11.1 The iPod s Hard Disk Format

11.1 The iPod's Hard Disk Format

The iPod's drive is formatted in such a way that it can communicate with a computer much like any other hard drive ”depending on which model iPod and computer you're using.

The first iPods, released in 2001, functioned only as Macintosh hard disks. The 2002 iPods came in separate Macintosh or Windows versions. And 2003-and-later iPods are compatible with both Mac and Windows (you don't have to pick a format at purchase time; see Section 1.3).

A Windows PC won't recognize a Macintosh-formatted iPod. On the other hand, a Mac can recognize both PC- and Mac-formatted iPods. Some people even go back and forth between a Mac and a PC with their Windows-formatted iPods, merrily and manually updating their music collection between iTunes for each platform.

NOTE

You can tell if an iPod was formatted for Macintosh or Windows in the About menu on the main iPod screen. If the last item in the list is the iPod's serial number, you've got a Macintosh-formatted iPod. If it says, "Format: Windows" underneath the serial number well, you can figure it out from there.

You can reformat a Mac iPod for Windows, or a Windows iPod for Macintosh, but only by erasing it completely and reformatting it.

NOTE

Do not reformat or partition the iPod's hard drive with any utility software other than the iPod installer program that came with your player. These installers format the drive in HFS Plus (Mac) or FAT32 (Windows), which is what the iPod needs to play music. Formatting the drive with, say, the Unix or Mac OS Standard file systems spell the end of your iPod's career as a music player.