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iPod External HD and I-Tunes

CommonMan

CommonMan

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 27, 2006
140
0
Midwest
I've got an old PowerMac G3 (blue and white) and I'm running OSX 10.3.
It's got only like a 6 gb HD and that's getting full really fast.

Here's my questions: If I hook up an external HD through the firewire port and store all my MP3 files on the external HD, will I-tunes be able to play the music and do all the things it does currently.

Having been a PC person I am excited to get a MAC because most of what I use it for is storing, organizing and playing MP3 files. However, with such a small HD, I know I'm not going to get very far. So, I'm thinking about going with the External HD option. However, if I-tunes won't be able to deal with it, there's no use.
 
It works just fine. In iTunes' Preferences you just point at whatever folder you like for the Library, whether on a local disk or external, it doesn't matter. I use both every day.
 
Okay

G: That is good news. Sounds like my plan may work. Now to find a resonably priced external HD with firewire/mac compatibility.:)
 
gauchogolfer said:
It works just fine. In iTunes' Preferences you just point at whatever folder you like for the Library, whether on a local disk or external, it doesn't matter. I use both every day.
Click to expand...

So there are no performance issues with this at all? I've been thinking it over, but thought I might take a speed hit.
 
Don't by a prepackaged drive, by an enclosure

I just bought a USB2/Firewire 400 EIDE drive enclosure for my mac. I wanted to hack my tivo and only had a MBP, not a PC...

I paid about $50 for the enclosure then I just bought a 250 GB drive for $79. It was super simple to put the drive in the enclosure. Now I am putting all my movies and TV shows on the external drive and music on the internal drive. I created a folder on the external drive called "Secondary itunes storage" and made a Movies, Family Movies, TV shows folders. I copy the files into the appropriate folder and then add it to itunes with "keep organized" turned off.

Once the files are synced to my ipod, I don't need the drive connected to sync. Even with it disconnected, when I sync, the video files stay on the ipod... very nice.

I can also add the files to my other macs and when I want to watch the videos on them, I just connect the drive up.

Another idea would be to have one mac act as a server with the drive connected and then mount that drive on other macs and add them, but I use wireless for everything, even my PMG5.

When iTV comes out, I will be ordering one asap...

to wrap this up, I have started re-ripping my dvds again now that I have a nice big drive to store the files on... I am using about 50 GBs for backing up my photos and other files.. When 10.5 comes out, this drive will become my Time Machine drive.

--
Peter Hill
PM G5/17 PB G4/15 MBP/Mac Mini
 
the only issues with using an external are usability ones IMO. Another power cord, another cable, another fan (if you don't get a fanless enclosure), another "thing" lying around, and small (generally workaroundable) issues with making sure iTunes can find the music again later if you launch it while the HD is off or unattached.

If you don't need the drive for anything else, personally i'd just spring for a 120GB drive to replace the 6GB. OSX will run better (it likes a good 8GB or so of free space on the drive) and it will be a lot quieter than what you've got currently.
 
zwida and P. Hill

zwida, sounds like your thinking of doing the external HD thing too. I'm wondering if these 1999 blue and white Mac G3s have the FW 400 speed.
If G says it works, I guess we should feel confident.

To Pete Hill, I have done the enclosure + HD thing with my PC. Now thinking of doing with the MAC. Note, this is an old Mac. Just wondering what the 400 EIDC means.
 
the G3s have Firewire 400, and you can put third party USB2 cards in them too. One thing to watch out for is the chipset in some ATA-6 enclosures doesn't seem to agree with some revs of the G3s and can cause problems when you do Software Update (like making the drive unreadable), but as long as you keep it unplugged when you update it should be fine.

It will work just fine with iTunes. Just set the Library location in preferences to the external (or better yet make an alias to the external called "iTunes Music" in the Music > iTunes folder)

If you do go external, you might want to check it has large (over 120GB) drive (ATA-6) support, if that's going to be important, and a USB interface if you want to be able to hook it onto a PC.

If you do want to to use it on Mac and PC you'll have to format it (on the Mac) as FAT32/MS-DOS format (which works pretty well, although it won't accept files over 4GB (like DVD images for example). The other alternative is to format as Mac Extended/HFS+ and get MacDrive so the PC can use it.

[edit - just noticed your other thread] For the internal option, the second IDE controller is problematic in B&W rev A's but not completely unuseable - you can put a second drive in and use a free app like Carbon Copy Cloner or the like to duplicate your current system onto the new drive, then remove the old one and put the new drive on the primary channel.

I'd buy a second-hand copy of the system disks tho in any case, just because they can be vital for troubleshooting.
 
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