Ask Dave Taylor
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • YouTube Videos
  • Top Categories
  • Subscribe via Email
  • Ask A Question
  • Meet Dave
  • Home
  • iPod & MP3 Player Help
  • Use Mac-formatted Apple iPod Nano on a Windows PC?

Use Mac-formatted Apple iPod Nano on a Windows PC?

January 15, 2016 / Dave Taylor / iPod & MP3 Player Help / No Comments

My son gave me his old Apple iPod Nano (the rectangular one with the wheel controller) and when I plug it into my Windows 7 system, it just complains that it’s a Mac format device and won’t let me do anything other than reformat it. How can I use it as an iPod??

While Apple has released many generations and styles of different iPod units they’re all still basically a hard drive with fancy software to make them seem like sleek, easy to use music and media players. Most of the earlier generation of iPods also have the ability to serve as an external hard drive for your computer too, and it’s likely that’s related to the message you are seeing: when first set up, an Apple iPod is either formatted at the drive level to be Mac OS X or Windows compatible.

Of course, it’s not completely symmetric because Macs are quite adept at reading Windows file system formats (generally “FAT” or “FAT32”) while Microsoft’s never really offered the same capability for its zillion Windows PC users: Plug a Mac drive into a PC and it just says “there ain’t nuthin’ on this. Shall I reformat it?”

Let me step you through what you’re likely seeing and explain what’s going on, then show you how to proceed!

First off, plug in your son’s iPod Nano (probably a 5th gen, my very favorite of all the iPods Apple ever released because it can record video and has a built-in FM receiver. The only iPod with that feature, weirdly!) and here’s what you’re probably seeing:

windows: format disk in drive E:

There are a couple of other error message windows that could be popping up too (or instead) too, including:

disk does not contain a recognizable file system

Not enough confusion? It’s quite possible that iTunes on your Windows PC is going to complain too, though it’s an interesting error message because it suggests that the PC software can recognize a Mac formatted hard drive:

itunes mac formatted ipod reformat to use windows

What I particularly like about this whole crazy experience is that even with one or more of these windows showing, whether you respond or not, iTunes will also be busy installing new software that, I dunno, helps it work with a Mac formatted iPod?

Here’s what I was shown without any further explanation of what it was actually installing:

itunes installing software mac compatibility microsoft windows 10

To fix the problem you might be tempted to “Format Disk” from the first dialog box, but that’s not quite right, that will reformat the “shared drive space” on the iPod, not the iPod itself. To properly remedy this problem, you’ll need to use the Restore feature within iTunes on your Windows computer and let it wipe everything completely.

Before you do, though, you might want to find someone with a Mac because there might actually be useful or irreplaceable content on the iPod Nano. For example, on the one we’re using for this demo, plugging it into a Mac system reveals:

apple ipod nano shown in itunes mac os x

Here you can see that it’s mostly empty, but there’s still about 2GB of content on the iPod. You can find out what’s actually on the device by clicking through Music, Movies, TV Shows, etc, under the “On My Device” section on the left side menu. In fact, this particular iPod has Music, as is quickly obvious:

music on apple ipad nano, shown in itunes for mac

Ultimately, though, the fix is within the Windows system, so once you’ve copied off anything you want to keep from the iPod Nano, unplug it from the Mac, plug it back into your PC and use the “Restore” feature on the Windows version of iTunes to wipe and reformat the unit, ready to use just as if you’d bought it from Apple directly.

You can see the relevant button in this view, from iTunes for Windows:

reformat restore itunes for windows ipod

Use the “Restore iPod…” button and after it chugs away for a while, you’ll be good to go!

About the Author: Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since the early days of the Internet. Author of over 20 technical books, he runs the popular AskDaveTaylor.com tech help site. You can also find his gadget reviews on YouTube and chat with him on Twitter as @DaveTaylor.

Let’s Stay In Touch!

Never miss a single article, review or tutorial here on AskDaveTaylor, sign up for my fun weekly newsletter!
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please enter all required fields
Correct invalid entries
No spam, ever. Promise. Powered by FeedBlitz
Please choose a color:
Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
apple ipod nano, compatibility, mac ipod, mac windows ipod, reformat ipod, restore ipod, windows ipod

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Recent Posts

  • Chromebook Owner’s Guide to Antivirus & Anti-Malware Solutions
  • Everything You Need to Know about Apple’s Clean Energy Charging
  • How Can I Watch Free Classic Movies on my Windows PC?
  • How Can I Maximize Online Privacy with a VPN Connection?
  • SCAM: Did I Just Buy A Computer From Amazon? I Demand a Refund!

On Our YouTube Channel

TWT Audio REVO TW310 Budget Headset -- DEMO & REVIEW

iClever Bluetooth 34-Key Number Pad Keyboard -- REVIEW

Categories

  • AdSense, AdWords, and PPC Help (106)
  • Amazon, eBay, and Online Shopping Help (164)
  • Android Help (228)
  • Apple iPad Help (147)
  • Apple Watch Help (53)
  • Articles, Tutorials, and Reviews (346)
  • Auto Tech Help (17)
  • Business Advice (200)
  • ChromeOS Help (34)
  • Computer & Internet Basics (782)
  • d) None of the Above (166)
  • Facebook Help (384)
  • Google, Chrome & Gmail Help (188)
  • HTML & Web Page Design (247)
  • Instagram Help (49)
  • iPhone & iOS Help (625)
  • iPod & MP3 Player Help (173)
  • Kindle & Nook Help (99)
  • LinkedIn Help (88)
  • Linux Help (174)
  • Linux Shell Script Programming (90)
  • Mac & MacOS Help (914)
  • Most Popular (16)
  • Outlook & Office 365 Help (33)
  • PayPal Help (68)
  • Pinterest Help (54)
  • Reddit Help (19)
  • SEO & Marketing (82)
  • Spam, Scams & Security (96)
  • Trade Show News & Updates (23)
  • Twitter Help (222)
  • Video Game Tips (66)
  • Web Site Traffic Tips (62)
  • Windows PC Help (951)
  • Wordpress Help (206)
  • Writing and Publishing (72)
  • YouTube Help (47)
  • YouTube Video Reviews (159)
  • Zoom, Skype & Video Chat Help (62)

Archives

Social Connections:

Ask Dave Taylor


Follow Me on Pinterest
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on LinkedIn
Follow me on Instagram


AskDaveTaylor on Facebook



microsoft insider mvp


This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this site or on any linked site. Further, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to our terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site. Our lawyer says "Thanks for your cooperation."
© 2023 by Dave Taylor. "Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.
Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions - Accessibility Policy