iPod as a storage device

Tax season is almost over, which means I'll be buying some computer equipment soon for write-off purposes. I love being self-employed

One of the purchases I've been mulling over is a 60GB iPod. My question is this. Can the iPod be used as an external storage device? If so, can it be used that way on both PC's and Macs? Can you browse through non-media files on the iPod screen?

Just a side note... I have also decided to buy a 20" Cinema Display, and a new Intel Mac Mini. Oh...happy happy joy joy!

Yes, you can store files other than music on the iPod.

No, you can't browse them with the iPod.

you could also say its a gift for employee's if the laws are the same as they are in the UK

my dad also does things like that

surfwax95 said:

No, you can't browse them with the iPod.

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Actually, yes, you can browse files on the iPod, however not through the iPod Firmware. You have to be running Linux on your iPod. (see http://ipodlinux.com)

iPod Linux isn't out for 5th Gens yet, I'm running it on my mini, and yes I can browse files.

Yes, the iPod can be used an external storage device.

To do this:

1) Plug your iPod in and open iTunes.

2) Then go under the preferences, there you'll see a few different options (like "General", "iPod", "Podcasts", etc.), for references sake, we'll call them "tabs." (Sorry if it seems like I'm over-simplifying this, I just got done helping my sister figure things out in her version of iTunes, and it takes a lot of work to get her to understand anything involving technology).

3) Under the "iPod" tab, click "Enable Disk Use".

4) Your iPod should show up as an external drive.

Note: You can't view most files on your iPod, but you can view text documents. You have to save them to the iPods "Notes" folder, and they have to be saved as '.txt' files.

Your iPod will still work fine otherwise.

To use an iPod over Windows and Macs, it has to be formatted for the FAT 32 file system that Windows uses. It is recognized by both Mac OS X and Windows. If you format your iPod to use the Mac OS file system, Windows won't read it.

How does one figure out what I would call as the apparent miscommunication between the operating system of Mac OSX and that of Windows XP. When it is formatted from Windows, it only allows the formatting for NTFS, problem is that mac is being stubborn, or at least I think it is. I can format it to FAT32, and I know that Windows can read FAT32, but it says that it cannot recognize it. Has anyone figured out a formatting tool, or a format in general that will allow the Ipod as this storage device, I mean at this point in time I use the Ipod as storage device, so that I have extra space on my harddrive, but I am not able to transfer the files on to a windows computer, unless I first put the files on my harddrive and then transfer it he windows based computer. It could be possible that I am just doing something wrong and that the solution is real simple, but I cannot seem to figure out what it is, and I hate looking on the internet because usually I get bad sites that do not benefit for what I am looking for.
Thanks,

format the ipod in windows using the iPod Updater software then you wont have any probs

inflexion said:

format the ipod in windows using the iPod Updater software then you wont have any probs

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Sounds like a winner, thank you.