I WAS GIVEN AN APPLE IPOD AND KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT I BELIEVE ITS A SHUFFLE.DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO FIRST DO I CHARGE IT

According to the manual found here: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/ipodshuffleuserguide.pdf

"Remove the USB cap and connect iPod shuffle to a high-power USB port on your
computer. The battery status light on the back of iPod shuffle turns on.
The iPod shuffle battery is 80-percent charged in about two hours, and fully charged in
about four hours.
When the battery is charging, the iPod shuffle status light is amber. When the battery is
fully charged, the light is green until you disconnect iPod shuffle. If you don't see the
status light, try another USB port on your computer"

Batteries also wear out from time to time, so if you find that it's not charging no matter what you do, it's likely that you need a new battery. Here's a link to more info on iPod batteries: http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipods.html

it happened to me too. just push either menu and the middle button at the same time or play/pause and the middle button at the same time... hope this helps!

Sounds like a bad battery. Contact Apple 1-800-275-2273 (1-800-APL-CARE) if you believe it still be under warranty. If not, replace the iPod.

-=/ MLF /=-

Remember these five basic suggestions if you have a problem with iPod shuffle. Try
these steps one at a time until the problem is resolved. If one of the following doesn’t
help, read on for solutions to specific problems.
Reset iPod shuffle by turning it off, waiting five seconds, and then turning it back on
again.
Retry with a different USB port if you cannot see iPod shuffle in iTunes.
Restart your computer, and make sure you have the latest software updates
installed.
 Reinstall iTunes software from the latest version on the web.

 If the status light blinks orange when you press a button, the iPod shuffle buttons are
disabled. Press and hold Play/Pause (’) for about three seconds, until the status light
blinks green.
 Connect iPod shuffle to a high-power USB port on your computer. Your iPod shuffle
battery may need to be recharged.
Turn iPod shuffle off, wait five seconds, and then turn it on again.
You may need to restore iPod shuffle software

Hold in the play button for 10 seconds to reset. If that fails:
iPod shuffle Software Update and Restore
Apple periodically updates iPod shuffle software to improve performance or add
features. It is recommended that you update your iPod shuffle to use the latest
software.
You can choose either to update or to restore the iPod shuffle software.
• If you choose to update, the software is updated, but your settings and songs are not
affected.
• If you choose to restore, all songs and data are erased from your iPod shuffle. All
iPod shuffle settings are restored to their original state.
To update or restore iPod shuffle with the latest software:
1 Go to www.apple.com/support/ipod and download the latest iPod Update. The update
has the latest software for all models of iPod.
2 Double-click the software install file and follow the onscreen instructions to install the
iPod shuffle Update.
3 Connect iPod shuffle to your computer and open iTunes. The iPod Updater application
opens.
If you’re using a Windows PC and the iPod Updater application doesn’t open
automatically, you can find the updater by choosing Start > All Programs > iPod.
4 Follow the onscreen instructions to update or restore iPod shuffle software.
If you use the iPod Updater application and it doesn’t see that iPod shuffle is
connected to your computer, turn iPod shuffle off and turn it on again.

ALLOW IPOD TO RUN DOWN..BY LEAVING ON.THEN FULLY CHARGE.TURN ON AND IT SHOULD RESET ITSELF IF NOT LET ME KNOW.I WILL ADVISE FURTHER.RICHARDM69

the light blinks until its completely charged u know this when the light turns green u have to keep the ipod off while charging

No response from a mac or pc or charger? The usb/charge port got whacked... try extensive wiggling, if anything happens, you know that you have a soldering job ahead of you..

This is not an an common problem, as this Wikipedia article confirms. (scroll down to "Blinking Light Problem")

Go to the Apple website here and check which generation of shuffle you have before trying the fix. In fact, read all the small print before going ahead.

Good luck & let me know how you get on.

try a new usb cord that happend to me before
or try to push it in really hard