External USB-hdd not recognised by Finder if connected to Time Capsule

Question

Hello!
I'd like to connect a small external harddrive (40 GB) to my Time Capsule (1 TB) via USB.
I've read on http://www.apple.com/timecapsule/wireless.html the followings:
"... +And if you want to share both a printer and an additional hard drive, you can. Just connect a USB hub to Time Capsule.+ ..."
While I've connected two printers to Time Capsule - so I already use a USB hub - I've tried with the external USB-harddrive, but it wasn't recognised neither by the Finder, nor by the DiskUtility-app. The external USB-harddrive appears not even if I connect it directly to the Time Capsule!
Restarting the Time Capsule / USB-hub / external USB-harddrive / my Mac doesn't change anything
The external USB-harddrive appears only in the AirPort-utility app (5.4.2) in "manual Config" - "Devices", but even here only as a possible archiving device for the internal Time Capsule harddrive.
The USB-harddrive itself is formated as Mac OS extended (journaled) and it works like it should on my iMac (3.06 GHz, Mac OS X 10.5.7).
Do you have any idea why the external USB-harddrive doesn't appear when connected to the Time Capsule?
Thanks!
Regards,
Vlad

Answer 1

Vlad, this might help...
*Accessing External Hard Disk*
Open a Finder window
Select the Time Capsule in the Sidebar on the left.
Click "Connect As..." in the upper right of the window.
Enter the Name of your Time Capsule & its' password (Note: NOT your own Username & password).
Check "Remember password in my Keychain."
You should now see a blue share folder with the name of your Time Capsule.
Any hard disks attached to the Time Capsule’s USB port will also appear here as blue share folders. To mount them on your desktop double-clicking their blue folders. If you had a separate password setup for those disks in Airport Utility then enter that password if asked. Otherwise, it should now mount on your desktop.
Let us know if this solves your issue. If, however, the drive is not showing up either on the Desktop or the Sidebar, you may still need to do the following...
*On Desktop*
In the Finder, go to the Finder menu and select "Preferences".
Click “General” in the toolbar.
Ensure that all the items under "Show these items on the desktop" are checked.
Close the preference window.
*In Finder SideBar*
In the Finder, go to the Finder menu and select "Preferences".
Click “SideBar” in the toolbar.
Ensure that all the items under "Devices" & “Shared” are checked.
Close the preference window.
Did this resolve the issue?
As for Disk Utility, bear in mind that DU won't "see" network attached storage devices unless they are already mounted on the Desktop. And even then they are sometimes not "seen" by DU. If you are going to do any work on a network attached storage device avoid attempting to do it wirelessly. Best to connect it directly to the Mac (USB/Firewire), or at the very least via ethernet.
Hope this helps. Cheers!