Zolved community solution
| Zolved community solution |
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The Apple iPod's White Screen of Death
I get a white/blank screen on my iPod
The software is probably hung up and needs to be restarted.
This is probably caused by not allowing the firmware update to finish the installation before disconnecting the iPod. Try these steps.

Reset the iPod:
- Turn the Hold switch on, then back to off.
- Press and hold the Menu and Select buttons for 10 seconds (until the Apple logo appears).
- You may need to repeat the reset several times.
Put iPod into Disk Mode:
Apple suggests that you ensure your iPod is charged before following the next step. How exactly you check a charge on an iPod screen that is completely white has yet to be revealed. But hey, give it a shot anyway. Plug the iPod into a high-powered USB port, let it sit for 2 hours, then disconnect it. If you have a wall charger, plug in the iPod, then follow these steps while it is still plugged in.
- Turn the Hold switch on, then back to off.
- Press and hold the Menu and Select buttons until the Apple logo appears
- Immediately switch your figures to press and hold the Select and the Play/Pause buttons until "Disk Mode" appears at the top.
For a lot of people, this solves the problem. Connect the iPod to the computer and (assuming it shows up) reset the iPod again to get it out of Disk Mode. If at this point you still have the white screen, restore the iPod using the restore function in iTunes under the Summary tab (this will erase everything on the iPod and put it at factory settings).
Don't disconnect or eject the iPod until the store is totally done. After you think it's done, wait another five minutes.
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copyright © 2010, IPTouch, Inc.
Comments
- Posted by: dreynolds_194 at 21 Jun 15:32 permalinkThe "solution" does not work, and an Apple "Genius" determined that there was a HARDWARE problem on my wife's 2nd gen nano. Fortunately the problem occurred within the first two months of ownership. If there was ever a product from Apple where it will pay you to purchase AppleCare--itself overpriced--, I believe ANY iPod is the product. As AppleCare runs out on iPods in TWO years, don't forget to start saving your money for your next iPod. Here is a class action suit waiting to happen--I hope! Perhaps some thoughtful judge will see that we get a fifty cent coupon toward our next purchase . . . .
- Posted by: cchuako_8030 at 14 Jun 20:55 permalinkWow my got left out in a rain storm for three hours. It was soaking wet. At first I made a dumb mistake (beyond the obvious of leaving it out in the rain) and tried to turn it on and charge it to see if it would work. It did for the first two mimutes and then it stopped working. I would have it plugged in and itunes would tell me that it couldn't connect do to a missing file. I left it turned off over night thinking my ipod was dead. The next day at work a co-worker told me to put it in a bowl of rice. After letting it sit in the rice for about 18 hours I plugged it in again but it still wouldn't stay connected to itunes. It had a white screen to it. But if i played with the buttons it would make the clicking sound so I pulled in my headphones. I blindly got my music to play and I had sound and could listen to music but couldn't see anything. Then after two minutes the music stopped and a loud (and annoying) beeping sound started. I quickly went online and found this site. After trying to reset it six times I almost gave up, but I'm stubborn and decided to try it again. It worked and my ipod screen came back and everything worked. I quickly turned it back off and put it back into the bowl of rice and let it sit for two more days. Haven't had any problems with it since. Thank you so much and if your having a problem just be patient and follow the steps. Oh yea and don't try to turn on a wet ipod.
- Posted by: hottiwitdabootti_982 at 27 Oct 21:46 permalink
- Posted by: ninedoor84_4517 at 16 Sep 19:03 permalink
- Posted by: southern_belle2006_3505 at 10 Apr 06:39 permalink
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- Posted by: tinastrider_4171 at 12 Nov 22:48 permalink
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- Posted by: noascott_3771 at 07 Feb 17:30 permalink
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- Posted by: redlaoballa97_6391 at 28 Feb 06:18 permalinktryed that but when i press and hold menu and select for about 8-9 seconds the screen just shuts off and i try to do i agin but still does the same thing...trun the hold button back and fourth screen turns on the press and hold menu and select the screen shuts off..HELP!!..email me-redlaoballa97@hotmail.com
- Posted by: kmd1408_4064 at 01 Mar 09:48 permalink
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- Posted by: reedmllr_8375 at 12 Apr 12:25 permalink
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- Posted by: vikkib_123_3057 at 18 Apr 14:04 permalink
- Posted by: masondeily_4915 at 20 May 08:20 permalink
- Posted by: jsdlzj_4453 at 06 Jun 04:37 permalinkHere's my solution. My iPod's a 2nd Gen Nano 4 GB
To fix it you need to restart it in a total of:
43TIMES NON STOP.
At each interval, when you see a black screen (presumably where the Apple Logo should be) shove your Apple cable (with your iPod) into the computer and HOPE THAT IT HAPPENS. If not doing this until the 43rd time should be enough.
Don't bother calling apple support, they don't give anything useful. - I tried about 10 times. Its all about timing. As soon as you sense the screen about to go black when hold the select and menu, immediately swith and hold select and play and dont let go. The screen will be black for a few minutes but keep holding the the screen will appear. It definetly works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Posted by: texaskid1992_5838 at 23 Jan 07:48 permalink
- Posted by: texaskid1992_5838 at 23 Jan 07:48 permalink
- Posted by: z.calix_2023 at 24 Jun 08:33 permalink
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- Posted by: blueriches_8362 at 20 Jul 18:42 permalink
- Posted by: bow_wow_2550 at 15 Aug 21:49 permalinkI tried all of the above and nothing worked. I was ready to give up and buy a new one, but then since I had nothing to lose, I decided to take it apart. I disconnected the battery and pressed all of the connectors down. I didn't think I did anything to help, but when I put it back together and powered it on, it worked!
- Posted by: alexthekid2 at 19 Aug 17:36 permalink
- Posted by: ninedoor84_4517 at 16 Sep 19:03 permalink
- Posted by: ninedoor84_4517 at 16 Sep 19:04 permalink
- Don't ever use Nike running bands for your ipod! I started using mine and apparantly in their design they didn't think the sweat coming through the material would affect the ipod, or turn the screen on it white! Now every 5 mins after a song is finished playing, I have to reset to see the next song I want to play.....balls
- Posted by: caspar.zwart_2650 at 30 Sep 12:21 permalinkHi everybody,
I have the same problem with my iPod touch. I figured out there is a small workaround, but so far it hasn't solved the problem permanently.
In general it seems as if the iPods sometime run out of battery really fast (shortcircuit). In general it helps to reset. When you have the black screen, just keep your iPod connected. It will be powered and after some minutes (I'd say, leave it at least an hour) it will start normally again.
It seems as if the iPod cannot be reset when it has not enough power left.
I hope this works for some. - Posted by: hotrenor_6672 at 06 Oct 12:26 permalink
- Posted by: kristinms_5871 at 23 Oct 19:56 permalink
- Posted by: friesian16mbv_9606 at 23 Mar 06:22 permalink
- Posted by: friesian16mbv_9606 at 23 Mar 06:24 permalink
- Posted by: fcharnaw_6785 at 28 Oct 03:45 permalinkThe White Screen Of Death issue in Apple iPODs is a hardware-related problem. It can be fixed by a spare part replacement only. No software manipulations can resolve it. This is just because iPODs are assembled in China from low-quality shitty spare parts, and normally cannot operate more than one year. But, yeah, the iPOD design is glamorous! :)
- Posted by: fcharnaw_6785 at 28 Oct 03:46 permalinkThe White Screen Of Death issue in Apple iPODs is a hardware-related problem. It can be fixed by spare part replacement only. No software manipulations can resolve it. This is just because iPODs are assembled in China from low-quality shitty spare parts, and normally cannot operate more than one year. But, yeah, the iPOD design is glamorous! :)
- I finally gave up trying to fix my white screen of death problem and went to www.irestoreteam.com. Referred to them from a friend. I spoke with a rep and he said they can fix the White Screen of Death Problem.
They said that 90% of the time, it is a hardware issue and its usually related to the screen. They performed a free diagnosis and repaired it for much less than apple would. I believe he said there was a faulty connection with the screen contacts. I paid $35 to have it fixed. Works flawlessly! Don't waste your time trying to do software resets and firmware upgrades. Probably wont work. - I finally gave up trying to fix my white screen of death problem and went to www.irestoreteam.com. Referred to them from a friend. I spoke with a rep and he said they can fix the White Screen of Death Problem.
They said that 90% of the time, it is a hardware issue and its usually related to the screen. They performed a free diagnosis and repaired it for much less than apple would. I believe he said there was a faulty connection with the screen contacts. I paid $35 to have it fixed. Works flawlessly! Don't waste your time trying to do software resets and firmware upgrades. Probably wont work. - Posted by: rty2k1_2226 at 07 Dec 16:13 permalinkI have an IPOD 5th gen with a bad screen. I replaced the screen and had a white screen,no apple logo but the music still played tried all the suggestions and nothing worked ,finally I opened it back up unhooked and rehooked the video ribbon cable and bingo everything worked. got the screen on Ebay for $15 I got the tutorial here http://www.ipodhowtovideo.com/
- Posted by: jonathanmartin_9807 at 21 Dec 11:42 permalinkI have had this problem on my own Ipod, and it seems as thought there are a number of ways to reset. All the solutions are some variant of 'turning it off and on again', like
1/ Press and hold the play/start button whilst the ipod is plyaing, and plugged into the charger - so that the Ipod turns off completey. Strangely, this often brings up the charging icon, and once the screen displays anything at all, it will then go on to dislpay everything else.
Alternatively, leave the ipod playing whilst not charging, and with nothing plugged into it (not even the headphones). Ater a few minutes, maybe longer, press the play button to wake up the display - and everyting comes back up.
Or, let the Ipod completely discharge. This seems to be the answer to a lot of problems, inclusive of the 'locked on' syndrome - where the ipod won't allow itself to be turned off, unless it is allowed to run out of all stored power.
The simultaneous pressing of menu and select does seem to cure a few glitches on my particular ipod - but it doesn't cure the screen problem. An awful lot does seem to be connected, one way or another, to how much charge it is holding, and either increasing or decreasing that charge or running it flat.
The good news is that on my ipod I haven't yet had a problem that couldn't be sorted out with a certain amount of coaxing. However, the bottom line has to be a software problem. This just should't be happening. - Posted by: 321sinaloa_9704 at 11 Jan 20:27 permalink
- Posted by: armageddon_zine_5731 at 20 Jan 16:51 permalinkok if your ipod screen still isnt working but plays music(and has been charging via wall charger) unplug it, turn it off and put it on HOLD. then just let it sit for several hours. this happened to my ipod before school and halfway thru the day i turned it on and BAM! it started workin again! (theres also a hidden diagnostic menu that you can use... just search it on youtube)
- Posted by: armageddon_zine_5731 at 20 Jan 16:54 permalinkok if its still not working but plays music charge it, turn it off and put it on hold, and let it sit for like 5 hours then turn it back on. if it still doesnt work do the reset thing but when screen goes from white to black press&hold center and |<< button.. diagnostic menu! then just hold center and menu or go to OTHER then RESET TEST and it should work
- Posted by: storminsane_4232 at 24 Jan 12:49 permalink
- Posted by: ericklamb_6101 at 27 Jan 11:35 permalinkI had this happen to me and searched far and wide for a solution but none worked. here is what ended up working for me. I hope it saves someone else the headache I went through to figure it out. put the ipod into disk mode go into windows explorer (my computer) and right click the ipod drive. click on "Format " in the shortcut menu. format the ipod then you may need to reset it (select + menu) but then put it back into disk mode once it's recognized by itunes restore the ipod to factory settings. like I said this worked for me my problem came from replacing the lcd screen myself. I hope it works for you. the key difference in what i did as opposed to instructions i found on the internet was formatting the ipod through windows explorer.
- Posted by: texaskid1992_5838 at 26 Jan 16:27 permalink
- Posted by: avilaabby_1662 at 03 Apr 19:24 permalink
- Posted by: ajago12598_1545 at 04 Apr 20:12 permalink
- Posted by: wolf30_2781 at 08 Apr 10:34 permalink
- Posted by: whitexboyx at 12 Apr 14:54 permalinkyea uhh i have a orange ipod nano 4th gen 4gb can somebody help me please....my ipod is being a little wierd i was listening to music the other day and my ipods screen turned white and it wont do anything else...i did everything this page told me to do and it is still now working..when i reset my ipod it goes back to a white screen and doesnt show the logo....i did the refresh thing and now i can hear the clicking noise when i turn the wheel but that is it if you have any information that can help me please email me at averysarmy@hotmail.com thank you...
- Posted by: whitexboyx at 12 Apr 14:57 permalink
- Posted by: lol-at-yourface_2697 at 13 Apr 19:57 permalink
- Posted by: vikkib_123_3057 at 18 Apr 14:02 permalink
- Posted by: kate17_798 at 17 May 13:51 permalink
- After having tried many times without success to fix my white screen of death on my nano, I came across www.irepairteam.com that does ipod repair. Saw a news article about their service on webwire.com. I spoke with a rep at the company and he said they definitely can fix the White Screen of Death Problem on almost every kind of iPod.
He said that almost every time this problem happens, it is a hardware issue and is related to faulty contacts on the screen or on the logic board.
I was a little skeptical about sending it in but they repaired it for much less than apple would have. paid $39 to have it fixed. And now it has a 1 year warranty from them too. Works flawlessly! Don't waste your time trying to do software resets and firmware upgrades. Probably wont work. - Posted by: spacebuster23_2833 at 04 Jun 15:42 permalink
- Posted by: spacebuster23_2833 at 04 Jun 15:44 permalink
- Posted by: brittkinz_3806 at 13 Jun 16:54 permalink
- Posted by: brittkinz_3806 at 13 Jun 16:54 permalink
- Posted by: sarahfairburn_2821 at 14 Jun 18:51 permalink
- Posted by: megcooper_2164 at 25 Jun 19:32 permalink
- Posted by: michelle.wooltorton_8746 at 04 Sep 08:23 permalinkafter reading all of these comments on this site i hope everyone has emailed you, as i have had this white screen problem and im so anoyed at apple for the price i paid for my ipod and it has gone like this in the 3 years that i have had it, ive hardly used mine as im still learning how to do stuff on it, but thought it would last longer than this. I would like to join you in this class action if i can even after 3 years of having it.
- Posted by: megcooper_2164 at 25 Jun 19:33 permalink
- Posted by: michelle.wooltorton_8746 at 04 Sep 08:11 permalink
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- Posted by: krissymileys_1752 at 29 Dec 13:18 permalinki was doing the dishes and some water got on my ipod touch...then i wiped it off and it worked fine..but about ten minutes later i tried to press the top button to unlock it...the screen started to jump and then it just turned completly white...and its staying that way...my friend said she left hers in rice for a couple of days and im putting mine in rice but is there a better way? Email me at krissymileys@yahoo.com Thanks! :)
- Posted by: haneendebwany_898 at 06 Jan 01:08 permalink
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- Posted by: sigmagreen22_8441 at 15 Jan 19:56 permalinkIf this solution doesn't for you, it is probably because the the connection between the screen and the circuit board. I tried various resets and nothing worked, so I opened the iPod up (which is a pain in the A**), and unplugged the three ribbon connections, and then plugged them back in, the most important is the ribbon from the LCD, but you kinda need to unplug the others to get at that. I don't know if the problem happens because the ribbon gets loose, or if unplugging it and replugging it resets the screen and fixes the error.
- Posted by: julieaperez_2586 at 24 Jan 22:04 permalink
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- Posted by: angel--wolf_9539 at 12 Apr 00:01 permalinkOkay - I may or may not have the white screen of death.
The screen is white, but if you reset it you can vaguely see the apple logo, and then the menu. However the screen remains very pale, flickers, and then goes completely white again, or very close to. However it will go into 'sleep' mode. My alarm has been working and music does play.
It is currently sitting in a bowl of dry rice to absorb any liquid that may be in it, to be on the safe side and will try temerature changes later, as these were all suggested.
Does anyone know WTH Is going on and can anyone help me? - Posted by: angel--wolf_9539 at 12 Apr 00:04 permalinkOkay, I have a white screen but if I restart the iPod I can vaguely see the apple logo and the menus, which I can navigate, if I peer very closely. However the screen remains incredibly pale and flickers. Alot. It will go into sleep mode and will play music. The screen is just pale and flicker-y.
Having read all the comments it has been fully wiped down with a dry cloth, left in a bowl of rice for 48 hours and will shortly by trying gentle temperature changes to see if it helps.
However I'm at a loss, help? - Posted by: jaykay_2589 at 09 May 05:55 permalink
- Posted by: starallzia_71494 at 24 May 08:27 permalink
- Posted by: macgriffs_2684 at 11 Jun 17:42 permalinkI've had a old iPod Photo for a couple of years that was just sitting in a junk drawer because of the White Screen of Death. Trust me, I tried all of the restart tricks, resetting from scratch, updating the firmware etc. Nothing worked. But then I ran across a comment somewhere about getting good results just from cracking it open and re-seating the hardware connection to the display, so eventually I decided to try that approach (once the warranty had expired).
I just followed the screen replacement instructions at iFixit for my specific model to take it apart and reseat the display connector, and it's been running just fine for a couple of days now with no display problems at all. Just a loose connection when it was first assembled, I guess. I think the special prying tools and a little torx-bit screwdriver only cost me about $8 bucks (didn't really need the spudger). - Posted by: gaucr601_6189 at 18 Jun 15:58 permalink
- Posted by: zenstrength_8588 at 11 Jul 21:05 permalink
- Posted by: ninew2xo_1699 at 19 Aug 02:01 permalink
- Posted by: ninew2xo_1699 at 19 Aug 02:03 permalink
- Posted by: ralftillie_8585 at 19 Aug 16:30 permalinkOK, it's really simple:
Step 1: Switch HOLD on and off
Step 2: Hold the SELECT and MENU button until the screen goes black
Step 3: Immediately switch to pressing SELECT and PLAY/PAUSE. Hold these buttons for about 20 seconds.
Step 4: Now hold SELECT and MENU again for 10 seconds
Step 5: Once you stop pressing the buttons, the Apple logo will appear.
Remember that this NOT a permanent solution since the screen will go blank again if you switch the iPod off and on. However, you can repeat the steps above to get it working again. It takes about 30-40 seconds in total.
To everyone who is saying it is a hardware problem: it is obviously caused by corrupt software. If it was a hardware problem it wouldn't be possible to fix it by resetting the damn thing!
And to Apple: nice designs guys, but really, is it so hard to make decent software?
| Type: | ArticleContent |
| Updated at: | 09 Aug 02:55 |
| Updated by: | techillusion |
| Tags: | ipod ipod mini ipod nano ipod shuffle ipod video |
| Keywords: | iPod's White Screen Death, black image screen white, white screen of death, “White screen of death”, "White screen of death” appears for no known reason, ipod screen death, ipod white/blank screen, reset ipod, iPod into Disk Mode, iPod screen problem, iPod screen, firmware update, death ipod screen white, blank ipod screen. |
| Brand: |
Topic > Tips & Tricks Topic > Top Solutions Topic > Troubleshooting Article Source > Authored in Zolved Brand > Apple > iPod Brand > Apple > iPod Mini Brand > Apple > iPod Nano Brand > Apple > iPod shuffle Brand > Apple > iPod Video Brand > Apple > iTunes |
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