Updated February 10, 2017
Formatting an iPod in Windows
Connect your iPod to your computer with the USB cable. Close the AutoPlay window that appears. Open “Computer” from the “Start” menu if you use Windows Vista or Windows 7. If you use an older version of Windows, open “My Computer.” Right-click on the icon that corresponds to the iPod and select “Format” from the menu to open the “Format Removable Disk” dialog. Select “FAT 32” as the file system and enter a name for the iPod in the “Volume Label” text box. Click “Start” to erase all data on the drive. Disconnect the iPod from your computer when the formatting process is complete. The information on your iPod will be gone.
Formatting an iPod in OSX
Connect your iPod to your computer with the USB cable. Close iTunes if it starts automatically. Open a Finder window. Double click on “Applications” and open the “Utilities” folder. Double click on the “Disk Utility” application. Select your iPod from the left menu column. Click on the “Erase” tab. Select “MS-DOS file system” from the “Volume Format” drop down menu. Click the “Erase” button to begin the disk formatting process. Click the “Erase” button on the pop-up warning dialog to confirm that you want to format the iPod. Disconnect the iPod from your computer when the formatting process is complete. The information on your iPod will be gone. Writer Bio
