Use your iPod as Portable Storage

Yesterday I wrote about USB flash drives to store data in a very portable format. If you already own an iPod, then you already have access to a very portable data storage device. The iPod in its most basic form is a portable hard drive (expect for the Nano or Shuffle), and can be used as such. For a while there, I actually had more free space on my 60 GB iPod than on my laptop.

As long as you have your iPod USB cable, you have all you need to connect your iPod to a computer and transfer files. I have iTunes installed on my home computer where I load my media. I keep my cable with me so that I can recharge my iPod while at work. When you connect your iPod to a computer without iTunes, the iPod is recognized only as a USB Mass Storage Device. On an iTunes computer, you must set an option to allow files transfer. (Edit - Preferences - iPod tab, “Enable disk use”) Depending upon which drive letter you have available, you can browse via Windows Explorer like any other hard drive. You can also copy and move files to and from the device just as easily.

The first thing you will notice is that there are already folders on the iPod. I suggest creating a new folder called “Files” to store anything other than iPod related items. Depending upon how much media you have on your iPod, you could have a great amount of space suitable for lugging data or even using as a backup for your computer. (I still have 40 GB free) You should keep reliability and lose-ability in mind with whatever you do decide to store on your iPod.

Getting back to the iPod folder structure:

Calendars
The Calendar in Extras can be used to sync your Outlook calendar with your iPod. The appointments are listed here as separate files. You could also manually create or export these from your calendar program and move them here.

Contacts
Another Extra, Contacts are stored as VCF (virtual card files) which can be synchronized or managed manually.

Notes
Miscellaneous information stored in basic text files can be placed here for a variety of purposes. These are also read on your iPod in the Extras area.

Photos
If you have an iPod capable, photos are stored here and viewable on your iPod.

iPod_Control
This is a hidden folder that contains your music files and other system configuration files. I don’t recommend hacking around in here.

So don’t just carry around your music, carry all of your data as well.

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1 comment May 10th, 2006