Help. iPod stuck on cable-iTunes screen

[iP5]

As the title says, my iPod (gen 5, which ever is the last) is stuck on the cable-iTunes screen.

The twist is I was deliberately running iOS 6 or maybe 7. Which ever version, the choice was deliberate as nothing in the later releases interests me and I know better than to pair an older device with later iOS's.

Unfortunately, I can't simply restore from my backup. I'm forced to upgrade???

Really? Is there no way I can recover to my last backup?

What's the point to backing up?

I assume my last hope is to go to the Apple store.

Lastly, its not jailbroken, if that's important.

 

[Europa]

You'll need to restore in iTunes on your computer. You can only restore to 8.4.1 or 9.0. If you want 8.4.1, you'll need to download the software outside of iTunes and shift + restore. You can apply your backup after you restore.

Post back if iTunes doesn't recognize it.