Quick fixes

iPod diagnostic mode

Apple's user guides and support pages don't cover it: Apple described it only in its procedures for service technicians. These steps come from our repair bench and repair references, and match Apple's where those procedures cover the model. Pick what you want to do and your iPod.

Quick answer

  • Click wheel iPods Reset it: hold Menu and Center until the Apple logo appears. As soon as the logo shows, press and hold Center and Previous until the diagnostic menu appears.
  • iPod 3rd Gen Reset it: hold Menu and Play/Pause until the Apple logo appears. Then, as it restarts, press and hold Previous, Next and Center until the test menu appears.

Every step, by model

What do you want to do?

Which iPod do you have?

Not sure which one? Identify your iPod

Step by step

  1. Click wheel iPodsReset it: hold Menu and Center until the Apple logo appears. As soon as the logo shows, press and hold Center and Previous until the diagnostic menu appears.From our repair bench
  2. iPod 3rd GenReset it: hold Menu and Play/Pause until the Apple logo appears. Then, as it restarts, press and hold Previous, Next and Center until the test menu appears.From repair references, not Apple
  3. Click wheel iPodsTurn the wheel to pick a test, press Center to run it, and press Menu to go back.From our repair bench
  4. iPod 3rd GenUse Previous and Next to move through the test menu (the wheel does not work there), and press Center to run a test.From repair references, not Apple
  5. If a test stops on "HP Detect" or "Please plug FW", it is waiting for headphones or a FireWire cable: plug them in. If it won't pass with them plugged in, suspect the jack, the Hold switch or the port.From repair references, not Apple
  6. To leave diagnostic mode, reset it: hold Menu and Center until the Apple logo appears (3rd Gen: Menu and Play/Pause).From our repair bench

Diagnostic mode hard drive test

Also searched as hard drive diagnostic test

  1. If it still shows up on a computer, copy your music off before anything else (copy the whole iPod_Control folder to keep more than the songs); if it clicks or drops off the computer while copying, stop and get it diagnosed.From our repair bench
  2. Click wheel iPodsReset it: hold Menu and Center until the Apple logo appears. As soon as the logo shows, press and hold Center and Previous until the diagnostic menu appears.From our repair bench
  3. iPod 3rd GenReset it: hold Menu and Play/Pause until the Apple logo appears. Then, as it restarts, press and hold Previous, Next and Center until the test menu appears.From repair references, not Apple
  4. Run the hard drive test (its name differs by model). If it reports errors or the iPod freezes during it, the hard drive is the likely fault.From our repair bench
  5. iPod 4th GenOn the 4th Gen, press Next (the forward button) to go to the second page and choose SMRT DAT: it shows retracts, reallocs and pending sectors. All of them should be low.From our repair bench
  6. iPod 3rd GenOn the 3rd Gen, press Next (the forward button) to go to page 2 and choose HDD SCAN. It reads the whole drive and takes about 20 minutes, so run it only once your music is safe.From our repair bench
  7. On a healthy drive the reallocated sectors (reallocs) and pending sectors read zero or close to it. A high number, or numbers that rise each time you check, mean the drive is failing; pending sectors are the sharper warning.From our repair bench

Stuck in diagnostic mode

Also searched as exit diagnostic mode · diagnostic mode reset

  1. To leave diagnostic mode, reset it: hold Menu and Center until the Apple logo appears (3rd Gen: Menu and Play/Pause).From our repair bench
  2. If it starts in diagnostic mode every time, a button may be stuck down: send it for a free diagnostic.From our repair bench

Still not working — free diagnostic

Mail us your iPod and we test it and send you a free repair quote. If you don't like the price, we ship it back at our expense.

Free diagnostic for the iPod 3rd GenFree diagnostic for the iPod 4th GenFree diagnostic for the iPod PhotoFree diagnostic for the iPod Video 5th GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Classic 6th GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Classic 7th GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Mini 1st GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Mini 2nd GenFree diagnostic

Free