Unbricking Your iPod Touch with the Manual DFU Procedure
If you are as curious as I am, you’ve probably managed to brick your iPod touch by now. I bricked mine within 24 hours of owning it. It happened sometime after I installed Apollo and changed the root password using SSH and the passwd command. After I did that, my SpringBoard process stopped working, and was continually getting restarted by launchd because it was crashing consistently (according to “ps -A”). Nice loop really! Anyhoo, I renamed the /System/Library/CoreServices/SpringBoard.app/SpringBoard binary to SpringBoard.bak (so launchd would quit trying to restart it), and ran it myself with ./SpringBoard.bak. I got a really funky error message like this:
ABORT: Unable to register "PurpleSystemEventPort" port, 1103 unknown error code
Now that is a cool error message! (note to self: Use random colors in future error messages).
At one point, I was able to run SpringBoard on the command line and it would stay up, and I could use the interface. Here’s a cool trick: Run SpringBoard from the command line over SSH, and then Ctrl+Z it to suspend it. Notice that your UI is totally frozen on the iPod. Cool stuff! Type “fg” and the UI comes back to life. This much fun should be illegal.
At this point, my Windows XP computer would no longer make the happy “ding dong” sound when I plugged the iPod into the USB port. And, of course, iTunes could no longer detect the iPod. D’oh! This is when I started to get a bit scared. I googled for an iPod touch reset utility like I had used on my 1st generation iPod Nano, but no luck.
After some googling and some help from the good folks on #iphone, I learned that I needed to get the iPod into “DFU mode”, which is a special mode that will indicate to iTunes that there is a bricked iPod that needs to be restored. Here’s the procedure to manually put the iPod Touch into DFU mode:
- Turn on your iPod (in my case it would only get as far as displaying the Apple logo
- Hold the power and home buttons down (the iPod will power off after 10 seconds, but keep holding those buttons down)
- After the iPod powers off, release the power button (but keep holding the home button down)
- After a couple more seconds, you should hear that magical “ding dong” that means the iPod is coming back alive, and that Windows has detected it. You may even see a little “New hardware” popup in Windows. It is now safe to release the home button, and your iPod is in DFU mode.
- Now iTunes will see it as a DFU’ed iPod and should ask you to automatically restore its firmware.
- iTunes has to download the new firmware, and it takes a while, so go make a sandwich.
In case you’re wondering, the “power button” is the one on top, and the “home button” is the one under the screen.
Happy iUnBricking!
110 comments to “Unbricking Your iPod Touch with the Manual DFU Procedure”
Many thanks – we thought it had died and we’d need to buy a new one!
i haven’t been able to get out of DFU mode for nearly 2 days now!! AND i need to get out of it, but don’t know how to get out of it. plz help
Lots of very interesting stuff herer and I am currently trying your methiod, Dave.
However, the little dialogue box which says ‘RESTORING IPOD SOFTWARE’ has now been running for an hour. The little empty bar below the Apple logo on my Ipod Touch hasn’t filled up at all, which makes me wonder whether anything is happening.
Should I just abandon?
My whole problem started when I went on to iTunes and it offered a software update for the Touch……..I accepted, then everything went pear-shaped.
Thank you! I can’t tell you how many websites and support sites I visited and nothing worked until I read what you posted. The key to my trouble was holding both the power and home button – but NOT releasing the home button until it recognized my iPod Touch! None of the other sites informed me to keep holding the home key down. I updated my Touch with the new software, and the original computer I was using with my Touch crashed. I have since gotten a new computer and reinstalled iTunes twice – to no chagrin. So I’m hoping that restoring it will work.
Thank you so very much! Two of my friends were having problems with their ipod touches and I couldn’t find out what to do. Then I came here did what you said and BOOM! They finaly showed up in itunes. Thanks a lot :)
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yessss this article was good but wasnt good for my solution
what happened to me was i was trying to jailbrake my ipod touch 3.1.2 and it all went wrong as i disconnected the ipod thinking it stopped
now i was stuck in recovery mode and it showed the usb cable and itunes logo
i coouldnt get out and i was so sad as ive only had the ipod for 1 day lol
now i just went to another computer and installed itunes on their and it succesfully restored my ipod to its factory settings
thanks for all these sites because without them i wouldnt have a clue what to do
HEEEELP. Mine gets an error of 1601 when restoring. I have a 3GS bought in December 2009 3.1.2 latest iTunes, BB 5.11.07, jailbreaked before using blackra1n. It goes in DFU mode but not on Recovery Mode anymore… ever.
What can I do? I already tried 3 PC’s, using the back USB ports, tried every USB port, reinstalled iTunes, charged overnight through wall outlet, used iRecovery, used iREB but with no LUCK of waking it up.
HEEELP!
I had the same problem using blackra1n. I installed some icon program which needed rebooting. after reboot, itunes ask the unit to be restored/upgraded which i did. the unit stopped restoring up to the firmware not restored error. after that, it never recovered from restore mode even if i did everything i read from the net (pressing power and home and leaving home button for a few seconds afterwards). I had the unit sent to apple service provider and they replaced the unit. I tried the same thing on the 2nd unit, hours after receiving it and the same thing happened. I now had my 2nd ipod touch bricked once more. any help??
thanks this was great saved me $200
TANKS MAN YOU REALLY HELP ME!!!
Pal, your instructions worked to the ‘t’. I was this close to tracking down Steve Jobs so I could punch him for his rotten product that bricked after owning it for less than a week because I had the audacity to try downloading an Apple update directly from Apple. My morning has now been un-ruined, and you are my hero for the day.
Man,TTTHHHHAAAANNNNKKKKSSSS a lot. You saved my life.
heyy i have an ipod touch, im pretty sure its the newest virsion and its 8gb. my ipod wont turn on, ive tried holding the 2 buttons but it still wont do anything. when i plug it into my computer, nothing comes up. i havent droppe it or anything. would you be able to help me? thanks
Same thing. LEDGEND!
I unbricked my ipod touch but when I try to restore I get the error msg ipod could not be restored an unknown error occured (6) Does anyone know how to fix that
+UJMMMMMM!!!!!!!! DUDDE! THANKS UR LIKEE UM
AMAZIINNG”
ILLUUVVUU!!!!!
:D
D:D:D:D:D
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
D:
D:D:
Thanks
This Worked
:D
THIS REALY WORKED THANKS MAN
you saved my life!
omg. i thought it was dead forever. thanks a million!
SUPER THANKS MAN! THIS IPOD WASNT EVEN MINE. I THOUGHT I HAVE TO SHED OUT SOME CASH TO PAY FOR IT. THANKS A LOT. GOD BLESS BRO!
Thank you so much! I though something was wrong with the battery. Thank you! :)
My bricked Ipod touch is now working again, after being stuck on the apple logo for what seemed like forever.
I am truly grateful.
x
thanks u i dont have to send my ipod touch for fixing thanks
ps i am going to all my friends
hey i tried to use the dfu but in my tries my computer comes up installin unknown device and then tells me it cant install the driver and it dont show up in itunes tell after the computer installs the driver HELP!!!!! please and thank u
omg thank you so much..its taking a while but i know its going to work thank you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!! your so weird guy but i love you so much thanks
Omg, a capital THANK YOU !!! I tried the home and on/off switch buttons together several times, but nothing gave until I followed your steps.
I jailbrok my ipod touch 3g 3.1.3 on spirit and ran limera1n JB without reading up all the details. I know, I skipped a few steps and did not update my firmware to 4.1 first, I thought I did that, but this was a different device. Anyways, thanks for the fix, and you are AWESOME!!!!!! Thanks for posting the guide, cheers.
Ever try downloading firmware via dial-up?
iTunes said 39 hours!
Thanks apple, you got $600. I got a brick!
:^(
Thank you so much! You’re a lifesaver!
sudo “go make a sandwich”
Thx worked like a charm
THANK YOUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This just happened to me too. Sucks:
“hey i tried to use the dfu but in my tries my computer comes up installin unknown device and then tells me it cant install the driver and it dont show up in itunes tell after the computer installs the driver HELP!!!!! please and thank u”
Made my day! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH
You are awesome!!!! You made my day!!!
hahah thanks man you are the best people like you should be heros anyway my ipod lagged when i was essing with i file in ipod so never mess withit k people
thanks mate
OMG thank you so so much i was freaking out so bad
Dave please I really Need your help bigtime man. I put ma Ipod touch on dfu mode just like you said all the way to step 6 then my net went spazzy so I waited to the next day and got it done with my friend who owns an internet cafe. He wasnt much help.
Now my ipod doesnt show when I connect or try turning it on what do I do? help guys anyone. Please am desperate :'( :'( :'(
Hi Dave
I got my iPod back! Thank you so much dave
THANK U !!
hi i have got it into DFU numerous times and itunes at first wouldnt restore i got error (9) and at one point 1601 nut now it jas restored fully twice but still it is stuck on the apple logo. I even jailbroke it with green poison it did it, the apple turned into a skull then it restarted and went back the apple again!!!! Is there anything else i can try or has it had it altoghter?
I have a different problem than yours. I tried jail breaking my iPod Touch with a method called Green Poison (which was probably a stupid idea) and I think it jail broke it successfully but when I tried to turn my iPod on it would just freeze. I already tried restoring it in Recovery Mode but that failed and now my iPod won’t be detected OR turn on! Is there ANY way at all how to fix this.
hey i went to reset all content and now my ipod touch 2nd gen 8g is only showing the apple logo how do i fix it
Do not use green poison, it almost always fails, thats what happened to me :/
Thanks, i thought it couldnt get fixed
I reset my ipod touch (not the first time but first time with issues) and I can get the apple screen and the connect screen. my computer nor Itunes will pick up the ipod now. After following your directions I have the “DingDong” and it says “the device has been successfully installed” below that it say it is “searching preconfig driver folders” beside unknown device & AMD usb driver. It has been searching now for over an hour. My itunes still doesn’t pick up the ipod and it still has the connect logo on the ipod. Any suggestions?
I knew about putting it in recovery mode i was so glad you had instructions on timing ^.^ i already bought a ipod nano b/c im just a music fiend but ill just give my old itouch to my lil bro he wouldn’t mind thanks again
You absoloute legend!! I LOVE YOU! You actually understand what I mean! :D :D Thanks!
Mate your are a fucking legend thanx heaps