Sudden lack of external HDD usability?

Did Apple change something with OS 10.5.1? I went from having three functional external HDDs (two USB JBOD external enclosures, each with 2x250GB inside) and a FW400 80GB that's been kicking around since '03 or '04 to NO functional externals. My thumb drive still works, but given that all three kicked the bucket simultaneously and right after an OS update, I'm leaning away from hardware failure.
USB: Not even recognized by the computer.
FW: Shows up as Unknown Device in System Profiler; never mounts, has two FW400 ports on the back and so I can use one to connect it to the Mac and another to chain a second device. Chaining the iPod I own causes iPod to mount and sync normally.

too much to respond to...chainingyou should not do but you do...try the following see if it helps
1. Shut-down your Mac, and unplug the power cord
2. Turn the power off on your external FireWire devices
3. Unplug the FireWire devices from the Mac
4. Wait for 5 min.
5. Plug the power cord to your Mac only
6. For PPC Macs: Restart the Mac while holding the Option-Apple-O-F, and keep holding until you get the ">" prompt, then release the keys
7. At the ">" prompt type:
      reset-nvram and hit the Return key
      set-defaults and hit the Return key
      reset-all and hit the Return key
the last command will restart your mac
8. Shut down your Mac
9. Connect all your FireWire devices to the Mac and turn them on
10. Restart your Mac.
All your FireWire devices should reapear, if not repeat the procedure
How to avoid the issue :
The only really proven way to avoid burning up a FireWire port is to connect all devices and to turn them on PRIOR turning on the Mac. Likely, one must unplug them and turn them off AFTER the Mac has been turned off. If you need to connect another device, then you're on for a shutdown of your machine...  It's a tad annoying but it guarantees that the FW ports won't be damaged.  Be careful when using self powered devices such as webcams, iPods, hard drives or hubs, as they can destroy the port pretty easily. Another thing is to avoid daisy-chaining hard drives.
When the FW port doesn't respond anymore :
In this case, peripherals won't be mounted upon plugging, and won't be displayed in Apple's System Profiler. The self powered devices will still be fed by the port, but won't respond either.  It happens that the PHY just hangs after a surge or a random problem. Once hung, the port will not respond any longer, it is possible to reset the component by going through the following steps :
1° boot the PPC mac in Open Firmware by holding [ Apple key - Option - O - F ] after the startup chime.  2° you'll get to a command prompt. the keyboard mapping will be QWERTY, so pay attention when you type the following :  RESET-NVRAM (enter)  RESET-ALL (enter)  3° Now the mac should restart itself and the port should function properly again.  If it still doesn't work, then it means that the PHY is damaged.
http://www.hardmac.com/articles/16/
From Kappy post:
922 is only used in dual drive cases to provide a "build-in firmware RAID support"
912 or 912+ is FW800, the "+" means USB2
911 is FW400
924 adds eSATA support along with FW400/800
MacSales, OWC Tech Support library is where I would go first, as they do tend to have or links to, firmware updates for Oxford.
From Wiebetech:
I just upgraded my Mac OS, and now I'm having trouble with my FireWire device. What can I do?
A: With nearly every OS update Apple releases, some external drives are not recognized after the update. The typical symptom is that the device will not mount but the volume is visible and grayed out in Disk Utility. This means that the device is working properly, but the OS does not recognize the volume as mountable. Sometimes the drive does not show up at all.
The first thing to do is to see if repairing Permissions with Apple's Disk Utility First Aid feature solves the problem. If not, try repairing the disk with First Aid. Another possible solution is to zap the PRAM. This is done with a keyboard command while rebooting. Restart your computer and hold down the Command, Option, P and R keys. Consult the Apple web site for details.
If this does not work, then try pushing the PMMU reset button on the logic board. Consult the Apple web site for locations of the button for your Mac. If the drive still does not show up, shut down, disconnect all peripheral devices, and boot from the Mac OS Installation CD. The later the OS version, the better. Do not reinstall the OS, but when the Installer is loaded up and ready to begin, go to the File menu and use the Disk Utility program. Connect the drive that is having problems, then start the Disk Utility application. If you see the external drive and it is not grayed out, you know the drive is okay. Run Disk First Aid on it anyway. Then run it on your internal boot drive while you are at it. When done, unmount the external drive and UNPLUG it! Then restart the Mac.
When the Mac has restarted and is running on the internal boot drive, reconnect the external drive.

Similar Messages

Sudden Time Machine & External HDD Problems -*All Backups gone

I really hope someone can help...
Today, I went to backup my MacBook Pro files using Time Machine and my external HDD, as usual.
Until today, Time Machine and the HDD have been running fine, and today I saw all backups in the HDD going back to September 2011.
However, today when I tried to backup an error message came up saying there was not enough disk space on the HDD. Here's the error message:
>>>
Time Machine could not complete the backup.
This backup is too large for the backup disk. The backup requires 299.79 GB but only 50.95 GB are available.
Time Machine needs work space on the backup disk, in addition to the space required to store backups. Open Time Machine preferences to select a larger backup disk or make the backup smaller by excluding files.
<<<
Nothing would work. So I deleted 1 backup to free some space, but the same error kept coming. I deleted another backup...no go.
Then all of a sudden all HDD in Finder is showing NO backups/files/folders...nothing!!!
Time Machine still thinks all the old backups are on the HDD. So does finder, which shows the following for the HDD:
Capacity: 159.7 GB
Available: 50.95
Used: 108,747,599,872 bytes (108.75 GB on disk)
Yet NO backups/files/folders are showing on the HDD under Finder and Time Machine won't recognise the old back-ups — ie, it says "Oldest Backup - None, Latest Backup - None"
I've tried all sorts of things... including restarting, shutting down, repairing the HDD via Disk Utility etc and the tips here: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...t=time+machine
But nothing is helping.
I really don't know what to do next.
(BTW, by chance, i did keep two of the old backups that I copied over today from the external HDD to my internal HDD)
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you.

1. Although I wouldn't recommend what you are asking to do nor do I know if you can do it with the device you are buying (if it has its own RAID card you may not be able to do anything with it.) However, for a software RAID using Disk Utility you would need to partition each drive before creating any RAIDs. Let's assume you partition each drive into two volumes. Call them A1 and B1 and A2 and B2. Then you can create one RAID using A1 and A2, and a second RAID using B1 and B2. Keep in mind that you cannot access two partitions on a single drive simultaneously, so when trying to access one RAID you will find that you lose any RAID speed benefits when trying to access the other RAID to, say, copy data from one RAID to the other or when trying to copy data to both RAIDs from another source.
2. If a RAID is connected to a FireWire port or to the USB port on the AEBS, then it can be used as a TM backup drive. TM can only have one backup volume on any one computer, but multiple computers can backup to the same TM backup drive or to other backup drives, but it would be more efficient for all the computers to backup to the same TM volume. TM will backup each computer separately into discrete folders on the backup drive.
In my opinion I would recommend having a single 2 TB RAID volume that is connected either to a FireWire port on one of the networked computers (and set up as a shared drive) or connected to the USB port on the AEBS. Each computer can then backup wirelessly to the drive except for the computer to which the drive is connected via FireWire, if that's how you choose to set it up.

How can I specify a folder on my external hdd to backup?

Hi everybody,
Is there a solution to choose a folder on my external hdd to do the auto-backups? I just can choose the volume to backup but not a folder on it. Where does the system strore all the data? just chaotic on my hdd in the root directory?
thank you

Yes. Time Machine is an archival backup utility meaning it stores copies of changed or deleted files in case the user needs to retrieve older versions of files. As such Time Machine continues to add hourly to the backup drive. Over time the drive will fill up until it is no longer usable by Time Machine due to lack of space. Having a large backup drive prolongs the inevitable.
If you find this is not something you require for your backup strategy, the use a different backup utility that simply overwrites old files with new ones. Such a backup utility only requires a backup drive equal to the size of the drive being backed up.
Suggested Backup Software
1. Carbon Copy Cloner
2. Data Backup
3. Deja Vu
4. SuperDuper!
5. Synk Pro
6. Tri-Backup
Others may be found at VersionTracker or MacUpdate.
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.

Airport Extreme no longer recognizes external HDD

My Airport Extreme has suddenly stopped recognizing the external HDD I have attached to it. This happened about 2 weeks ago, and has been driving me absolutely insane since (I use this HDD to store all my music, and as such have not been able to listen while I work during this time). I've looked around and tried all the suggestions from other topics, but nothing is working.
• Airport Extreme is using Firmware 7.3.2 -- I did not want to update to 7.5.x, since I saw overall bad opinion about the latest firmware
• My MacBook Pro is using 10.6.7 -- I have all the latest updates from Software Update
• External HDD is a Western Digital 500 GB formatted in Mac OS Extended connect to the Airport Extreme via USB -- reformatting this HDD is not an option at this time
The Airport Extreme has had no trouble with the wireless connection, everything seems to be working for all computers on the network. I am able to successfully configure it using the Airport Utility. The moment I plug my external HDD into the Airport Extreme, I can no longer use the Airport Utility to configure. I receive this error message:
Make sure your AirPort wireless device is plugged in and in range of your computer or connected via Ethernet and try again. (-6753)
If I unplug my external HDD, the error message goes away and I am able to configure the Extreme again. In addition to the error message above, the external HDD does not show up in Network nor on the left side panel when opening a new Finder Window.
I have tried the following:
• I restored the Extreme to factory settings and then reconfigured it using my backup copy of the configuration file. The error persists.
• I have used Disk Utility to repair the external HDD and received no errors.
• I have plugged my laptop into the Extreme via Ethernet rather than a wireless connection. The error persists.
• I have used a different laptop (via wireless and Ethernet)-- a MacBook also running 10.6.7. It also cannot configure the Extreme nor see the external HDD when it is connnected to the Extreme.
I'm at wits end here, and I have no idea what else I can do. This problem happened suddenly and with no explanation, and no Snow Leopard updates have fixed it.
Do you all have any other suggestions?

JTelcontar wrote:
I just tried switching the HDD to another USB port on the hub, and am still having the same issue.
Hi,
Bob exaggerated a bit (or more); I'm not really a HD guru. I do help folks with Time Machine problems, and sometimes those are HD problems.
It is quite unusual. I'd suspect the hub, cable, or connections.
Try using the same port that your printer is working fine on (leave the printer disconnected).
Try disconnecting the hub and connecting the HD directly to the USB port. It may not recognize it if there isn't enough power, but see if the Airport goes berserk.
Try a different cable, or just swap ends. A plug that works fine in one port may not make good contact (or may short out) in another.

Is it better to daisy chain an apogee duet and external hdd or...

...setup an audio interface and external hdd to two separate bus ports? I ask because I going to be purchasing gear to set up my first home recording studio and I am torn between the MacBook Pro 15" and 17". The 17" comes with an Express Card slot (which I could use to utilize more bus ports), but is less portable and a little more expensive. The 15" is ideal in size, but lacks two firewire ports and Express Card possibilities. I know firewire is a must for a 7200 rpm external drive, but I have read very negative reviews about USB powered audio interfaces. Is daisy chaining a good idea? Are USB as bad as I've come to understand in terms of clarity and quality? Is the 17" my best option? I am looking at a starter's interface, like an Apogee Duet. The new Apogee One looks intriguing, but again, it is USB.

+1 for daisy-chaining Duet to Glyph. For audio work the 17" is the best option these days. The ExpressCard slot is invaluable for using Universal Audio plugins or powering an additional firewire device above and beyond the audio interface/hard drive, such as the Focusrite Liquid Mix.

Is it possible that iMac corrupts connected external hdd-s drive via USB?

Is it possible that iMac corrupts connected external hdd-s drive via USB? (two wd cav. green 2tb from different purchase went down in one day, both from the backside usb ports)
First one of my video storage hdd, full of files suddenly got extremely slow, and a few minutes later, it unmounted itself, but with the unmount error, but nobody even touched the cables, electricity etc. When I tried to mount it again, it did not respond, just give a periodical load light and ticking. First I thought it must be hardware failure, but since I bought a brand new drive today and it made the same problem as soon as I tried to format it. I got suspicious. The consol, said about these - i googled all but now solution so far. (WesternFresh is my drive)
Oct 23 17:10:58 xxxx fseventsd[47]: disk logger: failed to open output file /Volumes/WesternFresh/.fseventsd/636573acca1d6550 (No such file or directory). mount point /Volumes/WesternFresh/.fseventsd
Oct 24 10:55:42 xxxx com.apple.kextd[10]: Can't create kext cache under / - owner not root.
Oct 24 17:23:05 tmdc diskarbitrationd[16]: unable to probe /dev/disk1 (status code 0xFFFFFFFA).
and there was an I/O faliure not but it was on another mac - where i hoped itt will come back to live.
I think - if it is possible - that the OS maybe misunderstand something about these drives, and try to change - maybe permissions - all the time if a usb external connects...? (I am not really into it as you see )
Also about Disk Utility - it does not see any partition on the old hdd, but i shows the name of the product. If I connect the new hdd via the keyboard usb, the disk utility is able to see and format it, but the hdd will be still slow and tikking after it.
Also I tried Disk Warrior (freezd out) and Techtool Pro 6 thanks to some ol'frineds - which also not saw the old hdd, but did nothing useful with the new one.
About cav green: I have 3 of them and no error so far, and got 4 1tb cav green in 2 mybook studio II also without any problem.
Iam a bit scared, and try not to plug in any usb hdd-s now, but I have to continue work, so I need solutions.
I hope if it is not hardware failure, maybe some tricky terminal code will bring back the viability of my old hdd - and I won't have to spend a lot of money to recover data.
strange.
if anybody has a clue?
update 1:
i found this post also:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15905481#15905481
I also made the mentioned steps - but it is a bit different sice it reproduce itself and I cant use DU.

It turned out that WD is the big bad guy in this game.
According the data rescue company where I asked for an inspection, both of the drives had their reader head loose. And in the one, which was my already-in-use disk its even damaged the platters... xxxxx
So its time to pay bunch of money to recover, and take a walk to wd service to bang on the desk.
Also note - it may be somehow related to intellispeed technology - since macs not really friendly with wd-s built-in solutions.
On the other hand, with WD GP 1Tb there is no problems at all for ages.
thanks guys, thread is closed

Problems transfering iTunes Media folder from one external HDD to another.

Hey Yinz.
I'm running a MBP 13" 2.7Ghz Intel Core i7...OS X 10.6.8. Recently the NAS that hosted my iTunes Media folder and library failed. I recovered the drive from the NAS...a WD Caviar (WD2500JS), which was originally written in XFS. After substantial effort, I found a process that would enable me to access this drive, and have my Mac read it. This involved a Newer Technologies Voyager Q, coupled with a recent version of (whatever they're calling) MacFuse. It did so sucessfully. Now what i want is to take my iTunes Media folder and library off of the WD, ex-NAS HDD (its original location), and transfer it to a new HDD.
I bought a Toshiba Canvio basics usb 3.0/2.0.
Most online tutorials describe dragging and dropping the folder in the new location. I can connect both HDDs to my MBP, and the transfer will begin...
But.
After the first few minutes...The Finder will not allow me to complete the transfer. I keep getting an error code -8084.
I'm almost certain that the new HDD (which i formatted as Mac OS X Journaled in Disk Utility) is not recognizing special characters in certain file names in my iTunes Library. I have some artists in my folder that require special characters to display their names properly. I realize these were originally written in a Linux format.
So, is there a way around this...other than changing the filenames? I really don't want to destroy the integrity of my library by changing a bunch of characters that accurately identify artists. I guess if all i had was Billy Joel and the Beatles in my library, i'd be Okay...but i don't.
I also read a thread somewhere that suggested that error code -8084 relates to inadequate power distribution of an attached HDD. This also complicates my problem...as the new external HDD (Toshiba) is bus powered, and lacks an option for a dedicated AC power supply.
While i am able to access and use my iTunes as normal...i'm tied to that WD HDD, which is like, over 5yrs old, and i'm really hoping to get my media off that old HDD, and onto a new HDD with the files intact and accurate.
Any help would be much appreciated and welcome.
--j.m.
P.S. I'm running iTunes 10.7

No solid data here but it just seems to me that when I see issues arise about copying data and strange error messages that it has to do when people are using non Mac-formatted drives. I think they kind of work but once you put them under real pressure you just get problems. Maybe I'm just thinking of all those vague error -50 "communications difficulties" messages from people trying to copy their libraries to FAT drives. I wonder if using Terminal to do the copying would help.
Now, there is a difference between placing your media on a drive and your library on a drive. Your library is your whole iTunes folder along with files such as the critical library.itl file and artwork files, etc. Media are just what's in your media folder - music, movies, etc. If you are moving your whole library you can drag and drop copy. If you are moving your media you can drag and drop but then the new drive has to have the identical drive name as the old one (the old and new pathnames have to remain unchanged). Usually the best way to move media is to use iTunes' preferences setting to consolidate your media to the new location. iTunes very easily loses track of files unless you let it do the moving (exception: moving the whole iTunes library folder).
iTunes 10 for Mac: Consolidate your iTunes library - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH990
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
vs.
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music [library] to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527 - a somewhat bewildering and not always easily understandable set of options.
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the new location of the library.itl file in the moved iTunes folder.
Windows users see tip at: https://discussions.apple.com/message/18879381

Want to move LR5 catalog to an external HDD and incorporate my Aperture3 files already stored on another external HDD.

With the demise of Aperture, and lack of space on my mac, I would like to consolidate all my LR5 and Aperture images onto ONE external HDD.
My Aperture originals are already on one external HDD, and my LR5 images currently occupy (too much) of my hard drive on my MB air.
Is there an uncomplicated way to join the two sets on another new external HDD?
Thanks

what I meant is that I would like to access my Aperture images via LR5, so have just the one LR5 catalog for all my images.
This is a goal that I would recommend!
However, I can't really state if that's what you need to do with your photos in Aperture, as I have never used Aperture. I'm sure someone else who does use Aperture will be along soon to comment, or you can try your favorite search engine.

Airport Time capsul or Linksys wrt1900 + external HDD?

I Need to get a new wifi and also back up device. I currently have the old flat airport time capsule. I live in a 3 story house made from steel frame. So my wifi is not strong at all. I also use a small express to extend the wifi. But still bad.
I Have been reading about the below wifi router and they say it is quite powerful and even good for multiple story homes.
Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Smart Wi-Fi Wireless AC Router (2.4 + 5GHz)
IF I got this and an external HDD the cost is about the same. Anyone have any experience with linksys? I would prefer the apple one but I just want to improve my wifi throughout the house.
CHeers
Bryce

I would spend a bit of time in the charts and actual reviews here.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/bar/111-2_4-ghz-dn-c?see=P_D
There is a lot of info which you can get the charts to show you.. various location.. different bands etc.
However the tests are done on PC clients and PC wireless cards.. and you are not going to get the same results in Apple products..
As with most of these things.. wireless promises much but delivery is always less than expectation.
I would doubt any single wireless router can cover adequately a 3 storey house.
I can also tell you support for Time Machine will be sorely lacking even if it is listed.. these routers cannot format the disk HFS+, so they will be different and no where near reliable for TM.
It is much better to plan on running an ethernet connection between the 3 floors in some central location if that is at all possible.. and to run 3x wireless AP around the house.. if that is not possible then proper wireless mesh gear will perform much better than domestic stuff.. so look at ubiquiti unifi etc.
Linksys new products since being sold by Cisco and taken over by Belkin have been a disappointment.
Asus has tended to be the preferred units.. and do seem to work well with apple devices.

External HDD not found

My external won't show up all of a sudden. It was working fine, updated to 10.6.8 latest verion to prepare for Lion. Then when I want to copy some files from external HDD like I always do, it isn't there anymore. Won't show up in Finder nor Disk utility.
The external HDD starts up like normally, sound is ok. But just doesn't show up. I connected the HDD to windows 7, it installed the driver automatically but doesn't show the drive.
What to do? Who can help me?

I suspect the drive or the electronics in the external enclosure is bad.
More then likely it isn't the drive itself. More then likely it is the external enclosure electronic
What make and model is the external drive?

Mounting external HDD

I am new to macs in general and have recently gotten the intel iMac as well as the Western Digital Studio Edition externall HDD.
While I am not having any of the many problems I find others are having from reading forum posts concerning this particular drive, I did want to ask a question as I am not sure if my trouble is the drive itself of my lack of knowledge concerning macs.
When using apps such as Carbon Copy Cloner 3, I find that the program is not able to find the external HD when no users are logged onto the mac. However, the documentation for the program states that no user is required to be logged in for it to run. Should CCC run scheduled backups to this drive when no one is logged in? After a user log off is (should) the external HD still mounted?
Thanks,

Wow, thanks for the quick reply!
Ok, the drive is connected and on and the computer is scheduled (under system prefs) to wake at a time that is at least 10 mins before the scheduled CCC backup.
Under the CCC docs (particularly at http://www.bombich.com/software/docs/CCCHelp/content/scheduler.html under "What if?...") I understood it to mean that no users had to be logged on for the backup to occur.
As you did not further clarify the mounting of an external drive in general, am I to assume that after having been logged in and seen that an external HDD is mounted, when logging off it will remain mounted if not ejected first? I'm just asking regarding the operation of a mac in general.
Thanks again,

External HDD for Time Machine etc

A recent switcher (December 28), I am looking for a reliable external HDD to use as a data archive and, probably, system backup. I have a 24", 2.8GHz iMac with 500GB HDD.
Because a LaCie d2 external HDD stopped working suddenly, I'm a touch paranoid about losing my data; hence, I'm considering RAID 1 (1TB total). I've looked at various models by different manufacturers but most, if not all, seem to have 'showstopper' faults. Thus, I'm in a quandary.
I'd be grateful for any useful advice and accounts of experience with such devices in OS X, especially 10.5.

engstrom wrote:
I went with the Icy Dock external drive enclosure because people here have had success with it:
Another vote for IcyDock. Best quality external enclosure I've ever seen -- and
many Newegg customers and independent reviewers seem to agree. Google it.
I also purchased a Seagate enterprise class 500 GB hard drive to put in the Icy Dock:
[Seagate ST3500320NS|http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148294&ATT=22-148-294&C MP=OTC-Froogle&nmmc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Hard+Drives-_-Seagate--22148294]
Very cool! That appears to be an enterprise-class (24/7, high-reliability)
version of Seagate's second-generation perpendicular recording drives.
I have the ['workstation-class' version of that drive|http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288] in my Icy Dock;
AFAIK, they're the fastest 500 GB drives available (105 MB/s, sustained).
IMO, that's the main advantage of buying the external enclosure and drive
separately: YOU get to choose the drive.
I figure that as hard drive capacities go up and prices go down I can always
replace the drive that I use in the Icy Dock - the Icy Dock has a tray that hold
the drive and you can remove the tray by pushing a button and flipping a lever,
it's very easy.
Yep, and [extra drive trays|http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994038] are only $16, so it's cheap & easy to keep several
drives "on tap." A drive swap takes about 30 seconds.
Looby

Problems verifying external HDD in Disk Utility

I initially had a problem with iPhoto suddenly unable to open due to problems with permissions. The original thread can be found here.
After several posters helping me isolate my problem, it seems that my new 4TB Seagate external HDD is not playing nice (cannot create a new iPhoto Library on the external HDD, but I am able to create a new iPhoto Library in my Pictures folder).
Thus I was asked to "Verify" my external HDD via Disk Utility. I managed to, but apparently it was pointed out that it was missing the verification process usually appears in green: "The volume *** appears to be ok."
What could be the problem with my external HDD that is playing havoc with my iPhoto Library?
As you can see that the external HDD have been properly formatted to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) in 8 February 2015. It has been working fine as my iPhoto Library destination until recently.
SPECS
Mac Mini (Mid 2011)
OSX 10.10.2

Wait, scratch that, it suddenly started working again.
For some reason, I had to partition it, with one partition a Mac OS partition and the other an MS-DOS FAT... hey ho, no idea.

Airport Extreme and external HDD time capsule issues

I'm going to try to provide as much information for you so that you can recommend a fix to the problem.
1. I've just become an Apple owner and also purchased Airport Extreme (AE) a Belkin USB (4 port) hub and a Seagate GoFLex, 1.8T external HDD.
2. My system:
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro8,2
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Boot ROM Version: MBP81.0047.B04
SMC Version (system): 1.69f1
Serial Number (system): XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hardware UUID: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled
3. Attached to the HUB is HP 6280 printer and the Seagate 1.8T GoFlex external HDD.
4. I did configure the AE and my internet connect is working spot on.
5. The AE recognizes the HP6280 printer and it works fine.
Here's where the problem starts:
When I open Time Machine to configure Time Capsule I cannot get the AE to add thGoFlex external HDD drive to the WiFi.
Do I have reset the AE to default setting and start all over? Is there another way to add the GoFlex to the AE so it recognizes it; then, I can run the set up program for the time machine and have wireless capability.

New2Guitar wrote:
When I open Time Machine to configure Time Capsule I cannot get the AE to add thGoFlex external HDD drive to the WiFi.
I hate to have to tell you this, but backing-up with Time Machine software via an Airport Extreme is "iffy" and +*not supported by Apple.+* See [Using Time Machine with an Airport Extreme Air Disk|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Airport.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
By the way, a +Time Capsule+ is a wireless router, similar to an Airport Extreme, but a bit larger and with a hard drive built-in, and Time Machine backups to it are supported. In fact, that's the main thing the Time Capsule was designed for. See: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC344LL/A/Time-Capsule-2TB?fnode=MTY1NDA0Mg&mc o=MTMzNzU2MjI

Using iTunes, MacBook and the external HDD.

Hi there, however much I love iTunes, I absolutely despize the lack of function when it comes to splitting the music library between my MacBook and an external HDD.
I have a rather large Library and it is a real issue when using a HDD limited MacBook.
Why is there no simple function to allow a user to pass data back and forth between these?
iMovie has a very simple and wonderfully easy to use 'drag n drop' function which allows a user to move video between any or multiple external HDD and the HDD on the MacBook.
When connected, the media on the HDD is available to use in iMovie. When it is not connected, only the media on the MacBooks HDD is available.
Would it be conceivable to adopt a similar system whereby iTunes would 'show' an external HDD and allow a user to drag and drop media straight over?
Now THAT would be amazing! Please, it is terribly limiting and self-defeating to have a portable device without being able to EASILY move ones media from a 'home' based large external HDD and the more versatile, smaller portable MacBook HDD.
iMovie does it, can you adapt iTunes to do the same?
Yours,

click here and here for information.
also, peruse this user tip:
In iTunes 9.
iTunes prefs -> Advanced.
Set the iTunes media folder location to the external.
Then select the movie files (or any files in iTunes) and right click Consolidate.
This will copy only the movies to the external location.
After it finishes, iTunes prefs -> Advanced and set the iTunes media folder location back to the internal. This will tell iTunes to use the internal drive for new files.
You can then delete the movies from \Music\iTunes\ on the internal to free up space.
To copy a movie back to the internal, simply right click - Consolidate (since you pointed iTunes back to the internal).
just edit these instructions to meet your needs.
JGG

Sudden lack of external HDD usability?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for