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iPod Can you partition an ipod video harddrive?

K

know-it-all5

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 28, 2006
275
0
USA
Is there anyway to seperate your ipod video harddrive into two seperate parts. One part for music, videos etc. and the other for a total mirror backup of my system (i would use the new leopard backup tools to do this backup).

IS ANYTHING LIKE THIS POSSIBLE?

thanks
 
anyone see the irony that "know-it-all5" is posting a question :p


I don't know the answer actually, but why would you want to partition it to begin with since your music is separated from your movies and pictures anyway... what am i missing here?
 
i would like to be as if it were two different hard drives with two different purposes. i was thinking about getting an external harddrive, but am curious if a video ipod, can load MAC OS X off it. Thus, i say partitioning it into an "ipod" part, and a purely external harddrive part.

(ps. Its just a name, not a representation of me. lol)
 
You can partition the iPod drive, just as you can partition any drive. However, it will not work as an iPod when partitioned. It will work as a regular external drive. In other words, no you can't do what you're asking. :eek:
 
mad jew said:
You can partition the iPod drive, just as you can partition any drive. However, it will not work as an iPod when partitioned. It will work as a regular external drive. In other words, no you can't do what you're asking. :eek:
Click to expand...

bingo.
in fact I remember trying to do this and I had a thread like this too. Kinda sucks. All the old ones could, gen 4 and earlier.
 
you can still use it as an external hardrive for files and other stuff etc. right?
like u can add or remove files and stuff through finder etc. right
 
know-it-all5 said:
you can still use it as an external hardrive for files and other stuff etc. right?
like u can add or remove files and stuff through finder etc. right
Click to expand...

All you have to do is "Enable Disk Use" in the iPod Options in iTunes. Then you can do what you need without having to repartition an iPod to be an external HD.

You can't really install OS X and boot from it on a USB HD. It would have to support Firewire, and the new iPods don't do firewire.
 
O.K., here's a really basic question that I have had for some time, and it fits in with this discussion. I would like to know exactly (step by step) how to put files onto my iPod, as discussed above. I can set the preferences to enable disk use, but what then? I would like to use part of my 80g iPod for backing up my photos that reside on an external hard drive and not on my computer (so the external is not a backup, but the original files). I figure if I can put them onto the iPod in the same format that they are on the external, then it would be an effective backup. And, no, adding the photos through iTunes is not the same thing, I have the most recent photos on the computer which sync with the iPod, but I want to back up all the photos that are on the external. Does this make sense?

I just need to know how to put files on the iPod once disk use is enabled.

Thanks in advance!
 
know-it-all5 said:
i would like to be as if it were two different hard drives with two different purposes. i was thinking about getting an external harddrive, but am curious if a video ipod, can load MAC OS X off it. Thus, i say partitioning it into an "ipod" part, and a purely external harddrive part.

(ps. Its just a name, not a representation of me. lol)
Click to expand...

Yes, you can install Mac OS X on an iPod. I've done it several times on my iPod 3G. Not sure about USB ones though.

Yes, you can partition an iPod BUT it will forever be stuck in disk mode (although try having the iPod partition as the first partition, that *might* work, I've never tried it).
 
ChrisG said:
Yes, you can install Mac OS X on an iPod. I've done it several times on my iPod 3G. Not sure about USB ones though.

Yes, you can partition an iPod BUT it will forever be stuck in disk mode (although try having the iPod partition as the first partition, that *might* work, I've never tried it).
Click to expand...

no, you can only have 1 partition on 5th gen and later ipods. well, there's really 3 partitions on their but you can only have one data storage one. 2 of em for the ipod's os and 1 for data.
 
You can indeed partition your iPod's HD. But, you better enjoy singing to yourself, becuase it wont play music after that.
 
ChrisG said:
Yes, you can install Mac OS X on an iPod. I've done it several times on my iPod 3G. Not sure about USB ones though.

Yes, you can partition an iPod BUT it will forever be stuck in disk mode (although try having the iPod partition as the first partition, that *might* work, I've never tried it).
Click to expand...

MacAficionado said:
All you have to do is "Enable Disk Use" in the iPod Options in iTunes. Then you can do what you need without having to repartition an iPod to be an external HD.

You can't really install OS X and boot from it on a USB HD. It would have to support Firewire, and the new iPods don't do firewire.
Click to expand...

Rokem said:
no, you can only have 1 partition on 5th gen and later ipods. well, there's really 3 partitions on their but you can only have one data storage one. 2 of em for the ipod's os and 1 for data.
Click to expand...

Chris, your 3G is Firewire, that's why you can boot from it. The newer models are USB only. Macs can't boot from USB as far as I know.

Also, the HD in an iPod is not designed for the rigors of the constant Read and Writes of a normal hard drive and is not recommended to be used as such for extended periods.

Back ups and Restores maybe but not all the time.
 
My first thought about having two partitioned hard drives in the iPod is that it might address one of the biggest weaknesses of the iPod design - that I have to select a Mac or a Windows environment - and never the twain shall meet.

That's not the environment I live in.
 
Howard Brazee said:
My first thought about having two partitioned hard drives in the iPod is that it might address one of the biggest weaknesses of the iPod design - that I have to select a Mac or a Windows environment - and never the twain shall meet.

That's not the environment I live in.
Click to expand...

No, you are wrong. You can setup an iPod on a Windows computer and be able to use it on the Mac. It is because of a weakness in Windows that you cannot format an iPod on a Mac and use it with a Windows computer.

So if you need to sync your iPod for whatever reason on both Windows and Mac, then format it with Windows, and tha Mac will happily accept it.
 
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