You need to put the iPod into DFU mode. Search for a guide. In DFU mode, your screen is BLACK with nothing on it.

uninstall itunes and reinstall it. The same thing happened with my iphone and the reinstall solved it

Definitely try DFU first. Try it multiple times too, its hard to get into it on your first try. Then, if that doesn't work, try rebooting iTunes. Try to redownload the firmware again. Or do what he said ^^^^ and uninstall and reinstall iTunes. You should try all of these and one is bound to work. You have to work HARD to brick an iPod.

I'm sorry I'm not very technilogically savvy, but once in DFU mode, is it supposed to prompt me to do something? I must not have gotten it yet..

IS THIS THE RIGHT DFU MODE?

Step-by-Step:

1. Turn the iPhone ON
2. CONNECT it to the dock
3. Make sure iTunes is open so you'll know when it enters DFU mode
4. HOLD the Power/Sleep-Wake button AND the Home button for 10 seconds
5. RELEASE only the Power/Sleep-Wake button and continue to hold the Home button
6. WAIT until iTunes recognizes the phone in DFU Restore mode (in Windows a bubble pops up saying it recognized new hardware "DFU Mode" or something to that effect)

The last step may take SOME TIME, like, say, even 60 seconds or so. The screen should be OFF (black), if you see the "Connect to iTunes" logo, START OVER. It may take a few tries to do the steps just right, just reboot (hold both Power/Sleep-Wake AND Home until the Apple logo appears and the phone turns back on) then try again.


Another Way is to hear to the sound of the hardware Disconnect and Reconnect. When you hold power and home to reset, once you hear the USB disconnect sound leave the power button but keep holding the home until you hear another USB plugin sound. This is the easiest way to know that your phone is in DFU mode.


?????

DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) mode is not the same as restore mode. DFU mode bypasses the current OS installed and allows you to upgrade or downgrade your OS. If you are getting errors trying to restore in iTunes, DFU mode is very likely for you.

This is how to achieve DFU mode. You can do it on every phone:

Method 1)

* Attach the phone to the pc
* Turn the phone off
* Hold power and home together for *exactly* 10 seconds
* Release power but keep holding home until the pc beeps as a USB device is recognized.
* At no point will the display come on. Now your restore should work.

(Source: sleepers.net)

Then in iTunes it should pop up llike you have a phone in Recovery Mode. On windows, a little bubble pops up in the bottom right hand corner saying like Found New Hardware Apple iPhone DFU mode or something like that. Then just restore in iTunes.