New iPod with songs already on it

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New iPod with songs already on it

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Q: I bought an iPod nano recently, and this morning I charged it until it was finished. When I turned it on, I saw there were already 223 songs on it. I never downloaded anything onto it yet. Also, the iPod is brand new. When I try to play the songs, they wont load. I cant seem to listen to any of them.

- Becky

A: Depending upon where you purchased the iPod, the likely situation is that this was actually a used unit that was returned by the original purchaser and repackaged. No iPod models normally come with any content pre-installed on them - even special edition models such as the U2 iPod that come bundled with music do so in the form of an iTunes Store coupon to allow you to download the included content for yourself.

It is not uncommon for retailers to take a returned product and repackage it for resale as new, and in many cases such resellers do not properly check or reinitialize the device prior to repackaging it. Depending upon the condition that the iPod is otherwise in, and the terms of sale from where you bought it, you may want to consider returning it in exchange for a new one.

The problem that you are finding with this particular unit is likely just the result of user error and/or computer problems from the previous owner, although this may also be the reason why it may have been returned by the previous owner.

Should you decide to keep this unit, the first thing you should do after connecting it to your iTunes library is to find the “Restore” button, which appears in the iTunes “Summary” tab. This will reformat the iPod, returning it to its factory settings, and erasing everything on it. You can then proceed to load it with your own content. Should you experience similar problems after reloading it yourself, it is much more likely the unit itself truly is defective and should be returned.

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