WD TV Live keeps losing network shares

WD Legacy Products WD TV Live Streaming
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That’s what I like to hear!

Full disclosure, I hadn’t check in on this thread in a while because I never got any email updates. I subscribed to the thread, but never got any until just now, which brought me back. Odd. Anyway, thanks for the comments. A couple things to bring up:

@ mike27oct: I said in my initial post that I tried the master browser thing (and linked to it) and it said that none of my computers are the master browser. My “server” for now is also my main computer, and occasionally it needs to be turned off or restarted. I’m not shutting down every device in my house when I need to do that, that seems unreasonable to me. Maybe one day when I get my full server that can be an option, but for now it’s just not practical and shouldn’t be the be-all end-all of my solution.

@ JRFishman: I’ll look into a rollback, though you said that you still get the issue, so I’m wary. Your box seems to be much more sensitive than mine, though.

Another point: my “solution” of how I fixed the problem doesn’t actually work. There was some construction going on outside my house and they had to cut the power, so I came back to a shut down computer and a running WD box that – surprise – had lost all its shares. I tried my new “solution” and it failed. I had to do a factory reset before it would fix the issue. That, to me, seems like a WD issue, not a computer issue. Not trying to be argumentative here, but that’s my rational diagnosis for the problem. Then again, I don’t know anything, really, about this stuff.

Then you guys argued for a bunch of posts…

Plex isn’t really an option for me for a media server. At least not now. I just want a cut and dry solution, and every day I lean more towards junking the box. It’s gonna happen eventually, anyway, when I rock an HTPC.

jubei04 wrote:> Hi guys, this issue is under investigation. 

@ jubei04: Glad to hear the issue is being investigated! Not sure what the problem is, or what to investigate, but I welcome the look. Like I’ve stated in my initial post, it seems random. It even happened once (lost the shares, permanently) in the span of a couple minutes when I accidentally turn the thing off. That doesn’t sound proper. I understand that nothing is perfect and this stuff is difficult to get working, so I appreciate the time taken to fix it. But if the issue just gets ignored, then I get angry. Thanks!

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ncarver>>>>  It is absolutely a fact that the majority of people running WIndows do not understand its file sharing configuration, plus this configuration is vastly more complicated than it needs to be (IMO).

I concur 100% with this comment, and I was deeply in this camp myself at one time.  The past few years I have learned from, read and written 1000s of posts here, and I have seen this be the case over and over.  Eventually, some posters can fix their problem with help from these forums, unfortunately not enough can, because Windows sharing is such a foreign concept to many.  Too bad this stuff doesn’t work easily like a toaster, but such is life in the technological age of today.

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mike27oct wrote:

The ONLY times I have lost WDTV Network shares is when my (Windows) master browser function failed/disappeared.  Once I learned it was a master browser issue, I permanently solved the problem – a few years ago.  Since my router (and not a PC or WDTV) serves as a permanent master browser  my MB problems are a thing of the past.  If one cannot use a router for this purpose, the only other solution I know of is to keep a “main” PC running all the time as the master browser.

I have this problem and it’s not a problem at the master browser.  I have one PC dedicated as a server and master browser.  It’s a PC running Vista Business and has been on 24/7 since 2007.  When the WD loses access to network shares (and it’s random, I can’t reproduce when it will happen but it will happen once or twice a month) I have confirmed that the master browser is functioning properly by running nbtstat to confirm the PC is still the MB as well as confirming network shares are accessible from other PCs in the house.

While my router can function as a master browser that requires enabling DLNA which I don’t want to (or should need to) do.  The fact is that I use my network to access files all day long without issue from the client PCs as it is currently configured.  It’s the WD TV Live that has random issues and only the WD Live.

Additionally, the WD is completely unhelpful with its error message.  Instead of saying that it can’t find the share, it tells the user that the username/password are wrong when in the end, it doesn’t matter what username/password you enter, you’ll never connect to the previously used share.

What is different between the networks of those that don’t have problems vs those that do, I don’t know.  Hopefully WD can figure it out.

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adiabatic wrote:> I have this problem and it’s not a problem at the master browser.  I have one PC dedicated as a server and master browser.  It’s a PC running Vista Business and has been on 24/7 since 2007.  When the WD loses access to network shares (and it’s random, I can’t reproduce when it will happen but it will happen once or twice a month) I have confirmed that the master browser is functioning properly by running nbtstat to confirm the PC is still the MB as well as confirming network shares are accessible from other PCs in the house.

While my router can function as a master browser that requires enabling DLNA which I don’t want to (or should need to) do.  The fact is that I use my network to access files all day long without issue from the client PCs as it is currently configured.  It’s the WD TV Live that has random issues and only the WD Live.

Additionally, the WD is completely unhelpful with its error message.  Instead of saying that it can’t find the share, it tells the user that the username/password are wrong when in the end, it doesn’t matter what username/password you enter, you’ll never connect to the previously used share.

What is different between the networks of those that don’t have problems vs those that do, I don’t know.  Hopefully WD can figure it out.

I gotta say I’m siding with this one. When I try to check my MB, it says that none of the computers on my network are the MB. And I dismissed the MB thing because a) whatever I tried didn’t work and 2) everything was working fine without an MB (or at least it must have been).

Hopefully WD can figure out what’s up. Though I can see it being very difficult, especially since we can’t reproduce anything.

That said, I tried sending everything to my box using the Windows Media Player media server (that’s what I used to do with my Xbox before I upgraded) and it just coordinates everything in one big folder for videos, which I wasn’t a fan of. When I go to videos, I want it to pull up my own pre-defined folders. I’m a bit neurotic like that, but I can do that with an HTPC.

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I’m glad this issue is being investigated. I finally gave up and rolled back yesterday, after being on 2.01.86 for several weeks, and having to do the workaround of submitting the same homegroup name to get the network to restart several times a day. I don’t believe I’ve lost network shares once since rolling back yesterday. On the latest firmware, when connected to network shares (windows 7 machine) every so often it would tell me the content source had been disconnected, and I’d have to force the network to restart. And of course, the media library, composed exclusively of shares, would be gone.

I only updated to 2.01.86 in the first place since I was having an issue when watching YouTube with the player restarting itself upon a video finishing, which the latest firmware did fix.

I don’t know if it was a master browser issue or not. I did try what someone suggested of forcing my router to become master browser for the local network and was still having problems with the WDTV Live.

Only other real issue I have with the player is when browsing tv shows through the media library sorted by folder, it still can’t get the episode order right.

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To the guys above discussing MB.  If you have not been to this link, read it, and download and install the free lanscan utility to easily locate the device that is the MB, you need to do this.

http://scottiestech.info/2009/02/14/how-to-determine-the-master-browser-in-a-windows-workgroup/

 

This is what the output of the utility lanscan shows you:

 

lanscan display.JPG

 

What is shown above from my network is:  2 Epson wireless printers, my Win 7 computer, my RT-N66U router and 2 WDTV units.  Note that the router is flagged as the master browser.

 

If you can make the router the MB as I have done, I highly recommend doing so.  Ever since I did this, my MB problems disappeared.  Enough said.

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mike27oct wrote:

To the guys above discussing MB.  If you have not been to this link, read it, and downloaded and installed the lanscan utility to easily locate the device that is the MB, you need to do this.

 

http://scottiestech.info/2009/02/14/how-to-determine-the-master-browser-in-a-windows-workgroup/

 

This is what the output of the utility lanscan shows you:

 

What is shown above from my network is:  2 Epson wireless printers, my Win 7 computer, my RT-N66U router and 2 WDTV units.  Note that the router is flagged as the master browser.

 

If you can make the router the MB as I have done, I highly recommend doing so.  Ever since I did this, my MB problems disappeared.  Enough said.

As I mentioned before mike, I said in my initial post that I’ve tried this without success. I even hyperlinked the exact website. Nothing was listed as the MB, and the lanscan utility wouldn’t even work on my computer.

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try nbtstat -A IP-ADDRESS for each computer on your network till you find the master browser

if there really is no master browser, well that would be the problem

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@Casanova

You didn’t need to copy my whole msg incl. graphic since it was directly under yours.   :wink:

  1. Lanscan is a WIndows program.

  2. You copy the lanscan program to your Windows folder, so when you type in lanscan into the text box that appears when you click on the Start orb, it just works.

Running lanscan is not rocket science, but you do need to use it correctly.  What kind of PC/OS are you running?

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mike27oct wrote:

@Casanova

You didn’t need to copy my whole msg incl. graphic since it was directly under yours.   :wink:

 

  1. Lanscan is a WIndows program.
  1. You copy the lanscan program to your Windows folder, so when you type in lanscan into the text box that appears when you click on the Start orb, it just works.

Running lanscan is not rocket science, but you do need to use it correctly.  What kind of PC/OS are you running?

I wasn’t aware it copied the graphic until after I posted. This forum has a weird quote system, different from most others I’m used to working with.

I downloaded and ran lanscan successfully, and it tells me what the CMD prompts did: no MB. I’m running Windows 8. The only things that showed up were my router/network and my computer that I’m using now, because they’re the only ones running.

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Your computer should have shown up as the MB.  So, without a MB you most  likely have a problem.  Is your Win 8 PC "“running the show” when it comes to setting up shares and all?

I have no idea why you don’t have a MB, because your Win 8 PC should be the point man.

Your network might not “need” a MB if other things like WDTV are not running.  Just a guess here on that idea.

Anyone else have an idea?

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Yes, the computer I’m on now is the be-all and end-all of my home computing. No idea why there is no MB either, but things are working now so I have little to complain about.

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I wonder… I use the WD TV on wi-fi and lose shares from time to time.  Is anyone on wired and seeing that OR is anyone on wi-fi and has no problems?

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I’m wired and I’ve been wired since day one. Problem central.

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deadlock wrote:
I see you’re not well versed in the art of debating.

Says the guy who constantly fails at using an argument from authority and does not appear well versed in statistics.

deadlock wrote:

You assume that the majority of users do not have problems. Most of my colleagues, nearly the entire IT department however, have this issue as well and a bunch of our teachers who I’ve recommended the product to and my neighbours ever since they switched off their last XP machine.

Since when is your personal sample size “most of my colleagues” anywhere close to being significant for anything? As you very well know, the complainers skew the results on any poll cause people happy with their device are less likely to post. And even so, results here and especially on Amazon suggest that the majority of people have no (network) problems with the device.

WD seems to have changed networking with 2.01.86 which does not nearly affect as many people as you assume, still I’m very interested to see how it turns out when a fix is released.

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adiabatic wrote:

I wonder… I use the WD TV on wi-fi and lose shares from time to time.  Is anyone on wired and seeing that OR is anyone on wi-fi and has no problems?

Have had the SMP for 3 years, never had a problem with network shares, never had a file it won’t play, never freezes or needs rebooting, etc. In fact the only “issues” I’ve had have been of my own design - misnaming files, not understanding ThumbGen, etc.

My little black box sits behind a tv in my bedroom and plays videos (over wi-fi) from my Live Hub 16 metres and 3 walls away.

I have never upgraded firmware, still using v1.04.12

All is good

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ritaben wrote:

I have never upgraded firmware, still using v1.04.12

 

Had to read that twice, wait, 1 point what??  :laughing:

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Well do I have an interesting new development:

I was watching something last night, and left it on with the purpose of coming back shortly to watch more. I got busy for a few hours writing, and when I had come back, the box had mysteriously shut itself off. The 3-hour power saving thing was on, so it must have been that. I was away for about 3 hours too, though not actually away, just 10 feet away working on my computer. Which I never restarted or anything. When I came back to the box, and it’s mysterious lack of being on, I turned it back on. Turns out it had shut itself completely off and I had to cold boot it. And, surprise surprise, when I turned it back on, NO NETWORK SHARES! I tried my old solution of turning off shares/clear login/hard restart. Then I tried my NEW solution of doing a full device reset to factory, which worked last time. That failed as well. So I’m back with no network shares and zero ideas on how to proceed. I guess trying older firmware.

This leads me to only one conclusion: WDTV must be Skynet. The way this box learns to control my emotions is incredible. It also learns all the ways I have to bypass its errors and fixes them by the next time it tries to take my network shares away. It’s incredible.

ritaben wrote:

Have had the SMP for 3 years, never had a problem with network shares, never had a file it won’t play, never freezes or needs rebooting, etc. In fact the only “issues” I’ve had have been of my own design - misnaming files, not understanding ThumbGen, etc.> My little black box sits behind a tv in my bedroom and plays videos (over wi-fi) from my Live Hub 16 metres and 3 walls away.

I have never upgraded firmware, still using v1.04.12

All is good

I’m thinking your lack of issue is twofold: 1) old firmware (many people, from what I’ve seen, have had their problems with new firmware) and 2) streaming from a Live Hub. Like any other company, they make their products to function well together. Streaming from one WD device to another should be flawless, since they can control and test for so many things in-house. There’s always variables with everyone streaming their own configurations via their own computers, and I can see that being the reason why there are issues.

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adiabatic wrote:

I wonder… I use the WD TV on wi-fi and lose shares from time to time.  Is anyone on wired and seeing that OR is anyone on wi-fi and has no problems?

Most of my network gadgets are wired, although only one of my WDTVs is wired, and the other one is wireless and 10 feet or so away from the router, and not accessable to be wired. .Wired works best, and wireless works OK, too, but wireless can be problematic if the distance between a wirelessly-connected WDTV and router results in a less than ideal signal strength between the two, and that is where a lot of problems can be caused.  If the wireless signal is excellent to very good, that should be fine; less than that, it could be problematic.  There are ways to measure signal strength, e.g. use a laptop to connect to wireless signal and stand by the WDTV to see what the signal strength is.  It laptop signal strength is weak there, then same can be said for the WDTV.

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deadlock wrote:

As I’ve said before; know your protocols, take packet dumps of what is happening and you’ll see that the implementation is broken.

Can you be more specific?   

I posted this:   http://community.wd.com/t5/WD-TV-Live-Streaming/WANTED-Someone-with-Share-problems-after-2-01-86-that-can-run/m-p/639301#M25712

… but no takers.

Sounds like you’ve already done the legwork.  Can you share what you found?