Tips & Tricks....How To Fix Your iPod

As a first step to fixing your iPod, see the iPod 5Rs Troubleshooting Assistant.

Apple have some great articles - you might find your solution in this list:

iPod Touch and iPhone Faults
iPod touch not recognized in iTunes for Windows
Restoring your iPhone and iPod touch software
Unable to restore: Recovery Mode
Tips when using Wi-Fi
What to do when applications close unexpectedly while in use
Troubleshooting applications purchased from the App Store
iPod touch appears in iTunes but not in Windows Explorer
iPod touch not recognised by iTunes on a Windows PC

Faults with other types of iPod
iPod won't turn on
How to reset iPod
Restoring iPod to factory settings
iPod missing in "My Computer" or in iTunes
iPod shows up in Windows but not in iTunes
iPod does not show up in iTunes or as disk in Windows Explorer, or songs may seem to disappear
iPod not recognized when connected to Windows laptop over USB
If you see a sad iPod icon
If you see a folder icon with an exclamation mark
iPod displays a red "X" icon
iPod only shows an Apple logo and doesn't start up
"Disk cannot be read from or written to" when syncing iPod or "Firmware update failure" error when updating or restoring iPod
Charging icon appears but iPod not recognized by computer

iPod Battery
iPod's battery doesn't charge
Getting the most out of your iPod battery
About iPod battery life
Charging your iPod battery

Song Problems
Troubleshooting songs and audiobooks that won't play
Troubleshooting songs that skip on iPod
Some songs in iTunes won't copy to iPod
iPod does not play content purchased from the iTunes Store
Some songs missing when browsing by artist
Artists do not appear in Artists menu on iPod

Video Problems
Viewing and syncing videos FAQ
Troubleshooting video problems
Can't transfer videos to iPod
iPod plays video but not audio of some exported files
Converting videos for iPod

iTunes
Can't connect to the iTunes Store
Songs and videos do not appear in iTunes
iTunes Store authorisation and deauthorisation
How to re-create your iTunes library

Miscellaneous
How to use your iPod to move your music to a new computer
How to use multiple iPods with one computer
Using iPod with multiple computers
How to use the Screen Lock
Connecting your iPod or iPhone to a TV
Is your iPod formatted for Windows or Mac?
How to rename your iPod
How to backup your songs and videos

If a sad iPod icon or an exclamation point and folder icon appears on your iPod's screen, or if you get a clicking sound or hard drive whirring, it is usually the sign of a hard drive problem and you have the power to do something about it now.
Your silver bullet of resolving your iPod issue is to restore your iPod to factory settings - see Restoring iPod to factory settings.
If you're having trouble, try these steps one at a time in order until the issue is resolved. These steps will often whip your iPod back into shape:

• Try another cable and port on your computer.
• Try these five steps (known as the "Five Rs") which should conquer most iPod issues: iPod 5Rs Troubleshooting Assistant This might be your best bet. Sometimes you have to try things several times.
• Try to put the iPod into Disk Mode if it fails to appear on your Windows' My Computer window or your Mac's Desktop - see: Putting iPod into Disk Mode.
  This involves resetting your iPod by pressing and holding the Menu and Select buttons for at least 6 seconds until the Apple logo appears. When the Apple logo appears, release the Menu and Select buttons and immediately press and hold the Select and the Play/Pause buttons until the Disk Mode screen appears:
  
  
  With luck, your iPod should now appear on your Windows' My Computer window or your Mac's Desktop, and you should then be able to restore it with the iPod Software Updater.