This is the order in which, according to Apple, one should go about attempting to solve a glitch in your iPod. If one fails, you move on to the next. So, a visual guide for number one (in Step Two you have to press both buttons at once and hold them down till you see the apple):

Number two just means: “Play it again Sam” (like plugging it into a different usb port in your computer)
Number three means: Restart the computer.
Number four means: Reinstall the software (preferably the latest iTunes version)
Number five deletes everything in your iPod so, so only do this if you really need to
http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/five_rs/index.html
…..Good Luck!

Album art is part of the fun of buying a CD. Would’nt it be great if you can have that same artwork in iTunes and your iPod? If you buy songs from the iTunes stores, they will come with the art, but if you download tracks from other sites, sharing it with friends etc., the album art might not be included. Let’s have a look how to add the album art to the tracks that don’t have it automatically.

…..Your Album Art area is visible in iTunes on the left corner (it is the small square area). If you can’t see it, press the right bottom of the four bottoms that are located on the bottom left.
…..Next, select a song that you’d like to add album art to. There are various ways to add the album art into iTunes.
If you have a scanned image as a file on your hard drive, drag it into the Album Art area from Windows Explorer (PC) or the Finder (Mac).

…..If you do not have the image on your computer, search for it on the internet. There are a few good websites where you can find good artwork. (http://www.amazon.com, http://www.walmart.com, http://www.allmusic.com) On Amazon, search for the album you’d like, and click on “see larger picture” for a suitable image file. If you found the desirable image, drag it into iTunes as you did with a scanned image, simply by dragging it from the website into the iTunes album art are (the square on the bottom left).

…..If you don’t like the drag-and-drop method, just use the following technique from a website:
Right-click (command-click on the Mac) on a track (or tracks) and select “Get Info.”
Open the “Artwork” tab. Click the “add…” button. Have fun designing your iTunes.

…..For a bigger view of your album art, double click on the album art area. You can do that either with the “selected song” or with the song that is “now playing. To switch in between them, click on the little arrow on the bar above the Album Art area in the bottom left corner of iTunes.

…..Some songs have multiple album art files, which can be stored on one track. To add another image file, simply drag it on top of the existing one. In the bar above the album art will appear arrows, which allow you to switch images.

..The failure rate for Apple’s iPod portable music player ranges from 5-20% over a period of several years of average usage.

…..Having inspected and repaired literally thousands of iPods in the past several years, we can confirm that this number is indeed accurate. Commonly our customers ask the question, “Why did my iPod fail?”. There is no single answer to this question. iPods are incredibly complex electronic devices, and as such, there are any number of parts which may fail, causing your iPod to be inoperable. By far, the most common part to fail in your iPod is its hard drive. I often tell customers to think of the hard drive as the heart of their iPods. The hard drive is where your iPods music is stored, its purpose and operation are very similar to the hard drives which are inside your laptop and desktop computers. The parts however have been tremendously miniaturized to enable them to fit inside something as tiny as an iPod. Hard drives in and of themselves are very complex devices.

…..A common analogy I typically use with customers is that of an old vinyl record player. The inside of a hard drive is similar in that you have what is called a “Platter” (Analogous to a vinyl record in looks and function), a “Head” (like the needle on the record player), and a motor which spins the platter. The head is magnetic rather than mechanical and reads the 1’s and 0’s that make up the songs stored on your iPod. Lost you yet? This analogy is useful when explaining what happens when you drop your running iPod. Imagine your playing an old record in your living room and your dog, chasing a toy knocks into it, sending it crashing to the ground mid song. The needle will scratch the fine grooves in the vinyl, the needle may bend, the motor may be damaged, etc. The damage would likely be catastrophic. And your prized Johnny Cash record may never sound the same again. The same occurs, on a more miniature scale when you for example, drop your iPod while jogging. Most iPod owners assume their iPods are much more durable that they really are. While the failure of any of the many components in your iPod can happen at any time, your chances of experiencing a failure multiply as soon as your iPod is abused. It may work fine immediately after being dropped a couple of times, but sooner or later the abuse will cause the premature failure of the drive, and the iPod.

iPhones are a completely new and separate beast. While the problems caused by moving parts such as a hard drive have been eliminated (iPhones use flash memory), they have a completely new set of things that can go wrong. The recent spat of bricked iPhones, the result of botched updates and firmware troubles for example. Stay posted for more articles on iPhone software and hardware in the coming weeks.

Please continue to check back regularly for more articles on keeping your iPods in tip top shape, preventing problems, and fixing issues when they do occur.

Probably the most common type of iPod/iPhone repair involves the replacement of their batteries. While some batteries may fail with a year or less of use, more typically batteries last anywhere from one to three years. Customers often ask me, “What causes my iPods battery to die?”. And thats a fair question. iPods use a type of battery technology called Lithium ion. Lithium ion batteries have a limited lifespan of between 300 and 500 charge cycles. A complete cycle is using your iPod/iPhone from a full charge, all the way to when the iPod/iPhone shuts off when the battery is completely drained. Assuming you are someone who uses your iPod/iPhone everyday, or nearly everyday, 300-500 cycles will get you anywhere from one to three years of usage. Super heavy users may wear out the batteries in a year or less, and your grandmother who listens to Elvis once a week might take 5 years to reach 300 cycles. What I usually tell customers is that your iPods battery should last at LEAST one year. If not, I would consider it defective. The same goes for our replacement batteries. In addition Lithium ion batteries should be conditioned regularly. What do I mean by conditioning? Lithium ion batteries can suffer from a strange affliction whereby crystals can develop in the unused portion of the battery. Lets say for example that you fully charge your iPod everyday and then use its battery halfway the following day and repeat charging it. The 50% that is always charged will begin to develop crystals which will limit that portion of the batteries ability to properly and reliably provide power. To prevent this, regularly fully discharge your iPod/iPhone and completely charge it up. This is not necessary everytime you use your iPod/iPhone, however this should be done at least once a month. Even simple maintenance such as what I just explained can help you to see a noticeable increase in both battery life and battery longevity. Please continue to check back regularly for more articles on keeping your iPods and iPhones in tip top shape, preventing problems, and fixing issues when they do occur.

.Next to worn out batteries and broken hard drives, the most common malady facing iPods is broken lcd screens. Unlike some other components in iPods, the screens don’t break themselves. A broken screen is always the result of some form of misuse or neglect. There are some iPod models that are much more susceptible to screen damage. These include the 1st generation iPod Nano, and the iPod with video.

…..The 1st generation iPod Nano is a marvel in miniaturization, however that miniaturization came at a cost. The Nano in a departure from its predecessor the Mini, is made of plastic (with the now familiar silver back plate). What the Nano lost in comparison to the Mini is a great deal of resiliency and strength. The Nano, being so thin, and being made with plastic, has a tendency to flex when bent. The tiny, super thin glass LCD screen inside will crack with the slightest flex in the iPod. What we recommend to minimize the likelihood of your iPod breaking is to purchase a strong hard plastic or metal case for your iPod Nano, this will give it the additional support and strength it needs to stand up to daily use, and abuse. iPods with video, are also very susceptible to screen breakage. The main reason for this is the fact that the lcds on iPod videos are much larger than previous iPod models. The larger the screen, the higher the chance of breakage. Commonly we receive iPods that have been in a gym bag, or purse and have come out broken. Things such as women’s makeup, books, keys, anything hard, when knocked against the iPods screen in the right way will break it. Again the best and really only way to help prevent the screen from breaking is to buy a sturdy, high quality case for your iPod. Very, very few of the iPods with broken screens that we have received have been in cases.

…..Moral of this story….a few dollars investment in a high quality case, can save you a lot of money a screen replacement down the line.