iPods hang for a variety of reasons.  The biggest hanging issue comes when an iPod begins to randomly skip through songs.  This could happen in several ways.  The song could play part way through then skip to the next one or not play at all and just start skipping from song to song until it finds one that is easily accessible.  In some cases, song skipping occurs when database corruption destroys songs, albums and entire artist packets on the iPod.  The iPod then shuffles through songs until it gets to one that is functioning.  This can also cause an iPod to freeze, hang or shut down on itself and further corrupt the music and videos stored on it.

The first step to fixing an iPod when it hangs is to determine if the database is corrupt or not.  If it is not corrupt, a simple reset should fix the issue.  You want to hold the Menu and Center button down together for a few seconds; the iPod will then reset itself, it will take a minute or so, and then the iPod will be working again.  Go through and play the same songs and artist to make sure it worked.  If it did, your iPod will be working just fine.  If it did not, then the skipping or hanging will keep occurring.  At this stage, you will want to restore your iPod to factory condition.  This will reformat your iPod hard drive which should eliminate the issues.

There is generally nothing a user does to cause an iPod to hang.  However, there are things a consumer can do to prevent it.  Make sure to turn your iPod off when not using it.  Make sure to use the eject function when disconnecting it from your computer.  Also, make sure not to leave your device in direct sunlight or extreme cold.  Protecting it from damage with a case is also a good plan, as bumps, scrapes and other hits to it can cause the iPod to hang from hard drive damage.