First generation Shuffle owners experiencing blinking orange/green lights and inability of iPod to play ever since upgrading to iTunes 7.7...
There's a discussion on the second generation "Using" board with a lot of folks who are having the same problem. For some reason, it hasn't shown up here yet, but being a first-generation user, I can testify that it applies here, too.
Dell Inspiron 1100,
Windows XP Pro,
Upgraded to 1GB RAM, 160 GB HDD, iPod Shuffle 1st gen
My ipod shuffle malfunctioned this morning -- flashing orange and green lights. But I can't seem to locate any podcast folder on my device. How would I find it? It's not listed under settings.
Remember that the blinking orange/green lights are not limited to the malfunction that's the subject of this thread. It's been easy recently to jump to the conclusion that this is always the cause, when it's not. The lights are your iPod's way of telling you it's too sick to function, and somebody needs to diagnose and treat the illness.
First, if your iPod is empty - either through your own actions deleting stuff or not - it'll blink like that when you try to play it. So the first thing to do is to try putting something on it: an iPod with an empty belly is not a happy iPod.
If either you
can't successfully load it, or it won't play even if you do, your next step is the 5 R's. If the failure you're experiencing
is hot on the heels of a software upgrade, other users before you have found that nothing short of downloading and running the restore utility accomplishes anything, so if you dare, you can jump right to that.
If that doesn't work either, what's left is to revert to the prior software version that did work for you, provided you have done the preparations I described in a prior post - for me, simply running Windows System Restore to a previous restore point was not equal to the task.
Please let us all know what happens...in the absence of any formal assistance from Apple, these posts are the only resource users have when they encounter this problem, and there has been a large variety of different experiences of what works and what doesn't.
I have out-of-town guests, so I haven't been checking as frequently as usual, but yes, when I read your original post, the first thing I thought of was, "Has he used the reset utility?"
So glad it worked for you. Even though it's been done before, I'd ask you to post the URL, just to make it easiest for other beleaguered users who come after you. Until Apple finally comes to their senses about this, plain folks like you and I are the only resource shuffle owners have. We should make it as easy as possible for those desperately and unexpectedly looking for solutions to find them.
I too discovered that my iPod wasn't responding to my command the other day, except with a blinking combo of green and orange I had never seen before. I thought it was because it's old and I haven't used it for about a month, that maybe this was it--death of my trusty companion. I hadn't thought that the last iTunes update was the culprit.
I plugged it in to recharge, but had the same problem; blinking lights with no response to the reset.
After searching on Apple's website without satisfaction I turned to the forum. Good thing I did! I had already reset and done the whole 5R-routine without success. Eliminating the "Podcast" file and then doing a restore via iTunes and reloading the iPod seems to have done the trick!
Thanks to all of you who have written in with your experiences. I didn't want to have to buy a new iPod just yet!
Same here. Upgraded to 7.7.1.11, new Podcast playlist appeared. Shuffle doesn't function, getting green/orange lights. Reset. All was well. Then the Podcast playlist shows up again. Deleted it. Working fine. We'll see if the playlist comes back.
*ok its now happening to my daughters 1st generation shuffle 512mb. Worked fine and then had no power. Tried charging and then the dreaded alternate flashing green and orange lights. Battery indicator RED. Tried charging for hours - no change. Tried resets, deletions and then resets, tried the restore tool - no change. Tried rolling back to a previous ipod version as suggested above - nothing. There is no way to find the podcast folder on the 1st Gen model......HELP !!!. All other ipods in the family working fine, just do not want to bin it if it is still usable.....come on Apple or someone out there ...there must be a solution*
I have not done so for all the various reasons listed on this site about problesm others have had with it. I have two 80gb Classics and 1 new 4gb Nano in the family all of which are working fine (so far) on the last 7 version so was loathed to upgrade to 8...do you think this might somlve it? After a few hours tinkering last night I now seem to have a shuffle that does not blink, but never shows up as charged (i.e GREEN), is always ORANGE and the battery light is either RED or not showing at all.....im so **** confused
ok ..the latest. Had the thing on charge now for 5 + hours still showing orange light. Take it out and it has the RED light on the battery level. When it is plugged in it shows in ITunes, shows the music on it, but hey.....does not show up as a drive on MY COMPUTER on Windows..despite showing in the Safely Remove Hardware tab.
I THINK........ I have finally got a charge on the unit..just by leaving it alone plugged in for hours on end....still only orange light (not green) on front. When I plug it into my PC and I haver tried every different USB set up imaginable (Front/back/Hub) the shuffle appears momentarily in the My Computer Window, changes to Reomvabale Drive and then disappears despite being visibl in Itunes.......why oh why !!!!!
