This might be an awkward one - I have found threads that are relevant to parts of my question but nothing that addresses it all. Here’s the situation:
- I have a PC running XP and a Macbook running OSX 10.4.11 (yes, they’re both quite old)
- I would like to use my WD drive (My Passport Essential) as a network drive that both computers will back-up to (router has a USB port for storage)
- I have read on the WD FAQs and forums that: a) you can use the drive for both a Mac and a PC if you reformat to FAT; and b) the drive can be used for network storage (and the router manufacturer says it is compatible with my router)
One problem remains: the WD website also says that you should never connect multiple computers to the drive at one time, because you risk corrupting the drive. I had thought that network storage devices could be safely accessed by multiple devices simultaneously, but before I go risking all of my files I would like a little reassurance! If I connect my WD drive to my router and set it up as a network drive, and at some point both the Mac and PC are trying to access it at the same time, is there a risk of corrupting the drive and losing the data? Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this!
