Only show the apple icon and none of your solutions will work

Hello,

i got this ipod from a friend. i dont know which one it is, but on the back it has 8gb. i think that maybe the model. anyways i have read all you questions and answers and tried them all. here is my problem: my ipod will only show the apple logo. i have tried holding both buttons down simultaneously to "reset" it or something. it will turn off and then back on and its rightback to the apple icon. sometimes when i do it it will say itunes and have a picture of the usb plug on it but it goes no farther than that. what can i do to get this thing to work?