Well, I read all there was to read on the internet about dead iPods. Mine had been dormant for a long time. would not turn on at all. I re-charged it for 2 days, still nothing. I read about taking it apart, using a folded business card, etc., and figured that was too drastic for me. So I gave it one more try.
IT WORKED!! I RE-PLUGGED THE CHARGER IN AND WHILE IT WAS CONNECTED I PRESSED AND HELD DOWN THE CENTER 'START' BUTTON FOR A GOOD 5-10 SECONDS. SUDDENLY I GOT A LONG MESSAGE IN SEVERAL LANGUAGES THAT I COULDN'T READ AS IT STAYED ON THE SCREEN FOR A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THEN ANOTHER MASSAGE POPPED UP - BARELY VISIBLE - BUT IT SAID TO 'WAIT - YOUR BATTERY IS VERY LOW.' THE LITTLE BEACH BALL WAS MAKING ITS ROUNDS. SO I JUST LEFT IT FOR SEVERAL HOURS, AND VOILA, IT'S NOW AS GOOD AS NEW! ALL MY MUSIC IS THERE AND IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM AGAIN.