iPod and iTunes Hacks

Run Your iPod in Disk Mode

Use your iPod’s copious disk space to store and back up data from your computer.

The iPod’s hard drive can be used to store much more than your music. If you want to transfer files between two machines, nothing does the trick as quickly as an iPod. This book has been written entirely using the iPod as a hard drive, so when I go from my laptop (while writing on the road) to my desktop, all my files are available. Even if you don’t use the iPod’s hard drive as an everyday storage device, it makes a handy backup device; and, with the many gigabytes of storage available on today’s iPods, you should have space to spare. Using the iPod in Disk mode is pretty simple, and knowing how to do it will help you in many hacks throughout this chapter.

Connect your iPod to your computer. If you haven’t twiddled with the preferences already, iTunes should launch automatically; otherwise, launch iTunes. Your iPod will show up in the source window, as shown in Figure 3-1.

Figure 3-1. The iPod in the iTunes Source window

Select your iPod and access the iPod’s preferences by clicking the iPod icon, (shown in Figure 3-2) in the lower-right corner of the iTunes window.

Figure 3-2. The ...