I am resurrecting an older, but handy post I made at this forum a few years ago with some updated new comments.
A lot of WDTV users think they need to password-protect their WDTV and attached drives. They don’t; unless they have “sensitive” material on it they want to keep from prying eyes. I just have basic music, photos, and videos on mine, so I do not use passwords, and I have easy access to it any time.
For those who want, or don’t want to use passwords, here are easy steps from my earlier post below:
This post addresses one of the most-asked questions in the forum regarding how to login to Network shares without problems, error messages and hassles. Two ways of accessing Network shares are described here, either by using, or not using, user names and passwords.
Method 1: IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO USE USER NAMES & PASSWORDS FOR WDTV NETWORK SHARES
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In the WDTV Settings/Network settings, select auto logon (if your model WDTV has this option; otherwise, ignore).
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Click on “Clear login info for network share” and select to clear it.
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On your PC, in the Windows Network and Sharing Center/Advanced sharing settings, select it to “Turn OFF password protected sharing”.
End of your access problems. You will not be asked anymore for account names and passwords to access Network shares.
Method 2: IF YOU WANT TO USE USER NAMES & PASSWORDS FOR WDTV NETWORK SHARES
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In the WDTV Settings/Network settings, DO NOT select auto logon (if your model WDTV has this option; otherwise, ignore).
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Click on “Clear login info for network share” and select to clear it.
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On your PC, in the Windows Network and Sharing Center/Advanced sharing settings, select it to “Turn ON password protected sharing”.
Now, (back at the WDTV menu when you access Network shares) you will be prompted to provide your Account name (your name on the shared PC you are accessing; if you login to the PC as Bob, put in Bob).
You also will be asked for your password for the PC you are accessing. If your password is “hello”, put in hello and now you can login to Network shares.
Select which method is best for you and your family. I like things to be simple and easy, so I prefer Method 1.
