Network issue - network shares, Network shares Options

[TaBaC]

Hi guys !
i have bought a wdtv live. recently i tried to connect it directly ny metwork cable to my PC , so i can have a direct access to my music archive. after connecting the the device to my computer, i have not been able to enter the network shares.

after selecting the network shares in the menu , nothing happened, not even an error message appeared. i have tried to connect the device with cat5 crossover cable , and with a cat5 standard cable but no difference. i have tried to change network settings in vista, but no success.

the interesting part is that when i enable a media server in vista, the media sever will be accessible and browsable and works but the network shares still won't be accessible and browsable.

has anyone a suggestion or solution to my problem (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) ?

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win vista ultimate x64 - ip:192.168.1.25
wdtv live latest firmware, ip : 192.168.1.20
cat5 crossover cable
cat5 standard cable

[jac134]

Hi there,

I had no end of troubles getting network sharing working. If you have all the network sharing set correctly under advanced network settings.
try this, its simple and it worked

Delete windows live id assistant on your computer through the control panel, and then delete the saved login info from the wd live in the settings. Also set the wd to not ask for a password (auto login), and bingo!!!
I srtuggled for a week to get this to work. countless hours of frustration until I found this suggestion in an obscure forum.

Cheers

[machined]

Hi Jac, extremely noob here, how do i delete windows live id assistant? cant see it in the control panel am using vista. many thanks!

[anthippo]

In Control Panel there in a section called Programs, under that heading is Uninstall a program. click on that, wait for the list of programs to load and then you can find Windows Live ID Assistant and uninstall it from here.

[chuckisgreat]

Is the "Windows Live ID Assistant" the same as the "Windows Live Sign-in Assistant" or are they different? The "Sign-in Assistant" shows for me, but I don't see an "ID Assistant."

If they are different, should I leave the "Sign-in Assistant" installed, or, does it cause problems too?

Will removing these assistants cause problems for using Windows Live Mail which is my email application?

Thanks!

[WDUser]

I guess they are the same. The only thing I could find via Google is that the assistant makes it easy to sign in to different Live accounts. Other than this, I'm not sure so maybe you can post on some Microsoft forum. Or just remove the darn thing and see!

[chuckisgreat]

Thanks. Strangely, I saw the Sign-In assistant in the installed programs list when I originally posted the question. Now, it's GONE! I have no idea where it went, but I did not uninstall it and it has vanished. Bizarre. At any rate...it's gone and must not be causing the problem.

Worse...I still cannot access network shares from my Win 7 machine. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/angry.gif) I tried the registry tweaks, I tried the changes to network access, everything I could find. I used to be able to use the media streaming option on WD TV Live but not the network shares option--now I cannot even connect to the network so I can't do either now.

This is a frustrating business trying to connect the network to the WD TV Live. There must be an easier way.

Has anyone compiled a list of the things that have actually worked (along with step-by-step processes) for them for connecting their WD TV Live wirelessly to their PC shared files and folders? I've looked at the pinned items, but it seems there must be more options.

When I try to connect to the wireless network, the WD TV Live just tells me that it was unable to obtain an IP address. I've entered it manually, I've let it try to find it itself and I've cleared the login information and done everything over again. No success. I know the USB wireless adapter works because it allowed media streaming on the WD TV Live earlier, but now it can't connect, and, I've used the USB wireless adapter with my computers and it connects to the network fine. (It's a Linksys WUSB600N version 3 which has been noted on the forums here as working with the WD TV Live.) (No, it's not an issue of poor wifi reception by the USB either; I've checked that.)

All the other computers on the network can access each other without difficulty both wirelessly and wired.

Anyone have some ideas or can point me to the threads where the possible solutions are?

[WDUser]

Maybe it's workgroup related. Check this out. Worth a try at least.

[chuckisgreat]

OK, I must sound like a complete idiot here with my comments about things "disappearing," but I'm the goto guy typically for technical support among my colleagues.

Now...I think I figured out why the Windows Live Sign-in Assistant disappeared since my first post: I installed the beta version of Windows Live Mail and I'm guessing that removed the Windows Live Sign-in Assistant. I don't know, but that's my best guess.

So, my embarrasment now is that I had my router set to allow only certain MAC addresses and although I know I entered the MAC address for the wireless adapter plugged into the WD TV Live, it too had disappeared from that list (honest; I even have a printout showing the MAC entered in the allowed MAC list), so, of course, the wireless connection was blocked by the router. I've both added the MAC entry back in and also turned off MAC filtering for now.

So, I'm feeling happier now because I am again able to have the WD TV Live connect to the network and I can even see my PC as an option on the WD TV Live's Network Share icon--that's new!

However, when it asks me for a username and password to access my PC's shares WD TV Live always rejects my login. I've tried every account on the PC (and there are 4) and none of them work. I've cleared the login info and retried everything, but nothing is working. I cannot get past the login.

Thoughts?

[Rev Drew]

chuckisgrerat - stock WD firmware or WDlxTV firmware?

[chuckisgreat]

Stock WD firmware.

Don't know if this info helps, but what's quite odd is that when I use the media stream option to view available media, the list of files shown includes files that have been erased several days ago. Very, very odd. I can't figure out where the WD TV Live would be getting that file list. (If I try to play one of the erased files, I receive the message from WD TV Live that it can't play that type of file and I should check the list of compatible files--I guess it's true that most devices are challenged to play a file that doesn't exist! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) )

The other odd thing is that when WD TV Live asks me for the username and password when I'm trying to access the network shares, after typing in my password and clicking "OK" the password textbox that is shown has more asterisks (***) than the password that I entered. That may be by design I suppose--I've seen that occasionally on other network apps, but when I'm told I've entered the password incorrectly and I see lots more asterisks, it starts to make me wonder if what I enter is what's being passed on. On the other hand, when I deliberately enter an incorrect password, I'm told very rapidly that my login info is not correct, but, when I type in everything correctly, it seems to take longer before I see the rejected login message.

I've tried connecting to network shares with homegroup active and also homegroup inactive and it doesn't seem to make any difference.

I've not tried the oft referred to "registry tweak" because I can't find a link that tells me what the tweaks actually are.

Anyway, thanks for your reply and if you have any thoughts, I'll try just about anything.

[chuckisgreat]

Alright, here's the latest strange bit of info: I am having all these problems on my Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit PC, BUT, my wife's computer is running Windows Vista Premium 32-bit and when I enter my username and password to connect to HER machine, WD TV Live lets me right on!!! I can browse all the network shares on her PC and view photos (she doesn't have any video on her machine so I couldn't try that, but just being able to see the shared folders is phenomenally exciting!), but, I cannot on the Windows 7 machine.

Seems like there must be some setting on Windows 7 that I need to set so that it will let me access shares on Win7 like it does on Vista.

Oh, and for folks who are looking for the registry tweak, here's a link to it: http://wdtvforum.com/main/index.php?topic=7125.0
(No, I haven't tried the tweak yet. Gonna try that next.)

[chuckisgreat]

The registry tweak worked!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

In case it is useful for someone else, here’s what I did:

1. Used the registry tweak that everyone was mentioning on the forums but was very hard to actually find; here are the registry tweaks:
   
   • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\
   • Double-click on everyoneincludesanonymous and set the value to a 1 (mine had been a 0)
   • Double-click on NoLmHash and set the value to a 0 (mine was already a 0)
   • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanManServer\Parameters
   • Double-click on restrictnullsessaccess and set the value to a 0 (mine had been a 1)
2. Restart computer.
3. Here are the settings that I have for the advanced network settings:
   
   • Use the HOME network profile
   • Network discover: Turn on network discovery
   • File and printer sharing: Turn on file and printer sharing
   • Public folder sharing: Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can read and write files in the Public folders
   • Media streaming is on
   • File sharing connections: Use 128-bit encryption...
   • Password protected sharing: Turn off password protected sharing
   • HomeGroup connections: Use user accounts and passwords to connect to other computers.
4. I turned off the Homegroup (i.e., "Leave the homegroup") so Win7 said: “There is currently no homegroup on the network.”
5. For folders with media that I wanted to share, I added “Everyone” to the list of users to share the folder with, and, I set the security permissions for “Everyone” to allow traverse and read.
6. On the WD TV Live, I had auto login turned on. I was not asked to enter a username and a password to access the network shares, so, that didn't seem to even matter any more.

I am now able to access the network shares on my Win7 Ultimate 32-bit PC from WD TV Live using the "Network Shares" instead of "Media Stream"--actually, I can now use both (before I could only use "Media Stream". Using the "Network Shares" the WD TV Live will even play VOB and ISO files with menu functionality (on ISOs), which I couldn't play using the media streaming connection, so, this is great news!

Hope the above steps can help someone else.

[SeanP]

The registry tweak worked!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
...
Hope the above steps can help someone else.

They certainly did for me!! well done, sorted 2 machines with the same problem, both still have windows live essentials 2011 installed as well now!
Cheers for posting

[shon3i]

On Windows 7 Ultimate x64 i do same registry tweak, but without success, wdtv always prompt for logon. Then i've found to change this

Start > type 'Secpol.msc' .... Navigate to 'Local Policies' > 'Security Options' > 'Network access: Restrict anonymous access to Named Pipes and Shares' ... changed from 'enabled' to 'disabled'.

And it's worked for me.

I have aslo installed Windows Live Essentials 2011

[SeanP]

I'm on Win7 Ultimate 32bit, just checked that setting on mine shon3i and it is set as disabled, good to see some favourable results for a change!!

[Moviefan2009]

Change the registry settings and works!
Win7 HomePremium + WDTV Live

THX!!!

[wasim274]

The registry tweak worked!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
...
Hope the above steps can help someone else.

Out of the blue, I suddenly found myself being asked for a password for my network shares located on a particular computer. I don't know why this occurred as I had not changed any settings and it had worked pretty well for some time. (only occasional re-boots necessary). I suspect it may have been consequent upon a Windows security update. Found your message after a week of frustration at trying to access shares without success. Brilliant! worked first time and seems pretty reliable too. Many thanks.

[snellios]

The registry tweak worked!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
...
Hope the above steps can help someone else.

Thank you!

[Happy Pillow]

I just made a little self-fix application that should do the work for anyone still having any problems... You can download it here or from the link below.

And for those who like to stay on the safe side can view the virus scan results here.

Happy Pillow Out.
http://www.youtube.com/ThePVPforNoobs

 WDTV_Live_Home_Sharing_Fix.zip ( 70.47K ) Number of downloads: 3

Reason for edit: Added attachment [WDUser]