Airport Extreme - USB harddrive for iTunes storage

Looking for advice. Can you connect an external USB hard drive to the AirPort Extreme and point an iTunes libary at it? What I would like to do is buy a 16Gb iPad and use a USB hard drive connect to the Airport as a media libary. If that would work do you have to connect it each time as I have had problems with an external hard drive before on iTunes, in that the computer always needed to be configured each time I switched it on. I guess I'm looking for a media server without using a Mini Mac or similar. I'm also assuming the USB port is powered?
Is this a practical solution iPad as the controller, USB hard drive connected to Airport Exterme as the libary,

Please check out this User Tip article for the details on how access an AirPort Disk from a remote location.

Similar Messages

  • Airport extreme usb Harddrive via internet

    Hi!
    How can i connect to a usb hard drive on my airport extreme via the internet?
    The option "share haddrive via wan" is not more available since the new update on the airport configuration programm (6.0)!!??
    Thanks for help!
    Andreas

    Please check out this User Tip article for the details on how access an AirPort Disk from a remote location.

  • Airport Extreme + USB HDD = Time Capsule?

    Hi!
    (Sorry for my poor English, I hope it's possible to understand my problem/question).
    I bought a MacBook in January 09. It's connected to the Internet via WLAN and a Fritz.Box (Wireless Router with built-in DSL Modem, unfortunately it uses the old slow LAN and WLAN protocol and a USB1-Port).
    I want to backup my files with Time Machine via WLAN. I tried to connect a USB-Drive to my Fritz.Box but it was terribly slow (USB1...)
    It's important, that the backups go automatically when I'm at home and connected to my WLAN.
    Now I think of buying something that's more useful. I have three ideas and I'm not sure what to do...
    1) Buying the Time Capsule. Pro: I think, it will work perfectly. I don't need to worry about a thing. Contra: It's terribly expensive. In Germany 1TB will cost about 600$. (Maybe I should buy the 500GB-Version and update it by myself to 1GB or 2GB).
    2) Buying the Airport Extreme. Unfortunately I'm not sure if a Airport Extreme + USB-HDD is the same as the Time Capsule. Apple writes: "Time Machine in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard can be used to back up to many kinds of Mac OS Extended-formatted drives, but you cannot choose AirPort Extreme's AirPort Disk as a Time Machine backup volume. " On the other hand some Users wrote that they managed to get their TM-Backup on a AE-HDD (but did this work via WLAN?). With the Airport Extreme it would be easy to manage a itunes-stream-server (the Airport Express is not too expensive). And the Airport Extreme isn't too expensive as well.
    3) Using a Network-HDD. It would be not too good, since I had to use my slow WLAN-Connection and since this wouldn't be supported by Apple at all. On the other hand this would be the least expensive version.
    What should I do? Is it possible to work with the Airport Extreme and an external USB-HDD via WLAN and without any problems (like mounting the drive manually each time I connect to my Network).
    It would be much more fun, if everything ran automatically, when I got in reach of my Network...
    Thanks in advance! Gerrit

    A couple of pointers.
    The hard drive must be specifically formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) to work with the AirPort Extreme's USB port. Check the documentation that came with the drive to find out how it is formatted at the present time.....it is likely formatted to work with Windows, which is not compatible with the AirPort Extreme.
    Unfortunately, even if the drive is formatted correctly, Apple does not officially support Time Machine backups to a drive at the USB port of the AirPort Extreme, so that will be the next hurdle to deal with.
    Some users actually do seem to be able to make this work, but overall, it is not a reliable method to backup your data if it is important to you.

  • Airport Extreme USB problems

    I am posting this information as part of case number 757-73818. Level 2 support for Airport Extreme has not returned phone calls, despite giving me a specific telephone number to call.
    I am new to the MAC world and I must say, I am disappointed. I have been having EXTREME problems setting up my with a USB-2 drive attached to the Airport Extreme. I have a brand new iMAC (Intel version) and OSX with all of the updates. I have Microsoft Office Suite for MAC - 2004 with all of the updates installed. I have also conducted tests with a new Maxtor 300G external USB-2 drive and a Lacie 500G external USB-2 drive. The drives were both formatted using Apple's "journalled HPF+. The problems encountered are repeatable with both products. I have spoken with Apple Level 2 technical support and they are unresponsive and have not followed through on any promises. Based upon personal investigation, I have been able to run the following tests which might help someone correct the problem. I am not an engineer, I am a lawyer, so I apologize in advance if you find the approached flawed:
    HERE ARE THE THREE PROBLEMS - THE FIRST WHICH I RESOLVED.
    PROBLEM 1: When a USB-2 drive is mounted to the AirPort Extreme and I logged-off as a user, the system hungs. After numerous tests, all of which are repeatable, I determined that one Airport Extreme configuration will cause the system to hang, and the other will log-out normally. See my notes below:
    1 Log-Off User w/o hanging computer connected to Airport Extreme with USB Drive
    Option Checked Option Unchecked MENU ITEMS
    System Preference
    Network
    Options
    Disconnect from wireless
    network when a user
    logs out Hangs Normal log-out
    PROBLEM 2: When saving Microsoft Word documents to a USB-2 drive attached to the Airport Extreme, I get an error message and the program crashes. The same file with the same extension can be saved to the local drive without a problem and to the USB drive if directly attached to the iMac. The problem appears limited to the .DOC extension. The file, saved locally, can be copied from the local drive to the USB-2 Airport Drive without issue:
    Here is the error message and the results of my tests:
    Note 1: Microsoft Word Message
    There is an unrecovable disk erron on file "Word Work File D-2" The disk you're working on has a media problem that prevents Word from using it.
    Try the following:
    * Try formatting antoher disk.
    * Save the document to another disk.
    When trying to save the file as "Test.doc", a file is created by Word called "Word Work File D_X"
    In "Finder" get info. The icon shows the file as EXEC. The file cannot be opened as an Excel file.
    I duplicated this problem on a Maxtor and Lacie USB drives connected to the Airport Extreme.
    I tested the following file extensions and obtained these results
    2 Saves Microsoft Word Document
    EXTENSION LOCAL DRIVE USB/EXTREME USB CONNECT TO IMAC
    .Doc Yes No (Note 1 above) Yes
    .RTF Yes Yes Yes
    Text Yes Yes Yes
    .HTM Yes Yes Yes
    PROBLEM 3: When saving Microsoft Excel Workbooks to a USB-2 drive attached to the Airport Extreme, I get the following error messages. If I save the same file using any Excel extension to the local drive, no problem and no problem with the USB drive connected to the computer. The problem appears to apply only to the certain Excel file extensions when saving to the Airport Extreme USB drive. The files can also be copied from the local drive to the USB-2 Airport Drive without issue:
    Here is the error message
    Note 2: Microsoft Excel Message:
    Microsoft Excel cannote access the file '[servername] SERVER:\{username]:Documents'
    There are several possible reasons:
    * The file name or path does not exist.
    * The file you are trying to open is being used by another program. Close the document in the other program and try again.
    * The name of the workbook you're trying to save is the same name as another document that is read-only. Try saving the workbook with a different name.
    None of the above recommendations had any utility. Here are the results of my tests:
    Saves Excel Worbook:
    EXTENSION LOCAL DRIVE USB/EXTREME USB CONNECT TO IMAC
    Excel Workbook Yes No (Note 2 above) Yes
    Excel 97 - 2004
    & 5.9/95
    Workbook Yes No Yes
    Excel 5.0/95
    Workbook Yes No Yes
    Excel 4.0 Yes Yes Yes
    If you have any information that can resolve these problems, please contact me. Thanks!

    I have apples new Airport Extreme base station and I
    am trying to get a USB harddrive working. I have a
    USB hub connected to the Airport USB connector. I
    have a USB Printer and a Seagate USB Harddrive
    connected. When I run the Airport setup program, it
    finds the drive and configuration goes well. The
    drive also works fine when connected directly to my
    notebook.
    After the Airport restarts, the USB Drive can't be
    found.
    The Printer works fine. Does anyone know whats going
    on here?
    Macbook Pro
    2.33 Dure core 2 Mac OS X (10.4.8)
    Macbook Pro 2.33
    Dure core 2 Mac OS X (10.4.8)
    The USB drive ability or lack of really is very upsetting. I am sure Steve will have someone take care of it...
    WR

  • Set up a Windows formatted Drive as an Airport Extreme USB drive

    I have a USB hard drive that was formatted as a Windows NTFS drive.  The drive does not have data that I want to keep.  I assume I have to format it as a MAC drive to use it as a Airport Extreme USB drive.  What is the best way to set it up?  Should I format it with the drive attached to my Macbook Pro or can it be formatted attached to the Airport?  Are there any things I should be aware of in attaching this drive to the Airport?
    Although I don't think it matters, this drive is a Vantec Nexstar MX400 enclosure with two 3TB hard drives configured as a 3 TB RAID 1.  If anyone has additional information I should know about working with an MX400 RAID 1 drive in formatting it for a Mac it would be appreciated.

    You need to format it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled), FAT16, or FAT32 while it's plugged into a computer. exFAT, NTFS, and non-journaled HFS+ won't work.
    You may also need to use an USB hub with its own power supply.
    (111341)

  • Airport Extreme usb hard drive connection loss after closing finder window

    I just did a software update on my MacBook Pro and now I am experiencing a weird Airport Extreme usb hard drive issue. I can see the name of my airport extreme in the Shared section of my finder window. However when I click on it, the finder indicates the it's connecting, but it stops immediately and displays the 'Not Connected' message. When I click on the 'Connect As' button, I am prompted to enter my password and if I click 'Connect', it just spins out endlessly. However, when I re-enter the password and press Connect, my usb drive mounts. I can view, access and use the drive's contents, but if I close the finder window, the connection drops and I have to re-connect. What else is weird, is that once I see my drives, the finder indicates that I am connected as another user(not a user native to this computer). This issue did not exist before my software update.
    My software log update indicates that the following items have been installed:
    Canon Printer Software Update 2.3 and Security Update 2010-003.
    I suspect it has something to do with the Security Update. Is there a way I can revert to the previous security version? Or is there any other solution that could help me avoid re-connecting to my airport extreme usb hard drives?
    I will really appreciate any feedback.

    Free Solution:
    Sure there's a »fix« with Apple software. You'll need to install the Developer Tools (Xcode) from the Snow Leopard Install DVD, though.
    After you've done that, you can use "SetFile" to clear the Alias bit from the misbehaving Volume:
    /usr/bin/SetFile -a a /Volumes/<YourExternalDriveName>
    Please keep in mind that using this command might be dangerous, so don't try this solution unless you feel confident on the command line. (See http://developer.apple.com/mac/library/documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/m an1/SetFile.1.html or invoke /usr/bin/SetFile without arguments for more info on the SetFile command.)
    ...a similar discussion and answer can be found at: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2131824&start=45&tstart=0

  • Can you use airport extreme 802.11n for files backup

    Can you use airport extreme 802.11 for files back up and sharing

    You can if you connect a hard drive that has been formatted correctly to the USB port on the AirPort Extreme.
    Apple does not officially support Time Machine backups for this type of setup, but you could store regular files this way.

  • I cannot add a Wi-Fi guest network. Gone to Utilities Airport Utilities and all get is an image/browser of my Airport Extreme. Looking for the browser which has the title Wireless but cannot find anywhere. I need help?

    I cannot add a Wi-Fi guest network. Gone to Utilities>Airport Utilities and all I get is an image/browser of my Airport Extreme. Looking for the browser window which has the title Wireless but cannot find anywhere. What am I doing wrong?

    Open AirPort Utility. The first screen looks something like this:
    Click on the AirPort Extreme and another screen will appear. Click Edit, then the window with the Wireless tab will appear.
    If you do not see these screens, you will need to start over and configure your AirPort again.

  • I keep getting write errors (-50) when I try to create new files or folders on my Gen 5 Airport Extreme USB disk.

    Write errors (-50) when I try to create new files or folders on my Airport Extreme USB disk. Restarting the Airport Extreme seems to solve the issue. Any idea why this occurring? It doesn't seem to be OS specific, meaning I can't write to the drive from a Windows PC or a MacBook Pro.

    Although, I would consider it rare, it is quite possible that this drive is just not 100% compatible with the AirPorts. Typically, in these cases, the AirPort will not even recognize the drive at all ... or it will, but not allow you to access it. I actually haven't come across a case where you can read but not write to a drive consistently or vice versa ... except from Windows-based computers. Sorry!

  • AirPort Extreme USB Connected Disk Drive Not Visible To Time Machine

    My AirPort Extreme USB connected disk drive is visible in the Finder and desktop. It is not visible to Time Machine. When I open Time Machine and bring up the "Choose Backup Disk" the AirPort Extreme USB connected disk drive is not visible.
    What am I missing here?

    Hi Pete Mackie-
    Nope. You aren't missing anything.
    Mac OS X 10.5: Time Machine doesn't back up to AirPort Disks
    Luck-
    -DaddyPaycheck

  • Itunes library on airport extreme usb drive is gone (or hidden)

    i cant figure out why my entire library on my hard drive is gone. my music is stored in a folder called "music" on the networked harddrive. i have 1000 artists in my itunes library, but for some reason, only 156 show up in the finder app. when i play them from itunes they play, so i know they are somewhere, and from itunes, when i select a song and then "get info" on a song, it shows where its supposed to be, but its not there in the finder. is is possible that they are invisible for some reason. from itunes "show in finder" brings up a blank finder screen but the song still plays. any ideas?

    Sure, I'll explain. Actually this is how network shared drives are supposed to work from what Apple's promotional material says. I have both my iTunes Library and my iPhoto Library on a USB drive connected to my Airport Extreme so that both my wife and I can share the music and the pictures. We will often listen to different things at the same time on iTunes - which will make sense to you as that activity is really only a read. But I can add and delete music at the same time that she listens. With iPhoto we both can look at different pictures at the same time - I suppose just like iWeb can import photos at the same time I am running a slideshow in iPhoto. My problem is that this ability broke during my upgrade to iPhoto 7.0.1 - although it is possible this happened during 10.4.10 and I didn't notice, but I don't think so. As I have mentioned above I now find that I can create a NEW iPhoto Library and be able to share it on both machines again. So - my current question is: can I copy the contents of my old iPhoto Library into a newly created library and retain all the edits, events, titles, rankings, etc? And if so, is there any trick to it.
    Regards, Tuck

  • Can I watch iTunes-purchased movies from an Airport Extreme USB disk?

    With the newest Airport firmware (7.6.1), it seems I should be able to do this.
    My scenario is so basic, I can't understand why I'm having trouble achieving this.
    - I have a MacBook Pro running OS X 10.7.2 - since it's a laptop, I don't want to leave it on all the time.
    - I have an AirPort Extreme with a USB disk on it (that I use for backing up my MacBook), recently upgraded to newest firmware 7.6.1.
    - I have a recently purchased Apple TV hard-wired to the AirPort running firmware 4.4.4.
    - I have purchased movies though iTunes on the MacBook Pro.
    I want to watch my iTunes-purchased movies on my Apple TV even when my MacBook Pro is sleeping. That is, I would like the movies to be accessible via iCloud, or stored on the USB disk connected to AirPort Extreme, or something/anything.
    It seems obvious to me that with an all-Apple set up, and iCloud, this should be easy to achieve.
    What am I missing?
    Thanks,
    j

    JasonFromSK wrote:
    With the newest Airport firmware (7.6.1), it seems I should be able to do this.
    Really? I need to check that out!
    You should certainly be able to add content by reference to itunes from such a disk (even before the update) - so long as itunes knows the location of the file (set Preferences not to copy to local library when adding the media) it will stream it to AppleTV if the disk is available.
    I hope you're right, but I'd be surprised if current Extremes can be upgarded to provide a full Home Sharing service - marvellous if they can but I'd be surprised as i've long said we need an Apple media server either based on TC or AE to do this kind of thing.
    AC

  • Airport Extreme and NAS (Network Attached Storage)

    I am using a brand new AirPort Extreme (ver. 7.4.2) connected to a Motorola cable modem, with two different MacBooks running Snow Leopard, two AirPort Express units for distributing music wirelessly around the house, and an HP multifunction printer connected to the Extreme via USB, all of which works fine.
    But I recently purchased a 1TB Iomega Home Media network attached storage device (NAS), which is connected to the Extreme via ethernet cable, and I can't get the Extreme or either MacBook to recognize the NAS drive. The NAS doesn't "mount" on the desktop like a USB external drive would. It doesn't appear under "Shared" in Finder. It doesn't appear in AirPort Utility under "AirPort disks". Oddly enough the only place where the NAS does appear is in iTunes under "Shared"!
    I know that the NAS device is functioning properly because my IT guy tested it at the office, connected to his PC, and it worked fine. The NAS came with Iomega "Home Storage Manager" software, which I installed but it's pretty useless because it also can't "find" the NAS and only offers to re-scan for it.
    Much to my surprise there is very little information about troubleshooting NAS storage with the Extreme, either on the Support forums or in the "Apple Airport Networks" document published by Apple in early 2009.
    I would greatly appreciate any guidance!
    Thanks in advance,
    MG

    Thanks to both of you for your input. The Iomega NAS (Home Media Network Hard Drive is the model) comes ready out of the box for use with either PC or Mac.
    Actually I resolved the problem by going to Iomega's tech support page. I needed to download an updated version of the Home Storage Manager software as well as 2 firmware updates to the NAS drive itself; so that it would be compatible with Snow Leopard. That was the issue. Now it appears to be working just fine.
    Thanks again & happy holidays.
    -MG

  • Time capsule or Airport Extreme + USB hard drive

    I would like to get a wireless update solution (to work with time machine) and I am considering the following options:
    1. Time Capsule 1TB
    2. Time Capsule 500GB + USB external hard drive attached to the time capsule (in case I need more storage than the 500GB on the Time Capsule)
    3. Airport Extreme Base Station + USB external hard drive attached (to use with Time Machine)
    I am wondering what the opinions are in this forum. What is cheaper? More reliable? Better?
    Any other suggestions? Thanks!
    I am running Mac OS X 10.5.5 on an iMac

    Yeah, I've seen your explaination that those are glasses before. But I can see why some might be confused. (First laugh of the day!)
    No I hadn't tried that yet because my 2 external HDs are Firewire. But it just so happens that I picked up a USB WD500Gig yesterday and am starting an initial TM backup to it now via USB - after having reformatted it of course.
    I am assuming, though, that as soon as I move it from my MB Pro to the TC that the TM backups will be broken and I'll have to start a new set of backups to create the disk image (sparsebundle). However, it will give me an opportunity to see if backups created locally (USB) can be viewed via "Browse Other TM Disks" when they are connected to a TC.
    I'm curious how it works out, though, because I've noticed a few comments here that state these drives (or one of the WD models) has trouble waking from sleep for routine backups when connected to the TC USB port. I guess I'll find out.
    Great to hear from you.

  • Airport Extreme USB disk password issue fix ETA?

    Many people who have a USB drive connected to their Airport Extreme 802.11n have had problems where it repeatedly asks for the password to connect to the USB disk, but never allows you access until you reboot the router. This has been an issue for some time that I've had to just endure intermittently. Is there any ETA on Apple FINALLY fixing that issue?
    Also, is there any relief for anyone that bought this Airport Extreme w/o gigabit ethernet a month and a half ago and got screwed by Apple ONCE AGAIN for being one of their early-adopters? Its really exhausting having Apple bring out a new version that should have been the first version w/o any notice of any kind. Personally, since all of Apple's computers had gigabit ethernet ports I assumed their flagship router supported their computers. I didn't realize until after it was too late. :-/ They should have just said "hey, here's a crippled router. you can buy this now even though its half finished or we'll bring out the real one for the same price in a few months. thanks -steve" so I could have gotten a crappy linksys to hold me over. :-/
    Anywho...any firmware updates in the works to let me predictably connect to my USB drive or am I forgotten and unappreciated again?
    (PS - Thanks for iPhone video out! That should have been in the original release and I was really worried that iPhone2 was going to come out in October or something and have that w/ the 16GB storage it should have sported too. :-D )
    -Alex

    Oops. This shouldn't have been in the "for Windows" section, sorry...didn't know they were segregated this way. :-| Why would anyone buy an Airport to use with Windows machines? :-/ That's like putting a beautifully manicured luxury brick roadway through a ghetto--it may look great, but it's only going to be used to transport crap.
    (before I have to explain this to someone, lol, crap=the viruses and trojans and spy/adware that make surfing the web almost impossible--or the myriad programs that are needed to stop it that suck up so much precious resources that it's almost better to let the viruses in and the IE popups pop away)
    :-D

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