Mac Formatted Time Capsule w/ PC Formatted External Drive Via USB?

Question

I use a Mac-formatted Time Capsule to run Time Machine backups on my MacBook Pro.  My wife backs up her PC laptop on a PC-formatted Western Digital "My Book" hard drive which is powered via A/C wall adapter.  I connected the Western Digital PC drive to the Time Capsule via USB so it would be available on our home network and my wife could run her PC backups wirelessly, BUT the drive is not showing up on our network.  Anybody have any idea what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks in advance!
---Tim

Answer 1

My questions continue below in red.  Thank you for your patience.
LaPastenague wrote:
Tsac77 wrote:
Thanks for the in depth clarification.  A few follow up questions:
1) Are you saying that even though I am only using the TC (in this instance) to make the windows drive available on the network, the drive still needs to be formatted in HFS+?
HFS+ or FAT32.. the later having severe issues with large disk and large files.
Great.  I'll do HFS+
2) If I format the windows drive in HFS+, will the windows laptop be immediately able to write/read to it over the network?  Or will I have to install some sort of program on the windows laptop that allows windows to read/write to HFS+ (which I've always undewrstood to be a mac only format)?
The format of the disk connected to a NAS is totally irrelevant.. if it offers windows networking file protocol.. ie SMB then it can store files on the hard disk.. it is just like sharing the disk in the Mac.. you can write to that directly from the PC. Try it.. The disk is controlled by the Mac. But it presents SMB to the Network.. On your Mac, go to system preferences.. sharing.. it should be in Internet and wireless.. but on Lion I have no idea. Open file sharing which should be ticked..there should be a public folder by default.. you can add others.. go to options, turn on SMB.. then from the windows computer you should see the disk available in networking. If not fix the names to SMB standard.. you will need to do this on the TC as well.. short, no spaces.. pure alphanumeric names. Copy some files from windows to your Mac.. you have now copied to a network drive.. with the drive format totally irrelevant to your windows computer.
I'm sorry, but I don't know what "windows networking file protocol" and "SMB" mean.  Also, when you say "NAS" are you referring to the Time Capsule or another device?  Can you please explain things like "The disk is controlled by the Mac but it presents SMB to the network" in a less advanced way.  Pretend I'm a child.  You won't be far off.  It seems like this technique you're explaining is a way for the windows PC to write to the external drive via my MacBook.  Is that even close to correct?  The setup I must create needs to work regardless if macbook is on/off/out of the house.
3) Does plugging a USB drive into the TC never work properly or is this just a semi-common problem that happens sometimes?  My odds of success will probably dictate whether I try this or not.  I already own the windows USB drive and would like to avoid buying more hardware if possible.
It is problematic enough that I recommend you try it before committing to it. Even if you have to copy the files off to another location and then reformat the drive. Test it for a couple of days.. the issue happens especially when you are using Lion.. but will also happen with windows. Especially when the disk spins down it will not spin up again and become available to the network.
Got it.
4) What do you mean by files being in "native format"?  And what does a dead TC have to do with whether or not they can be recovered to the windows laptop?  If the TC dies, can't I just plug the windows USB drive directly into the windows laptop and it will be the same thing as connecting the drive and laptop via network?  How does a dead TC make things more difficult?
Thanks for your continued help.
HFS+ is not windows native format... so files stored by the TC on the USB drive.. when the TC dies.. they all die eventually may be difficult to recover unless you plug it into another TC.. as the PC cannot natively read them. If you format FAT32 then the windows computer can read it.. just there are other issues. eg the disk can be slow.. very slow and it has far less protection. eg a power failure can corrupt the drive.. this was an issue before we moved in windows to NTFS.
Why do you say "files stored BY THE TC on the USB drive"  Why is the TC storing files on the USB drive?  Isn't plugging the USB into the TC just making the USB available on the network to my windows laptop?  Why is the TC storing files?