iTouch seems stuck, will not boot, shows 'connect-to-iTunes' screen

[AnnaAlpha]

my iTouch seems stuck, will not boot, shows 'connect to iTunes' screen


It is a nice 16G 1st gen iPod Touch, I've had for a couple of months,
until recently I had 1.1.5 firmware, used it just for music, video clips;
it worked OK, was fully recognized by iTunes, I usually fed it with
ImTOO iPod Computer Transfer from my PC.

I know I've done sth wrong - attempted to jailbreak it (with winpwn2.0.0.4) to be
able to view also PDF documents and probably did not complete the process properly,
then I got confused, tried to get back and restore it only - all in all just
screwed it up.

When I try to start the iPodTouch now, it just shows Apple logo and then
"connect-to-iTunes" screen. That's it. When I launch iTunes then, it shows up
as "iPod" [it used to show up as "LW's iPod"] and iTunes says "iTunes has detected an
iPod in recovery mode.You must restore this iPod before it can be used with iTunes.".
When I press "Restore", the iPod connects to update software server and offers me
firmware 2.2.1 update, license agreement and starts downloading 242.8MB. Looks good,
but it never finalizes - at the end there is always a message like: "There was a problem
downloading the software for the iPod 'iPod'. The network connection timed out. Make sure
your network settings are correct and your network connection is active, or try again later".

By the way, it also happens that the iPod closes down (it seems) and disappears from iTunes
panel before the downloading is finished.

Sometimes when I start iTunes after switching iPod on, I get another message, sth like:
"iTunes has detected an iPod, but could not identify it[...]".

Also I can actually start the iPod into what is called I guess the DFU mode [by holding and
releasing the home & power buttons], but I am not sure if it holds, so to speak...

Altogether, I'm quite confused now. What can I do? Would be very obliged for a smart advise.
Thanks a lot.

[Jeckel]

If iTunes is having trouble downloading the firmware, download it from somewhere else (this site has a link). Then, when you want to restore, Shift+Click 'Restore' and select the firmware you've downloaded.

[AnnaAlpha]

Actually, you've made redo things over, step by step - and it's
worked out well! My iTouch is alive again, I ended up with a new 2.0.1 firmware (the one I tried to install [2.2.1] was rejected)
and I have a feeling now I'm track to 1. upgrade to 2.2 first and 2. jailbreak it next with quickpwn225-2(which I have just discovered); I also have downloaded Liberty+ to test and I'm quite impressed with its user friendly facilities: switching ipod modes restore-DFU and back with a mouse click; plus clear interface. I'll try to do it over the weekend, cause I had to lend my iPod out to a dear needy person in the family till then.
Thanks a lot, Jeckel!

[bteamer]

Might as well download 3.0 of off the internet somewhere now, 2x is a tad outdated.

[AnnaAlpha]

Might as well download 3.0 of off the internet somewhere now, 2x is a tad outdated.

Does 3.0 have any specific advantage over 2.2.1?
For now I have managed to jailbreak the latter one and like so far. Looks and feels good with Cydia, Installer and a few new apps. Now I face a different challenge - how to install or modify the Mobileinstallation file to be able to install other ipa apps especially the one I need the most ImpactPDF reader...
My problem is that I don't have a wireless access where I am.
Thanks for your advice, anyway.

[Jeckel]

The advantage for 3.0 is more apps from the AppStore, landscape keyboard on more apps and cut, copy and paste. That's about it for the 1st Generation iPod Touch. 2.2.1 just has much more support for and more jailbroken apps.

[AnnaAlpha]

I see, thanks a lot.
But I guess I need a modified Mobileinstallation file in order to use any of these jailbroken apps, right? If I have the file already on the PC
- is there a way to install it on the jailbroken iPod without using a wireless internet connection?

[austinwright]

If iTunes is having trouble downloading the firmware, download it from somewhere else (this site has a link). Then, when you want to restore, Shift+Click 'Restore' and select the firmware you've downloaded.

I have the same problem with my ipod, but can't find your link on this site.