Hot unpluggable media storage device

A computer-implemented method for accessing a portable computing device from a host computer, the portable computing device having at least a storage device for storing media content, the portable computing device also having processing circuitry, and the portable computing device being capable of itself outputting the media content stored in the storage device, said method comprising:

• detecting presence of the portable computing device on a bus associated with the host computer;
• mounting the storage device of the portable computing device with a file system of the host computer once said detecting detects presence of the portable computing device on the bus;
• accessing the storage device from the host computer over the bus to perform initial processing;
• unmounting the storage device of the portable computing device from the file system of the host computer once said accessing for the initial processing fully completed, said unmounting being automatically performed and not being performed responsive to a user-initiated action;
• determining, subsequent to said unmounting, whether access to the storage device is needed to perform subsequent processing;
• remounting the storage device of the portable computing device with the file system of the host computer when said determining determines that access to the storage device is needed, said remounting being automatically performed;
• accessing the storage device from the host computer over the bus to perform the subsequent media-based processing;
• and
• unmounting the storage device of the portable computing device from the file system of the host computer once said accessing for the subsequent processing is completed, said unmounting being automatically performed and not being performed responsive to a user-initiated action.

A computer readable storage medium including at least computer program code for accessing a portable computing device from another computer, the portable computing device having at least a storage device for storing media content, and the portable computing device being capable of itself outputting the media content stored in the storage device, said computer readable medium comprising:

• computer program code for detecting presence of the portable computing device on a bus associated with the other computer;
• computer program code for mounting the storage device of the portable computing device with a file system of the other computer once said computer program code for detecting has detected presence of the portable computing device on the bus;
• computer program code for accessing the storage device from the other computer over the bus to perform initial processing;
• and
• computer program code for unmounting the storage device of the portable computing device from the file system of the other computer once the initial processing is fully completed,
• wherein said computer program code for unmounting operates to unmount the storage device from the file system automatically without any user-initiated action either to physically disconnect the portable computing device from the system or to request unmounting.

A method for accessing a portable computing device by a host computer over a data link, the portable computing device having at least a storage device for storing media data, said method comprising:

• (a) receiving, at the host computer, an indication that the portable computing device has been attached to the host computer via the data link;
• (b) logically connecting the portable computing device to a file system of the host computer once said receiving (a) receives the indication that the portable computing device has been attached to the host computer, the portable computing device being logically connected to the file system as a data storage device;
• (c) performing, following said receiving (a) and said logically connecting (b), first processing at the host computer which accesses the portable computing device;
• and
• (d) logically disconnecting the portable computing device from the file system without detaching the portable computing device from the host computer via the data link, said logically disconnecting (d) being performed automatically, without any user-initiated action, after fully completing performance of the first processing.