Windows 7 can't see USB disk (WD Passport) on Airport Extreme

Question

I am needing some help. I just bought an Airport Extreme and everything is working but I can't see my files on the USB external drive from the Airport Extreme. I can see the drive inside of the Airport Utility but not over the network on my laptop.
My laptop is Windows 7.
I read somewhere that I may need to reformat my WD Passport but how do I do that in windows 7 and will I lose my files on the drive if I do this?
THANK YOU SO MUCH for helping me!

Answer 1

There are a number of posts related to issues between Windows 7 and AirPort Disks. Two potential solutions being forwarded are: 1) Changing the LAN Manager authentication level, and/or 2) Disabling the Windows Search feature.
To change the LAN Manager authentication level:
o From the Vista desktop, click Start
o Search for: security
o Click 'Local Security Policy'
o Goto Local Policies > Security Options
o Under Policy, double-click 'Network security: LAN Manager authentication level'
o Change level to: Send LM & NTLM responses
o Under Policy, double-click 'Network security: Minimum session security for NTLM SSP based (including RPC) clients'
o De-select 'Require 128-bit encryption'
o Click OK
To disable Windows Search:
o Start > Control Panel > Programs > Programs & Features
o On the right-hand side, click "Turn Windows features on/off"
o Scroll down, and de-select "Windows Search".
o Press OK, close all windows and restart.
A third "solution," that has worked for me, is verify that both the AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS) and the Win7 PC are using the exact same Workgroup Name. In my case, I use "WORKGROUP" (without the quote marks) for this name.
On the AEBS, you would enter this value on the Disks > File Sharing tab.
On Win7, Start > Control Panel > System and Security > System > Change Settings > Change > Workgroup