Can't access usb drive on my router

Question

On my new Alienware m18 R2 laptop, when I try to access the USB network drive attached to my ASUS RT-BE96U-8F70 router I get the following error:
Error Code: 0x80070035 The network path was not found, even though my router shows up as a network device. in the network file directory.

The laptop went thru the typical windows activation with updates to I presume to update to 24H2 and further 24h2 updates.

What is a head scratcher to me is that my older (now backup) HP laptop is running 24H2 which I loaded by forcing the update from 23H2 using Installation Assistant. Thar laptop has no issue accessing the USB drive on the router.

I tried one fix, that is to completely match windows features on the new laptop with those on the older laptop. There were several features on the new one that I turned on to match those on the older one. No joy. I still have the error when I try to access the router USB drive.

What am I missing here? Was the windows install and updates a problem? Should I do a reset or a clean windows install? This laptop is just starting to being used so either or those options is not a major headache, but I would rather see a simpler solution.

Thanks.

Edit: Tried a cloud reset. No change. Interesting that I can access shared files on my other laptop.

***Moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Files, folders, and storage***

Answer 1

I had the same problem and was able to get it to work by using "Credential Manager".

Manually add the router USB "share" with User and PW in Windows Credentials.

Finicky but a little trial and error ... to success. Much better than all the other useless answers because at least you get a popup requesting credentials. I had to use router admin PW for some reason but it worked.

regards.

Answer 2

Thank you for the reply. As it turns out, I was having some hardware issues with the Alienware laptop, so I exchanged it for a similar ACER Predator laptop. Once windows and updates were loaded, I was able to access the USB network drive. Go figure.

Answer 3

Thank you for responding. I have worked thru all those steps with no success. All the permissions are set up properly. The wireless adapter driver is the same for the new and older laptops. The only change in properties was the ac/ax/be format -- set to ax on the older laptop and be on this one. I changed that to ax to match the older laptop. No luck.

I even connected to the router thru ethernet to see if that would work (I actually have a 50ft ethernet cable). That didn't work.

What is really head scratching is that I can access shareable files on my older laptop and my network printers, of course, just not the USB drive on the router -- which the older laptop can.

Thinking it might be a windows installation issue I also did a reset -- didn't work -- and then a clean install -- also didn't work.

Can this be a bios setting issue? Router doesn't like laptop? Laptop doesn't like router?

It getting to the point that I am giving up and going to plan b -- using my old laptop as the network drive.

Answer 4

Hello ,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.
Based on your description, here are some possible solutions and troubleshooting steps:

1. Make sure your new laptop is on the same network as the router. You can try the following steps:
   Make sure that the Wi-Fi connection is working and that you are connected to the correct network. Try restarting your router and laptop.
2. Make sure the USB drive sharing settings on your router are correct:
   Log in to the router's management interface and check if the USB sharing setting is enabled.
   Make sure that you have set the correct sharing permissions to allow access to devices on your network.
3. Make sure network discovery and file sharing are enabled on the new laptop:
   Open Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings.
   Make sure that "Turn on network discovery" and "Open file and printer sharing" are selected.
4. Windows Firewall or other security software may block access:
   Try disabling Windows Firewall temporarily and see if you can access the USB drive.
   If accessible, consider adding an exception rule to your firewall.
5. Try accessing the USB drive directly using your router's IP address and see if you can access it.
6. Make sure your network adapter drivers are up to date.
7. Now that your old HP laptop has normal access to the USB drive, you can compare the network settings of the two computers:
   Check the properties of your network adapter to make sure that your settings are the same for both PCs.
   Pay special attention to TCP/IP settings and DNS configuration.
8. If none of the above steps resolve the issue, you can try resetting your network settings:
   Open Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network Reset.

I hope the information above is helpful.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Regards,
Jill Zhou