Create an iPod with both HFS and FAT32 partitions

I'm not a specialist, but I studied the Create a bootable HFS+ partition and a FAT32 partition on one external drive hint to do this. It works for me, with a Powerbook, iPod mini 4GB, Tiger, and tested on Windows XP.

Read on to see how I created an iPod with FAT32 and bootable HFS partitions, while maintaining its ability to be used as an iPod.

robg adds: Please note that the following tip contains instructions which will erase the contents of your iPod. And as you'll be working with the machine in single user mode, you could potentially mess up other connected drives as well. Please be sure you understand the instructions before proceeding, and do not try this if you don't have a current backup of your machine and iPod.

I have not tested this hint, and I'm not positive that everything works as described, so proceed at your own risk...]

Here's what I did...

Update your iPod with the lastest updater (2005-06-26 for me).
Now put a classical install of Tiger on it
Reboot your classic Mac (PowerBook for me) with the iPod plug in. Turn on single user mode (Command-S during boot)
Determine your device (eg /dev/rdisk1) using pdisk and then the L command.

Delete your principal partition and make two others: the first one in HFS, the second one in FAT32 (beware with capitals). Do this all in pdisk, as show below:

Top level command (? for help): e
Name of device: /dev/rdisk1
Edit /dev/rdisk1 -
Command (? for help): d3
Command (? for help): c
First block: 65599 
Length in blocks: 6433888
Name of partition: iPod
Command (? for help): p
Command (? for help): C
First block: 6499487
Length in blocks: 1500001
Name of partition: WIN
Type of partition: DOS_FAT_32
Command (? for help): p
Command (? for help): w
confirm and
Command (? for help): q
Top level command (? for help): q

Now change the MBR for the DOS partition:

~ Hopper$ fdisk -e /dev/rdisk1
fdisk: could not open MBR file /usr/standalone/i386/boot0:
 No such file or directory
The signature for this MBR is invalid.
Would you like to initialize the partition table? [y] y
fdisk:*1>edit 1
         Starting       Ending
 #: id  cyl  hd sec -  cyl  hd sec [     start -       size]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1: 00    0   0   0 -    0   0   0 [         0 -          0] unused      
Partition id ('0' to disable)  [0 - FF]: [0] (? for help) b ou c
Do you wish to edit in CHS mode? [n] n
Partition offset [0 - 469020]: [63] 6499487
Partition size [1 - 469019]: [469019] 1500001

fdisk: 1> p
Disk: /dev/rdisk2       geometry: 992/128/63 [7999488 sectors]
Offset: 0       Signature: 0xAA55
         Starting       Ending
 #: id  cyl  hd sec -  cyl  hd sec [     start -       size]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1: 0B  805 126  30 -  991 127  63 [   6499487 -    1500001] Win95 FAT-32
 2: 00    0   0   0 -    0   0   0 [         0 -          0] unused      
 3: 00    0   0   0 -    0   0   0 [         0 -          0] unused      
 4: 00    0   0   0 -    0   0   0 [         0 -          0] unused      

fdisk: 1> w
fdisk: 1> q
~ Hopper$ pdisk

You must reboot your Mac now, and you'll see two partitions on the Desktop.

Plug in your iPod, reboot, and press Option while booting, and you'll be able to boot your iPod. Now plug your iPod into a PC, and you'll be able to use your FAT32 partition. Now unplug, and listen to music.

The main problem I encountered is iTunes synchronization with the FAT32 partitions, and I must umount this volume for changing music on the 'iPod volume.'

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The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

Create an iPod with both HFS and FAT32 partitions
Authored by: silentaccord on Tue, Aug 30 2005 at 7:21PM PDT

I have been trying to do this myself. My goal was to have the iPod use the FAT32 partition for the music library since this is something I'd like to access from different operating systems. Then I would use the HFS partition for Mac-only stuff and a bootable OS X installation.

So far, I haven't been able to get it working. I updated the iPod from a Windows machine, backed up the firmware partition it created, then repartitioned the iPod and restored the firmware partition. It wouldn't even boot up. Has anyone had success with this?

iPod with FAT32 music and HFS+ partitions
Authored by: jediknil on Tue, Aug 22 2006 at 8:20PM PDT

Not sure if anyone's still listening, but this is possible, though iTunes doesn't like it. I did it for iPodLinux; check out my instructions for that, specifically the Format iPod for Windows, Repartioning, Format Partitions, Making it Work with iTunes, and The Ugly Fix sections. Basically you end up having to plug-in your iPod and immediately unmount/remount the FAT32 partition to listen to your music, so it's not worth it unless you really need HFS+ on the other partition.

Create an iPod with both HFS and FAT32 partitions
Authored by: audiologic on Tue, Dec 25 2007 at 12:39PM PST

Does this still work with the new ipods and firmwares?

Is there a way to simplify this for this function:

an ipod with 2 partitions - normal hfs (for ipod use) and VERY SMALL fat partition - used for installing and running HFSExplorer on windows machines?

This way, we could keep our ipods formatted for mac, but still use applications like floola, and disk use, on windows pc's that cannot currently see hfs filesystems....

There would be no need for this to be bootable, for this function.

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