Partitioned external HD won't mount (kinda)

[Kalaheo]

I have a WD 2 TB mybook (less than a year old) that I have partitioned to use for both my and my wife's time machines (2 separate laptops). The last time I backed up my computer was about a month ago. My wife...well...it's been a while. With iCloud apparently being Lion only, I thought I'd upgrade our machines, but not before backing them up.

When I plug the HD into my machine, only her partition shows up. When I plug it into her machine, only mine shows up. Before, they would both show up. Needless to say, TM won't work because it can't see the HD. If I go in to disk utility with it plugged in to my laptop, my partition is there, but it is greyed out.

I'm not very experienced with this type of stuff. Should I repair the disk? Should I just scrap the HD and wipe it? I'm stuck.

Thanks if anyone has any ideas!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

What happens if you select the correct partition in Disk Utility and click the MOUNT button in the toolbar?
And before you click REPAIR DISK, click VERIFY DISK, to see, if it even needs repair.

 

[Kalaheo]

Weird. Prior to posting here, I tried restarting the computers a couple times, along with unplugging the HD, all with the same result. However, after plugging it in to my computer to try your suggestion, they are both showing up. TM is "calculating changes" currently. We'll see how it goes. If something happens before I go to bed, I'll post an update. Otherwise, I'm gonna let it run and I'll update tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

[Kalaheo]

Well, the backup worked for my computer. I'm able to access all my backups. I haven't tried my wife's yet.

Now my question is, was it a software glitch? Or is it a sign that the HD is dying and should be replaced? Keep in mind it's only about a year old. I keep it plugged in, but only do backups once a month or so.

Thanks again!

 

[Kalaheo]

So, the HD showed up on my wife's computer, but Time Machine was "preparing" for forever (8 hours). I gave up. Any suggestions?

 

[Kalaheo]

Bump. Thanks!