Can this be done? I have a recently purchased refurb - i.e the last of the 160GB models. Is this 6th Gen? I herd these are encrypted and can't be touched.

If they can, is it possible to undetectably restore the original firmware in case of warranty repairs?

In what sense? What do you want to do?

jailbreaking (running of 3rd party code) really only exists on the iPod touch and iPhone from what I've seen. Certainly that's where the development is concentrated.

It isn't jailbreaking, its just firmware modding, e.g. images and their positions.

Your iPod is a 6G. It cant be done on anything after iPod video (5 and 5.5g), or iPod nano 1g. Anything after these is encrypted and hasn't been decrypted yet.

Remove the firmware volume limiter.

Google - there was a software app for the mac that would do this but I have no idea if it still works on later iPods.

Is most of your music in mp3? You can run it all through a program such as mp3 gain, which will set all music files to play at the same volume. You can set a higher volume in there that i think would also play louder on the ipod. You would have to force all the files to resync in itunes though, not sure how you can do that.

There is a program called euPOD on Windows that I used to use which boosts the volume of the MP3s which works really well. On the Mac is GoPod which will remove the volume cap, not sure if it works with the latest iPods though. I know it won't work on the iPod Touch or iPhone.

Another idea might be to invest in a nice pair of noise cancelling earbuds. They block outside noise on a plane or train or wherever.

Well that's a more answerable question and users have done so. Jailbreaking is totally different.

The fact that I misunderstood the meaning of the term has already been politely explained more than once. Therefore I don't understand either the point, the underlying critique, or the slightly snotty tone of your above post - unless of course you're still smarting over our previous exchange. However I'll assume there's some other reason, since that would be too childish for words.

Anyway, thanks to the other FMs for the software alternatives. However I do somewhat baulk at processing 160Gb worth of mp3s through ReplayGain, although there may be no other choice for the time being. I have used it before, but as I recall I kept getting a warning/message about clipping. I would ideally like a significant boost in volume as I'm quite hard of hearing.

Are there any affordable in-ear headphones someone could recommend that have a greater sensitivity than those supplied with the i-pod?

yes your right but also wrong, the term jailbreaking is the given term so frimware modding an iphone or ipod touch is jailbreaking.

it was given this name as the hackers said they broke their devices out the apple jail ....... or something like that.

I done a quick google and it looks like the volume limit cannot be modified

I simply thought I should reply to you personally as you'd replied to my post. It really has nothing to do with our previous debate over iPods - actually I'd not noticed your username. My apologies if you thought I was having a go or being snotty, I really wasn't trying to be. Life is to short to make enemies on Internet message boards.

I'm flattered that you remember me though X

Not at first. I was simply perpelexed at what appeared to be the tone of your post, which was out of keeping with the other replies. That then led to a light bulb going off in my head. Perhaps I was wrong about that - it seems so from your post.

You're right - life's too short to make enemies on message boards. Unfortunately too many people out there don't seem to share your common sense view.

Apparently the in bud Apple earphones are now pretty good and not too expensive.