Protecting your iPod

Once you get used to the convenience of an iPod, having one break down or get damaged can cause you untold misery! Teenagers especially may have saved up for a long time for their iPod and be devastated if it gets scratched, broken or lost. Protecting your iPod is well worth the effort and perhaps a little expense.

• You should obviously use a hard protective case to avoid scratching the screen of your iPod. The hard cases are better because if you accidentally drop your iPod into water (perhaps into a puddle), your iPod may survive. A hard case is also more likely to protect your iPod's insides from the shock of being dropped as well as preventing external cosmetic damage.
• Don’t use your pockets, backpacks, or a purse to carry your iPod tunes. LDC screens are pliable under pressure - which is easily created if you bend down, sit down, sit on your backpack or purse or if you fall down.
• Be careful about leaving your iPod in the car. Not only does it present a temptation to any passing thief, the screen can be damaged by extreme heat or cold.
• Avoid pulling, wrapping, or causing any other type of tension to the cord attached to your headphones. This can break your headphone sockets. Avoid letting your wires get tangled up when you are not using your iPod (you can get special devices to wrap the wires around, or invent your own with a piece of cardboard or plastic!). Apart from anything else, this saves you having to untangle your headphones each time you go to use them!
• When you buy your iPod, consider purchasing an extra battery and battery replacement kit - ideal for when your battery dies, as you won’t have to make a special trip to replace it and do without your music at a crucial moment! The average iPod battery takes about three hours to fully charge.
• What if your iPod won’t shut down? Once you have checked that the hold switch is turned off, and you know your battery is fully charged, then you need to reset your iPod, deplete your battery all the way, and then update your iPod.
• Check for regular updates for your iPod, just like your home computer. You want it to continue to work properly. If the LDC screen on the front of your iPod shows a not so happy face, this means that you should check that the requirements for your iPod match your computer. If so, try to restore your iPod by putting it in disc mode and then restore. Remember restoring your iPod is not the same as updating. Make sure you back up your music files before you restore.
• To update, plug your iPod into your computer and download the newest version of iPod updater. You could try plugging your iPod into a different fire wire or USB port connecting to your computer. Then restart your computer, and reinstall your iPod or iTunes software.
• To check your iPod's hard drive for errors, run the scan disk feature. If the face with an upside down smile comes up then the problem can’t be fixed at home.
• Last, if you’re constantly on the go, running, skating, dancing, and your iPod is always being jarred around, you might have a problem. Your iPod’s internal protection function will come on and will freeze your iPod up. To fix your frozen iPod, hold the select and the menu button at the same time. If you have an older iPod, hold the play button down for a few moments, which should do the trick. 

These are only a few basic ways to avoid iPod repairs. If you iPod is still under warranty and you are still having problems, return your iPod to the manufacture so that ic can be exchanged it for a new one. 

The 2GB iPod Nano Promise