What should you do when your iPod freezes or you frequently see the Sad Face icon appearing on your screen? Do you run to the nearest computer guru or iPod geek and shell out cash that you don't have? Why not learn how to fix some of these yourself!

There are several diagnostic tests you can do to see if your iPod has a hardware problem. It is nice to turn to the built-in Diagnostic Mode on your iPod to check for hardware problems. First, you need to restart your iPod and then put it in Diagnostic Mode. Make sure the hold switch has been turned off. You can do this by pushing the switch away from the headphone jack. Jiggle it on and off to be sure. To reset your iPod, you will need to press and hold a few buttons at the same time for about 10 seconds. Hold the "Menu" and "Play/Pause" buttons down if your iPod is 1G to 3G. If you have the iPod 4G, you will need to press and hold "Menu" and "Select". If your iPod has been reset, you should see the Apple logo and feel the spinning of the hard drive. Now, press and hold these buttons: "REW", "FFW" and "Select" for iPod 1G to 3G and "Back" and "Select" for the iPod 4G. If your model is a 3G or above, you should hear a bird chirp sound and the Apple logo should pop up backwards. You have now reached the mecca of Diagnostic Mode. Keep in mind that your scroll wheel will not work when you are in this mode. Using "REW" and "FFW", you can look through the lists of tests to see which one you might need.

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