I plugged my Win iPod into a Mac last night

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And now I cannae use the bloody thing.

We currently use Windows. So I got a Windows IpOd. But we are about to get macs (yay!) and so I wanted to see whether I'd be able to transfer songs across to the mac before reformatting the iPod as a Mac iPod. Alas, it didn't work, and only recognised the playlists, not the songs themselves. And now, nada from the iPod itself. Now playlists or songs. Sob and boo hiss. Anyone help?

― Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 20:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Yikes, yeah, I've heard of this happening...something to do with the Mac file system writing some sort of signature on the iPod's disc or something? Can you reformat the drive on the player from either the player itself or the Windows control program?

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 20:08 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll be able to reformat it no problem; when I plug it in to a Mac, it asks whether I want to update the firmware, which would do the job, but in so doing, would lose all my songs, which I'm naturally loathe to do. I was hoping it might recognise it as a removable drive, rather than an iPod. Sadly, no such luck. Big buggery bollocks.

― Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 20:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Here's one tech support document that offers very little in the way of answers.

Before you reformat, if you think you may have accidentally converted your iPod into an iPod for Mac, you may want to do a trial download of Xplay, though it should be noted that it installs back-end software that allows a Windows machine to read Mac drives, and may actually cause problems on your Windows machine. If the files are particularly dear it might be worth a try but as always with software, you could end up with a broken iPod AND a broken Windows machine if things work out for the worst.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 20:56 (twenty-three years ago)

I like the idea of Apple using iPods as PC wrecking viruses.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 21:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Unfortunately, N, it seems like the Mac is an iPod-wrecking virus in this case. The Xplay software is actually by a third party and as far as I know, Apple doesn't recommend it in any form.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 21:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Still, I like the idea.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 25 March 2003 22:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Knickers. There goes my plan to get one. (XP at home, Mac at work)
Dave - surely losing your songs is better than losing the iPod? After all you have the songs elsewhere, right?

― Simeon (Simeon), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:33 (twenty-three years ago)

I almost hit the submit button on the form to buy an iPod on the Apple site just now. But rumour has it newer! better! cheaper! ones are coming... how long do I have to wait? btw, I want one now!

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 00:46 (twenty-three years ago)

that faq makes the ipod look kind of lame in certain ways. you can't move music files off the ipod to another computer?!?! can the other players do that - more like a portable drive??

― ron (ron), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 02:20 (twenty-three years ago)

To be fair to a lot of the other devices that function as a portable drive, you need to have the client installed in order for it to transfer files on and off at ALL. The iPod makes it very easy to get data files on and off without such a client.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 02:24 (twenty-three years ago)

so it is possible? it specifically says no on the apple faq:

Synchronization occurs only in one direction, from your computer to your iPod. This means you cannot transfer music, automatically or manually, from your iPod to a computer, and you cannot use iPod to copy a music library from one computer to another

― ron (ron), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 02:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, the way it stores music is slightly different from the way it stores data files, if I remember it correctly. I can't remember what happens if you just try copying the MP3 files over to the iPod directly using the FireWire connection instead of using the MusicMatch client for the Win iPod; it may actually allow you to copy the MP3 files over as data files, but you wouldn't be able to actually PLAY them on the iPod then.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 03:01 (twenty-three years ago)

argh. that's bogus :(

also bogus that you can convert to mac ipod, but not vice versa. apparently the mac can recognize the fat32 file system, but can a mac not format fat32??

― ron (ron), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 03:24 (twenty-three years ago)

Dave - surely losing your songs is better than losing the iPod? After all you have the songs elsewhere, right?

I was using a laptop with a firewire card; the laptop died 2 months ago, and that was that as far as the backup of the songs went. So I only have the songs on the iPod. Or did.

― Dave B (daveb), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 11:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Arse. That sucks. I presume you can't see the file system on either platform? No way to delete any hidden files the mac may have added (like the 'desktop db' on a CD)?*

*disclaimer: I have never used an iPod and am talking out of my arse.

― Simeon (Simeon), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:32 (twenty-three years ago)

NEw iPods, rumoured for june, late may at the earliest.

Simeon, with Xplay you can have a mac iPod and use it between mac at work and win at home.

Mac cannot format fat 32 without additional software, only HFS, HFS+, HFS+ journaled and UFS

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 17:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Mac OS can deal with pretty much any FS you throw at it it obviously does not expect to see a fat32, which is a bit crap. My advice is to go on the iPod user groups on the apple sites or at http://www.macfixitforums.com and puzzle it out with some 'power users'.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 17:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Dave, I'm not sure where you live but if you want to fork out cash for data recovery it CAN be done. find a Mac service center and see how much they charge for either 1) iPod recovery or 2) HD recovery on your old laptop.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 17:57 (twenty-three years ago)

NEw iPods, rumoured for june, late may at the earliest.

I just can't wait that long. I don't care anymore! I'm probably going to order one today.

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 18:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Make sure you order one of those iPods with your favourite band name scratched into the back with a rusty nail! Only $50 cash money!

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 18:18 (twenty-three years ago)

But what's going to be so much better about the new ones?

Smaller? They're already tiny! You'll lose them down your trousers!
Bigger capacity? 6000 songs is already far too many! You are all insane.
Recording facility? Doubtful, though it would be neato.
Video screens? ONLY IF IT COMES WITH A HI-POWERED PROJECTOR.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 18:23 (twenty-three years ago)

LASER

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 18:53 (twenty-three years ago)

YES IT WILL PROBABLY INVOLVE LASERS

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 18:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Seriously, N, you're missing the most important thing...even if 6000 songs is too much, when they release a model that'll hold 12000, the previous model will become dirt! cheap!

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 18:57 (twenty-three years ago)

If they really were going to become dirt cheap I'd wait. There may be a price drop coming, but I can't see it being that dramatic, let alone dirt cheap. Argghh it is pretty costly though!! At least I know I'm going to totally love it, it's a beautiful piece of gear, and it will integrate perfectly with my other hardware (PowerBook G4).

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 19:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Ok, I ordered it!

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 19:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey did you hear they just lowered the price?

< / kidding >

― Chris P (Chris P), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 19:27 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

So if I get this iPod and it's a Windows one and I want to get an iBook a couple of months down the line, am I going to be absolutely unable to use the iBook as a mp3-feeder for the iPod?

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 19:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah but if the posts here are right you'll have to take off all the songs before you plug it into your Mac for the first time. And then put them back after the Mac has put its special Mac-goo inside.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:32 (twenty-three years ago)

if you have a win ipod, when you plug it into the mac, it's supposed to ask you if you want to make the mac it's "home" computer. then presumably it would reformat the ipod with a mac file system. so tracer's right, you should make sure you don't have anything on there you don't mind losing. if you want to use it on both mac and pc, it must be mac formatted. then you'd use a program called macloader, in addition to ephpod, to access it via the PC.

― ron (ron), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Thanks Tracer and Ron. I appreciate it.

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 21:04 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

ok...sounds pretty cut and dry here, but just checking before i do anything dramatic.

i've had my ipod for over 2 years. it's a windows version to go with my evil crappy dell.

so now i have a shiny new apple, and would like to be able to continue using my ipod and sell my dell. i've got all the music from the pod on an external hard drive already. so i should be able to just plug it into my mac and it'll ask if i want to change it and magically i'll be able to use it, by setting up the library in itunes connected from my hard drive to my laptop?

sorry if that's really basic, but all my web searches have turned up really confusing info (and usually about going to a PC with a mac ipod)

thanks for the help...

― colette (a2lette), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

Come onth, that was an interesting question. Will music transferred thru WIn on an external HD be recognized by a mac?

― baaderonixx, Friday, 26 October 2007 10:31 (eighteen years ago)

To be fair, Collette didn't seem too bothered about finding out the answer so I guess we can assume it worked fine.

― CharlieNo4, Friday, 26 October 2007 11:07 (eighteen years ago)

It works. I've done it.

I did find some guidance on line which showed exactly which files you need to copy so that you keep the artwork with the songs.

If you simply copy the mp3s, you lose the associated artwork (unless you bought them through the itunes store).

― Bob Six, Friday, 26 October 2007 11:23 (eighteen years ago)

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