New user, problem accessing pc

Community Archives WD TV Live Networking
1

I hope someone here can help me. I purchased a WD TV Live Plus today and set it up. I can see all three of the pcs on my network but I can’t access two of them. One machine is a windows 7 home premium. The other that I can’t access is a HP Mediasmart server. I get a message “the share can not be accessed”. The funny thing is that I can access another machine on the network running windows 7 ultimate. The two machines that I can not access are wired and the one I can access is wireless. The sharing and security are set up the same on the one machine that I can access and my main pc which is one of the ones that I can not access.

Does anyone know how to make this work. The device is useless for me if I can not access my pc since the main reason that I purchased this unit is to watch home videos and view pictures.

Thanks…

Gary

2

Hey, Gary.   Welcome Aboard. 

I know you say they’re all set up “the same,” but apparently, they’re not, or they’d all work.  :)

I’m assuming they’re ALL running Win7 something or other.

Ensure:

   PASSWORD PROTECTED SHARING is turned OFF.

   The FOLDER, and all UNDERLYING content is Shared with the user “EVERYONE.”

3

I checked the share and security on the top level drive down to the file level of the folders that I am trying to access. They are the same of both machines. Password file sharing is off and everyone is set on the folders and files. All the machines in the house can see the folder and files on the main pc, just not wdtv.

I am running windows 7 home preminum 64 bit on one of the machines that I can’t access and Windows Home server on the other.

I am going to turn on my wireless laptop and see if wdtv can see that.

4

Ok, I tried my laptop which is wireless and it worked fine. So two wireless computers work fine and both wired computer don’t work. I don’t think that is a coincidence. I am running a gigabit network and the wdtv box is hooked into a network switch. Does anyone know if that would make a difference?

5

It shouldn’t make a difference, unless there’s an “Air Gap” between the wired WD and the wired PCs.

Can your WIRED PCs see the WDTV as a network device?   Can your WDTV access the internet resources OK?

On my Win7 Home Premium 64, I can go to Network and Sharing Center and click SEE FULL MAP,

and all three of my WDs (2 WDTV Lives and  1 Live+) show up.  (Note:  The WD DOES need to be ON for a minute or so before you try this test.)

The topology on the map is not 100% correct, but that doesn’t make a difference, as long as the WD shows on the map.

If it DOES show up, then you know there’s a communication path that’s working, and it’s something else going on.

If it does NOT show up, then there’s some sort of communication breakdown.

6

Yes the wdtv box shows up from my main pc and yes I can view youtube and netflix movies. I know it should not make a difference between wired and wireless but it seems to. I don’t really know what to check next. I contacted wd tech support. They escalated it to a level 2 tech that is suppose to call me but I have not heard from them yet.

7

I know this is probably getting old, but try this command from a PC OTHER than the one sharing.

NET VIEW \computername

where computername is the network name of your sharing PC.

8

Here is what is shows:

Share name            Type   Used as  Comment              

Canon Inkjet iP5200R  Print           Canon Inkjet iP5200R 
Documents             Disk                                 
HP LaserJet 1020      Print           HP LaserJet 1020     
Music                 Disk                                 
Pictures              Disk                                 
Users                 Disk                                 
Videos                Disk                                 
The command completed successfully.

9

Check to see if you have a program called “Windows Live ID Assistant” installed on ANY of the user accounts of the sharing PC.  If so, uninstall it.

I’m assuming that you get this error immediately after you select the PC Name, BEFORE it shows you the list of shared folders.  If that’s not right, then ignore the following.

Ok, let’s try this.    

Go log off all the other PCs and shut them down or disconnect them from the net.

Ensure that your Sharing Computer’s WORKGROUP name is “WORKGROUP”. 

Reboot your sharing computer.

On the WDTV, go to Network Settings and:

   Make sure the Workgroup name is WORKGROUP, exactly as above.

   Turn OFF “Auto Login to Network Share”

   Then, CLEAR LOGIN INFO FOR NETWORK SHARE

After doing this, it will ask you for login information EVERY TIME, but that’s what we need for now.

Now, go browse to  VIDEO / NETWORK / and select the PC that’s sharing the videos.

It’ll ask you for Login info.   Just leave it AS IS (it should say “Anonymous” and no password) and continue.

It may say that error again.

Immediately try the same connection again.  (Sometimes my connection to my NAS gives the same error, but repeating it immediately, it will work.)

10

Connecting with anonymous as the account worked on my main pc. I guess that when you have windows set to not require an account and password for file sharing, you can’t login with your account. I don’t know what it is like that but that seems to be the way it is.

I am still having a problem connecting to my HP Mediasmart server from wdtv. I have tried logging into my account, anonymous, and the administrator account on the HP box and neither work. Anyone got a mediasmart server working with wdtv?