Owning an iPod has become as common as owning a cell phone in recent times. It is a regular occurrence to see people listening to music while walking down the street, in stores, at gyms, and with additional equipment, in cars. With the regular use of iPods, malfunctions can occur which can cause a disturbance in our regular routine. Tuning out is now harder.

Even though the iPod is just a relatively small device in the grand scheme of things the impact can cause some form of temporary loss of joy. So in case of emergency use the infamous five R's instead of panicking which is probably your first reaction. Apple has developed the five R's, which stand for: Reset, Retry, Restart, Reinstall and Restore. These simple words can mean the difference between sending your iPod away and fixing your iPod yourself in just minutes.

Just before you begin to perform these steps to fix your iPod you will need to toggle the Hold switch on and off to prepare your iPod. Then you will want to reset your iPod, which will clear out any cached instructions it has received from you that may have caused some form of minor system crash. If this doesn't seem to fix the problem they you will need to try something else.

If connectivity seems to be the issue, try to put the iPod in another USB port on your computer. Sometimes using another port will allow the iPod to interface with the itunes software. We call this step the "Retry" with a different USB port step.

If the last two steps haven't worked then do not get discouraged because we still have three more steps to try. If you haven't already tried this one then simply "reboot" your computer to clear out any data from the computers memory that may be conflicting with the iPod software. Usually by now the troubles are all fixed and your back to having balance in your life but if not we should proceed to the fourth step in self-repairing your iPod.

Locate the iTunes software that came with your iPod and re-install the application. There are times with any software application that you may have to re-install it in order for it to work properly because files are being modified all of the time within the computer and it can cause complications like this to develop.

Finally, we have come to the last and final step in repairing your iPod without having to call tech support or a repair facility. Before you let out a scream of frustration, if you haven't already, try to "Restore" your iPod to its original configuration. In this step you will lose any input you have downloaded into the iPod. This is a very unfortunate step to have to take, especially if you do not have a complete backup of your data. To begin the restore process you must start the iPod Updater program which will restore your iPod to the original condition it came in when you first opened the package.

If these five steps have not repaired your iPod then you are in need of professional help, but don't fret you have options. As opposed to Apple, other reputable companies provide iPod repair without loosing any of your stored data. Research various sites and find the company that works with your needs.