postings is to uninstall iTunes and re-install. I do this about once a week and it’s absolute nonsense. All my other computers, that have never had iTunes installed, recognize the iPod immediately as a hard drive. The computer with iTunes has never been the same, even if it is uninstalled.
Will said,
January 19, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Regarding Mark’s comment above, I too turned my printer off and this completely solved my problem of my iPod not appearing in My Computer or iTunes. I’m no tech genius but I guess my printer was overloading the USB ports or using up all of its power or something like that.
So something to try for anyone with a similar problem would be to unplug everything from the USB sockets.
Paul said,
February 6, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Reseting my ipod nano thru the ipod menu interface did not work for me (neither did the 4 R’s). When I did follow the steps posted by “Lighting” on Nov. 7th – and it was instantly recognized. Thanks
EJ said,
February 16, 2008 at 5:32 pm
i have a 80g ipod clasic and it has jus a black screen nothing else
im not stupid i know how toy re set it and it doesnt work
i plugged it into my computer in the morning i came home from school and it sad
the normal screen but itunes didnt recognize it and when i unplugged it from my computer it went to a white screen i then re set it and it just went all black and now no matter what i do it doesnt work
PLZ HELP! its brand new
[ i herd the new update for itunes does this]
but im not sure what to do i tried to re install it and restart my computer but nothing
Vijai said,
March 30, 2008 at 9:21 am
Henk Ensing – Dude…you are the man. Thanks for the tips !
jaazi said,
March 31, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I have a ipod nano 4gb so i dropped it in the sink for 2 seconds then after making sure it was dried I hook it to my comp it said that cant identify please restore not knowing I cant restore the ipod from the comp i disconnected it tried to fresh it but it didnt work so i hooked it up again then it couldnt recognize it now my pod will only charge on my dock but thats not the issue the issue is that when I dropped the ipod in the sink it erased my songs so even if it works on the dock I cant listen to music because IT ERASED and when i hook it but to the comp it doesnt recognize it so i cant put music on it and I know this is long but HELP!!! if my mom finds out it doesnt work im DEAD…..
clarki3 said,
April 29, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Hi, seem to be suffering same problem as a lot of people. Cant get ipod nano to download from itunes. Charging so recognising usb. Bit of a thicko when it comes to all things technical so this 4r’s thing freekin me. Any simpler solutions.
Cheers
stefan said,
June 24, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Hi.
I’ve got a 30gb 5th gen iPod. It worked perfectly until.. i don’t know. My problem is that it isn’t recognized by anything. Not windows, not itunes, not other PCs… The cable is fine, because i see the charging animation when i connect it. I tried everything: the 5Rs (btw for the last R u need ur ipod to be recognized by itunes WTF.. only 4 Rs for me….), trying it on other computers, fully uncharging then charging via the usb cable (i also have an usb adapter and a car kit, so i can recharge it anywhere)…
anyway, long story short: ipod isn’t recognized by windows or itunes.
any help would be greatly appreciated!
Lizzie Dougan said,
July 14, 2008 at 6:31 pm
I installed the new 7.7 version of iTunes and was repeatedly getting a message saying Apple Mobile Device Helper had stopped working…I uninstalled iTunes and then reinstalled it, but with no luck….I eventually had to uninstall the Mobile Device Helper from my laptop, but then my PC would not recognise my iPod. I found this website which helped sort the problem and I am up and running again as normal.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1401?viewlocale=en_US. This is the shortened version, and it was all I had to to do. On the Start menu on your PC, click Control Panel.
# Double-click the System icon.
# Click the Hardware tab.
# Click Device Manager.
# Scroll down the list of devices to the Universal Serial Bus controllers.
I then got to to a listing for my Apple iPod, and I clicked on the “driver” tab and then “update driver” and that sorted the problem.
Good luck, I hope this works.
claudia said,
July 21, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Henk Ensing’s suggestion worked! Try that first.
Latix said,
August 11, 2008 at 6:34 am
I installed i tunes and plugged in my new ipod to it..for the first 2 weeks it worked fine but now when I plug it in it says connected and then disconnects after 5 seconds.Windows does not recognise it either but I can charge my ipod.Please please help me
tracy said,
August 12, 2008 at 3:19 pm
i have an ipod classic 80g itunes do not recognise it , My music shows up in itune when i plug my ipod into my pc but the music don’t show up on my ipod.
my pc is a windows vista please help
perplexed said,
August 23, 2008 at 2:48 pm
I just bought an ipod nano and so far have spent about 4 hours trying to get it recognized by my computer and itunes. It doesn ‘t show up either place. I’m very, very, grrr, frustrated.
george said,
August 25, 2008 at 11:31 am
My ipod (nano 2nd gen) would be recognized by itunes 7 so i reset all settings unpulgged my ipod reset it (hold menu and center toggle hold) and plugged back in and it was recognized!!! Wahoo!!!!
flow said,
November 7, 2008 at 2:12 am
I’ve just had a friend’s 2gb nano fail to be recognised. i popped it open and discovered it was a refurbished model – sold as new. nice 1 apple.
well, i cleaned it up (it was dirty inside), affixed the front pad better, the glue holding it wasn’t holding it particularily securly, then followed the apple->disk mode -> restore in itunes, and now its fine.
personally, i recommend all my friends to get sonys, or phillips, or anything that’s not an apple, or that needs its own software.
beverly said,
November 12, 2008 at 6:45 am
i’ve had my second generation nano 4g ipod for about a year. i have never had any trouble. i am having trouble now. for about 2 weeks now when i plug my ipod into the port of my computer, it is not acknowledged or recognized by itunes or windows. all it does is charge. i have not updated anything that i can recall lately. i have tried all of the ports on my computer, it is still not recognized. i know it is not the device drivers because everything else i plug into the ports are fine. also the drivers are up to date. i have checked the ports by plugging in two different brand info sticks, my computer acknowledges them just fine. every suggestion i’ve been reading keep saying things like reset the ipod or go to the control panel and click the device manager icon, the ipod is not recognized anywhere so there is no way for me to click on or reset anything, i plug it in its like its not there. can anybody help me out? itunes pops up just fine, but it does not recognize the ipod. i can’t reset, restore or do anything if the ipod is not recognized. someone said you can reset the ipod manually, if i do that and its is still not recognized then what? at this time i can still charge it and listen to the music thats already there. HELP! PLEASE POST A COMMENT i will appreciate any and all the help i can get. thanks.
rayhul said,
November 22, 2008 at 6:39 pm
hi im having the same problem the tech guy did with his nano but mines a itouch (if tha mkaes any difference) ive tried all 5 R’s bar one the last one whihc i really dont want to, mainly cos the last tie i did it i ended up losing all my osngs completly and i dont want to lose all the songs data, can anyone tell me f there is an alternative to the last R?
karl said,
December 1, 2008 at 8:13 pm
hi… i am having the same problem with my ipod nano 5th gen. … i tried unistalling drivers restalling them…. installing new itunes old itunes EVERYTHING!! it jus doesnt work. i looked everywhere online , no solution. ipods may b the most reliable but installing them and their software is definetely the most complicated hands down.
MELISSA said,
December 10, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Hello
Interesting that I am having the same exact problem with my ipod 2nd generation 4g that i have had for 2 years now. it plays music fine, my computer charges it, but will not recognize it and itunes will not recognize it either and guess what if itunes does not recognize it you can not do a complete restore because you need to be on itunes 2 do this i have called apple and guess what you can not get support if your ipod is out of warranty i think that is insane it seems like oyu can get phone support for everything but an apple ipod and looka t how much you pay for them and they cant even help you nice worldwide company with sucky customer service they want me to send it in for tech support without knowing how much it costs thats crazy i know its my ipod and not my computer because we have 2 other ipods in our house and they are fine. any suggestions????????!!!!!!
liz said,
December 17, 2008 at 8:22 pm
if resetting, updating and restoring doesn’t work.. this finally worked for me.
My ipod was getting a USB error “unknown device”, and iTunes wouldn’t recognize it at all.
Read somewhere that it may be an issue with USB 2.0 vs 1.0, and a USB controller called ‘Enhanced Host’.
I opened Device Manager, then the Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Someone suggest uninstalling all of them and restarting, then have windows reinstall all of them.
Instead I just uninstalled the USB controller called ‘Enhanced Host’. Right away windows tried reinstalling it. Then I opened iTunes and plugged my iPod in. Both Windows and iTunes recognized it right away.
I don’t know why, and I don’t know how, but that finally worked for me when nothing else did.
Laili said,
December 18, 2008 at 10:02 am
I have a ipod nano also and my computer is not even recognizing the ipod at all. Very frusturated, cant find anything anywhere to fix and apples defenitely no help.
Henny said,
December 21, 2008 at 5:34 am
Hi,
I had all similar problems as described above. uninstalling the Enhanced Host controller is in fact uninstalling usb2.0 and indeed my son’s old iPod was recognized (nano 2nd generation). But the 4th generation does only work with usb2.0. Read somewhere an article about motherboards that don’t supply enough power to the usb2.0 ports. Also usb2.0 driver not properly designed and how to change the software. But in stead of that I bought an USBHub 13-ports with power adapter (ICIDU.com) and guess?? All works fine. No problems anymore and all iPods being recognized (Nano 2nd, Nano 4th, iPod Touch 2nd).
Hydun said,
January 1, 2009 at 10:09 pm
I have a nano 2nd gen, had the same prob with itunes not recognizing. Tried resetting, tried another port, restarted pc…. nothing, then i read an earlier comment about spanking it or slapping it on the back and low and behold it worked. I’m all synced up now!!!!
Simon said,
January 8, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Hi,
This may help some users who are having issues with an ipod not appearing in Explorer and itunes requires the ipod to be restored everytime it is connected.
I helped a friend through this issue – the problem turned out to be be a drive that was mapped to F: The ipod wanted to connect to windows as F: (the next available letter) but a directory on his business network was already mapped to F:
I remapped the network drive to a different letter and the ipod connected up no problem.
If you dont use mapped network drive (most home users won’t) this won’t be your problem, but it may save someone some head scratching.
lauren said,
February 1, 2009 at 1:48 pm
i got a new ipod nano cromatic for christmas and it all worked fine until my computer crashed my mum got her friend to reset it and it deleted itunes.
i downloaded the itunes again but it wont come up as a device on itunes or anything on itunes !! aaaarggggggh wat do i do it is really destresing me !!!!
lauren xx
jessica said,
February 14, 2009 at 3:24 pm
until a few weeks ago my ipod worked perfectly. then i couldnt find my ipod charger so i bought a new one by BELKIN from argos. since then it has not worked at all. now i cannot update itunes at all – i have upgraded to itunes 8, tried 4 of the r’s and i still doesn’t work.
has the charger caused the problem?
please help.
Zoe McDonald said,
March 5, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Well I cannot believe it! I tried switching my printer off as suggested here after 3 days of trying to get my Ipod working. I uninstalled and reinstalled i tunes and went through everything to no avail….and in desperation i switched printer off and it’s worked!! Thankyou thankyou thankyou!!!
ann said,
June 21, 2009 at 6:13 am
Plugged in my ipod touch and nothing.
This worked for me:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1747
If an iPhone or iPod touch is not recognized in iTunes on a Mac, the Apple Mobile Device Service may need to be removed and reinstalled.
jamesswar said,
July 8, 2009 at 7:15 pm
hey mine ipod was not being reconized by computer i called apple he didnt help much but he gave me alot of information about it if is was my computer but it wasnt so he said i could ship my ipod to apple or go to a apple store to have them check it out the next day i found out were the USB plugs in there was a chunk of wood in there and the brass or what ever it is was bent back and was not touching the cable so check that also couse that was my problem but i thank apple for there help i learned some stuff. later
mz glamz said,
July 16, 2009 at 2:16 pm
basically i ogt a new ipod nano 4th gen, i woz able 2 sync it up and evrifing wen i 1st got it but then 2 days later i wnntd 2 c something but it wasnt recognised so i went to the apple website and did evrifing they tld me 2 do (reset, uninstall, 5r’s) it ddnt wrk. then one night it startd working and synced and everything, but then i thought (this bit realyy has ticked me off) ill b clever and to stop any furure problems, restore it! but gess wot? now its wrse nd im reli scared becuse my mum sed shell only giv me an ipod if i get A* on my maths GCSE nd i did but now the thing doesnt work, nad i really need 2 fix it other wise im going to be in a lot of trouble!!! please please please some one help me please
holley said,
July 22, 2009 at 1:37 am
so far.. this worked for me too. I just hope it works again next time I need to Sync. I have a 5th gen ipod video.. thanks liz!
“liz said,
December 17, 2008 at 8:22 pm
if resetting, updating and restoring doesn’t work.. this finally worked for me.
My ipod was getting a USB error “unknown device”, and iTunes wouldn’t recognize it at all.
Read somewhere that it may be an issue with USB 2.0 vs 1.0, and a USB controller called ‘Enhanced Host’.
I opened Device Manager, then the Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Someone suggest uninstalling all of them and restarting, then have windows reinstall all of them.
Instead I just uninstalled the USB controller called ‘Enhanced Host’. Right away windows tried reinstalling it. Then I opened iTunes and plugged my iPod in. Both Windows and iTunes recognized it right away.”
Ish said,
August 20, 2009 at 10:31 am
My nano was charging but not showing up in Itune.
I did (as someone suggested)
Toggle hold switch back and forth
Reset ipod by holding center and menu button
Works now!
Linda Sloan said,
September 21, 2009 at 5:00 pm
My 4th Gen Nano was not recognized by iTunes-AND all of my music was sucked out of it. I spent countless hours trying every trick Apple suggested, and the last try was going to be uninstalling iTunes until I found this site. I turned OFF my printer, plugged in my iPod, it opened iTunes, and it said it needed to be restored. I restored, re-synced and we are in GREAT shape! Thank YOU!!!
Ki-Jana said,
October 3, 2009 at 12:04 pm
My 4th gen iPod nano will not show up in iTunes, and the times it has, it says “iPod cannot be read from or written to.” Plus, my iPod isnt recognized in My Computer, and it wont even turn on/reset when i press the buttons.
Ki-Jana said,
October 3, 2009 at 12:08 pm
And another thing, when iTunes ‘recognized’ my iPod, it said ‘…unknown error [2005]…’
Fikremariam said,
December 6, 2009 at 1:43 pm
my apple ipod says, “connected, eject before disconnecting,” but i can’t read my files on it
Fikremariam said,
December 6, 2009 at 1:44 pm
what can i do so that i can access my documents?
Liam said,
December 24, 2009 at 8:29 pm
THIS WORKS!!!!!! i spent ages trying to figure this out.. try it!!!
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1363?viewlocale=en_US
brittani said,
December 27, 2009 at 8:15 am
I got an iPod nano almost 3 years ago, and since then have upgraded to an iPod touch. Although with the iTouch, I also went from a Dell laptop to a macbook (sept). I gave my youngest brother my nano and I have not been able to have it show up in iTunes either. Finally, after him trying for a whole day, and several attempts on my part, I’ve realized what the problem is: the formatting. Right now my nano is formatted for windows. Now, I have yet figured out how to reformat it. I’m not sure if restoring all the settings will in fact get me a reformatted nano, or not.
So, just see if the formatting is consistent with the computer you are using. Hope that helps some….
Simon said,
December 29, 2009 at 10:36 am
After an Windows XP service pack update Ipod not being recognised on as a USB device. tried reinstalling the drivers but Windows has a problem finding them. Very clunky software for the huge price tag Apple charge!! Also v. Annoyed that for the amount I paid the ipod will not charge up properly from a USB device and no other charger came with the bundle. Surely this is daylight rippery!