Cannot connect New Windows 11 Home Computer to a Specific Network Share

Hello Martin,

Thank you very much for the quick response. I have resolved the issue and I will detail the steps later in this reply but first I will summarize my results of the troubleshooting steps that you suggested. I had previously tried most of these but I repeated all of them just to confirm.

Check SMB Settings and Version Compatibility: - SMB 1.0 was enabled. I turned this off and tried to connect with no success and turned back on.

Ensure SMB 1.0 is Enabled Correctly: - same as above

Test with SMB 2.0/3.0: - Linksys MR9000 is compatible with SMB 2.0 but not 3.0. I verified that the SMB 2.0 was active. Connection attempt failed when SMB 1.0 was disabled in step 1

Force SMB2/SMB3 if Possible: - step followed but connection attempt failed

Check the Router and its USB Share Configuration: - this router provides very few admin page details but led me to a resolution below.

USB Device Compatibility: - USB device was working for all other networked computers.

Ensure Proper Permissions and Access: - confirmed

Map the Network Drive Manually: - mapping attempt unsuccessful.

Check Share Permissions on the Router: - also indirectly led to a resolution. The only Authentication option is to either turn it on or off. It has been set to off since the initial configuration with the USB storage device.

Try Connecting via Different Methods: - attempted and unsuccessful.

Access via Web Interface: - feature not available on this router except for managing the router.

Test with Static IP: - attempted and unsuccessful

Network Reset: - attempted several times and unsuccessful

Resolution (I'm inclined to think of it as a workaround)

Below is the extent of the configuration options on the External Storage page of the MR9000 router:

The authentication switch has historically been set to off. I did try turning it on as part of my initial troubleshooting but had no success. Today I turned it on and was immediately able to access the network storage on the new computer, but it disabled access to every other computer on the network. On another computer I entered the IP address \10.125.1.1 into file explorer and was presented with a login window:

I entered the credentials for the router authentication for External Storage and checked "Remember my Credentials. After clicking on OK, I was presented with the following dialog box:

I recall seeing the same thing on the new computer the very first time I tried to connect and concluded that by turning on the router requirement for authentication did not work, so I turned it back off so that other connected computers would continue to work. But what I found today was on this other computer after clicking the OK button on the above error dialog, I again entered the router IP into File Explorer and I was able to connect.

Again I then went to another computer and it was also disconnected from the External Storage. I repeated the above entering the IP into File Explorer, entered the credentials, clicked OK and got the Error, clicked OK and was then able to connect to the external storage.

The reason why I was able to immediately connect the new computer after the firewall change today was because in my first attempt to connect the new computer to the storage device, the credentials that I used were stored in the Credential Manager. As for the other computers I have never had to enter these credentials, therefore nothing stored in Credential Manager and access required credentials to be entered.

Now I have all computers connected but it doesn't explain why all pre-existing computers (some Windows 11) would connect without authentication enabled but the new Windows 11 PC would not. The latest Windows Updates are installed on every computer.

I hope this may help anyone else experiencing the identical or similar issue.

Jim

Dear JimSirt,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community

It sounds like you're dealing with a frustrating situation where your new Windows 11 Home PC is unable to connect to the network share hosted on the router's USB disk, while all other devices can connect without issue.

Since you've already made many of the right adjustments, let's try a few more troubleshooting steps to help resolve the issue.

Check SMB Settings and Version Compatibility

Windows 11 Home has SMB 1.0 disabled by default, which may be the cause of the issue. Although you've already enabled SMB 1.0, it’s also possible that the router's USB drive only supports SMB 1.0, and Windows 11 might be rejecting the connection due to SMB version mismatches.

Ensure SMB 1.0 is Enabled Correctly:

Open Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.

Ensure SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support is checked.

Restart the PC.

Test with SMB 2.0/3.0: If the router supports SMB 2.0 or SMB 3.0, you might need to make sure that SMB 2.0 or higher is properly configured on your Windows 11 PC. Since you have SMB 1.0 enabled, Windows should be trying to connect using this version first, but sometimes, it can cause issues. Check if the router supports higher versions of SMB (SMB 2.0 or 3.0), and make sure Windows 11 is configured to support those versions as well.

Force SMB2/SMB3 if Possible:

You can try forcing Windows to use SMB2/SMB3 by disabling SMB1 entirely (just for testing). Run the following commands in an elevated Command Prompt (admin rights required):

dism /online /norestart /disable-feature /featurename:SMB1Protocol

net stop lanmanworkstation

Restart your computer afterward and check if the connection is possible.

Check the Router and its USB Share Configuration

Check Router SMB Settings: Some routers (especially Linksys) offer advanced settings that let you configure which SMB version the USB storage uses. Log into your router's admin page and verify the SMB version settings for the USB disk.

USB Device Compatibility: Confirm that the USB disk connected to the router is working correctly. Sometimes, routers may have compatibility issues with certain USB drives or file formats, which might prevent network access.

Ensure Proper Permissions and Access

Map the Network Drive Manually: Try mapping the network share manually using these steps:

Open File Explorer and click on This PC.

Click the Computer tab and then select Map Network Drive.

In the Folder field, type \10.125.1.1 and make sure Reconnect at sign-in is checked.

Click Finish and see if it asks for credentials or provides access.

Check Share Permissions on the Router: Ensure that the USB storage connected to the router has the correct permissions for network access. Some routers may have configurable user authentication for SMB shares, which could be causing the issue if the new PC isn’t authenticated correctly.

Try Connecting via Different Methods

Use the Router’s IP Address (Again): Since the other computers are using \10.125.1.1, try directly accessing the share by typing it in File Explorer’s address bar: \10.125.1.1\ or \10.125.1.1<share name>.

Access via Web Interface: Some routers allow access to USB storage via a web-based interface (like FTP or webDAV). If you can, try accessing the drive through this method and see if you encounter any permissions issues.

Test with Static IP: Sometimes dynamic IP assignments (from DHCP) can cause issues with network discovery. Assigning a static IP address (instead of relying on the router to assign it) to the new PC might help with consistent access.

Network Reset

If you have exhausted all options, you can try resetting the network settings. This will remove all network configurations and reset them to their defaults:

Open Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network setting.

Scroll down and click on Network reset.

Follow the prompts to reset and reboot your PC.

Let me know how it goes!

Best Regards,

Martin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist