How to get my PC to recognize my Time Machine HD so I can share it over the network?

[GhotiGTI]

Hello All,
I could really use some help on this:

I just bought a Macbook Pro, I love it, it's my first Mac ever. I've been a PC guy up until now. Here's my problem:

I have a PC desktop (running Windows XP) set up with my router so I can access my external hard drives via the network. Basically, I plug the HD's into the PC, the PC recognizes them, and I set them to be shared over the network. Really simple. However, I plugged a spare HD into my Macbook Pro to use with Time Machine. It worked fine, the HD is set up and working with Time Machine. I then went to plug the Time Machine HD into my PC desktop so that I could access it through the network from my Mac and use Time Machine wirelessly, but the PC won't recognize the Time Machine HD. It doesn't show up in My Computer, or anything, nothing happens when it is plugged into the PC. I'm guessing it is simply a formatting issue or something.

Does anyone out there know a way around this or a solution to this problem? Is there a PC program out there that enables a PC to at least recognize a Mac formatted hard drive?

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Jake

 

[dukebound85]

time machine requires hfs format. a pc does not recognize hfs

 

[slapguts]

Is there a PC program out there that enables a PC to at least recognize a Mac formatted hard drive?

http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive/

I've used it before on a USB external and it worked great. Not positive it'll work with a Time Machine, though.
Edit: Just checked, and it works with Time Machine.

 

[05slvrscape]

I use macdrive and it works great. You can read and write to the mac drive on a pc although writing is slower than to a drive that is native to Windows.

 

[GhotiGTI]

Thank you all. It seems MacDrive is the best option...