General Mac hardware discussions forum: Help! How can I read my MAC formatted iPod on a PC?

The iPod HD will have to be formatted to enable the PC to read it. Unfortunately, the while the Mac can read both Mac and PC formats, the PC can only read the PC format.
This means that you will loose all the music currently on your iPod. There are tools available to move tracks from the iPod to your computer but the iPod does not support this procedure natively. (Thank the RIAA)
Movie the tracks from the iPod to the PC, reformat the iPod in accordance with the instructions that came with it, and move the tracks back on to the iPod.

Good luck

Hope this helps

P

I found this page while searching for the same answer on what to do with a Mac-formatted iPod on my Windows Vista PC. Thanks for the great information!

I tried MacDrive and its file explorer let me browse my iPod Classic and copy the m4v video files over to my PC without a hitch. I didn't need the other program. Best yet, the trial was free.

Then, all I did was restore my iPod to factory settings using iTunes, this time formatting it for Windows, and copy those videos back onto the iPod along with my other media.

Do any of you use an iTunes alternative? If so, what program do you like for Windows?

clearly, these two people do not know what they are talking about. help is at hand. its called X play music. google it. you can get a free months trial. i have used it myself. you dont have to format anything. you can add files to your mac formatted ipod on a pc! its your dream come true! no formatting, no file swapping. you just use windows media player. its simple. good luck.

that make Xplay? Pretty simple to find at their website...

http://assist.mediafour.com/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=107

I downloaded MacDrive and XPlay and neither will read my iPod Touch. Has anyone else had this issue?

My problem is almost the same except my iPod is windows formatted, and I have a Mac book. I want to transfer my music from the windows onto my mac, and I don't know how. I don't want my music deleted, but I want my music. How do I transfer my music on Windows onto a Mac????

This might help someone, so here's exactly what I had to do:

I got my brother's old iPod Classic, which was Mac formatted with just over 1000 songs. Macdrive read it flawlessly, except that I had to keep iTunes from coming up - if it did, Macdrive "lost" sight of the iPod.
Then I had to move all the files into My Music - they came over in subfolders & iTunes didn't want to go down to them.
Then I had a final problem because he'd bought some of the music from the iTunes store. The solution there was that he'd only used 2 of the 5 computer limit that Apple imposes. I just had to Authorize my PC with his account & that pulled in the rest of the songs.
In the end, about 30 to 40 minutes of work, with an hour or so waiting for files to get copied back & forth.

Thanks much for the Macdrive tip - that opened the door.