iPod classic - General Suggestions

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To charge the battery, connect iPod classic to a USB 2.0 on your computer.
Connecting iPod classic to a USB port on your keyboard won’t charge the battery,
unless your keyboard has a high-powered USB 2.0 port.

 Try the 5 Rs, one by one, until iPod classic responds.

If you want to disconnect iPod classic, but you see the message “Connected” or
“Sync in Progress”
 If iPod classic is syncing music, wait for it to complete.
 Select iPod classic in the device list and click the Eject (C) button.
 If iPod classic disappears from the device list, but you still see the “Connected” or

“Sync in Progress” message on the iPod classic screen, disconnect iPod classic.

 If iPod classic doesn’t disappear from the device list, drag the iPod classic icon from

the desktop to the Trash (if you’re using a Mac) or, if you’re using a Windows PC, eject
the device in My Computer or click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the system
tray and select iPod classic. If you still see the “Connected” or “Sync in Progress”
message, restart your computer and eject iPod classic again.

If iPod classic isn’t playing music
 Make sure the Hold switch isn’t set to HOLD.
 Make sure the headphone connector is pushed in all the way.
 Make sure the volume is set properly. A maximum volume limit might have been set.

You can change or remove it by using Settings > Volume Limit. See “Setting the
Maximum Volume Limit” on page 36.

 iPod classic might be paused. Try pressing the Play/Pause button.
 Make sure you’re using iTunes 9.0 or later (go to www.apple.com/ipod/start). Songs

purchased from the iTunes Store using earlier versions of iTunes won’t play on
iPod classic until you upgrade iTunes.

 If you’re using the iPod Universal Dock, make sure the iPod classic is seated firmly in

the Dock and make sure all cables are connected properly.

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If you connect iPod classic to your computer and nothing happens
 Make sure you have installed the latest iTunes software from

www.apple.com/ipod/start.

 Try connecting to a different USB port on your computer.

Note: A USB 2.0 port is recommended to connect iPod classic. USB 1.1 is significantly
slower than USB 2.0. If you have a Windows PC that doesn’t have a USB 2.0 port, in
some cases you can purchase and install a USB 2.0 card. For more information, go to
www.apple.com/ipod.

 iPod classic might need to be reset (see page 59).
 If you’re connecting iPod classic to a portable or laptop computer using the iPod

Dock Connector to USB 2.0 Cable, connect the computer to a power outlet before
connecting iPod classic.

 Make sure you have the required computer and software. See “If you want to double-

check the system requirements” on page 64.

 Check the cable connections. Unplug the cable at both ends and make sure no foreign

objects are in the USB ports. Then plug the cable back in securely. Make sure the
connectors on the cables are oriented correctly. They can be inserted only one way.

 Try restarting your computer.
 If none of the previous suggestions solves your problems, you might need to restore

iPod classic software. See “Updating and Restoring iPod Software” on page 65.

If iPod classic displays a “Connect to Power” message
This message may appear if iPod classic is exceptionally low on power and the battery
needs to be charged before iPod classic can communicate with your computer. To
charge the battery, connect iPod classic to a USB 2.0 port on your computer.

Leave iPod classic connected to your computer until the message disappears and
iPod classic appears in iTunes or the Finder. Depending on how depleted the battery is,
you may need to charge iPod classic for up to 30 minutes before it will start up.

To charge iPod classic more quickly, use the optional Apple USB Power Adapter.

Note: Connecting iPod classic to a USB port on your keyboard won’t charge the
battery, unless your keyboard has a high-powered USB 2.0 port.

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If iPod classic displays a “Use iTunes to restore” message
 Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes on your computer (download it from

www.apple.com/ipod/start).

 Connect iPod classic to your computer. When iTunes opens, follow the onscreen

prompts to restore iPod classic.

 If restoring iPod classic doesn’t solve the problem, iPod classic may need to be

repaired. You can arrange for service at the iPod Service & Support website:
www.apple.com/support/ipod

If songs or data sync more slowly over USB 2.0
 If you sync a large number of songs or amount of data using USB 2.0 and the

iPod classic battery is low, iPod classic syncs the information at a reduced speed in
order to conserve battery power.

 If you want to sync at higher speeds, you can stop syncing and keep the iPod classic

connected so that it can recharge, or connect it to the optional iPod USB 2.0 Power
Adapter. Let iPod classic charge for about an hour, and then resume syncing your
music or data.

If you can’t add a song or other item to iPod classic
The song may have been encoded in a format that iPod classic doesn’t support. The
following audio file formats are supported by iPod classic. These include formats for
audiobooks and podcasting:

 AAC (M4A, M4B, M4P, up to 320 Kbps)
 Apple Lossless (a high-quality compressed format)
 HE-AAC
 MP3 (up to 320 Kbps)
 MP3 Variable Bit Rate (VBR)
 WAV
 AA (audible.com spoken word, formats 2, 3, and 4)
 AIFF

A song encoded using Apple Lossless format has full CD-quality sound, but takes up
only about half as much space as a song encoded using AIFF or WAV format. The same
song encoded in AAC or MP3 format takes up even less space. When you import music
from a CD using iTunes, it’s converted to AAC format by default.

Using iTunes for Windows, you can convert nonprotected WMA files to AAC or MP3
format. This can be useful if you have a library of music encoded in WMA format.

iPod classic doesn’t support WMA, MPEG Layer 1, MPEG Layer 2 audio files, or
audible.com format 1.

If you have a song in iTunes that isn’t supported by iPod classic, you can convert it to
a format iPod classic supports. For more information, see iTunes Help.

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If iPod classic displays a “Connect to iTunes to activate Genius” message
You haven’t activated Genius in iTunes, or you haven’t synced iPod classic since you
activated Genius in iTunes. For more information, see page 19 or iTunes Help.

If iPod classic displays a “Genius is not available for the selected song” message
Genius is activated but doesn’t recognize the song you selected to start a Genius
playlist. New songs are added to the iTunes Store Genius database regularly, so try
again later.

If you accidentally set iPod classic to use a language you don’t understand
You can reset the language.

1

Press and hold Menu until the main menu appears.

2

Choose the sixth menu item (Settings).

3

Choose the last menu item (Reset Settings).

4

Choose the left item (Reset) and select a language.

Other iPod classic settings, such as song repeat, are also reset.

Note: If you added or removed items from the iPod classic main menu (see “Adding or
Removing Items in the Main Menu” on page 8) the Settings menu item may be
in a different place. If you can’t find the Reset Settings menu item, you can restore
iPod classic to its original state and choose a language you understand. See “Updating
and Restoring iPod Software” on page 65.

If you can’t see videos or photos on your TV
 You must use RCA-type cables made specifically for iPod classic, such as the

Apple Component or Apple Composite AV cables, to connect iPod classic to
your TV. Other similar RCA-type cables won’t work.

 Make sure your TV is set to display images from the correct input source (see the

documentation that came with your TV for more information).

 Make sure all cables are connected correctly (see “Watching Videos on a TV

Connected to iPod classic” on page 41).

 Make sure the yellow end of the Apple Composite AV Cable is connected to the

video port on your TV.

 If you’re trying to watch a video, go to Videos > Settings and set TV Out to On, and

then try again. If you’re trying to view a slideshow, go to Photos > Slideshow Settings
and set TV Out to On, and then try again.

 If that doesn’t work, go to Videos > Settings (for video) or Photos > Settings (for a

slideshow) and set TV Signal to PAL or NTSC, depending on which type of TV you
have. Try both settings.

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If you want to double-check the system requirements
To use iPod classic, you must have:

 One of the following computer configurations:

 A Mac with a USB 2.0 port
 A Windows PC with a USB 2.0 or a USB 2.0 card installed

 One of the following operating systems:

 Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later
 Windows Vista
 Windows XP (Home or Professional) with Service Pack 3 or later

 iTunes 9.0 or later (iTunes can be downloaded from www.apple.com/ipod/start)

If your Windows PC doesn’t have a USB 2.0 port, you can purchase and install a USB 2.0
card. For more information about cables and compatible USB cards, go to
www.apple.com/ipod.

On the Mac, iPhoto 4.0.3 or later is recommended for adding photos and albums to
iPod classic. This software is optional. iPhoto might already be installed on your Mac.
Check the Applications folder. If you have iPhoto 4 you can update it by choosing
Apple () > Software Update.

On a Windows PC, iPod classic can sync photo collections automatically from Adobe
Photoshop Album 2.0 or later, and Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 or later, available at
www.adobe.com. This software is optional.

On both Mac and Windows PC, iPod classic can sync digital photos from folders on
your computer’s hard disk.

If you want to use iPod classic with a Mac and a Windows PC
If you’re using iPod classic with a Mac and you want to use it with a Windows PC, you
must restore the iPod software for use with the PC (see “Updating and Restoring iPod
Software” on page 65). Restoring the iPod software erases all data from iPod classic,
including all songs.

You cannot switch from using iPod classic with a Mac to using it with a Windows PC
without erasing all data on iPod classic.

If you lock the iPod classic screen and can’t unlock it
Normally, if you can connect iPod classic to the computer it’s authorized to work with,
iPod classic automatically unlocks. If the computer authorized to work with iPod classic
is unavailable, you can connect iPod classic to another computer and use iTunes to
restore iPod software. See the next section for more information.

If you want to change the screen lock combination and you can’t remember the current
combination, you must restore the iPod software and then set a new combination.