iPod As A Storage Drive

You can use your iPod as storage drive. Depending on the type of iPod that you have, it can be used as a flash drive or as a hard drive. This means that you have the ability to store and transfer files and data. This is known as disk mode. Here’s a little tip: use iTunes to transfer files of music from your computer to your iPod. You won’t be able to see the files as they are copied from iTunes to your iPod so be patient. If you copy your music files to your iPod using an Explorer window you’ll find that you won’t be able to play them on your iPod.

The following steps will show you how to use your iPod as a storage drive:

1. Connect your iPod to the computer. If iTunes doesn’t open automatically, open it manually by clicking on it.
2. Set your iTunes preferences. Find the edit menu on the Windows toolbar. Choose preferences. If you are using a Mac you can go directly to the iTunes menu to choose preferences. For both a PC and Mac, click on the iPod button.
3. Choose the enable disk use or manually manage songs and playlists option (do this for every iPod model except the iPod shuffle). Both of these options will let you use your iPod as a drive. If you choose manually manage songs and playlists you won’t automatically update your iPod with the songs that you have in your iTunes library. If you are going to be  utomatically updating your iPod with new songs, you will want to use the enable disk use option instead.
4. For the iPod Shuffle. Click on enable disk use. Adjust the storage allocation slider to the exact amount that you want to be used by your audio files and the amount that you want to be used by your data files.
5. You will now find the iPod icon on your desktop as well as in my computer in Windows. All you need to do is double click on the icon and drag your files from or to the iPod window to copy them over.
6. Remember to eject your iPod before you disconnect it from the computer.

Copy Songs from your iPod to your Computer
It’s easy to copy songs from your iPod to your computer. You will find that the iTunes library that is on your computer contains all of the sondgs that you have encoded either from your own collection of CDs or from the iTunes Music Store. When  he default settings are activated, iTunes will automatically copy the songs that are in your library onto your iPod. If you are going to be using your iPod as a hard disk you won’t be able to see the songs that are being copied through my computer.  on’t worry since this is completely normal. You won’t be able to copy these same music files from your iPod to another  omputer or back to iTunes. This is because the synchronization of your computer and your iPod works in only one direction: from iTunes to your iPod.

Beware if you’ve erased your library of music from your computer. There isn’t a way that you use my computer to copy these song file from your iPod back to your computer so that you can reload your library of songs. The only thing that you can do is encode the music files from your collection of CDs one more time and then sync this new library to your iPod. If you have bought music from the iTunes Music Store and forgot to back them up there is no way for them to be downloaded again. This means that you will have to buy new songs! This is why you will definitely want to back up all of your song files in iTunes from the start. If you are going to connect your iPod to another computer make sure that you don’t end up connecting to the iTunes library on that computer, if there is one. Choose the manually manage songs and playlists option so that you don’t put someone else’s playlist on your iPod and wipe out your own selection.