Hi, I'm looking at converting my iPod to FAT32 for interoperability with more systems, and easier access under Linux. However, I do have an iBook, and the college I will be attending has several Mac labs.

I'd like to:
1) Use a large FAT32 partition for storing files and music.
2) Use a smaller HFS+ partition to boot Macs into a custom OS X environment.

Does anyone have any experience with this? I've read that an improper partition table will cause the iPod to simply require reformatting.

Would it be possible to say, convert to a WinPod, then use a FAT32 partition resizer to shrink the data partition (while retaining the same layout/order that the firmware is looking for), and then create an HFS+ partition in the freed space with the OS X Disk Utility?

Thanks,
-Dan