TMO Quick Tip - Reformatting an iPod

by , 7:30 AM EDT, May 19th, 2006

After applying the iPod updater 2006-03-23 to my 4GB iPod nano, I found that its firmware was hopelessly scrambled, and no amount of cajoling on my part, or Apple's iPod experts, was able to bring it back to life. Lucky for me, my nano was still under warranty, so Apple replaced it without any fuss or hassle. When my replacement iPod showed up in the mail, it was formatted for Windows, and did not go through the usual process of resetting itself when I plugged it into my Mac.

Since I need my nano formatted for Mac OS X, I had to force it to reset myself. Here's how:


Click the Restore button in iPod Updater to reformat a Windows iPod for your Mac.

The reason I needed to format my iPod is because the iPod shuffle is the only model that works correctly with a Windows format in iTunes on a Mac. Other people reset their iPod because it isn't working reliably, or because they are selling it.

Remember: Resetting your iPod to factory defaults deletes every file, song, and picture from your music player. If your iPod has important information on it, be sure to back everything up before resetting it.