natebernstein

Q: El Capitan won't recognize WD drive used as NAS

Hi,

 

 

I recently upgraded to a new Mac running El Capitan and am having trouble with a WD MyPassport I'd been using as NAS for music files.

 

I have the MyPassport connected to my Apple AirPort Extreme Time Capsule as an NAS using a USB 2.0 cable. The WD drive contains my iTunes library, so that my Sonos system can access it even when my Mac is asleep or powered down.

 

This setup worked great for at least a couple of years. But since I moved to the new Mac running El Capitan (I forget which version of OS X I had on the old machine but it was a few steps back) I can rarely get it to work. In Finder I see my network but when I click on it I can only see and access the AirPort Extreme Time Capsule drive (which I use for Time Machine backups). It used to also list, separately, "My Passport." Now, I can't see that disk in Finder any longer.

 

When I go to disk utility, it's also not listed. In AirPort Utility, when I click "edit Base Station" I do see "My Passport" listed under "Disks" but the option buttons to edit or archive the disk are not present (though I do see these buttons for the Time Capsule disk).

 

I've tried unplugging and re-connecting the USB cable between the AirPort and the WD disk, which doesn't work. I hear the WD disk attempting to run for a bit when I try to play an iTunes song or when I first re-connect the USB, and the light on the side slowly blinks, but that doesn't result in the disk actually mounting in Finder. The only thing that has worked, sporadically, is restarting the computer.

 

Any advice on how to fix?

 

Thanks in advance!

OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Sep 9, 2016 7:45 AM

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Q: El Capitan won't recognize WD drive used as NAS

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  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Sep 9, 2016 2:09 PM in response to natebernstein
    Level 9 (52,464 points)
    Wireless
    Sep 9, 2016 2:09 PM in response to natebernstein

    It is strange how often these things happen. You upgrade something and what used to work perfectly suddenly dies or behaves poorly.

     

    When I go to disk utility, it's also not listed.

    Network disks never show in disk utility. A locally mounted sparsebundle like for Time Machine will show.. this is a virtual disk not the real thing.

    In AirPort Utility, when I click "edit Base Station" I do see "My Passport" listed under "Disks" but the option buttons to edit or archive the disk are not present (though I do see these buttons for the Time Capsule disk).

    Also correct. A USB disk is intended to be plugged into a computer for editing or archiving.. It has never been possible to do those functions to a USB drive. This is causing you confusion.

     

    What model is your Time Capsule? (it is not an extreme btw.. ) Please look on the base and find the A1xxx model number. Or you can open the full summary page in the utility and it will show up.. hold option key and double click the icon of the time capsule.

     

    Age troubles us all.. both the passport and the TC reach an EOL and will start to misbehave.. so don't be surprised if you have had them for a few years. Particularly if you are not using a powered USB hub for the passport.. it will eventually drag the TC down with the extra current demand on the USB port.

     

    It is important that the setup of the computer and the TC is correct. Is the computer directly connected to the TC wireless or by ethernet. If not please do so.

     

    If the passport is refusing to spin up correctly please try a powered hub.. but if the TC is >3 years old it may simply be time for replacement.

  • by natebernstein,

    natebernstein natebernstein Sep 9, 2016 4:28 PM in response to LaPastenague
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Wireless
    Sep 9, 2016 4:28 PM in response to LaPastenague

    Thanks. It's an AirPort Time Capsule 802.11ac. It's probably about a year old. I have the Mac connected to it via ethernet.

     

    The WD drive, however, is at least 4-5 years old. I fear it may be dying.

     

    Shortly after posting this, I was fortunate enough to get the WD drive to mount by disconnecting and reconnecting it. I immediately started copying its contents to the TC data drive.

     

    I'm thinking now that I can either just use the TC drive as NAS for iTunes tracks on Sonos, or just replace the WD with another external drive to use as a dedicated NAS for that purpose.

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Sep 9, 2016 5:22 PM in response to natebernstein
    Level 9 (52,464 points)
    Wireless
    Sep 9, 2016 5:22 PM in response to natebernstein

    I would think about using a real NAS.. yes they are expensive cf a simple USB drive but they will work much better and provide decent file sharing to the network. The TC was never designed as a file sharing device.. it is a network target for Time Machine for laptops.

     

    Synology make excellent units with built in itunes server.