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As I’ve written before, I’m not exactly busy at work right now. I spend most of my day looking for things to do, surfing the web and listening to my iPod.
I’ve been doing this for several months and I’m already to the point where I desperately need the twin drugs of an Internet connection and a charged mp3 player filled with groovy tunes just to make it through the day without bludgeoning myself to death with a stapler.
And then this morning arrived.
I pulled my iPod off the charger and noticed the dreaded Sad iPod icon on my screen. This made me sad, too.
Beneath the icon was the URL http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/. I went to work and immediately pulled up the web address. Sure enough, there were all sorts of tips on how to deal with the little sad icon, including Apple’s standard cheery “5 R List” of ways to fix your iPod: Reset, Retry, Restart, Reinstall, Restore.
Of course none of these even remotely worked. Everything I tried immediately ended up with me getting the sad iPod icon once again.
Frustrated I turned to the blogosphere and started searching around for anyone who might have had the same problem of me. And, of course, many people did. There’s a reason Apple’s iPod support page has a Google Pagerank of 8.
After an hour or so of surfing around I came up with this analysis of my situation:
I had a broken iPod that was resistant to all the usual methods of repair. If I couldn’t get it fixed I was going to have to send it into Apple. So I decided to do what many of the blogs out there recommended:
Purposely drop my iPod to the floor.
This had worked for many, many other people even though Apple’s website (wisely) doesn’t mention this possible fix. I couldn’t quite bring myself to dropping my $300 iPod to the hard tile floor on the off chance that it would spin or wobble on the way down so I did the next best thing: I held it and slammed it onto a pad of paper on my desk (providing some cushion so I didn’t crack the case), charging port down.
And like mana falling from heaven, the tunes started playing.
Apparently there are really SIX R’s in the Apple repair repetoir: Reset, Retry, Restart, Reinstall, Restore and Ram.
While I thanked the Jobs Gods for resurrecting my iPod I couldn’t help but wonder WHY such a ridiculous fix worked. I did a little more poking around it and turns out that the hard drive cable inside a lot of iPods manages to work itself loose to the point where the connection is no longer valid. So the iPod is looking for the hard drive, the cable isn’t completely connected and your iPod get sad.
Dropping (or banging) the iPod basically jolts the cable back into the socket.
This worked for me and it appears to have worked for countless others. I cannot, of course, take responsibility for anything you do to your iPod. I’m fairly certain Apple doesn’t recommend this method of fixing it. But then again, this fix doesn’t require you sending your iPod away…
Oh, and if you’re having battery issues with your iPod, I stumbled upon the excellently titled “The iPod Battery Unplugged” page. I didn’t need it but I learned some things…
Author’s Note: Due to the overwhelming response on Digg about this controversial iPod repair method I have decided to help the many people who are still a little unclear on how this method works. I am listing simple instruction on how to assemble your own iPod Repair Kit which should hereafter be known as the iPad™.
Required Materials:
iPod with Sad iPod Icon
Pad of Paper, any size
Optional Materials:
Pen
Beer
Hovercraft
Llama
…you get the idea.
Assembly Steps:
1. Put the pad on the desk.
2. Optionally, write something on the pad with the pen.
3. Done.
How to Use:
1. Hold the broken iPod in your hand, charger port down.
2. Ram your iPod against the pad firmly, but not hard enough to go through the desk or send the iPod flying out of your hand.
3. Test iPod.
4. Repeat as necessary.
5. Have a celebratory or condolence beer.
Here is the finished product:
For the shockinging mechanically inept, I’ve even put together a page where you can buy them premade.
See? I told you I wasn’t very busy at work right now.
digg
del.icio.us
Furl
De.lirio.us
blogmarks
353 Responses to “How To Fix an iPod with the Sad iPod Icon”
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RedFox says:
Haha! You’re lucky you didn’t go ahead and smash it on the floor!
July 16th, 2006 at 4:33 pm -
tony says:
Found this out independently when I slammed my iPod down on my desk in frustration.
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Kevin Cannon says:
I had the same problem. I fixed mine by opening it up, disconnecting the Hard Drive, then reconnecting it, making sure all the other connections were tight.
You can see how to open the ipod here:
http://www.notpopular.com/blog/comments.php?blogID=63 -
marten says:
You know you could’ve just -opened- the ipod, push the plug back in.
That’s what I did.
Anyway good to hear it worked. Percussive maintenance rules.
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Ryan says:
The sad icon would have cost me $279 for apple to fix it, or repair. I had heard about someone throwing their ipod. After 2 months of no tunes/podcasts I went crazy. I frisbeed mine a few feet from me on the carpet. It worked! I had to “fix” it a couple times since but it is great now.
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Michiel says:
the Sad iPod repair kits is beautiful.
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kamika says:
do i get volume discount when I order a 100 pads?
and can I become a reseller ?
thanks for the nice article.
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George Gallagher says:
I can confirm that this works.
I was getting sad ipod icons from time to time. I ‘fixed’ the ipod by tapping it firmly against the steering wheel of my car (Nice soft material). Note I tapped it at the TOP of the case NOT the bottom. I suspect this tapping (akin to my father hitting an old TV set on the side in the 1960s) works because it reseats the hard drive cable. -
Harry says:
it worked!!!!
i had given up with my 20gb 4g and had got a 512mb shuffle, NOW MY 20GB IS WORKING AGAIN!!!!
THanks so much!!
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Too rich and doesn't know what to do with money says:
Hi,
I would like to buy the collectors edition of the ipod repair kit. Can you provide information on how to get it? -
RICHARD CARTER says:
It only bloody worked!
Brilliant, thanks fella. I owe you a beer.Rich
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dragonleg says:
Yo!
Nice post…I love your quirky sense of humor.
Keep up the good work.
Regards,
lee, AKA dragonleg
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Daniil says:
In Soviet Russia that is how they fixed all the problems. Jokes aside its totally true, I still apply the same technique to every problem from software to cookware. Works all the time.
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sad ipod user says:
this is exactly what worked for me a few months back. didn’t have the benefit of the nifty pad, though
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Matt Kurio says:
I had the same issue about 2 weeks ago. I also read about dropping it or baging it and that made it work for another day or 2 until I got the sad face again. I found another site that suggested opening the iPod and making sure the HD cable was fastened well. I did this and my iPod has been working fine the last 2 weeks.
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Gav says:
great scott, i am going to try this too…..let you know if it works….
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Disposable Gadgets at Ryan is Cool By Association says:
[…] I’m sure a lot of iPod owners have had the disappointment of the sad iPod face on their player before. One guy’s solution was to smack it as hard as he could onto a pad of paper in a got-nothing-to-lose attempt to save his iPod. Turns out the tunes started singing after this low tech, last ditch effort. Lucky jerk. […]
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Gav says:
it bloody worked, lets see hwo long it last before this piece of poop decides to konk out again!! Maybe next time i will bash it so hard that the little sad face turns smiley!!
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Vince says:
Just so you know, a guitar pick or something with that thickness, will be able to pry open your ipod. Though dropping it on the floor or slamming it against ipod repair pad or… IPAD, may work. It can also ruin things like the LCD, or the hard drive itself. SO, in this instance where it is just a loose cable, it might be wiser to open it up, rather than make for an even a more costly repair.
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BurZ says:
Your Right , My friend found that bang it on is bed fix the problem. He got the problem many many time.
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eb says:
where can i order
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Matt Shultz says:
Dude! You’re a genius! My iPod broke last November (one year and a week after the warranty, natch). I had the file/exclamation mark thing going on, not the sad face, so it seems that it works for that error to.
I feel moderately silly for breaking down and buying a nano a few months back, but what the heck. Guess I got two working iPods now.
I could kiss you.
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Josh Giese says:
I came to the same conclusion of fixxing an ipod a few months back…
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Morgan Evans says:
hahah this totally works.
I had a sad face for about a week and one night I dropped it, I picked it up, and it worked.
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bdo says:
lawl
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Loud Opinions | Blog » Blog Archive » How To Fix an Ipod with the Sad iPod Icon says:
[…] He fixed an iPod by banging it on his desk.read more | digg story […]
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Sharpie says:
I don’t own an iPod but I’ll take three. I’ll have to assume that they work the same for brain-farts as they do for iPod farts eh? Bang head here.
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DJY News » How To Fix an Ipod with the Sad iPod Icon says:
[…] read more | digg story […]
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rinzin says:
Thank you!!!!!
It works!! -
BenWhitey says:
very funny and clever
Has anyone bought your repair pads yet?
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tailoredmusic.com » Blog Archive » Fixing a Broken iPod says:
[…] Tom Coffee has a brilliant suggestion for fixing a broken iPod, as summarized in this photo. […]
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James Tulworth says:
I tried this with my nano and it blew up in my hand. I now have 3rd degree burns, and my mother is dead.
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Jon says:
the same thing happened to me the other day, except all i got was a folder with an exclamation point followed by continuous restarts… coudlnt connect it to my computer to fix it either… so i got a little angry and slammed it on the armrest of my computer chair (which part of it happens to be metal) that made it work again, although it put a nice big dent in the back plate… so i looked online and found a way to open the damned thing and hammered the dent out… while i was in there i found a tiny screw that went into the plastic holder around the dock connector had fallen out… anyways, it works fine now, and although it has a few bumps on the back of it, there isnt a massive dent. Why does smashing electronic devices against things always seem to make them work?
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Dunks says:
I had the same problem with mine a few months ago. About a month after the warrenty ran out. I took my ipod apart thinking it was completely screwed, and when I put it back together it was fixed.
Last month the screen cracked and ordered a screen of ebay. I suggest checking ebay for ipod parts before any other site. I was able to get the screen for half the price of what I would have paid from a parts site.
I know how you feel. The iPod is just one of those things that works its way into your life, and when it breaks, it seems like the end of the world.
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Aurelia says:
I was almost crying last night about this very thing. I came across this on digg.com and tryed and it worked. thanks so much.
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Tim King says:
I’m so glad someone has come up with a novel yet satisfying way to sell a slightly used note pad for an outrageous price!!!
More power to ya!!
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Tim King says:
Now you just have to offer the pads in either “Apple White” or “Matte Black”, ooh, and don’t forget those U2 iPods, you could have a “U2 Sellout” colour scheme!
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None of your business says:
Banging…hard disks…Bad combination, no?
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Matt says:
Great article. Some Atari computers had a similar problem (and solution!) with socketed chips becoming unseated.
Oh, uhh… do you make a Repair Pad for the Nano?
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twoplustwoequalsblog » Blog Archive » “Fixing” Stuff says:
[…] However, I have met greater success since then in line with professional iPod repairs. My mom’s Sony CyberShot digital camera died today. It was four years old, and it finally gave up on zooming and took blurry photos. It flashed up an error code that I popped into Google. Lo and behold, the solution is to physically restrict the lens from extruding during initialization so that the overextended motor gets back in line. After confirming that she wouldn’t care if I broke her camera more, I attempted the fix. It worked. I saved the day! […]
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Nuudelisoppa » How To Fix an iPod with the Sad iPod Icon says:
[…] Spilling Coffee Juha […]
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EveryDigg » Blog Archive » How To Fix an Ipod with the Sad iPod Icon says:
[…] He fixed an iPod by banging it on his desk.read more | digg story […]
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Tom Coffee says:
I just wanted to thank you all for the kind words. I’m glad some of you were able to resurrect your beloved dead iPods with this method.
As for the goodly number of people who told me I could just pry the cover off the iPod to fix the problem: I didn’t actually know what the problem was at the time. I figure the iPod is a portable device that is designed to be carried and jostled and yes, banged, around a little bit. I also figured that the iPod is not a device that is generally designed to be pryed open.
So I tried banging first. That worked. If it hadn’t then I might have gone for the pry method.
To put it another way: banging it on the desk was the lazy man’s way of fixing it. Prying it open would require… you know… effort.
For those of you who have used this method to fix your iPods, I would be interested in knowing how long it “stayed” fixed. I get the impression that the cable may loosen again over time…
Oh, and for all of you truly mentally unbalanced readers, I’ve gone against my better judgement and put up a real order form.
Thanks for reading…
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Ymsgt says:
it actually works, I smacked my iPod yesterday… I have no longer a warrant, and no money to buy a new one or repair it. So I simply hit my knee with it, and started playing
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Tequila 2.0 » Blog Archive » Como arreglar un Ipod triste says:
[…] Este usuario termino con el problema de una manera muy simpatica, golpeandolo. […]
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henry says:
I LOVE YOU!!!
take my babies!
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DynD says:
Good Day Sir,
I would like to purchase 10 of your fantastic Ipod repair kits for the price of 100US$. I am located in Nigeria at the moment but my cousin lives in the UK and you can mail them to him direct.
How long would you take to manufacture them and post them over?
Regards.
Haha… J/king. Sweet fix you`ve got there. Will keep it up my sleeve for when some of my mates ipods stop working. I`d bet a pint and see how it goes.
Cheers!
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Alan Linquist says:
I’ve been carrying a cd player aground since this January, when my iPod suddenly quit on me. I can’t believe this fixed it. Thank you.
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brian starns says:
GOD BLESS YOU! After playing computer nerd, I read your article and decided to become the Ipodinator. It worked! Holy S_! I’m so happy with you I’m willing to drop my competing patent for the ipad! Lets’s see those 20-somethings shake their booties while slamming their Ipods in the next commercial!
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MP3Buzz » How To Fix an iPod with the Sad Icon says:
[…] The blog SpillingCoffee.com has a nice little write up about how to fix your iPod that has the sad face on the screen. Before following his directions I would check to see if your iPod was still under warranty. The way he fixes his iPod is by Purposely dropping his iPod to the floor. This has worked for many people that I have heard of. So how does dropping your iPod fix the problem? Good question, diving a little deeper it seems that the hardrive cable the attaches to the motherboard, sometimes comes loose enough where the iPod can’t find the hardrive, causing the sad face to appear on the screen. This had worked for many, many other people even though Apple’s website (wisely) doesn’t mention this possible fix. I couldn’t quite bring myself to dropping my $300 iPod to the hard tile floor on the off chance that it would spin or wobble on the way down so I did the next best thing: I held it and slammed it onto a pad of paper on my desk (providing some cushion so I didn’t crack the case), charging port down.And like mana falling from heaven, the tunes started playing. […]
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Elise says:
This is one of the funniest thing I have ever read. I got the sad face after keeping the ipod on the treadmil for awhile, and the thought of facing a day of work in musical silence frightens me. I just spent an hour on the phone with HP (I have an HP Ipod made by Apple- WEIRD I know) and apparently I can send my Ipod back and they will replace it because “there seems to be a fatal hardrive error.” (Yea, this would be the SECOND time in a month I’ve had to send an ipod back). I’ve banged it around a few times and it’s not fixing itself =(, but I will be doing this for the rest of the night. Nice to know Ipods screw over everyone. Why I don’t buy another brand I just don’t know….
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paul says:
I recommend banging the back of your ipod on the corner of your desk. This will leave a few unsightly dings on the smooth metal backing, but it worked for me.
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boooster says:
this is amazing! it really worked! you’re the best!
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K says:
Completely true. My iPod has been on the blink for the last two months. Today I banged it three times on a pad of paper and it is workinh, all files, all photos intact.
I love you, dude.
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Fighting to Stay Awake » How to Fix Your Sad iPod says:
[…] If your iPod is sad there’s little you can do. Hopefully it’s still under warranty. If not, as a last ditch effort you can try what this guy did: I held it and slammed it onto a pad of paper on my desk (providing some cushion so I didn’t crack the case), charging port down. And like mana falling from heaven, the tunes started playing. […]
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becky says:
this cracked me up. i’m on my 4th ipod. yeah… 4th. luckily my warrantee never expired, but everytime it’s the same issue. i threw mine at a wall because the files on it were my ticket to walk at graduation. and miracle! it worked. the good news is everytime it fucks up, i just send it back, and get a brand new one. which is nice because i scratched the fuck out of it when i threw it.
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Tom says:
Yup! Worked like a champ! I had even sent it in to Ipod Mechanic for diagnosis and they said the drive was toast. I thought I would try to open it and install a new drive but before I did I BANGED it down on the pad on my desk and VOILA it works again!
Thanks!!!!!!! -
Garry says:
Fantastic! Mine and my son’s iPods both “went sad” in the same week a couple of months ago and have been tormenting me ever since. Was just about to throw them in the bin when I found your repair kit and … hey presto, 2 iPod family once more! Thanks a bundle
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Tina says:
THANK THE LORD! I was going to buy a new ipod since Apple was going to charge me just as much to fix my old one, but I am glad that I took matters into my own hands. Your trick worked and has saved me a much needed $300!
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steve davis says:
Top one
it only blooming worked
well chuffed
ta -
The Daily Warthog » Blog Archive » How to fix a sick iPod, Web design in Belfast, Ireland, Design Blog says:
[…] Stat! […]
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RecordPodcasts.com » How To Fix an Ipod with the Sad iPod Icon says:
[…] He fixed an iPod by banging it on his desk.read more | digg story […]
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Wouzer says:
That firm but controled slam did work like a charm! Though I used my own repair kit of blank paper (I’m a minimalist), I’m very glad with the result!
Thanks dude.
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Guy says:
Just worked for me - really! I thumped it on my palm a few times (nice and hard)… After that I reset it and now it is getting reloaded. Who would have thunk it?
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Sem77 says:
Thanks it’s works. You’re great…
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MeadWizard says:
I have used this a number of times to repair by 4G 40Gbyte unit. This method, banging against the connector, does appear to work the best. Usually works for a month or two at a time. But the only time the unit fails is when I try to hook it up to iTunes to update. It generally works fine when I leave it alone - it lives most of the time in the car.
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Josh R. says:
this same thing happened to me about two weeks ago. i tried your method (dropped dock connector side towards the ground) and it worked. my jaw dropped. thanks for the solution. hopefully it will continue to work.
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trippyhippie says:
wtf?!?! my iPod is a homo….i smacked it like a billion times and its still funky…can someone bang me?? ….OOPS…I meant my iPod….bang my iPod….duh…haha
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Rachel says:
THanks so much. It worked!!!
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MIchelle Breon says:
Dude I tried but didn’t work -_-;. my question is…which way do you have to bang it Face up face down on its side where the charger gets plugged in??? IM sorry for such a stupid question but i must know.
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Shaun says:
It worked! I printed a picture of Jesus and slammed my iPod against it. Now my iPod is alive!
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Tom Coffee says:
Michelle,
I always banged my iPod with the charger port hitting the pad.
The momentum of the hard drive going down into the plug seems to help the connection.
In theory this banging process only works with iPod that HAVE hard drives.
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Ashley says:
Iit worked!!!!! My boyfriend just was deployed to Iraq and his Ipod mini turned SAD, he sent it back to me to work on and I tried everything Apple and everybody recommends and then tried the bang method (used an old book called The Wit and Humor of America to bang it on……maybe this is the secret) ….It worked THank you thanK YOU. Jason will never believe this!!!
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Me says:
After seeing this I might just buy a broken one and use the “pad” method
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joe says:
My 4th gen iplod died with 2days of warranty left (wouldnt even turn on..) Not knowing this technique I took it back to shop and they charged me £10 (probably about $120 nowadays) and gave me a 30gb video iplod instead- yay!
Now its already showing the sad face…grrr. So does this slam dunk da junk technique work on a 3 week old 5th gen?? I have plenty of paper but also lots of burly hand tools and a vice just in case..
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Liz says:
For such alittle gadget it sure has a big “how to fit it” book. Now I know why…I just got a Apple ipod Nano, got itunes down put it just runs round and round and alas no sound. Did all the troubleshooting, and the ipad method and cursing…ready to pry it apart, or should I send back? Still under warranty - I hope.
Going through tune withdrawal in PA…help! -
Ash says:
Omg, i have been searching for two days how to repair my ipod photo 20Gig, as it says with a warning sign contact http://www.apple.com/support/ipod!
After trying so many things, none of those worked and was crazy enough to try this and my god does it bloody do the job :O wicked! many thanks!
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ichiro_lookalike says:
Holy Fricken ish!!!!!!! that seriously Fricken works!!! DAmmit i just bought a $300 video ipod, but its coo’ now i got 2 ipods, instead of one broken one!- Tom if u come up to seattle i’ll buy you lunch!!
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Apple News » How To Fix an Ipod with the Sad iPod Icon says:
[…] He fixed an iPod by banging it on his desk.read more | digg story […]
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H.Bains says:
the sad ipod thing has happened to me twice,the first time i got pissed and threw it on the floor and left the house, but when i came back it was fixed, i thought it was just because i left it alone, then i found ur site and i threw it on the floor again and hey presto it is working again, thnks.
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Appreciative Person says:
Best advice ever, banged it on my mouse pad, first time didn’t help, second time did it harder, now it works.
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vicky says:
i actuall cant believe that worked ur a genious
ive tried everything for the last 3 weeks
thank u soooooooo much -
tomcxp says:
I can’t believe it, this technique worked!In my case I used a nice large hardcover book to slam the ipod into. First time no luck. Second time harder. Low and behold it works! Brilliant!
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olde english says:
you saved me 200 and some odd amount of clams to send it away. my mom is dead too
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Kmel says:
Awsome!! really works…
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Lili says:
I have been using the same ipod since Nov 2004 and I have the 4th generation one with the clicking wheel…I loved it dearly..only this morning I was driving in my car and I turned it on to attach it to the itrip…and i noticed the sad face!!!!! I PANICKED! I ran to my boyfriend and we tried resetting everything by the book..but he came across this and decided to try and smash the ipod hard against the couch 101 times..and now it works FINE!!! thank you
Lili
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Gina says:
I LOVE YOU, this saved me from going nuts.
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katherine says:
you are the bestest bestest dude in the whole entire world! i cant believe that worked, youve made me sooooooo happy, thankyou, thankyou thankyou!
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Chris says:
I tried this, after hitting my ipod many times and attempting to open it, and it actually worked! It seems to have to do with the angle you hit it at, cause sometimes dropping it makes it worse. You’re probably right that you have to target the bottom/charger side. Worked for me!
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James says:
Cheers man, you’re a life saver. Keep up the good work!
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kevin says:
my ipod is in lock mode and cant get out of it even tho i set it to unlock mode.. what do i do?
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Greg says:
I was about to throw out my iPod, but dropped it three feet (onto the carpet) instead. All better now!
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Holly says:
I love you. No really, I LOVE YOU. I’m not kidding here. I don’t care who you are or what you do or how good or bad you smell….I LOVE YOU LONGTIME.
Thanks!!! -
Spilling Coffee with Humorist Tom Coffee » How To Restore Your iPod Music after a PC Crash says:
[…] A couple of months ago I turned my iPod on to find that it simply wasn’t working. After some research and wacky experimentation I figured out how to fix my iPod with the sad iPod icon. Then, about a month later, my PC hard drive (damn you, Maxtor!) crashed… hard. […]
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ram says:
this actually works!! big ups
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Kitana says:
You are an ipod god. I’d thought that technology today was too advanced to be repaired by smashing, but you’ve proven me wrong. My ipod works like a charm and my wallet is no lighter than it was half an hour ago. This totally works!
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Ami Halfon says:
Thank you very much,
two hours ago i came back from the store. telling me i cant do nothing, my ipod is 99.9% Dead. the only thing i can do i replace it with another one with 3 months warrentie for 190$ (i live in israel) a told them that i’ll think about it and got back home. at the road i was started to think about buying a new one instade with more gigs and 1 year warrenti.
and most of all i thought of doing a funeral to my beloved 40G ipod player.
comming home, and googling “sad ipod” was very suprising. i did it with a pad of paper like you said and it works!!!!!!!!!!!!
i was shocked, and then loughted about it for 20 minetes with tears in my eyes.
THANK YOU MAN. I LOVE YOU.
this is one of my happyest days in my life. -
fred says:
Man, i could not believe my eyes, i just finish reading all the people’s comment, printed the picture of Jesus Christ and the Trinity, went in to my room, grabbed my ipod and smashed it on the picture with the text book underneath the picture…the next thing i knew was my ipod was working..my jaw dropped…and i started thanking God and just wanna thank you too..I appreciate this..it’s like a christmas gift.
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Kman says:
OMG - it worked — unreal! I replaced paper pad with wallet (for me banging the top end of the iPod Mini worked)
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Aubrey says:
Thank you so much! The apple store had quoted me a price of $225 for repairing my sad-faced iPod. I started scouring the web for any sort of alternative and found myself at this blog. I banged the iPod on a ream of paper and lo and behold! It worked!
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Veronica says:
IT WORKS!!! MY HUSBAND TAPPED IT HARD ON THE PALM OF HIS HAND (I WASN’T BRAVE ENOUGH TO DO IT) AND IT IMMEDIATELY CAME BACK ON!!
THANKS A LOT!!!
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Rolando says:
Hilarious and unbelievable. If it happens again, I’ll open it up, but this is good enough for now. Thanks!
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Lan Smith says:
I used my italian leather daytimer padfolio and “BAM” just like that, I got it working again. Thanks for the information!
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jenn says:
This is quite possibly the most useful blog post I have ever found. I was about to break down and buy a replacement, but mine’s working again (for now). Thanks!
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Luis says:
Dude, you figured it out! I was actually more worried because my ipod 4thgen was also making a crying noise, and it fixed it too … thanx, next round is on me!
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Stephanie says:
The sad iPod icon just came up on my iPod last night, and I too tried Apple’s 5 R’s, to no avail, of course. (Let’s just say it’s a GOOD thing that I found this blog before I resorted to the sledgehammer…)
So, I was kind of skeptical when I smacked my iPod down on the table, but it WORKED! All I have to say is, You are my hero.! And you probably just saved my iPod’s life… :p
-Stef Stephans -
CK says:
It worked!!! Eureka…now where’s that beer….
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megz says:
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU…i became so frustrated i started thinking up alternatives… 1)new ipod 2) get it fixed 3) throw it away… until i stumbled across this site that showed me just how to fix it.. by doing something no one would thing, but to drop it? haha cheers, the ipods back and running..until next time!
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Jim Adams says:
Brilliant!! My 17 year old son had saved many hours worth of school course work for a media project, (of course no other backups!). He spent all evening trying to get the damn thing going again before going to bed totally stressed out. I stumbled across your ‘fix’ and two minutes later it was working again. The look on his face was priceless and I’m a hero (for a few hours at least). THANK YOU.
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Henrik says:
Cheers, worked for me too.. Now my girlfriend won’t have to kill me! Good with the disconnected cable explanation, gave me a bit of confidence to go on…
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Rene says:
Thanks Tom. My wife has had a sad ipod for weeks and has taken mine daily leaving me with nothing. I have used your technique and will now be a HERO in her eyes. Maybe I can work this into a ice cream cone and a massage.
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Sad iPod Mini :[ - Se7en Sins Forums says:
[…] here is a guy with the same problem and his method works for tons of people. Spilling Coffee with Humorist Tom Coffee » How To Fix an iPod with the Sad iPod Icon __________________ […]
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Jessica says:
Just about when I was going to throw it in the street and drive over it with my car, I came across your blog and it worked. You are awesome. Who knew slamming it down could release the frustration while fixing the ipod?! Thanks a million.
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Eboni says:
It worked!! It worked!!! I purchased a “gently used” iPOD from ebay for my sister as an xmas a gift. I turned it on, and to my dismay - the said iPOD icon appeared. I was ready to completely cuss out the seller. first thing this morning (xmas eve) I stumble across your site from my google search for “Sad iPOD”. I followed your instructions and BAAAMMM!! I get the language screen! No more sad iPOD!
Thank you so much!
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luke says:
so who thinks its smart to buy broken ipods off ebay now LOL,……?merry christmas everybody
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GSM says:
I’m stunned! I tried everything on the Apple website, nothing worked. I was all set to buy a new iPod (cost of repair >= cost of new iPod) when I happened upon your “fix”.
It WORKED!
Thank you!!!!!
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DP says:
Unfortunately my wife just bought me a new 5g ipod for christmas after I have been whinning for the last 3 months because of the sad faced screen that showed up. Just like everyone else, I did the 5 things apple wants you to do and even brought it to an apple store to get evaluated. A new bad hard drive was what they said after plugging it in to their troubleshooting computer.
I tried this as a last ditch effort before buying a new hard drive on ebay and I couldn’t believe that it worked!! Took less than 20 seconds to pop off the back and unplug/replug in the hard drive and it turned right on. (I opened it up instead of attempting to break other components internally) Thanks for the tip. Now I can sell it to recoup some of the cost of the new one! -
steph says:
yay .. my pod and i are happy and together once again
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babypink says:
i couldn’t help posting a TESTIMONIAL here LOL. after reading what you wrote (and also what several people on the internet wrote), i decided to give it a try. Although i got my ipod when it first got out (it was expensive), what did i have to lose? So i decided to slam it as you said. I slammed it several times. It didn’t work. Then i tried it over and over until it FINALLY WORKED. Boy am i REALLY happy now. Thank you so much for the inspiration and thanks to you for writing down your experience, you saved my poor ipod from going into the trashcan. Yipeeeee.
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Ric says:
You are farkin Amazin! It worked after 2nd BANG. Almost sold it on Ebay for 30.00. Now I have to cancel the Listing. YEYAYEYAAYEYAY!!!!
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Sam says:
I get cynical about the amount of “advice” on the interweb but in absolute desperation I tried your advice and presto! It worked! Thanks for the idea man!
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Michelle says:
Wow. I dropped my iPod mini on the treadmill several days ago, it wouldn’t turn off, so I turned to Apple’s page for help after the sad iPod icon came on. Then I found your page and read all these great testimonials, filled with the hope that my iPod too could be fixed with a bang. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve hit it - on a legal pad, dropped it on the floor several times, hurled it, slapped it…all to no avail. I was 2 minutes away from ordering a new iPod when, out of frustration, hit it with my wrist. Lo and behold, it stopped “crying” when I tried to turn it on, and is now happily charging up! All I have to say is, if it doesn’t work, keep trying!
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BetaBloggerG says:
I must admit, I had my doubts about this method. However, after trying multiple times all of Apple’s official suggestions, I found your post and decided it was worth the risk. I took my wife’s sad 4G b/w ipod and rammed it onto the carpeted floor with moderate force (it’s hard to be too rough with such a sweet piece of machinery). I was delightfully surprised to find it booted right up on the first try. THANK YOU!
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QTpie7903 says:
After reading this, i had my doubts. so i used the info about the fact that the cable to the hard drive might have come loose with my knowledge of “this thing cost me a LOT of money! I’m not dropping it!!!”. after doing a little more research on how to open the ipod, I used a VERY thin screwdriver and and pryed open the case. after unplugging the hard drive completely and replugging it back in, i closed everything up and restarted my ipod. Low and behold, IT WORKED AGAIN!!!!! so for those of you who don’t want to use brute force to fix something, or know the value of a buck, I suggest a more tame way of fixing your ipod. same results, less strenuous activity!
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Sharna says:
well.
i geuss luck was not on my side.i attempted dropping, numerous times to no avail.
In my anger i threw it at the floor unfortunately it broke apart.
with a broken screen.geuss ill just have to buy a new one.
thanks for the help.
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roxanne says:
i have had about 10 ipods (seriously… so many i have lost track). i got them all under applecare, and which covered free replacements up until last month. predictably, my new ipod went on the fritz just days after applecare expired. having observed this sad ipod situation many times over, i decided to collate what i knew and consider this last ipod an “experiment.” so i realized that the problem definitely was the hard drive, because the device would make a spinning noise, searching in vain for some kind of connection apparently. sometimes it would work laying down but not work upright (say, in my pocked or on a machine at the gym). then about four days ago it stopped working all together. but i tried this fix, and viola! music and a charged battery again. it seems silly to me that apple won’t tell people to go inside their machines and simply reconnect the faulty connection when folks like me keep wasting their money getting new ipods free (and upgraded ones too, since the ipod i originally purchased was discontinued, thus giving me 20GB more memory gratis).
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Micha Bakker says:
Wow,
I almost got into a fight with my girlfriend over the €260 repair cost.
Then today I read your story and combined it with Josh Highlands instructions of how to replace the harddrive.
I only opened it up and disconnected and reconnected the drive and it is alive again! -
Marko says:
omg if i had only read this blog like 5 mins ago mayb my nano would still b alive….i stared holding down all the buttons and now its on sum damn Verify Scan screen??????Would U Happen To Know Wat To Do>>>?????
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Nellie says:
You are awesome… I was getting ready to send my ipod back to Apple when I stumbled across this site and Voila my ipod is perfect. Only took one small bang on a stack of mail. LOL Thanks so much for publishing this idea. I was completely clueless on what to do.
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wzjy47 says:
I am not sure why Apple won’t admit that the Gen 4/Photo iPods have a problem with the cable from the hard drive to the motherboard coming loose. “Banging” you iPod may help, but I would recommend that you take the cable out of the motherboard and put it back in (make sure you lift the clamp). If that doesn’t work, we would be happy to take a look at it for free:
http://www.theipodrepairstore.com/free-ipod-diagnostics-trouble-shooting.html
Have a nice day!
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antonio says:
man, i just couldnt believe when my ipod came back after i bang it on my desk!!!!
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Eli says:
my friend had a mini with the same problem
she did no how 2 fix it
and she gave it to me and i found this site
worked great and i got a free ipod
THANKS -
Jennifer says:
Awesome! I was so excited when my iPod came back on. I was resigning myself to buying a new one once I saw how much the service fee is. Now, I just saved $200+ dollars!! Thanks~
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Cheri says:
Thanks! This fix worked great! I was at work and I charged the device but then the dreaded Sad Face icon appeared. I was at my wits end but your solution worked (I dropped it onto the carpeted floor). Thanks again.
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Laura says:
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
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Sad iPod? at Corporocity says:
[…] http://www.spillingcoffee.com/2006/07/13/how-to-fix-an-ipod-with-the-sad-ipod-icon/ […]
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Sandy says:
Help!!!! I checked all the connections, smacked it a few times -still sad. It used to be unpluging the battery would reset it and it would work for awhile. It used to click and I could here it spin then click–like it was stuck. It doesn’t sound like that anymore-it makes a dull spinny sound. Now what?
FYI unplugging the battery was a really good fix!
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staud loaf says:
WOOOO-HOOOO, it totaly worked! Tom, you’re the frickin man. It was such a weird adjustment having to go back to listening to all my CDs in the car again. i am rediculously happy that this method worked.
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anyrose says:
OMIGAWD! I cannot believe it worked! I got the Sad iPod this morning. It stopped playing right in the middle of a song. At first I thought the speakers on my tabletop unit had gone (the right side goes in and out at will, but only for short bursts) So I rebooted (but I wasn’t near my Mac to restore, but I thought at least I might have a clean slate to resynch) and I got the Sad iPod face. When I got home I Googled for hte image so I could email it to a friend, and lo and behold, your page was attached to the image. So, thank you very very much!
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Bret says:
totally worked! thanks so much.
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Jumbo says:
You sir, are a genius. I salute you and pray that you and your descendants will be safe and sound for the next ten thousand years and beyound.
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joshua pilcer says:
omfg I LOVE YOU. i got mine working. i didnt want to make alot of noise so i just banged it with my wrist for a while. so i dont know if it worked or not so i took a knife and was going to open it up. i started to kinda pull it apart then it went to the main menu. so thank you sooooooooooooooo freaking much.
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Matt D. says:
You saved my 4th-Gen out-of-warrenty iPod that I was going to throw away! Thanks so much!
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jessicado says:
Holy crap…I can’t believe that just worked!! I have been playing around with ipod’s suggestions all day, and googled many other sites trying to find a solution. After reading your suggestion, I decided to hell with it and slammed it on the desk. Lo and behold it actually worked! I have now paused from doing my happy dance long enough to write and tell you how much you rock.
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Resident Media Pundit » Blog Archive » Fix your broken iPod says:
[…] The first and most prevalent suggestion is the voodoo “bang it on the desk” method, suggesting that your busted iPod can be restored to life with a good smack. Apparently this really has worked for lots of folks — this guy is even jokingly entrepreneurial enough to offer the iPad, pre-inscribed with “Bang iPod here” — but, alas, a mighty whack did not cure my ailing iPod. […]
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Kevin Feldheim says:
I had the sad icon and assumed I’d have to pay to get it fixed (the troubleshooting on apple.com did not work of course). To repair it, apple wanted $255!!!
I came across this site and figured for $255 I can get a new one anyway, so….less than a buck later for the pad of paper, and my iPod works again–THANKS!!!!!
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Debra D says:
Thanks for the help. You rock! I had been trying to fix my 40g Ipod by dropping it on the table flat-side down. Your suggestion to strike it charger-end down did the trick!!!!
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I hate Apple says:
My iPod stopped working only last night. As I was going to bed I dropped it. Then when I was in bed I tried to listen to two new songs that I was really excited about hearing. It seemed to start, then it started skipping, and the sad icon came up. Today my mother hit it against a little stool and tried this method. When she tried to restart it after the latter method, I told her I’d drop it on the floor if I saw the sad face one more time. Naturally, it appeared. So I screamed, snatched it and chucked it on the floor. And it worked! The battery was dangerously low, of course, but it worked. And so out of all the trouble people have with Apple iPods, there comes a proverb:
…Never trust American companies, ’cause they suck. -
B.B says:
Hallelujah! It came back on !!!You’re a genius!
Nothing else has worked, and I have tryed everything, hitting it on my desk did the trick…:) -
Shawna says:
i got that icon
& i tried slamming it and other but it neva worked & after i slammed it reely hard da icon jus came up all of sudden… PLEASE HELP!!! -
Syd says:
It worked! I cannot believe it. Thanks so much for making my (and my son’s) day! syd
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JAson says:
MY lord, u r a genius man, i spent my entire doing junk on apple.com and i saw your website after 3 hours. I was skeptical at first but after seeing about hundreds of people thanking u i gave it a try…and it worked. I was fuming afterwards how pathetic apple.com is. Ur explanation is better than theirs, thanks again!!
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wk says:
haha, my iPod photo 60gb had the same problem. and your solution worked
thank you very much!greetings from germany
- S