What to do if the screen is white?

hmm - that makes no sense ;-)

is the ipod dead or does it show a white screen??

dead would mean: screen is black and doesn't show anything, doesn't react when you connect it to the computer - it would simply be dead

white screen would mean: the WSOD (white screen of death), the ipod can be switched on but does only show a white screen!

there are a few things you could try

1. make a hard reset: press and hold the home and the sleep button at the same time until the ipod restarts (should take 10 seconds) - if your lucky - the ipod will work again after the boot process
2. if the ipod was dropped - it could also be a connection problem - you should need to reseat the lcd connector (if it was dropped and reseating didn#t help, the lcd could also be broken in the upper area - in that case the lcd needs to be replaced)
3. if the ipod had a fluid damage and shows the white screen, it could be a shorted connection or a toasted lcd controller (that would be the worst thing)

i'm sure that there are other things too that could led to the white screen - but those are the most common issues