iPhone as portable hard-drive -->

Sorry if this has been done before or has a better way of doing this, but I found this some what useful.

1. iPhone needs to be out of jail already, if it is not -- find a tutorial.
2. Download ManzanaUI or your favorite way of getting files on the iPhone.
3. Place ManzanaUI in a folder along with iTunesMobileDevice.dll.
4. Archive the folder (I used a self extracting rar file.)
5. Rename file's extension to .jpg
6. Use ManzanaUI to place archive (with image extension) in /var/root/Media/DCIM/100APPLE/

But wait, what did this just do?
Now when you connect your iPhone to a pc it will ask you if you want to transfer the pictures from your iPhone to your PC, select Microsoft Scanner & Camera Wizard and then find the big red X. Transfer it to a folder and change the extension to .rar (or .exe if it is a self extracting archive) and wala you have access to the space on your iPhone anywhere you go.

In what way does that make the iPhone like a portable hard drive? Seems like all it does is allow you to access a previously created "image" that is really something else. Did I miss something?


--
Mike

You can store files using ManzanaUI on your iPhone.

Create a directory in the / folder called documents or somthing and toss what ever you want in there.

The big problem I was having is having to download or have another media to transport ManzanaUI around to get access to my files, this was my way around it.

I understood what you wrote. Let me rephrase my question: how do you write files from any PC? If you can't do that it ain't really a like portable HD (IMO).


--
Mike

Well kinda hard to explain better then I did in my first post, but let me try.

You have a program that lets you access your iPhones harddrive (flashdriver, whatever) lets call this program manzanaUI.

You take manzanaUI and anny files it is going to require to run(iTunesMobileDevice.dll for example) and place them in a folder. The folder is then archived (using zip,rar,etc) preferably as a SFX archive (Self extracting executable.)

Once you have your archive, lets call it ManzanaUI.exe you need to rename the archive to ManzanaUI.jpg and then add it to your iPhone's /var/root/Media/DCIM/100APPLE/ directory.

Once there it is invisble to the iPhone it self (it is not in the iPhones image database) but it will, however; be available for transfer when you connect your iPhone to your PC and the windows scanner & camera Wizard pops up.

You use manzanaUI to put files on your iPhone (in a folder called /documents/ or somthing.) and then when you go to a new pc when you connect it, you will be prompted to transfer the jpg that is actully your manzanaUI archive (and thus, will have access to all the files on your iPhone.)

I don't know what part of "I understood what you wrote" you didn't understand but suffice to say you didn't address my actual question. I appreciate you trying to be helpful nonetheless.


--
Mike

To summarize what both of you are saying

Orignal poster has discovered (not really) that he can store files on the iphone.....

however, Mikes point was that though they are on the iphone, how can you get the files off of the iphone onto another device without itunes / jailbreak / manazaa as to truely use it as a portable hardrive.

I could be wrong, but that was at least my initial read...

Btw, you dont have to explain how manazaa works since 99% of us either have it, or use a diffrent program which works similarly.

For a bit of clarification, you probably can get the files off most PCs without needing any iPhone software.

What this trick is really about is renaming a file, or an archive, to jpg (e.g., myfiles.rar to myfiles.jpg), and copying it to the iPhone's camera's photo folder. Since the iPhone is recognized as a camera when connected to a computer you can transfer that phony image and then rename it back to its original name (on the computer). A bit clunky but it should work.

My point was that since you can't write (as opposed to read) files to it from any PC (can't write to images to the iPhone's camera under Windows) it's not really like a portable hard-drive. When I read the thread's title I thought it was about a method to expose the iPhone as a HD (like an iPod).

I carry a cheap 2 GB flash drive on my key chain, and doubt I'd give up any precious space on my iPhone for this trick . That said it could be useful in certain situations.


--
Mike

The software that is stored in the image folder is what is used to store files on the iphone, the only reason you even do the archive to image conversion is so you have access to it ANYWHERE you go. The real trick here was just a way to transport manzanaUI ON the iPhone and pull it from any pc it is connected to so all other files are accessible.

ManzanaUI is just an windows based iPhone file browser (if your phone is jail broke.) You could replace ManzanaUI with any program that can put/remove files from the iphone.

Theoretically some one could write a driver/program that would let you mount the iPhone as a portable hard drive, sense we understand how to read/write from it. Something similar to how truecrypt does their encrypted volume mounting.

The trick is using the camera interface to transfer a file. What is stored there is secondary.

As far as having access to it anywhere, you are assuming the ability to install applications. Most public PCs I've run across won't allow that. Moreover, I don't carry a cable with me everywhere I go.

Seriously, a $15 USB flash fob seems a better solution here. Mine's on my key chain and it just works--Macs, PCs, etc., doesn't matter. And it doesn't take space away from my iPhone.

But if this works for you, great. I'm certain others will find it useful too.



--
Mike

The program does not have to be installed, just unarchive and and run it. True flashdrive would be easier, but that is not what this is about ;p

You should not run into any problems unzipping/unraring your archive, the exe is an installer and thus windows does not restrict it in the normal installer fashion. If you can move/create files you can use it.

i gotta give you kudos for figuring this out.....it's a nice find.....:wink:

Another thing to mention is Manzana requires .Net framework 2+ to work. If I find .Net on a public machine at all, it's rarely ever higher than version 1. I don't have admin privileges at work so I couldn't install the proper .Net to give this a go even if I wanted to.

This is definitely a WBiC topic. Why? Because I Can.

Sorry for OT

Hey Tinman, I remember you from the Brighthand boards back in the PocketPC days. I used to skin emulators and such.

Anyway, I too use a usb storage device and have been bitten by the portable app bug. These programs don't need to be installed, and run completely out of their root folders without leaving a footprint on the host. I started with www.portableapps.com and have moved on to Thinstall. Thinstall isn't as clean with footprints, but it lets you make almost any normal program portable.

ManzanaUI is just the program I normally use -- You could replace it with any app that will access the iPhones files. Not sure if any exist yet that don't require .net (sense people are apparently lazy...) other then a few command prompt based programs.