Network ok but can't see MSHOME

Truman · Post by **Truman** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 7:36 am

After recently upgrading xbmc I have this problem with my network when adding a source.

I can play movies etc no problem but when I go into add source then add network location I no longer see MSHOME>troys-pc.

I can see a smb://MSHOME/troys-pc/G/movies in the add source menu and if I choose edit network location I can jump out of there and into say G/music but then it brings up a username and password dialogue box. I don't have a username or password on any of my shared folders or to boot into the computer at all.

Last night I managed to fix this but don't know how. I could browse troys-PC and added my movies and tv shows folder. But today I have the same problem.

If i choose windows smb in add source it brings me to a blank list.

Any help would be appreciated.

Truman · Post by **Truman** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 8:26 pm

Anyone?

whufclee · Post by **whufclee** » Fri Jan 04, 2013 9:29 am

What version of windows are you running?

Truman · Post by **Truman** » Fri Jan 04, 2013 10:05 am

Windows 8. I upgraded from windows 7. But it worked fine before I upgraded the Xbox and on an atv2.

Funnily enough when I got home tonight and tried it, it worked fine and I could see MSHOME again.

I found out the folder I was trying to add wasn't shared even though it was a sub folder of a shared drive and I could see it in xbmc and other sub folders had picked up the permissions of the parent drive.
That's why I was being prompted for a password.
Still doesnt explain why I couldn't see MSHOME from xbmc yesterday but can now. This is the second time this has happened now.

Post by **BuZz** » Fri Jan 04, 2013 2:25 pm

are you using fixed ips on internal network? if not, I recommend that.

Truman · Post by **Truman** » Fri Jan 04, 2013 10:07 pm

I wasn't originally but changed it about a week ago. But the Xbox always got the same ip even using dhcp.

It happened again this morning. I can see folders already added and play movies no problems but If I try to add a new source and go into add network location and enter the IP address of the computer in server name I get an error saying Invalid computer name. So then I typed my computer name in the server name field instead and the error I get is The connection was refused.

Post by **BuZz** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:27 am

you should switch to static ips. another option might be to set the wins server specifically to the windows machine, but if that has a dynamic ip, you have the same problem.

basically, in a windows network, you have two types of resolvers for names. I'm a little rough on the details, but the old one is wins and the new uses a broadcast type system. anyway, when you have a single windows machine, that becomes the master browser on samba, and does the resolving. when you have more machines this can change and the xbox samba can get confused. it can happen even with a single machine if that is rebooted and comes back with a new ip.

the solution is

A) fixed ips for important LAN machines like fileservers etc
B) pointing the WINS address to a known machine that can resolve the up to date names

with my network, with multiple windows/linux machines, I have my linux fileserver samba config set to be forced as the master browser. and I also point the wins address to it. I also use static ips. this sorts the issue. probably just having static ips would be enough and to point the wins server to the windows pc. wins is an older protocol for name resolution, but worth setting.

Post by **BuZz** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:28 am

oh and just worth mentioning, people do read reports, but are not always around, so please wait a little longer before bumping posts. cheers

(you waited only like an hour!)

Truman · Post by **Truman** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 5:57 am

@Buzz.. Thanks for the help. It was 13 hours before I bumped it. I posted at 4.36pm and bumped at 5.26am before I went to work because I knew you guys in the Northern hemisphere would be at home after work etc so was hopeing to get a response..

Okay I changed the network adaptor tcp/ip settings to a static IP and added the dns server Ip for my adsl ISP. I assume I keep dhcp enabled in my router so it gives out IP addresses to my Iphone laptops etc?

Now not sure about this Wins server bit though. Do I do this on XBMC under the wins server option or do I set this on my PC under advanced tcp/ip settings WINS tab? And if there do I tick enable LMHOSTS look up and what do I set netbios over tcpip too?

Thanks again

Truman · Post by **Truman** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 7:00 am

After changing to a static IP I can go to add network location and type in TROY-PC and it shows my PC and its shared folders. (This wont work if I type in the IP address though)

But I still cant see MSHOME Like I could last night and a few days ago. Not to worry it works so thats all good.

Post by **spicemuseum** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 11:03 am

Anecdotally, I have always found CIFS (Windows Samba) installations based on home PCs extremely unreliable. Buzz's recommendation to set a static IP on the machine sharing the files is sage, it will help.

(The set-up might be more reliable if it was a Linux based machine running samba (like I, and Buzz, and many others have), but that's a different story and has its own complications.)

Tinton · Post by **Tinton** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:09 pm

I'm having the same problem as OP. Anyone know what WINS settings to use?

Post by **BuZz** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:12 pm

if you have multiple machines with some being windows and you have a linux machine also - then I usually set the linux machine to be the master browser. also static ips help. You could try setting the WINS server to one of the windows PCs

Tinton · Post by **Tinton** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:35 pm

BuZz wrote:if you have multiple machines with some being windows and you have a linux machine also - then I usually set the linux machine to be the master browser. also static ips help. You could try setting the WINS server to one of the windows PCs

I don't have a linux machine on the network, though I think my WDTV runs linux? I also don't have a clue how to set one of the Windows machines to be the WINS master browser/server. I found the WINS tab under IP4 settings in Windows but don't know what options to select or anything. I'm having a problem where my XBOX sees the workgroup and network for a while then it doesn't, and doesn't until I reboot everything. It seems to be a WINS conflict.

Post by **BuZz** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:37 pm

Tinton wrote:
BuZz wrote:if you have multiple machines with some being windows and you have a linux machine also - then I usually set the linux machine to be the master browser. also static ips help. You could try setting the WINS server to one of the windows PCs

I don't have a linux machine on the network, though I think my WDTV runs linux? I also don't have a clue how to set one of the Windows machines to be the WINS master browser/server. I found the WINS tab under IP4 settings in Windows but don't know what options to select or anything. I'm having a problem where my XBOX sees the workgroup and network for a while then it doesn't, and doesn't until I reboot everything. It seems to be a WINS conflict.

sorry, I thought you had a linux machine also. The windows machines will decide which one of them is the master browser. Make sure you are using static ip addresses, and point the WINS address to one of the machines.

Tinton · Post by **Tinton** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:41 pm

BuZz wrote:
Tinton wrote:
BuZz wrote:if you have multiple machines with some being windows and you have a linux machine also - then I usually set the linux machine to be the master browser. also static ips help. You could try setting the WINS server to one of the windows PCs

I don't have a linux machine on the network, though I think my WDTV runs linux? I also don't have a clue how to set one of the Windows machines to be the WINS master browser/server. I found the WINS tab under IP4 settings in Windows but don't know what options to select or anything. I'm having a problem where my XBOX sees the workgroup and network for a while then it doesn't, and doesn't until I reboot everything. It seems to be a WINS conflict.
sorry, I thought you had a linux machine also. The windows machines will decide which one of them is the master browser. Make sure you are using static ip addresses, and point the WINS address to one of the machines.

I just set my 2 computers to static in my router's settings. Though they were always assigned the same local IPs anyways, 65 for the laptop and 74 for the desktop. You say point the WINS address to one of the machines, is that something I do on the xbox? Or do I setup WINS manually on one of the Windows machines?

Post by **BuZz** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:53 pm

on the xbox.

you can also try accessing them by ip - so adding a source smb://ipaddress/

Tinton · Post by **Tinton** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 12:04 am

BuZz wrote:on the xbox.

you can also try accessing them by ip - so adding a source smb://ipaddress/

I'll try that, thanks!

Tinton · Post by **Tinton** » Sat Nov 01, 2014 12:33 am

Adding it by IP doesn't work, and using static IPs hasn't changed anything. It'll see the computer but when I attempt to login it just keeps rejecting it. And now after applying windows updates last night in an attempt to fix the problem, it won't login to my laptop at all. While my desktop logs into the laptop just fine

.

Now everytime I want to watch something using xbmc on the TV, I have to take my laptop off the network and restart my desktop. EVERY ****ING TIME. And sometimes it'll just drop out mid-movie or mid tv show. This isn't how TV is supposed to work, when I sit down and want to watch something I shouldn't have to reset everything and troubleshoot the network. Its making it so I don't want to watch TV at all. Can I setup FTP or something else besides SMB that'll work? Also, besides the xbox, my WDTV has the same problem. After a while it can't see the workgroup. Isn't there some way I can manually control how WINS handles the workgroup across the network, without a linux box?

Tinton · Post by **Tinton** » Sat Nov 01, 2014 12:44 am

I found something that looks promising:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/libr ... 59923.aspx

That explains how to set 1 Windows computer on the network to be the master browser. I'll try it later to see if it fixes it. I'm like 90% sure the problem is that the computers hold an election to determine a new master browser and it doesn't resolve and set a new master browser. I think setting it manually will work!

Network ok but can't see MSHOME

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