Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPod HELP: My iPod won't Restore (perpetual RECOVERY MODE)

Ok so I had the same problem as you have (I have a fairly old 30GB ipod video). I managed to fix mine by doing the following (not sure if this was a fluke but try it and see)
1. Plug the ipod into the computer, and click restore
2. Follow all the steps of the restore, until the ipod resets (this is when the apple appears on the screen with a bar at the bottom)
3. Whilst the ipod is trying to reset, hold down Menu + Center button until it resets.
4. Afterwards, put the ipod into disk mode (holding down menu + center and then holding play + center when the apple appears) and restore it again (you may need to reset the ipod before doing this)

My iTunes had also told me that my ipod was corrupted a couple of times. Hope this helps everyone.
 
Can you guys solve my problem?

"the ipod xxxx cannot be synced. The required folder cannot be found"
I cant restore since itunes does not recognize it.
 
I get this error on my 80gb iPod classic 6th Gen.

basically, i put it in my mac and itunes says that it needs to be restored before it can be read and used, so i click restore, it downloads the correct iPod firmware from apple, but when it tries to install the software it says that an unknown error has occurred it then doesn't do anything but "eject" my iPod, leaving it in disk mode.

In disk utility, it shows as a 8kb HDD in a FAT format, and sometimes it shows as a 16TB HDD :confused: in the "16TB" mode it shows the options to repair/erase etc the disk in disk utility but it says that a read/write error occurs when i try and do so.

I also have windows XP and windows Vista accessible to me on different machines if they could be of any help.

A fix for this issue would be highly appreciated, even if it requires using third-party software or otherwise.

I also have a 30gb white ipod classic 5.5g, which has had no problems since i've had it, and i use it more than my 80gb. I've had the white one for almost 2 years now, but the 80gb black one for only like 9 months. Maybe it could just be a faulty model, i've had trouble with it before, where i've had to restore it because it was 'corrupt'.
 
Another thing I'd like to add: If the problem is being caused by a corrupted mp3 you might be able to use an mp3 validator to find out which of your mp3's are bugged. I use MP3val, it's freeware.
 
I've experienced the same problem with my ipod nano 2nd gen.Everytime I plug it into my com,itunes recommends me to restore it, all the songs disappear and ipod goes into recovery mode.I've tried to restore it many times but it didn't work.I've also tried to put it into hard disk mode... and format it but like you guys,this didn't solve the prob.But yesterday,I decided to start it over by toggling the hold switch on,leaving ipod for a couple of hours and then trying to restore it again.Thankfully,it worked!!!:D I don't know if this could help but just try it once.hope your ipods will revive.
 
Hi
Hope someone can help. ipod is displaying SDRAM Full Test never seen this message before hope my ipod isnt dead
 
arghhh

medel13 said:
I have a 30GB Photo iPod and it is stuck in "Recovery Mode" and restoring the iPod does not fix this problem.

When I plug my iPod into my computer it says "iTunes has detected an iPod in recovery mode. You must restore this iPod before it can be used with iTunes."

I choose to restore the iPod (it erases my songs and settings, etc...); I follow the instructions to plug the iPod into a wall outlet. I choose English as my language...and finally, I plug it back into my computer to add back the songs....HOWEVER...I get the same message: "iTunes has detected an iPod in recovery mode. You must restore this iPod before it can be used with iTunes." and the process repeats....

I've restored my iPod about 5 times now and nothing changes. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...


that is happening to me! ive tried everything and getting soo angry that it keeps asking me to restore

plllleeease if anyone knows how to fix this i would love you forever! haha
 
my 5G iPod w/ Video (60GB) just froze after plugging it in to my Mac. wont reset or anything. cant be seen by my Mac either. what's wrong w/ Apple? my iPod w/ Photo got corrupted just a few months back as I was loading music into it. didnt bother to have it repaired anymore.

Is this Apple's way of forcing you to buy new stuff? I already have an iPod Touch & a new iPod classic 120GB, but this just sucks. this iPod video is still my favorite & has been a workhorse for me. it was working fine until I plugged it in... :mad::(:mad:
 
I got a message on my ipod that said "Connect to computer, use itunes to restore" I finally just put my ipod into disk mode after many failed attempts at restoring and it let me restore it, but then when I took it out of disk mode the same thing on the screen came up saying "Connect to your computer. Use itunes to restore." So I don't know what else to do?
 
i fixed it

i have a second generation ipod touch that was stuck in recovery mode for about three months, when it first broke down i spent several hours trying to fix it, then gave up. today my father gave me the new snow leopard update (which is definitely worth the thirty or so dollars it cost him), so i downloaded it. about five minutes later i saw my broken ipod lying around and feeling hopeful i plugged it into my computer and tried to restore it. that didn't work, but the number it says at the end of the message was different, so i thought that maybe downloading the new itunes would make a difference. that time it went further again, in fact this time, on the ipod, a loading bar appeared. it got about a eight of the way before it stopped. i decided to do it again and this time it worked like a charm. it deleted all of the data, but i had already backed up the ipod on this computer and it gave me the option to restore all of the data. now my ipod is syncing and hopefully soon, i will have everything back on it.
good luck
 
Hey hey,

For those of you who are having this problem and running Windows XP and above, I found a solution that finally worked (after trying everything listed on this thread and more). Here's what I did (running Windows 7):

1. Reregistered the USB driver .dll files according to Apple's recommendations: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1539
2. Restored the ipod with the latest version of itunes. After this step it became stuck in the boot process, and not in recovery mode
3. Put the ipod in disk mode and manually formatted it (right click + format, from My Computer, default allocation size and file system)
4. Restored the formatted ipod in disk mode (from itunes), finally bringing it back to life. Voila.

So, I hope that helps some of all yall fighting the recovery loop to no avail.
 
well

Drimshift said:
1. Reregistered the USB driver .dll files according to Apple's recommendations: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1539
2. Restored the ipod with the latest version of itunes. After this step it became stuck in the boot process, and not in recovery mode
3. Put the ipod in disk mode and manually formatted it (right click + format, from My Computer, default allocation size and file system)
4. Restored the formatted ipod in disk mode (from itunes), finally bringing it back to life. Voila.
Click to expand...

Ipod 30 gig

Well, i did everything above and on this thread to no avail. But it wasn't just a paper wait, I could use it as external hard drive! So I figured it wasn't a hard drive problem, but an OS problem (well it makes since in my head).

So I tried Rockbox. It worked and I like it so far.
 
Possible Solution!

Hello! I was having the same problem with my 8GB iPod touch, I tried every suggestion but it wasnt until I disabled my firewall and anti virus software that I was able to fix it:D. I also wasnt able to run any other program, i.e. the internet which would cancel my update, or use my external harddrive. I had to make sure the only thing running was iTunes and the iPod. If you currently are using other USB ports you may try unplugging everything and if you are currently running anti virus you may want to disable it just long enough to update, maybe 3-5 mins!! Hope this helps and good luck!!:)
 
i had this and i fixed it

my iphone 3gs was jailbrock on 3.1.2 and i got water on it and the home button would not work and the screen went all wight so i put it in dfu mode (because its the 3gs you cant turn it back on without running black ra1n)then i restored and updated it and then just keeped saying restore failed i use windows xp

so i took it to a 02 shop and they restored it on there mac and it worked the home button did not but that's my fault for putting water on it

()()
( ." )
( )-( )
 
Simplest solution ever... Hope this helps.

I had followed EVERY step in this thread, all to no avail. I was still permanently stuck in the perpetual recovery cycle NO MATTER WHAT I DID... I growled, I swore, and I shouted... That didn't work either. Then I noticed that an awful lot of you on this forum are talking about your 'other/secondary/first' iPod, then a lightbulb dimly started to fizz in my brain.

Despite the usb lead for my original iPod looking IDENTICAL to the usb lead for my wife's iPod, our iPods could not be more different. (Me, iPod Classic 160g; her, iPod nano 16g)... I wondered if perhaps we had accidentally exchanged leads...

Hey Presto!

Apologies to those of you who are deeply frustrated and have discovered no help from my suggestion (due to you only having the one lead) but I have a feeling the vast majority of you may find that this could be the root of your problems. (And also why it seems to mysteriously 'cure' itself)... The rest of you who are still stuck... It's possible you may have damaged your usb lead in some way, so try to borrow one that you know works for your model and see if that helps...

Sometimes the simplest solution is the last one we think of trying.
 
My fix

After a couple of hours I found out that my issue was that I was trying to downgrade which "iTunes doesn't support."

I didn't jailbreak my iPad, just wanted to move back because I tested 4.2, but I used these steps to get out of the restore loop.

I downgraded and when I got the 1015 error message I ran the program RecBoot (google it) I was able to "kick my ipad out of the loop." Hope this is helpful to somebody.
 
Same for me

Okay, I happen to have a 5th Generation fairly old Classic. I've tried most of what you guys have posted on here (and then some)-
1. Reformatting the Ipod.
2. Changing the disk drive letter.
3. Restoring in disk mode.
4. Checked to see if HDspecs is fine (It is)
5. Diagnostics testing went fine.
6. Just plain tried restoring over and over.
7. Closing Itunes during the restore to end the loop (didn't work)
8. Resetting it with center and menu button. (multiple times)
9. Reinstalling Itunes.

It just doesn't seem to work. It doesn't exactly sync either, since it won't let me add songs on it. The memory is completely wiped by now, although my music is backed up. It just connects, tells me to restore it, I allow it to, then it says the Ipod will appear after the message. It goes right back to the beginning, "Your Ipod needs to be restored" and whatnot. I'd just like to get it to restart again so I can listen to my music on the go.
Once I get the chance, I will try it on a different computer to see if it will work on there. Until then, you may try all the above suggestions to see if they work for you. Maybe mine is just getting old and all corrupted, it's about a... 2006 model? I feel I'll need to buy a new one soon. If you guys have any other suggestions, I'm all ears.
 
Restore problem that I have not found an answer for

I have a restore problem that I have not found an answer for -

I have an iPod 1st generation 16GB that I bought on eBay. It shows as being in recovery on iTunes and I have tried numerous times to restore it. I have done the whole thing with holding down power and home, releasing power when the apple appears and then releasing home when the connect to iTunes appears. I have restored it on iTunes several times now. Sometimes it would give me an error message as to why it couldn't restore it, but other times it would show an apple and a status bar beneath it on the iPod. The status bar would gradually fill in from left to right and eventually fill completely up, but iTunes never gets through with the restore, just keep saying "iTunes is restoring the software on this iPod." I have left it for like 5 hours even, and it still does not get "done."

Does anyone know anything else I need to do or try? Thanks for any help anyone can offer.

Tracy

PS - It does not show any info in iTunes for Capacity, Software Version, or Serial Number either.
 
Last edited:
hey guys... i think i fixed my ipod by just simply formatting my ipod from my computer (windows user:() lets hope it sticks
 
Help me please. I love my ipod to bits.

My iPod classic (i got it around 2007-2008) is in that face where the screen only shows its grey background and the apple sign. I've tried restoring it iTunes tells me there's an error (1430). I've tried the HD stat thingies and the disk mode, but I can't seem to get it working. Please help me!! :(((( I'm dying without my sweet music.

ps. i use a macbook so windows based instructions are not welcome (unless somehow its the only answer) :(((( PLEASE AND THANK YOU.
 
Perpetual Recovery Situation

I to have this problem where my ipod is put into a perpetual recovery thingamajig.... However, there are two complications. My Ipod is an Ipod touch, and I'm using a Mac computer.

Every single solution has had to do with either a PC computer, or with other types of Ipods. The major differences here are I have no idea how to mess around with drivers and what not on a Mac. changes them and what not... (that may have been something I read on a different forum concerning this...). The second thing is the ipod touch can not go into Disk Mode.

If a solution is know for this with these two factors included... I would be deeply grateful if anyone could share it with me!
 
Finally fixed!

I finally got it to work! I tried with the new version of iTunes that was released yesterday (10.5) to see if it made a difference. I followed all the advice that I had read previously on this thread (reassigning the drive letter, formatting the iPod from windows), but this time I noticed that when I had previously formatted the iPod, the check mark that said 'quick format' for checked. This time, I took that out. The format process took about 30 minutes, and when it was done, iTunes tried to restore once again.

SUCCESS!!

So, to recap, this is what I did (80GB iPod Classic):

Updated iTunes to latest version (I don't really know if this helped or not).
Change drive letter of the iPod to something different (I chose Q).
Format the iPod in windows NOT USING QUICK FORMAT.
Restored the iPod.

I hope this helps someone.
 
I fixed it!

My iPod got corrupted because it was originally formatted to a Mac and I switched to PC. Find an Fat32 formatter, delete iTunes, delete the iTunes library in your music folder, re-install it, restore it, it should work.
 
Same problem with my 6th gen IPod Shuffle

I have had the same problem with my 6th gen IPod Shuffle and found a solution. I hope this works for all of you guys.

First my problem:
  1. Connecting iPod would give me a message to restore my iPod
  2. I would push restore on iTunes
  3. File would download and try to update iPod
  4. Restore would fail

Here's what I did to get my iPod syncing again with iTunes:
  1. Opened up disk utility on iMac (on a PC I think you would right click to reformat)
  2. I clicked on the iPod icon
  3. Clicked the "erase" tab
  4. Erased the iPod disk reformatting with Mac Extended (Journaled)
  5. Then erased again using FAT
  6. Disconnected iPod
  7. Reconnected iPod
  8. Clicked on restore on iTunes

This got my iPod syncing again to iTunes. I am not sure why I needed to reformat in Mac and then reformat again for PC, but when I reformated it in PC first, it still didn't work.

I hope this helps!

Alastair
misobrilliant@gmail.com
 
rolling said:
After reading about others troubles with there iPods and being stuck in the restore loop myself, I started looking at repairs from Apple as there is no Apple store within 200 miles of me and was pissed to see repairs would cost $130 and would take a week. (30Gb Video iPod) + shipping.

I tried:
1. simply using the (Mac) iTunes restore. - loop restart, iPod needs Restored.
2. restarting iPod as Disk and using the Itunes restore. loop
3. running a diagnostic. Nothing wrong.
4. running restore from a windows iTunes, loop
5. running restore from my (mac book pro). loop


Well having the hot temper :mad: I do. I tossed the iPod over my shoulder and well :rolleyes: it works great now. G'Day.
Click to expand...

I will say, that I have been having this same problem with an iPod of mine for over a year now, and had all but given up on it. I had heard some people say that hitting it really hard will make it work again, and after this time, I figured I didn't have anything to lose, so I dropped the iPod on the ground from shoulder height. It now works like new. I am not joking, even a little bit. If you haven't tried hitting it, try it now.

Oh, and by the way, I'm working with an 80GB iPod Classic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back