ipod compatibility issues

heidi123heidi123
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Ok, i have an ipod and i use it with my Mac for syncing with itunes and songs and stuff. My understanding is, though, that i can also use it to transfer non-music files. Can i only do this from mac to mac, or can i transfer from PC to mac as well? I tried plugging into a pc and it wants me to reformat the ipod. Needless to say, i am reticent to do that. Any info is appreciated. Thanks.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 3
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    You should be able to use the iPod as a Firewrie hard disk on a PC. I believe the trick is that since PCs can't read Mac-formatted drives, you have to reformat the iPod into a PC-formatted drive. Macs can read PC drives just fine.



    But don't go off reformatting and everything based only on my post. I'll look into this a bit more and maybe post links if I find a how-to or a better explanation.
  • Reply 2 of 3
    ibook911ibook911 Posts: 607member
    Isn't it true that if you Windows format, you cannot use isync?
  • Reply 3 of 3
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    I don't know about iSync.



    Doing a bit of homework, it looks like you might be able to, but it's not supported by Apple, and I can't find any definitive info on the success of such attempts. To me, it sounds like the answer is still basically "no" despite this obvious and surely popular intent.



    But if you really want to go through with it, here's what I would do:



    1. try turning off autosync on your iPod from within iTunes on your Mac. Try plugging the iPod into your PC and see if that solves the issue. If not,



    2. Back up your stuff on the iPod!!!



    3. Try using the instructions at the bottom of this page to reformat the drive, unless XP does it automatically when you click "OK" in that dialog you mentioned. Then try plugging it back into your Mac and see how iTunes behaves. If it's not behaving right, use the iPod Restore software to reformat it back to the original state. According to this article from Apple, you can'use just any utility to format the iPod. So be careful.
Sign In or Register to comment.