iPod Nano 3rd Generation Troubleshooting

No matter what you do, you can't get your iPod to turn on.

Before delving into the guts of your iPod, check to make sure the hold switch isn't activated. If the hold switch is on, the iPod will ignore any input on the click wheel and refuse to do anything. If your iPod's problem isn't so easily solved, read on.

If your iPod won't turn on, especially if it has not been used recently, you may simply have a drained battery. Plug your iPod into your computer or AC adapter and see if anything happens. Ideally your iPod will recognize it has been connected to a power source and charge its battery. If it will no longer charge, it must be replaced. We sell replacement batteries, but replacing the battery is very difficult (it requires soldering) and requires a new rear panel. (The nature of the clips on the rear panel prevent reattachment once the rear panel is removed.) If you are not confident in your soldering abilities, you should probably purchase a new iPod.

It is possible that it appears nothing is happening because the display is bad. If nothing is visible, or just a white screen shows up, it is possible the display is bad and must be replaced. Replacement also requires a new rear panel. (The nature of the clips on the rear panel prevent reattachment once the rear panel is removed.)

If absolutely nothing happens, it is possible that your iPod is not receiving your instructions because the click wheel is bad. The click wheel on this model is adhered to the front panel. Therefore, to fix this problem, you need to replace the front panel. Replacement also requires a new rear panel. (The nature of the clips on the rear panel prevent reattachment once the rear panel is removed.) It may be more cost/time effective at this point to purchase a new iPod.

If your iPod does nothing when plugged into a computer, the problem most likely lies in the logic board. We offer the following logic boards: 4 GB, and 8 GB. However, due to the materials needed (replacement also requires a new rear panel) and cost/time, you should probably purchase a new iPod at this point.

Your iPod turns on and appears to work, but when you plug in headphones or speakers, the audio doesn't play properly.

It's unlikely your headphones or speakers are bad, but it's worthwhile to eliminate these as the source of your problem at the beginning. Try your iPod with another set of headphones or speakers just to make sure that the problem is with the iPod.

The most likely cause of audio output problems on iPods is a bad audio-out jack. This jack is permanently affixed to the logic board. We offer the following logic boards: 4 GB, and 8 GB. However, due to the materials needed (replacement also requires a new rear panel) and cost/time, you should probably purchase a new iPod at this point.

Your iPod displays the text "Use iTunes to restore" on startup

Sometimes, a reset and restore will fix a sad iPod. Connect your iPod to your computer and use iTunes to restore the iPod. Restoring the iPod will erase everything on it, so make sure everything on the iPod is stored elsewhere prior to restoring. Sometimes it may be necessary to restore the iPod several times before it works properly. If you are unable to restore your iPod using iTunes, you can hard reset your iPod. iPod Nanos can be hard reset by booting while holding the menu and play/pause buttons. This should result in a quick dark screen followed by the standard Apple boot graphic.

If restoring the iPod didn't work, the sad iPod is likely caused by a problem with the logic board. There's not much to troubleshoot here. Basically, the only option is to replace the logic board (4 GB, and 8 GB). However, due to the materials needed (replacement also requires a new rear panel) and cost/time, you should probably purchase a new iPod at this point.

The iPod displays an image of a folder when turned on.

One of the nice things about iPod Nanos is that their flash memory is nearly impervious to damage from dropping the iPod. Unfortunately, this also means that the memory is soldered to the logic board. Therefore, you must replace the logic board (4 GB, and 8 GB). However, due to the materials needed (replacement also requires a new rear panel) and cost/time, you should probably invest in a new iPod at this point.

The iPod either boots to an Apple logo and freezes or continuously reboots.

This is likely the cause, and you must replace the logic board (4 GB, and 8 GB). However, due to the materials needed (replacement also requires a new rear panel) and cost/time, you should probably purchase a new iPod at this point.