Apple iPod: Switching from Windows to Mac

[BahrainLad]

Hello,

I'm shortly about to recieve an iPod (Dec. 25 ;) ) and I was wondering if it was possible to set it up on a Windows PC (with iTunes) and then move it later to a Mac?

Only coz I'm at home with a PC for a week or two before I go home-home to my Mac and I want to get using it as soon as poss.

Cheers

[PPRuNe Towers]

Search on a site called the iPod lounge - you'll find the information but it is a pretty significant hack to be considering.

You probably understand this but just for others - you do buy your iPod as PC or Mac specific. As yet, jumping from platform to platform is not supported.

Regards to All
Rob

[BayAreaLondoner]

The new iPods are for PCs and Macs. However, they come formatted for the Mac.
When yo u install under Windows, part of the setup process reflashes your iPod and formats it as a FAT32 drive.
There is a program out there (search on ipodlounge.com) that enables the PC to read the Mac formatted iPod. That could be a solution for you, but possible only if you are regularly moving between Mac and PC.
It may be that a FAT32 formatted iPod can be mounted on a Mac to look like an external hard drive, in which case you could pull files from it (tunes are renamed and spread across multiple directories), however it is doubtful that iTunes would want to recognise it on the Mac unless it is reformatted as a Mac iPod.

The easiest solution, especially if it is a one off occasion, may well be just to mess around with it on the PC and when you get home start over.

[BahrainLad]

The easiest solution, especially if it is a one off occasion, may well be just to mess around with it on the PC and when you get home start over.

This is exactly what I want to do; I'd just like confirmation that it's possible to do it.....move from PC to Mac once, flashing the iPod as we go?

[BayAreaLondoner]

Yes, that should work although the tunes on the iPod will be erased because you're reformatting the drive.

[Rupert S]

As said before, the new ipods are compatible with both PCs and Macs, a mac will be able to read a FAT32 file partition so switching from PC to mac shouldn't be much of a problem but going the other way probably won't work. Am I right in thinking you'll want to load some songs onto the ipod from the PC and then put it into the mac and load on more songs? If this is the case, there may be issues with getting a PC formatted ipod to sycnonise with iTunes on the mac. There are, however, ways of copying the songs off the ipod, which I've tried and tested with my powerbook and works fine. It basically involved a rather useful piece of software called TinkerTool. If you're interested, drop me a PM and I'll let you know how to do it.

Happy Flying next year :ok: