[SOLVED] I cannot access my NAS with Windows 11 ?

[kep55]

My one month old new PC has (unfortunately) Windows 11 preinstalled. My NAS, WD My Cloud EX4100< is running SMB3 and SMB 1 is enabled under Windows 11.

I read the notes at https://techcommunity.microsoft.com...-with-smb-in-windows-11-24h2-may-fail/4154300. I can't tell if it supports SMB signing as this article suggests but it appears not, even in the latest os5 version. (Thank you, mictosoft.)

 

[evermorex76]

Are you...asking a question or just venting? Either way, as that article points out, you can just disable the SMB signing requirement in Windows. Since it's Microsoft's own site and they're trying to make you do things the way they want them done, and to avoid litigation they can't even hint that you will be safe if you bypass a security feature, they make it seem like the moment you change any of these things hackers are going to suddenly inundate your home with malware and infect anything that has a power cord and the power cord itself. In reality, you're not going to be any LESS safe than you were before, and on a home network where you have a fairly secure physical network (nobody can just plug in a device without you knowing about it) and you are not a particularly valuable and known target for attack, there's no real problem with making the change and using an "unsafe" NAS.

You should disable SMBv1 though, simply because you don't need it unless you have a NAS or other storage device you need to access which doesn't support v2 or v3 at all. Anti-malware software and other mitigations ought to make it so you are still safe with it turned on, but with no need to have it enabled you're just unnecessarily adding risk.

Which specific OS version do you have on the device? It looks like SMB signing support was only added less than 3 weeks ago in 5.31.101.

 

[BFG-9000]

24H2 not only requires SMB signing (finally added in My Cloud 5.31.101 released May 3, 2025), but also disables guest access. That is, shares now require a username and password. If you disable these, Microsoft commonly reverts your preferences with every update, because you couldn't possibly mean to do that. How helpful!

 

[evermorex76]

24H2 not only requires SMB signing (finally added in My Cloud 5.31.101 released May 3, 2025), but also disables guest access. That is, shares now require a username and password.

Although that requirement can be disabled, too. And in the non-Pro edition guest access is still enabled by default.

 

[kep55]

nothing seems to work. I'm running 24H2 Build 26100.4061. I do NOT use one drive NOR do I use a mictosoft account. I tried evey solution at https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...essageId=6d2a9564-f796-47b6-916f-cfebf2a44ef8

Why I have absolutely NO problems mapping my NAS on my other win10 boxes, or my Fire Max 13 for that matter. The cynical skeptic i me thinks it's an intention ploy to force users to use one drive, that storage on the bunch of holes held together with string/vapor.

 

[kep55]

FINALLY! I got the bad boy to see and map my NAS.

Answer #4 @ https://windowsreport.com/windows-11-nas-not-showing-in-network/ seemed to to the trick. NEVER had this problem under win7 or win10.

 

[evermorex76]

FINALLY! I got the bad boy to see and map my NAS. Answer #4 @ https://windowsreport.com/windows-11-nas-not-showing-in-network/ seemed to to the trick. NEVER had this problem under win7 or win10.

@BFG-9000 did recommend checking both SMB signing and guest access. Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise disables guest access to NAS shares, so that you must set a username/password on the NAS for each share, and from a quick search it seems that even if you had it allowed previously, 24H2 reverts the setting. Windows 10 and previous permitted guest access by default in all editions.