Network Share Problems on XP - Possible Fix Options

[SplittingDistant]

Like a lot of people I was unable to see the shared folders residing on my XP (Home) PC despite doing all that seemed to be necessary. The WDTV box would not even 'find' my PC from "Network Shares".

After a lot of fiddling, and faffing I discovered that at some point in the past I had disabled some XP services which the WDTV Live Network Share system needed.

It would appear that if you want to connect your WDTV Live to your PC's Shared Folders you need to ensure that the services "Network DDE" and "Network DDE DSDM" are not disabled.

To do this: Start Button, Administrative Tools, Services, locate "Network DDE" and ensure that Start Up Type is "Automatic". If it's shown as "Disabled", right click the "Network DDE" entry and use the Properties Tab to set it to "Automatic".

Then do the same for the "Network DDE DSDM" service.

I then rebooted both the PC and the WDTV Live and everything was fine.

Good luck, and I hope it works for you.

Note: Windows Live ID Assistant is known to cause problems, so remove it as mentioned here.

[Rev Drew]

interesting, Th@nX.

[buckey29]

I had posted just a day or so before this thread was created and described a similiar problem with my WDTV Live. I could stream from an XP share but it would suddenly stop and then lose connection to that PC. I couldn't see the PC in the network shares at all until I rebooted the PC.

I tried this fix and so far it seems to have worked. I streamed 3 movies yesterday (~2 hrs each) and all 3 completed. Thanks for the post!

[PeterZ]

It would appear that if you want to connect your WDTV Live to your PC's Shared Folders you need to ensure that the services "Network DDE" and "Network DDE DSDM" are not disabled.

SplittingDistant - you're a genius!

I have Win XP (home), but my problem was slightly different. From the moment I would switch on my WDTV Live, it would take about 10 minutes before my PC would even show up under the Network Shares list on the WDTV Live. I tried your fix and now my file shares come up instantly!

Well done and thanks for finding/sharing this!
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[fnordpow]

Bump!

This worked for me! Much fast discovery and navigation in the shares as well. Excellent find!

[davidibiza]

Hello, maybe I'am a bit dumb but I dont find it. Network DDE? Where is it?

THX

[SplittingDistant]

David,

Click your "Start Button, then click Administrative Tools, then Services, then locate the entry for "Network DDE in the list of services.

Hopefully this will help.

And to those of you who this has helped, best wishes and thanks for your thanks (if you see what I mean (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Merry Christmas All,

SplittingDistant.

[davidibiza]

Found it in control panel thanks!, now I can see my computer but it doesnt allow me to log in, whatever I write in the login, it was working yesterday with my Emtec N200.

Any idea?

[deathracer]

This fix worked for me as well on 2 different computers.

***Be aware, if you use the program "Windows System Care" (formally "Advaced Windows Care2"), under the optimization section, these 2 services will be disabled by default. However, you can simply set this optimization to be "ignored"

[yulbeast]

After spending several hours laying an ethernet cable from my router to the wdtv, I was very disappointed when I saw the connection with my desktop failing every time after 5-10 minutes.
Can't wait to try this dde workaround tonight!

[yulbeast]

I tried it and ... it worked!!!!

I don't know why this is necessary, but now my connection with the shares doesn't fail after 5 minutes.

[WaynesNside]

Running WinXp

Those services are disabled in mine and I can see my shared folders and files just fine. Hmmm..

I do have a problem when I disconnect my WD from my network and take it to another room for a while and try to reconnect it takes forrrrrever to reconnect...I try everything and it takes it's own sweet time...maybe I'll try this and see if that will help.

[booker001]

I've started both services but it has not fixed my problem. Some videos play fine, with no issues. Some videos will say format not supported, check list of supported files. I know the files work because if I put them on an external drive they play fine. Even on another computer they play fine. It doesn't make sense that some files of the same file type play no problem but others will not. I have no idea what it could be. Any ideas?

[José Roberto]

So I have the same problem in Windows XP SP3, is exist one solution too (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mellow.gif) ?

Please I need so much access my PC HD with my media files (MOVIES AUDIOS and IMAGES).

Thank you so much for HELP (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) .

[WDUser]

Those 2 services exist on XP SP3 as well. Did that not help?

[José Roberto]

Those 2 services exist on XP SP3 as well. Did that not help?

I did that but no help for me, my WDTV Live "no detect any computer in the network share" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/angry.gif) .

[MrFrank]

Thanks for the help, I searched the web for hours trying to find out why I, all of the sudden, could not access any of my network shares. I checked to see it the services were running and sure enough, they were not. Can't wait to get home and see if this helped.

Another solution I ran across for people who are having their connection reset every 5-10 minutes is to set the workgroup name to "WORKGROUP". It was explained to me that 99% of people with this device never have issues. So the issue had to be something that only about 1% would ever run across. After thinking about it for a while and trying to figure out what only a handful of people - relatively speaking - would change on a home network, the workgroup name stuck out like a sore thumb. Only a very few number of people on home networks change their workgroup name from the default setting of "WORKGROUP". Apparently this is hardwired into the WDTV unit and it does not like searching for workgroups outside of the default.

But that's just my experience and two cents, take it for what its worth from a noob...

[TXmike]

This tip might also help if you're running WHS. I just noticed the two services mentioned are Not running on my system and I have just started noticing the network drop out issues.

I'll enable these and see if this helps. Weird why this would only just now become an issue when I've never had network problems before.

One thing worth noting here, when I do have the network drop outs, It's only my Windows PCs that drop out.

My desktop PC running Linux Mint 8 never drops out.
No matter what, the Linux shares continue showing up on the WDLive, and streaming from a shared folder on my Linux system is super rock solid even when the Windows shares just disappear.
No drop outs, no lagging, no sync issues, nothing. I can stream blu-ray quality mkv and HQ avi/mp4 files problem free from a shared folder on Linux.

It might be the best solution is to just load Linux on a PC and use that as your server. At least for straight networking shares anyway.

[WDUser]

@TXmike: Maybe a case of one Linux box (the Live) giving preference to another, eh? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

[TXmike]

I really don't have any answers for why it does what it does but, once again I was streaming from my WHS system and snap, it just vanishes off the network. Weird because another laptop here running XP disappears at the exact same time but the Linux shares are still always there.

This happens on both of my WD Live units, carbon copy scenario on either unit.

This will be a hard one to track down since you never know how long it'll go before it acts up.