I really enjoy my iPod, but it’s hardly perfect. Here are my top troubleshooting tips.

1. Open iTunes before trying to sync your iPod with your desktop. It usually works if you plug in your iPod before opening iTunes, but you can’t count on it.
2. If you can’t get iTunes to recognize your iPod after several attempts, reboot your desktop and try again.
3. When your iPod is locked up, you can reboot it by holding the middle and top (menu) buttons down at the same time for maybe 10 seconds.