How to Enable Portable Hard Disk Mode on an iPod Touch
By Marshal M. Rosenthal
The iPod Touch uses memory to store programs and other information, but it does so in a totally different manner than all of the other iPods. Using the iPod Touch as a storage device cannot be done by enabling the portable hard disk mode in the way other iPods do. Instead, specialized programs, or “apps,” must be used to enable the iPod Touch to be used as a portable hard disk. The apps vary in price and complexity but all work in a similar fashion, enabling the iPod Touch to be used as a portable hard disk.
Step 1
Click on the "App Store" icon on the iPod Touch. Select the "Search" icon and type in the name of a portable hard disk mode app (such as "FileMagnet") into the search field. Select the portable hard disk mode app and click on the "Download" button. Click on the "Install" button and wait as the iPod Touch downloads and installs the portable hard disk mode app to one of its menu screens.
Step 2
Download and install the portable hard disk mode app's "computer uploader" program to the computer's hard drive. Run the "computer uploader" program once it has fully downloaded and been installed.
Step 3
Drag the folders and/or files that are to be stored on the iPod Touch from the computer's hard drive into the "computer uploader" window that is now showing on the computer desktop.
Step 4
Press the icon of the portable hard disk mode app on the iPod Touch to launch it. Press "Yes" when asked if a connection to the computer is allowed. Press "Always Allow" instead to never have to press "Yes" again.
Step 5
Wait as the portable hard disk mode app transfers the folders and/or files from the computer to the iPod Touch. The folders and/or files can now be accessed on the iPod Touch or transferred back to the computer or to another computer running the "computer uploader" program at any time.
References
Tips
- Shut down and then restart the iPod Touch after installing an app that will be used to enable the Touch to work as a portable hard disk.
Warnings
- Not having enough free space on the iPod Touch for putting the files that are going to be stored onto it can cause the Touch to crash.
Writer Bio
Marshal M. Rosenthal is a technology maven with more than 15 years of editorial experience. A graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography with a Bachelor of Arts in photographic arts, his editorial work has appeared both domestically as well as internationally in publications such as "Home Theater," "Electronic House," "eGear," "Computer and Video Games" and "Digitrends."