Moving iPod music from Win to Mac
Question:
Following the long, detailed instructions on the Apple website, I used my iPod as file storage to collect my iTunes mail folder from my Windows PC "My Music" folder and then move it onto my new iMac 20" Core Duo machine where it was duly found by the Mac iTunes music library. All well and good except that the relationship of iTunes in the Mac and my iPod seems a little jenky. Sometimes iTunes does not seem to find the iPod, for one thing. And the iPod thinks it has twice the amount of music on it that it actually does, since I carefully followed the instruction to move the old music that was on it off -- or thought I did, anyway. I wonder if there is some firmware in the iPod that was set to Windows? I am not worried about losing the music -- it is still all there on my old computer. I have thought that perhaps I have to reset the iPod and wipe the HD and then reinstall the software on the iPod because I am now syncing it to a Mac instead of a Win machine. Or maybe not. Someone knows the answer to this. Obviously, not me, though.
Answer:
Indeed you can if you wish too. They use different file formats (FAT for
the PC) but the mac can read the windows-formatted ipod fine. Its useful to
do this if you wish to move files between macs and PCs in disk mode. Never
noticed a slow down myself.
To do this use the ipod software updater to restore your ipod on the mac
(usually found in the applications -> utilities folder or at apple
http://www.apple.com/ipod/download/ ). Remember restore will wipe
everything on your ipod but also remember the way it works - music goes from
itunes to the ipod in a one way fashion so as soon as you plug it in it will
copy over the music. Don't worry about your music on the PC - you can
always restore your ipod on the PC to use it again
_My son also recommended using iPod Updater. Found
instructions on the Apple website. Downloaded the updater and used it to
"restore" -- actually wiped the iPod harddrive and put the music back on in,
apparently, the Mac format. Seems to work much better now.
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