Apple iPod stores information in two fashions. The first is to embed data such as mp3s and videos onto a miniature hard disk drive. Other models of the apple iPod use solid state storage. Regardless of the storage device built into your iPod many simple data procedures can result in files being lost. Lost files on an iPod is manifested by lost songs, volume control difficulty, and even the entire iPod crashing and freezing. Considering that the 2000 song 16 GB iPod can represent a music investment of several hundred not $1000, purchasing software designed to recover deleted iPod files would seem a wise investment.
As with any hard drive crash scenario you must recover your files to a safe location before reinstalling any operating system. Recovering a crashed iPod is no different. You must use the software built to recover music from iPod files before reloading the apple iPod firmware. Most quality programs for digital media recovery will work very well for the purpose of iPod file restoration.