iPod Woes

Zernhelt

I'm having some issues with my iPod, and I'm hoping someone here might be able to help me. iTunes won't put music on it anymore (it's not full). Music is on the iPod, I can see this through My Computer, but the music doesn't show up on the iPod's menu. I figure restoring the iPod would be the first step to trying to fix it. The problem is that iTunes keeps giving me an error message every time I try to do this (and it doesn't always show up on iTunes, and sometimes my computer blue screens after its been connected for a few minutes, before it shows up on iTunes).

I brought the iPod to an Apple store, thinking their tech guys could help. Apparently they don't do shit. All the girl I was talking to did was connect the iPod to a computer and try to click on the restore button in iTunes (she tried a couple computers), and because she didn't want to open it up and look at the files on it, she decided it was a hardware issue (I'm guessing that if when I connect it to my computer, I can see all the files on it, then it must be more like a corrupted file issue).

So I was thinking I could connect the iPod to my computer, and then format it through the right-click menu. I figure after that it will show up as simple an external drive, so I want to know if anyone has any ideas for how to get iTunes to recognize it as an iPod so that I can use it again. If anyone has the operating files for a 3rd generation iPod, and thinks that giving them to me might help, that's all I could think of (as far as I know that isn't illegal).

I'm looking to fix this one, not buy a new one. At least not until they bring out a new one.

tl;dr: My iPod won't restore, and Apple's Geniuses are no help. Any suggestions?

Shogun

First thing I would do is actually call Apple the company. The chumps at the store are mostly salesmen and mostly worthless after the initial purchase. I'm sure Apple has a tech or service department of some sort and at the very least can point you in a direction.

tybeet

does the device itself emit any clicky-clicky sounds?
I had a similar problem, it ended up being the click-of-death & it all went downhill from there, but I did get it to work a good number of times just by thwacking it on my palm.