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iPod iPod Mac to PC

~Kat~

~Kat~

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 20, 2006
77
0
Montreal
I have an iMac G4 but I'm away with my PC laptop. What a delightful surprise to learn that because my iPod (older model) is Mac-formatted, I can't use it with my Windows laptop. I can do a restore which may not be possible because it's a shuffle and I'd lose everything on the iPod anyway.

I really thought that once I got iTunes and the iPod software installed, using a USB cable would be just that. My iTunes library on my laptop is empty because I use my iMac for downloading. This just plain stinks! I'm stuck until I get back home which may be awhile. I'm very frustrated and disappointed. :confused:

Is there no way around this you clever souls?
 
This is a fault of Windows, not the iPod.

Windows cannot read nor write to HFS+ formatted drives (what a Mac-formatted iPod uses) whereas Mac OSX can read and write to both HFS+ and FAT32 formatted drives as well as read-only on NTFS drives. It also supports a number of Linux/Unix formats.

There is a program available (for a charge) called "MacDrive" which allows PCs to read and write to HFS+ drives.

Sorry you've encountered this problem.
 
yes and no.

i agree that windows inability to read all formats is reprehensible but consumer frustration affects ipod sales regardless of who is to blame. I dont believe that joe ipod buyer has a clue that his ipod is not just plug and play anywhere he goes. his fault, ipod advertising fault, microsofts fault?

there is plenty of blame to go around.
 
Chundles said:
This is a fault of Windows, not the iPod.
Click to expand...

How is it Window's fault that the iPod uses a proprietary file system? I've formatted my iPod with FAT32, so that I can use it with Windows PCs, too, but that prevents me from updating the firmware on my Mac. And I don't have a Windows PC at home.. that's a quite annoying problem.
 
~Kat~ said:
I have an iMac G4 but I'm away with my PC laptop. What a delightful surprise to learn that because my iPod (older model) is Mac-formatted, I can't use it with my Windows laptop. I can do a restore which may not be possible because it's a shuffle and I'd lose everything on the iPod anyway.

I really thought that once I got iTunes and the iPod software installed, using a USB cable would be just that. My iTunes library on my laptop is empty because I use my iMac for downloading. This just plain stinks! I'm stuck until I get back home which may be awhile. I'm very frustrated and disappointed. :confused:

Is there no way around this you clever souls?
Click to expand...
Whoa, wait a sec! If it's an iPod shuffle, it cannot be Mac-formatted! It can only be formatted as FAT32. You should not have any problems with it on a Windows PC.
 
dejo said:
Whoa, wait a sec! If it's an iPod shuffle, it cannot be Mac-formatted! It can only be formatted as FAT32. You should not have any problems with it on a Windows PC.
Click to expand...
Hmmm so you're saying it's doable. I have the 3.1.1 version but won't I lose ALL of my songs anyway? It will recognize the iPod but losing my iPod content isn't what I had in mind. :D

Thanks for the link and the info everyone. It seems like they leave quite a bit out. Still worth it though.
 
weg said:
How is it Window's fault that the iPod uses a proprietary file system? I've formatted my iPod with FAT32, so that I can use it with Windows PCs, too, but that prevents me from updating the firmware on my Mac. And I don't have a Windows PC at home.. that's a quite annoying problem.
Click to expand...
It's not really, HFS+ (the Mac file system) is open source so anyone can implement it, the simple truth is that MS choose not to. FAT32 isn't patented and is very simple so other OS's can use it too (though it is owned by MS).

I have to admit Apple should allow FAT32 on the Mac so you can use it with PC's too, I'd definitely use that feature.
 
~Kat~ said:
Hmmm so you're saying it's doable. I have the 3.1.1 version but won't I lose ALL of my songs anyway? It will recognize the iPod but losing my iPod content isn't what I had in mind. :D
Click to expand...
What exactly are you trying to "do" again? You have an iPod shuffle with songs loaded from your iMac at home and a Windows PC with no songs in its iTunes library. When you plug the shuffle into your PC you will be given the option to "change the link" to the PC's library. If you choose "No", all the songs will be preserved but you will not be able to see the iPod shuffle from within iTunes. If you choose "Yes", all the songs will be deleted but you'll be able to see the shuffle in iTunes.
 
Eraserhead said:
I have to admit Apple should allow FAT32 on the Mac so you can use it with PC's too, I'd definitely use that feature.
Click to expand...
Apple does allow this. Using Disk Utility, you can format any drive as "MS-DOS" which equals FAT32.
 
dejo said:
What exactly are you trying to "do" again? You have an iPod shuffle with songs loaded from your iMac at home and a Windows PC with no songs in its iTunes library. When you plug the shuffle into your PC you will be given the option to "change the link" to the PC's library. If you choose "No", all the songs will be preserved but you will not be able to see the iPod shuffle from within iTunes. If you choose "Yes", all the songs will be deleted but you'll be able to see the shuffle in iTunes.
Click to expand...

Yes, good point, as soon as you plug it into iTunes and update it, it will update itself with your Windows iTunes library. If there's no tunes in your Windows iTunes library, you'll lose all your music.
 
dejo said:
What exactly are you trying to "do" again? You have an iPod shuffle with songs loaded from your iMac at home and a Windows PC with no songs in its iTunes library. When you plug the shuffle into your PC you will be given the option to "change the link" to the PC's library. If you choose "No", all the songs will be preserved but you will not be able to see the iPod shuffle from within iTunes. If you choose "Yes", all the songs will be deleted but you'll be able to see the shuffle in iTunes.
Click to expand...
I don't have the shuffle. I think I'll just wait it out. I had to do a restore once and it was quite painful.
 
dejo said:
Apple does allow this. Using Disk Utility, you can format any drive as "MS-DOS" which equals FAT32.
Click to expand...
I mean't for the iPod ;), clearly I wasn't clear enough :eek:.

Lau said:
Yes, good point, as soon as you plug it into iTunes and update it, it will update itself with your Windows iTunes library. If there's no tunes in your Windows iTunes library, you'll lose all your music.
Click to expand...

It does ask before doing this, you just press no you don't want to update your iPod with the computer with no music on it, you can then switch on Manual Updating for your iPod and listen to your Music through the other computer, I've done it with my Dad's (one of only two other people I know with a Mac) iMac loads of times.
 
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