Accessing a share without a password

[jrmcanada]

Hi,

Is there a way to set up a share so that anyone on my local network can access it without a password (by just going to \wdmycloud\sharename, for example)?

I’ve tried setting the Public setting to Yes on a share but users are still being asked for a user name and password when they try to access it. I assume that user name and password are the ones I set up for the whole drive when I installed the WD My Cloud software.

So I some questions:

1. Do I have to remove the password for the whole drive? If so, how do I do that? When I launch the WD My Cloud software, I can see where I can change the password but not where I can remove it.

2. Is there a way to accomplish what I want without removing the password from WD My Cloud? (I’d prefer it if local users could access a specified folder without a password but couldn’t go into the settings for my drive.)

Thanks in advance!

James

[TonyPh12345]

jrmcanada wrote:

Hi,

 

Is there a way to set up a share so that anyone on my local network can access it without a password (by just going to \wdmycloud\sharename, for example)?

 

I’ve tried setting the Public setting to Yes on a share but users are still being asked for a user name and password when they try to access it. I assume that user name and password are the ones I set up for the whole drive when I installed the WD My Cloud software.

No, that’s not correct.   WIndows MUST ask for a user and password because the drive asks for them so that it knows who the user is before it can apply the correct access to the share.

The users will be asked for a user/password, but they can enter anything they want, and they’ll get access to public shares.

[Etupes]

The WD MyCloud apps can be set up with an application pasword that has nothing to do with the credentials used on the NAS to manager access rights to share, but it helps protect access.

In Windows, once you access a share with a set of credentials, this set is the one you need to access any other share. In other words, you cannot try different combinations of NAS users and passwords within a single Windows session. Be careful as well when there is credential stored in the User Account and Family Safety > Windows credential manager to map a share automatically on boot, because the set of credential used then will be the only useable to access the NAS.

Once you have made a share public, any user of the network can access it. The default credential associated with this situation is “guest” or “anyone”. Once you have opened a public share, Windows will assume that “guest” is the set of credential for any share of the NAS, and you won’t be able to use another set of credentials to access a private share.

Vice versa, if you have accessed a private share and have entered credentials, you should be able to access any Public share. If you can’t there is a problem with your configuration. You should consider doing a system only factory restore to reset your users set to admin only with blank password, and all shares to public access. Then recreate your users and your preferred access rights. Your content will be left alone in this type of factory restore, unlike the other options.

[jrmcanada]

Thank you for the quick reply!

I’d never have guessed that. But I tried putting in a random user name and password and, sure enough, I was able to enter the shares that are public.

Entering a user name and password once is no problem but I’d like to find a way to not have to do it every day or two when I’m accessing the share. So I have three more questions.

1. If I map a network drive to one of those shares that are public and tell Windows to reconnect at login, will I be spared having to enter a user name and password (even a random one) every time I go to the folder?

2. Is there a better way to do it than mapping a network drive?

3. Do you know how to do this from a Mac so that it doesn’t have to enter a user name and password every time?

Thank you again!

James

[cat0w]

To read more about this see the User Manual, Managing Users>Creating a User. http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/UM/ENG/4779-705103.pdf

In the Dashboard click on ?> Help then scroll to the bottom and click on number three, Setting Up Other Users.

Posted by,
cat0w (USA)

[Etupes]

Yes, mapping a network drive and asking to reconnect at login is the best way.

On Mac, you add login automatically by mounting a share at login. Google the solution (hint: it is in the login configuration of the users in the system preferences) because I don’ trecallf rom the top of my mind right now.

[10gal]

I have my cloud drive mapped as Y drive. But every time my computer reboots, I have to double-click it and enter my credentials even though I click the “save this” box. How can I automatically reconnect to the Y drive without having to do this every time on boot up? Thanks.

[cpt_paranoia]

‘Creating a User’ section of the user manual is pretty unhelpful regarding setting user access to a private share.

‘Accessing content of a share locally’ in the ‘Managing shares’ chapter, on p58, is a little more helpful, as it leads us to this knowledge base article:

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5681/kw/5681

Which, after giving some bad security advice about using the same user ID and password for PC and MyCloud, eventually leads us to this: 

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2676