Wow. Wowwww. That was kinda scary.

So, my iPod Touch was running jailbroken firmware (version 2.1) was in need of an update to firmware 2.2. Apparently, you need to be running unjailbroken firmware version 2.2 to jailbreak it. So, I just thought it would be as simple as going into iTunes and restoring my iPod’s software to the new version.

I was stupid enough to forget that iTunes rejects blatantly jailbroken devices, such as mine. Duhr. Naturally, it told me my iPod could not be restored, and it spat some error message at me before disconnecting my iPod to my computer. On top of this, it told me there was a problem with the software used to connect my iPod to my computer (it had told me this before, but I hadn’t noticed any problems with it). I know there are a lot of people with my problem, so I thought I’d share what I did.

Here is my fix:

• Step 1: Close everything and restart your computer. Believe it or else, this often fixes problems. See if  your iPod connects now. No? Go to step 2.
• Step 2: If you’re running Windows Vista, hit Start, and type in “Services” in the start bar, and run the program that pops up. If you’re in Windows XP, hit start, click on run (or, if you’re a pro, hold down the windows key and hit r), and type in “services.msc” to bring up the Windows Services manager. Not sure if there’s something like this for Mac’s… sorry. From here, you’ll want to find “Apple Movile Device” and “iPod Service.” Once you’ve found these, right click them and select “Restart.” A little dialogue will appear telling you Windows is trying to stop and start the service. Nothing too crazy. Once you’re done, close the window, open iTunes, and plug in your iPod. See if it showes up. Still no good? Keep reading.
• Step 3: The last thing I did was I made sure my version of iTunes was up to date. You can do this by opening iTunes, clicking the “Help” menu, and selecting the “Check for Updates” option. If there’s an update, download and install it (it will ask you to restart your computer at the end, so be ready for that). After the restart, re-open iTunes, and try plugging your iPod in again. Still frustrated? Read step 4.
• Step 4: This is the last thing I had to do before I could connect my iPod: I just reinstalled iTunes. Hit Start, click Control Pannel, and (in Vistas) select Programs and Features. In Windows XP, select Add and Remove Programs.Scroll down a bit untill you see iTunes. When you select it, you will be asked if you want to uninstall it, change its installed files, or repair the installation. If you want, you can repair it first and see if that helps. I just uninstalled it altogether. You then have to redownload iTunes and install it again. After this, plug in your iPod. Your iPod should be recognised as an “iPod that needs to be restored.”

From this point on, I’ll assume your iPod can be connected to iTunes. Do not, for whatever reason, just click the restore button. Trust me, you’ll have to redo everything you just did, because you will wind up with the same error message. Instead, you need to put your iPod into DFU mode. I can’t honestly tell you that I have any idea what that stands for. So, you’ll need a stopwatch, unless you have a fairly good sense of time.

• Plug in your iPod if you haven’t already. Make sure it shows up in iTunes.
• Hold down both the menu and the lock buttons for 10 seconds (this is where the stopwatch comes in). The screen will shut off, and the device will disappear from iTunes
• Let go of the lock button, but keep holding down the home button for another 20-30 seconds (or until the iPod appears in iTunes again). Your iPod’s screen should still be off. If it is on, you’ve done it wrong, and need to start at the first step again (i.e. hold down both the menu and lock buttons…)

Once your iPod is in DFU mode, you can restore/update as you please. Heck, you could probably install 1.1.1 if you really wanted to, although that would be stupid. Another secret: in Windows, if you hold down the shift key while you hit the restore button, you can pick a file to restore from. So, if you downloaded a different firmware than the latest one, or if you have a custom firmware file, you can select that file and install from that. Works like a charm.

I sincerely hope no one else has the same [swears loudly] problem I had.