My iPod Displays an Exclamation Point and Folder Icon?

The battery charge may be low. If you just received a new battery then you will need to charge it for at least 3 hours. Charge the battery via an adapter and wall outlet for best results (charging via a usb/firewire cable can pose many other issues). Also the iPod may display a lighting bolt icon or charging animation which means that your iPod is receiving a charge. FYI: iPod's battery works best at room temperature. (between 32° to 95° F). A low battery icon will appear if you have left your iPod iPod in the cold or in the sun on a very hot day. Never leave your iPod in a vehicle's interior when parked in the sun. Do not expose your iPod to direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Do not take your iPod into a sauna or steamroom and never submerge your iPod in water.

If the Exclamation Point and Folder Icon appears and it is not a battery charging issue then it could mean that your iPod is “locked up”. A lockd iPod (frozen iPod or won't turn on iPod) may be caused by the iPod being paused or the Hold switch is in the locked position. If so, a lock symbol may appear on the screen. Slide the Hold switch to the unlocked position and check the screen. After that reset your iPod. Even if the Hold switch is already in the unlocked position, I would toggle it so it's locked and back again to eliminate problems that are easy to fix.

Some iPod models require a specific or later version of iPod software and if these iPods do not have this required software then the exclamation point and or folder icon may appear. This can happen if the iPod was partitioned or reformatted using an incompatible format. To fix the problem restore the iPod using the iPod Updater application. If the iPod Updater doesn't recognize the iPod, try forcing the iPod into disk mode and then try the restore process again.