iPod Nano skipping songs

I've got the same problem. Bought my girlfriend a Nano at the weekend and put a few albums on immediately using Realplayer. There were no problems and she was obviously very happy with it. However, when I went to put more albums on it with Realplayer it all became too difficult (I don't think Realplayer is the best app for the job) so I decided to get the latest version of ITunes (7.3.0.54). When I connected the IPod it prompted me to update to the latest firmware (1.1.3) which I promptly did. Having read the posts on this thread I'm starting to wish I'd stuck to Realplayer as lots of the songs now skip to the next one after just a couple of seconds. It happens a lot when shuffling songs but also happens to the individual tracks if it's played back via the album itself.

I can't believe Apple haven't responded to this problem - this thread has been active for around a month now and with so many replies and views they cannot ignore it much longer! I was going to get a 30GB video IPod soon but I'm definitely going to put it off until this issue has been solved.

PC Windows XP

I just received my nano today and transfered songs from iTunes and I am having the same problem.

On select songs, the nano will pause for a few seconds, then skip to the next song. Sometimes it wont even play a second of the song, just pauses, then skips forward. Few songs play the entire way thruogh.

If it is a song where it pauses, it will do so everytime at the exact same moment. If it is a song that plays through, it will always play through...

My 30 gig iPod video has always worked great on iTunes, now I'm afraid to reconnect it because I don't want this problem to transfer to that unit...

I tried restoring my iPod and starting from scratch, no luck.

So... I installed iTunes 4.6.0.15 (I received this with my first iPod, 40gig) on my wife's computer (she currently doesn't have iTunes). Uploaded a couple cd's... Works great!!! No more random skipping!!!

My 8BG 2nd-gen Nano is less than two weeks old. I bought it in the States but live in Canada, so going back to the original store is not an option.

I have the same symptoms as everyone else. Songs skipping at the exact same place every time. I'm afraid that pressing pause or stop while a song is playing will somehow "mark" it at that spot and make it skip in the future. I seemed to notice a pattern of that happening with the songs that have skipped so far. Some of these are from a brand-new CD that I ripped in RealPlayer. My songs that are skipping are all 128kbps.

I did the 5 R's and completely restored my iPod, but there has been no effect. Doing the 5 R's meant upgrading from iTunes 7.2 to 7.3. I still have an old download of iTunes 6.0.4 on my harddrive, but it's pointless to reinstall since the box says that the new 2nd-gen iPod Nanos require at least 7.0.

Can someone post a direct link to an archived version of iTunes 7.0 or 7.1? It sounds like those prior versions don't cause the skipping problem, but I can't find out where to download those versions from the Apple site. All I can find is 7.3.

Thanks!

IBM Windows XP Pro

To answer my own question, I found old version of iTunes 7.0 and 7.1 here:

http://oldapps.com/itunes.htm

I uninstalled 7.3 and tried, 7.1, then uninstalled that and tried 7.0, but to no avail.

I think the problem, in my case, might be because my iPod is so new that all I have is the most recent iPod software for Nano, 1.1.3. No matter whether I'm running iTunes 7.3 or 7.0, I have no prior version of the iPod software to revert to, so it's the same thing and doesn't solve the problem.

Does anyone know where to download and how to manually install prior versions of the iPod software?

I have a brand new 8g Nano. One day it will play all the songs just fine and then it begins to skip songs, not just a few...it will skip over 25+. This is actually my second Nano...I returned the first one for the same reason and now the second one is doing the same thing. I for the life of me can't figure out what the problem is. It skips songs that were put into i tunes from purchased CD's, it skips songs that were bought on i tunes, it skips songs that were uploaded from burned CD's. My nano do not discriminate. I really want to know why the heck it keeps doing this - Why it will play all the songs one day and then a week later it starts skipping. Help!!!

Nano Windows XP

Windows XP

I ran into the same problem as everyone else (after about a week of owning the nano 2nd gen).

I reset the ipod through itunes, updating to the newest version of the software.

My songs no longer skip (so far; fingers crossed). The only thing different is that this time around I didn't upload playlists. All of the songs that skipped last time around (which were on playlists) no longer skip.

Honestly, I'm a little afraid to upload playlists again, fearing that I'll run into skippage.

I guess my question for everyone else is: were the songs that skipped songs from your playlists and has anyone else tried resetting and reloading songs without the playlists?

Just to add my voice to this on going problem. I too have a brand new 8gb Nano, I have loaded on 1115 songs from iTunes and find some of them skip. One track after 1 sec another only a few seconds from the end.

I have done all the 5 Rs including reinstalling. I have re copied affected songs from the CDs. The same songs skip every time at the same place.

Come on Apple fix this! I'm beginning to regret not being more Creative with my choice of mp3 player.

I don't think it has to do with playlists. None of my
songs are on playlists.

It doesn't. I've just downloaded the lastest iTunes and STILL no change in the problem. I test it each time with one particular song which plays fine on the Mac--I put it on the Nano, by itself, and try to play it. And it always skips. The Nano just will not play it. My Mac will play them, my iPod shuffle will play them. The Nano is the only one with the problem.

I'm getting a little upset about this. I want those songs on my nano.

It cant be the new ipod software. I had this problem, and was just looking for answers here, then I saw all this stuff about the new ipod software causing the problem, its not true. I JUST this second got the new software, and it fixed my problem.

It cant be the new ipod software. I had this problem,
and was just looking for answers here, then I saw all
this stuff about the new ipod software causing the
problem, its not true. I JUST this second got the new
software, and it fixed my problem.

I just got the new software too, but the problem is still there.

Windows XP

It is my assumption that this is not an iTunes issue, but rather a firmware issue. If it were an iTunes issue, it would affect other iPod models, like video, photo, shuffle. My 60GB photo works just fine. My shuffle works just fine.

Everyone that reads this thread, please post what version of firmware you have. I believe the most recent is 1.1.3, and I think that's what needs to be updated.

I intend to look around for 1.1.2 somewhere on the internet to see if reverting to that works. I'll post my results.

I, too, have skipping songs on v1.1.3. BUT, the only songs that skip are those which are "iTunes Original" mixes and could have be downloaded as iTunes Plus (but weren't) -- all the others are fine.

Nano, iMac G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hi friends,
I am new to this forum and new to ipod nano too. purchased an ipod nano and it was working fine with default song and media. I didn't get any CD with ipod, so I directly plugged the ipod to pc. found a new drive with some media files. so I added more mp3's to the drive manually. I didn't know about itunes. it worked perfectly two days. after two days it started skipping songs after playing 10 seconds. so I worried abt the ipod nano and logged on to net to search for a solution. I never used any software like itunes. so it's not the problem of pc software. it's a firmware problem.I don't know how to upgrade the firmware. and I am not sure firmware upgrading will solve the issue. as everyone of you I am also become a victim of apple:((

I am not sure firmware upgrading
will solve the issue. as everyone of you I am also
become a victim of apple:((

To be fair to Apple, the iPods I've owned have never had this problem before. This is the first time (at least for me) that the iTunes software has glitched songs on an iPod.

What I'm saying is, I'm really sorry that you had the ill luck to get an iPod nano at the first and only time there's been this sort of problem. Up till now, songs I've put on my Nano have worked perfectly--and most of the songs on it still do. It's just certain, iTunes music that does not.

Before you despair that you've got this problem, try a few of the usual solutions. For example: Press Menu + the center button simultaneously. Hold them down till the iPod goes off and you get the Apple logo. This is a "re-boot" of the iPod and it might solve the problem. You won't (or shouldn't) lose any music.

If that doesn't solve the problem, connect the iPod to your computer, make sure all your songs on the iPod are also on the computer. Click on the iPod and pick "Settings" then click "Restore." --You will lose all songs off the iPod and will have to put them back on, but that may also help. If it does not--and as the iPod is still new (yes?), take it back to the store and get a new one.

Let us know what happens!