What is OSX doing to my Fat32 External HDD?

[srexy]

I've got an external HDD hooked up to my Airport Extreme and it's been working like clockwork until yesterday when finder suddenly can't see the contents of my music folder. The drive is partitioned 50/50 w/hfs and fat32 so that I can use w/my windoze machine.

To add to the mystery - itunes has no problems reading the contents of the folder and if I use the "show in finder" option from itunes the folder containing whatever track I happen to highlight will miraculously show up.

I suspect it's an Airport Extreme issue as I am able to see everything fine if I'm connected directly...

Anyone have other ideas?

 

[mad jew]

Sorry mate, I'm a bit lost. Can you read the folder or not? Are you saying that navigating to it manually from the Desktop doesn't work but you can still access it through iTunes via the Show In Finder command? Have you tried restarting? Have you verified the drive in Disk Utility?

 

[srexy]

Sorry mate, I'm a bit lost. Can you read the folder or not? Are you saying that navigating to it manually from the Desktop doesn't work but you can still access it through iTunes via the Show In Finder command? Have you tried restarting? Have you verified the drive in Disk Utility?

Well - it's as mystifying as my explanation I guess....

If the disk is attached directly via usb or firewire the contents show up fine. If I access the disk when it's attached to my Airport Extreme - that's when the funny business starts. Basically I cannot see any of the contents of the folder in finder but itunes is able to play content that is in the folder. When I use itunes to "show in finder" the top level folder that contains that particular folder shows up along w/the rest of the mp3's in that folder - the other folders in my "music" folder do not.

Anyway - sorry to waste your time. I ejected the disk and then remounted it and they all showed up again. I suspect the Airport Disk Utility and its reluctance to recognise partitioned drives is the culprit.

 

[mad jew]

Haha! No worries mate. I'm glad it's all sorted now.