Airport Extreme / USB hard drive / Time Machine issues

[hauntedcity]

I have a few questions that I hope you folks can help me with. I did some quick searches, but didn't find anything, so if this has already been addressed, I'd a appreciate a link to that thread.

Here's my home setup:

• MacBook Pro
• MacBook
• Airport Extreme Base Station (pre-gigabit version)
  
• USB hub attached to AEBS
• 500GB WD MyBook drive for Media (iTunes, iPhoto, etc)
• 1TB WD MyBook drive for backups (using Apple's Backup to copy from the 500GB drive)
• 250GB WD MyBook drive for MacBook Pro's Time Machine
• 250 GB USB drive for MacBook's Time Machine backups
• Apple TV that uses ethernet connection, and is synced with the MacBook

Here are the issues:

1. When restarting either computer, the Airdisks are not automatically mounted. I have to manually open them (I've created Aliases on our desktops that we have to manually click) every time a computer restarts. Otherwise, iTunes or iPhoto will not find any content. Is this normal?
2. Every 2-3 weeks, our computers just lose all connection to the AirDisks. I have to unplug and restart the Airport Extreme, but once that's done, everything works fine. Until the next time... Any ideas why this keeps happening?
3. Althought most of the time time, I think the AirDisks work very well, connections to the AirDisks have frequent pauses where I just have to wait out the spinning beach ball. This can happen when only 1 computer is accessing the drive and the Apple TV is in sleep mode, so I don't think its a traffic issue. For example, I'll be updating some tracks in iTunes, and one of the tracks will take over a minute to update, while the other only take a second.
4. Since I switched to the wireless Time Machine, I cannot see any of my backup files on the USB drive! When I open those drives in the finder, I can see all the backup directories BEFORE April 19 (when the drive was plugged directly into the computer, not the AEBS). That's it. When I open up the Time Machine software, I can only see backups from April 20 and later. I believe that the backups since April 20 are being stored on the USB drive connected to the AEBS, because the drive lights flash when a backup is happening, and Time Machine won't work when that drive is unplugged from the AEBS. So, why can't I see the backup files?!? And why doesn't the Time Machine software see those pre-April 19 backups?

I hope that all makes sense. I decided to just include all these questions in one post, since they are all related to the AEBS. Please let me know if you need any additional clarification on any points.

And thanks to all who read this and greater thanks to anyone who can help!

Doug

 

[hauntedcity]

No ideas? Nobody seeing the same thing? Maybe I put too many questions in one post?

 

[Michael CM1]

1) In User Options, there's some option where you put your remote disks so they open when you boot. I'm not on my Leopard Mac right now, so I can't tell you exactly what it is, but it's in User Options.

2) Haven't had that problem since a couple of AirPort updates ago. Make sure you have the latest firmware for the AEBS (7.3.1).

3) That happens at times with mine, too. Part of my issue is the network signal stinks on my MBP. I think there's some sort of wireless glitch in Mac OS ever since 10.5.2, but I can't say that for sure. Anyway, I have no clue what to do about that.

4) Not sure how to help because I'm having my own trouble with a G5 iMac using network backup. My MBP works fine, but the iMac is being a little biznitch about it.

 

[hauntedcity]

1) In User Options, there's some option where you put your remote disks so they open when you boot. I'm not on my Leopard Mac right now, so I can't tell you exactly what it is, but it's in User Options.

2) Haven't had that problem since a couple of AirPort updates ago. Make sure you have the latest firmware for the AEBS (7.3.1).

3) That happens at times with mine, too. Part of my issue is the network signal stinks on my MBP. I think there's some sort of wireless glitch in Mac OS ever since 10.5.2, but I can't say that for sure. Anyway, I have no clue what to do about that.

4) Not sure how to help because I'm having my own trouble with a G5 iMac using network backup. My MBP works fine, but the iMac is being a little biznitch about it.

Thanks! I'll check User Options and the AEBS firmware tonight for the first two items.

For the 3rd item, I get very good reception, and this happens on both Macbook Pro and Macbook. It's one of those things that I may just have to live with, but I thought I'd ask.

My 4th issue really is weird. I know Time Machine is backing up files, but I can't FIND those files anywhere on the USB drive or on my local machine. It's driving me crazy!

Doug

 

[hauntedcity]

1) In User Options, there's some option where you put your remote disks so they open when you boot. I'm not on my Leopard Mac right now, so I can't tell you exactly what it is, but it's in User Options.

I can't find this option anywhere. I'm running 10.5.3. Can someone help point me in the right direction?


Also, the location of my Time Machine backups still has me confounded! Can someone running Time Machine with an AirDisk please verify where your backups are getting stored?

Crazy,
Doug

 

[superknoppix]

I have a 1TB My Book.
My airport extreme firmware was 7.3.2
whenever i tried to access the drive from any computer on the network(mac/pc) the router would reset...

I now have downgraded my firmware to 7.3.1 and the 1 partition on the drive can be accessed fine by all computers but the partition i use for time machine backups cannot be used over the network. the error is that the volume could not be mounted, however when i look up the time machine partition in the finder i can see all the backup files from before i connected the drive to my router.

I think Apple needs to release a new firmware to fix the AirDisk problems.....