HT204664: AirPort: How to mount an AirPort Extreme USB hard disk volume in Mac OS X and Windows

Learn about AirPort: How to mount an AirPort Extreme USB hard disk volume in Mac OS X and Windows
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cyclingbob

Q: Under the Mac OS instrux reference is made to Airport Disk Utility.  I don't have anything by that name.  If I assume they actually mean Airport Utility,  again reference is made to enabling "show airport disks in the menu bar."  I can't find this anywher

I don't have anything in my Utilities folder.  I do have Airport Utility.  The next thing referenced in the article is to enable "show Airport Disks in the Menu Bar."  If I go to the disk tab of Airport Extreme edit screen, I don't find such an item to enable.  I have looked all around the Airport Utility drop down menus and the device edit screens and find nothing that looks like what is described in this article.  What are they referring to?

iBook G3, Mac OS X (10.2.x)

Posted on Dec 10, 2012 2:29 PM

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Q: Under the Mac OS instrux reference is made to Airport Disk Utility.  I don't have anything by that name.  If I assume th ... more

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  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Dec 10, 2012 2:48 PM in response to cyclingbob
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    Dec 10, 2012 2:48 PM in response to cyclingbob

    The article is a mess.... info you reference is long out of date.....yet it says that it was updated recently.

     

    Maybe if you could tell us what you are trying to do, we can figure out how to do it. Be sure to note the operating system that you are using on your Mac.  Few of us will remember OS X 10.2.x, so hopefully that is not what we are looking at.

  • by cyclingbob,

    cyclingbob cyclingbob Dec 10, 2012 3:20 PM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 10, 2012 3:20 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    Thanks, Bob, for acknowledging what I saw and found hard to believe.  Updated in May of 2012 but it seemed like it was written 5 years ago.

     

    Putting that aside, I am on Mountain Lion for my operating system.  What I am trying to do is to connect an external drive to the USB port on my Airport Extreme.  (Actually I have a powered USB hub on the Extreme so that I can also connect a printer.)  I am now able to have the external drive show in the finder window when I show the shared drives.  When I click on the drive however, it does not open up.  I have indicated an account and password for access and checked the "Share disks over WAN" and still the drive will not open.

     

    Thoughts?

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Dec 10, 2012 3:46 PM in response to cyclingbob
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    Dec 10, 2012 3:46 PM in response to cyclingbob

    When you click on the drive in the Finder window, look over to the far right of the window for a Connect As button. It is easy to miss. You have to click Connect As the first time that you try to access the drive and then enter the device password for the Extreme or the disk if you assigned a separate disk password. After that, you should be able to mount the drive simply by double clicking since KeyChain Access will remember the password.

     

    Another method to try is.....

     

    Click anywhere on the open desktop so the Finder menus are displayed at the top of the screen

    Click the Go menu

    Click Network

    This should display a window with the AirPort Exreme icon

    Double click the Extreme icon and look over in the far right of the window for Connect As

    The drive should mount on the desktop

  • by cyclingbob,

    cyclingbob cyclingbob Dec 10, 2012 6:55 PM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 10, 2012 6:55 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    Bob,

     

    Ok, I have gotten to the point where in the multi-column view of the finder  it shows "Connected As:" under the AirPort Extreme title and the name of the disk drive appears.  And the drive icon is appearing on the desk top.  Normally, at this point I can double click on the desk top icon and it will open a finder window showing the contents of the drive.  Double clicking on the icon does nothing and I am unable to "get info."  If I plug this drive directly into my computer it operates normally. 

     

    Still stumped.

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Dec 10, 2012 7:02 PM in response to cyclingbob
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    Dec 10, 2012 7:02 PM in response to cyclingbob

    Did you completely power cycle the entire network?

     

    If you did, I'm sorry but I  cannot duplicate the error that your are seeing.

     

    Some drives just do not want to work when connected to the network USB location of the AirPorts.  Some Iomega models come to mind, I can't remember the others.

     

    But, we have had some instances where the user is doing everything right and the drive will still not connect. Why, I do not know.

  • by cyclingbob,

    cyclingbob cyclingbob Dec 10, 2012 7:03 PM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 10, 2012 7:03 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    Does that mean to cycle the network only or also both computers, and the two Airport Express base stations that are on the Extreme network?

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Dec 10, 2012 7:13 PM in response to cyclingbob
    Level 10 (105,268 points)
    Wireless
    Dec 10, 2012 7:13 PM in response to cyclingbob

    Power off the entire network...all devices....in any order that you want

    Wait a few minutes

    Start the modem first and let it run a minute by itself

    Start the next device connected to the modem next the same way

    Start any other routers one at a time

    Start the hubs and hard drives one at a time

    Start the printers

    Start the computers

    Start any other devices

  • by cyclingbob,

    cyclingbob cyclingbob Dec 10, 2012 8:01 PM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 10, 2012 8:01 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    I just went through power cycling everything off and now the disk drive does not show on the AirPort Extreme in the Finder or when I go to the disk tab in the edit menu for the Extreme in AirPort Utility.  Whatever happened to the good old days of Apple plug and play?

     

    It's late; I'm tired; and I will live to fight another day.  Technology 1, me 0.  I shall pick this up again tomorrow.