[SOLVED] cannot map network drive: Win 10

dg27

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I recently moved to a new home, with a new ISP (Spectrum).

Previously I had DSL and used my own Asus router. I had a USB drive connected to the router. I had no issues mapping this as a network drive so that my two hard-wired desktops and two WiFi laptops could see it.

I'm using Spectrum's router and though the USB drive is connected to the router and Windows lists the router, I can't get it to map the drive.

What's weird is that I can see an internal network drive that's connected to the other desktop. But not the drive that's connected to the router.

I'm using the same syntax I've used in the past:

\\name of router\name of drive

The error I'm getting is "Your DNS server might be unavailable."

Any advice as to what I'm doing wrong would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Solution
Yes. That may well be the issue; try enabling Samba....

Google "Samba router usb askey".

There will be quite a few resulting links and many discuss routers, usb, and Samba.

Change nothing else. Just enable Samba and determine if the USB drive becomes mappable and accessible.

Here is an Askey User Guide/Manual that I found:

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1337390/Askey-Rac2v1k.html?page=32#manual

(Not an exact match to your router per se but often there are similarities within any given manufacturer's product lines.)

Reference physically numbered Page 31, Section 2.3.6.3 at the bottom regarding Samba.

Take a look at the refenced pages and your router's configuration.

Post what you find, what you change, and what...

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Everything else "network" working okay - correct?

Which model Spectrum router?

Do you have the applicable User Guide/Manual?

Even if not, use the admin login to go into to Spectrum router's configuration settings and double check the the applicable USB drive settings.

May be a typo, misconfiguration: e.g., is the router's USB drive port enabled, access rights. etc.?
 

dg27

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Thanks for your reply.

Everything else "network" working okay - correct?

Yes--I can access an internal shared desktop drive on my wife's machine. I can also print from my machine (the printer is connected to her machine).

Which model Spectrum router?

Windows says Askey Computer Corp., rt4230w-d187 router.

"rt4230w-d187 router" is what I used as the mapping name, i.e. \\rt4230w-d187 router\name of drive.

Do you have the applicable User Guide/Manual? Even if not, use the admin login to go into to Spectrum router's configuration settings and double check the the applicable USB drive settings.

It's an online guide via the admin login.

There, under network, it lists the Toshiba USB drive I have connected.

May be a typo, misconfiguration: e.g., is the router's USB drive port enabled, access rights. etc.?

This is where it gets unclear to me, as it's out of my areas of knowledge..

Under "Services" everything appears to be off, including Samba, DNLA, etc.

Should Samba be enabled?
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Yes. That may well be the issue; try enabling Samba....

Google "Samba router usb askey".

There will be quite a few resulting links and many discuss routers, usb, and Samba.

Change nothing else. Just enable Samba and determine if the USB drive becomes mappable and accessible.

Here is an Askey User Guide/Manual that I found:

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1337390/Askey-Rac2v1k.html?page=32#manual

(Not an exact match to your router per se but often there are similarities within any given manufacturer's product lines.)

Reference physically numbered Page 31, Section 2.3.6.3 at the bottom regarding Samba.

Take a look at the refenced pages and your router's configuration.

Post what you find, what you change, and what happened.

[Note: while working through the router's admin screens keep an eye out for the router's name. That currently being "rt4230w-d187 router". Do nothing for now but bear in mind that you can also probably change that name if you wish to do so.]

Additional Samba links - for more information and if necessary:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...ters-usb/9ab96a5c-cbd3-466d-9c1d-b02ccae5c51f

https://routersecurity.org/turnoff.php Note #8.
 
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Solution

dg27

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Update: Enabling Samba did resolve the problem overall. The device name was listed on the router admin page (it wasn't that router name).

But I temporarily screwed it up by trying to rename the drive; I got it working, but there is still weirdness in that I can't delete a couple of empty folders at the root level.

But at least now I do have a network drive.

Thanks.