How to use iPod as a Hard Drive

It's pretty easy to use your iPod as an external storage device. It effectively becomes a portable hard drive.

* Connect your iPod to your computer as usual
* Open iTunes on your computer
* Select your iPod in the source list down the left of the iTunes window.
* Click the 'iPod options' button in the lower-right corner of the window.
* Select the 'Enable disk use' checkbox. Click 'OK'. Voila
* Close iTunes

Your iPod now appears in Windows Explorer on your PC or on your Mac desktop and you can use it as you would a flash disk or any other drive on the computer.

You must always use iTunes to transfer music to your iPod, though. If you copy music files to your iPod via Windows Explorer or the Apple Finder, you won't be able to listen to those songs on your iPod.

Checking available space

Using the iPod: Go the main menu, choose 'Settings', choose 'About'.

Using iTunes: Choose the iPod in the source list. Below the songs list you'll see bars indicating 'space used' and 'space available'.

Using your computer: Double click on the iPod in Windows Explorer or on your Mac Desktop.

Ejecting your iPod

Before ejecting it, make sure all open files on the iPod have been closed — if they haven’t you won't be able to eject the iPod.

PC: Select the iPod in Windows Explorer; right click on the iPod; choose 'eject' from the pop-up menu that appears.

Alternatively, click the ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ icon that will appear in the system tray on the bottom-right of the monitor.

(These are the same steps you'd follow when ejecting a flash disk).

Mac: Select the iPod on the desktop and drag it to the Trash.