How to hack your iPod

Posted by T3 Magazine on Thu 17 Sep 2009

Get more out of your Apple PMP

Proof that there's more to your iPod than churning out mammoth iTunes playlists, here at T3 we'd like to show you a few nifty tricks to help you liberate your Apple pride of joy even further.

Following the six simple steps below, learn how to explore new features and turn you once primitive iPod experience into a much more fruitful one.

Step 1

CHECK FORMATTING

Before you begin the hacking process, ensure that your iPod’s HDD is formatted in the FAT32 file system. iPods connected to Windows PCs that use iTunes should be in FAT32 already. Mac users, however, may have to convert from the native HFS+ file system that iTunes uses on Macs. The process is relatively straightforward, but for easy to follow instructions point your cursor in the direction of http://bit.ly/K0sm6.

Step 2

INSTALL ROCKBOX

Head to www.rockbox.org/download to get your hands on the automatic installer. Once it is downloaded connect your iPod to your computer via USB and boot it in “Disk Mode” by performing a hard reset – hold down Menu and Select – then hold down Select and Play when restarting. Be sure to close iTunes if it automatically opens. All hard drive iPod and first generation Nanos are supported by Rockbox.

Step 3

SAVE TO YOUR IPOD

Run Rockbox and, providing your iPod is connected properly, the confi guration dialogue box will appear. Click “Autodetect” for Rockbox to recognize your version of iPod. If it doesn’t automatically work, use the “browse” box instead to select your iPod’s disk directory, where Rockbox will be installed. Want to install Rockbox on players other than your iPod? As you’ll see here, it is possible.

Find the last three steps to hacking your iPod by heading to the Knowledge, where you'll also find plenty of handy tips to get the most out of your tech.