Even
though you are probably not aware of it, virtually everything you own,
which uses electricity, has a diagnostic mode. Everything from your cell phone
to your dishwasher can tell you what is wrong with it, or at least give you
a clue, if you know the secret combination of buttons to push. The
iPod is no different.
If you suspect there is something wrong with your iPod, you can switch
it to diagnostic mode to determine what the problem may be.
1. You need to restart
your iPod before putting it into Diagnostic Mode. Check
that your hold switch is off by sliding the switch
away from the headphone jack. You should not see any orange.
Toggle it on and off to be safe.
2. Press
and hold the following combination
of buttons simultaneously for approximately 10
seconds to reset the iPod.
iPod 1G to 3G (scroll & touch wheel iPods): "Menu" and "Play/Pause"
iPod 4G+ (includes
Photo, Nano, Video, and Mini): "Menu" and "Select Center Button"
3. The
Apple logo will appear and you should feel the hard drive spinning
up. Press and hold the following
sequence of buttons:
iPod 1G to 3G: "REW", "FFW" and "Select"
iPod 4G+ (includes
Photo, Nano, Mini, etc.): "REW" and "Select"
You will hear an audible chirp
sound (3G models and higher) and the Apple logo should appear
backwards. You are now in Diagnostic
Mode. Don't worry, running these diagnostic tests will NOT damage or corrupt the data (music, photos, playlists, videos, etc.) on you iPod?
4. Navigate
the list of tests using "REW" and "FFW".
The scroll wheel will not
function while in diagnostic
mode.
NERD
NOTE: If you run the Hard Drive Diagnostic Test,
make sure you have your iPod connected to a power
source. This test requires a lot of power will drain your
battery in the matter of minutes.
Older
iPod
Diagnostic Mode Tests:
The following tests are for
the older iPods, 1G to 4G. If you have a newer iPod (Photo, Nano,
Video, Mini), please scroll to the bottom of this page.
You can run the following tests
on older iPods.
A.
5 IN 1
E.
REMOTE
I.
OTPO CNT
M.
FLASH
B.
RESET
F.
FIREWARE
J.
LCM
N.
OTPO
C.
KEY
G.
SLEEP
K.
RTC
O.
HDD SCAN
D.
AUDIO
H.
A 2 D
L.
SDRAM
P.
RUN IN
Here's a breakdown of the tests:
A.
5 IN 1:
This
runs the following 5 tests at once (J through N as listed below): LCM, SDRAM, RTC, FLASH/CHECKSUM,
and FIREWIRE/FW ID. If you have a 3G iPod, at the end of the
test, your buttons will now play a series of sound effects.
B.
RESET:
Can your
iPod reset? Run this test and find out.
C.
KEY:
After you
start this test, you need to press all the buttons on your iPod within 5 seconds.
If you don't do it fast enough, it will fail.
D.
AUDIO:
Plug in headphones,
but don't expect an electronic rendition of Pink Floyd's Dark
Side
of the Moon. This test checks the audio subsystem. You will see a message that says "0X00000000 DONE" if your iPod passed the test.
E.
REMOTE:
This will
test your iPod's
Remote if you have one. Plug
it in or the test result will be "RMT
FAIL".
F.FIREWARE:
Checks
your iPod's FireWire port. A successful completion of the test
will return "FW
PASS".
G.
SLEEP:
Will put
your iPod to sleep. You will need to reset your iPod to wake
it back up.
H.
A 2 D:
Tests the
iPod's power. Your results should look something like this: "3.7V 0X000000E2 CHG OK FW 1 BAT 1". The results will be different depending if your
iPod is plugged into your computer, a wall outlet or is just
running off battery power.
I.
OTPO CNT:
Tests your
scroll
wheel. Results are returned in hexadecimal.
J.
LCM:
The
LCM is your iPod's screen. Keep pressing the "Select" button
to toggle through several pattern tests.
K.
RTC:
Tests
the iPod's built-in "Real
Time Clock".
L.
SDRAM:
The
RAM memory test. Hopefully it will tell you "PASS"
M.
FLASH:
Your iPod
has built-in Flash memory that stores firmware information. This
test will tell you what Firmware
version you have installed.
N.
OTPO or
Wheel A2D:
Tests
the A2D (analog to digital) input of your iPod's scroll, touch
or click-wheel. You need to reset your iPod to exit this test.
O.
HDD SCAN:
Scans your
iPod's hard drive. This is a great way to see if you have a healthy
iPod. This test will take a few minutes so be patient.
P.
RUN IN:
Tests your
iPod's chip sets continuously.
If your iPod passes the diagnostic tests, you should see a screen like the one below:
To get your iPod out of Diagnostic
Mode, you will have to restart it again.
Diagnostic
Mode Tests for newer iPods:
Compared to the oddball
geek speak of the older iPod diagnostic tests (see above), the terminology
used in the newer tests is much closer to plain English. The bigger
screen of newer iPods and higher resolution must have enabled Apple
to improve this feature.
Once in diagnostic mode,
you can run either the Manual Test (Menu) or
Auto Test (Back). Here's the breakdown of Manual mode:
NTF
Memory
IO
Power
Accessories Test
SysCfg
Reset
Here's a breakdown
of the tests. To cancel a test, just press the MENU button:
NTF:
Run the Autotest
and it will do the following:
Graphic self test
SDRAMQuicktest
Checksum
RTC
USBtest
Keytest
Wheeltest
Headphonedetect
Accessory
Test
ChargeADC
Backlight (brightness)
Color
Memory:
The Memory
tests include diagnostic procedures for your iPod's SDRAM,
IRAM and FLASH memory.
SDRAM: The
RAM memory test. The
SDRAM Fulltest will take several minutes. A successful pass result
is "SDRAM OK."
IRAM: Not
sure exactly what this test does. It takes several moments to
load before running a quick test and rebooting your iPod.
FLASH: This
test will do a checksum test of your iPod's
flash memory.
IO:
Comms:
This tests the communication ports of your iPod including USB,
FireWire and Remote. If the Remote is not connected to your iPod
at the time of the test, you can expect a NG (no good) for the
HP (headphone-port).
Wheel: This
option has two tests, Keytest and Wheeltest. Push
each button once to pass the Keytest. The Wheeltest just gives
you a coordinate of where your finger is on the Click-Wheel.
LCD: This
option has two tests, Backlight (0 to 255; 128 is the default)
and Color. Much like a VRAM test, the Color test will run through
a series of colors, patterns and gradients.
HeadphoneDetect:
This test checks the Hold Switch and Headphone port.
HardDrive:
This option has four tests.
HDSpecs
will tell you everything from hard drive temperature
to serial number.
HDScan
scans your
iPod's hard drive. This is a great way to see if you have a healthy
iPod and if your hard drive is fragmented. This test will take
a few minutes so be patient.
HDSMARTData
returns SMART data for professional repair applications and
personnel.
HDRW
tests the ability of your hard drive to RW (read and write
data). A FAIL result probably means you need to get
your hard drive replaced.
Audio: This
option has two tests. Playback plays an audio sample to make sure
your iPod can produce sound. MIC tests your iPods ability to record
audio.
Power:
A2DTests: This test has multiple sub tests.
PhilipsID
checks the power system of your iPod
A2D lists a series of A2D
(analog to digital) tests.
Status:
Status displays the status of several
of your iPod's key systems.
Sharp: LCD screen
HP: headphones. Are they connected? [0 =
no, 1 = yes]
FWPWR: FireWire power.
Is your FireWire cable charging your iPod?
USBPWR: USB power.
Is your USB cable charging your iPod?
SysCfg:
SysCfg: System Configuration.
This lists
your iPod's
hardware version, serial numbers, and
part number.
If your iPod
fails any of these tests, then you might have a
hardware problem. You can try to trouble shoot your iPod some more,
but there may not be much you can do. If
nothing works, use our VIP
Repair Service to
get your iPod fixed.
To get your iPod out
of Diagnostic Mode, you will have to restart it again.
OtterBox
for iPod Mini On
the run, in the car, or at the gym, our iPods have gone with
us to the ends of the earth... except places near water. But
thanks to the OtterBox Mini you can now safely take your
iPod Mini near or even underwater.
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Earbuds If you're looking for an inexpensive, lightweight pair of earbuds with fantastic bass, then Radius' Atomic Bass earbuds are the earbuds of your dreams.
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Creature II Speaker System What's
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is truly phenomenal.
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Mod
Your iPod Are
you a victim of the iPod's blossoming popularity? Feel like just another
pair of white headphones in the crowd? Maybe it's time you got
an iPod Mod.
H20
iPod Mini Case
H20 Audio has created a waterproof and impact
resistant case so that we can take our iPod Minis anywhere we
want… including the ocean free.
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Picture Frames Why
give someone a single still framed picture when you can give them
an entire slide show? Most Digital Picture Frames can playback a
series of digital photos and videos on high-resolution screens.
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Encounter Speakers In
a world of boring shelf speakers that are as fascinating
as the wires that connect them, the JBL Encounter draws people
towards it with its innovative tongue-in-cheek design and
then lavishes them with deep warm sound.
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is a military grade laser imported from China? Let's test it and find
out...
iTrip
Auto
Play your music through any car FM radio.
Copy
Music Off Your iPod Has a virus or hard drive crash wiped out your entire music
collection on your computer? No problem. Here's how to copy music off
your iPod and back onto your computer.
Erase
Your iPod Is your iPod acting funny? There are a number of things that
can be wrong with it, but this super fixsolution will
cure most problems.
Do
Not Disconnect Won't Go Away Are
you trying to eject your iPod from your computer but the "Do Not
Disconnect" won't go away? Don't worry, this is a common problem
with a fairly easy solution.
VIP
iPod Repair & Mod Service If
you need some TLC for your iPod ASAP, contact us for our special
VIP repair service. We offer general or complex repair services as
well as many customization options.