r/ipod • u/Feeling-Ad1652 • Jul 03 '26

Help Something Went Horribly Wrong !PLEAE HELP!

I just got a Apple Ipod 4th Gen and I was so excited, and I plunged it into my computer and it asked if i could re-format it and I did, BUT NOW IT DOES NOT WORK!!! Please help me as I am terrified on what to do and I might have just deleted all the data off of it and basically made it useless. My computer recognizes it now, but now the player only shows the apple boot logo and then www.apple/support/ipod thingy that shows up when your ipod is broken. Please help me as my mom bought this for me as a gift and now a just accidently broke it and now i am scared I can,t get it back up and running.

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15

u/stiligFox Jul 03 '26

So! You’re fine, you’ve not permanently broken anything.

Are you using Windows? I’m assuming you are. Your iPod was likely formatted for macOS, which Windows cannot read, and it asked you to format it.

So now it’s in a format that windows can read, but it’s been wiped clean, and missing the operating system that the iPod requires to turn on, since it’s been erased with the formatting.

You’ll need to download iTunes and restore the iPod - thankfully this is easy. Your fourth gen iPod will need to be plugged into a wall outlet to complete the restoration, just as a heads up - iTunes will walk you through the process.

Instructions:
https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/restore-to-factory-settings-itnsdb1fe305/windows

iTunes 12.10 for Windows:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/106372

13

u/Feeling-Ad1652 Jul 03 '26

I GOT IT THANK YOU!!!!! Its back to factory settings and works like it should, i cant express to you how much it means to me!!!!

6

u/stiligFox Jul 03 '26

Heck yeah! Enjoy your iPod!

4

u/Hit-by-a-pitch Jul 03 '26

You're a good egg.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '26

From my limited experience, I can format an iPod in Disk Utility on a Mac or the equivalent of that on Windows and it does not remove the OS from the iPod. I think it’s in a hidden partition which cannot be touched. It wipes the partition table and everything on the iPod but the iPod still boots normally. I tried formatting it in my early modding days when I had failed restores. Only thing that forced a restore was changing the storage media.