How to format iPod as PC (fat32) under Mac OS X?

[Platypus70]

I guess the title says it all: I have a PB G4 with OS 10.4.8 and iTunes 7 and I want to format it into PC format (fat32). Is this possible? If I press the "RESTORE" function within iTunes it prompts for a password and reformats it to Mac-format -- I cannot find an option to choose...

[ArtemisG3]

I would also like to know if this is possible. This seems to be an area where Apple has screwed up royally. If you first plug your iPod into a Mac to set it up, it is no longer compatible with Windows. On the other hand, Windows users who setup their iPod on their Windows PC will have an iPod that works with both Windows and Macs.

Apple needs to resolve this issue.

[chabig]

You have to restore it on a PC to get it to PC format.

[Platypus70]

OK, so that's the end of it? It's not possible?
If so, it's poor choice and one can only agree with ArtemisG3 that that would be somewhat of a screw-up. Mac OS X is very well capable of formatting external HDs to whichever FAT format, so why won't it be supported for the iPod? Mac-formatted iPods are pretty useless if you want to use it as a data carrier around the world. Having to set it up on a PC is a clumsy work-around that, moreover, is no good to people that do not have access to PCs with iTunes.

[Kipu2021]

I have little experience in this exact field, but you may want to try the following:

Open iPod preferences in iTunes, click the "Enable Disk Use" button. Apply. Quit. Open Disk Utility. Under Erase, see if the iPod is selectable, and attempt to reformat that way under the FAT32 customization.

[stevebr]

Don't use Disk Utility to format an iPod if you want to use it as an iPod and not just as a hard drive. It doesn't add the iPod software after the formatting and you'll just have to restore again.

It seems that you must use iTunes (or older iPod software from before the functionality was integrated into iTunes) on a windows box to have a fully-functional FAT32-formatted iPod.

While it's inconvenient, it's not the end of the world, as you can still have the ipod "linked" (or whatever the term is. associated?) to your Mac when it's been set up on Windows:

1. Sit down at a Windows box with a current copy of iTunes and "restore" it.
2. Don't sync it with that library.
3. Hook it back up to your Mac and when iTunes starts, you'll be prompted to (link/associate/join/whatever) it to your Mac.

You may want to go back to a windows box for updates of iPod software when they become available.