Win 11 home cant connect to my nas

Question

I just reset windows and it cant connect to my nas. in network i enabled network discovery. always says path not found. it is fine settings in my router and every other device connects fine.

i was using this laptop fine then had to reset windows and now with no differences it wont work.

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

Answer 1

Hello,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

This issue seems to be related to a specific conflict that can occur after Windows updates, especially concerning SMB signing and network configurations. It may also involve security policies or firewall settings that interfere with SMB communication. Here's a step-by-step approach to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue you're facing

1. Check Network Discovery and File Sharing Settings

Ensure that network discovery and file sharing are enabled.

• Open the Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings.
• Under the Private network settings, enable Turn on network discovery and Turn on file and printer sharing.
• You may also try enabling the Turn on 128-bit encryption to connect to this computer option.

2. Check Windows Firewall

The firewall can sometimes block connections to NAS devices. Check if it's causing the issue.

• Open Control Panel > Windows Defender Firewall.
• Click on Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off, and ensure that it’s not blocking file sharing.
• You may try temporarily turning off the firewall for testing purposes.

3. Enable SMB 1.0 Protocol

Sometimes, NAS devices use older versions of the SMB protocol, and Windows 11 might have SMB 1.0 disabled by default. Try enabling it:

• Open Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.
• In the list, check SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support, and then click OK.
• Restart your computer and see if it can connect to the NAS.

4. Check Network Configuration

Ensure that both your computer and NAS are on the same subnet.

• Open Command Prompt (CMD) and type ipconfig to check your computer’s IP address.
• Ensure the NAS device’s IP address is in the same range (e.g., both should be in the 192.168.1.x range).

5. Reset Network Adapter

Network adapter issues can also cause connection failures.

• Open Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.
• Right-click on your network connection and choose Disable, then right-click again and select Enable.

6. Check NAS Device Settings

Ensure that your NAS has no issues with file sharing and doesn’t have restrictions for specific devices.

• Log in to the NAS management interface and check the file sharing settings, ensuring SMB sharing is configured correctly.
• Make sure there are no restrictions on specific devices, such as limiting access by MAC address or IP address.

7. Connect Using IP Address

Sometimes connecting via the computer’s name can fail; try connecting directly using the IP address:

• In File Explorer, enter \[NAS IP address] in the address bar, like \192.168.1.100.
• If you can connect via the IP address, this may indicate a name resolution issue.

8. Check Drivers and Network Adapter

Make sure your network adapter drivers are up to date.

• Open Device Manager, locate the Network Adapters section, right-click on your network adapter, and choose Update driver.
• If the driver is already up to date but the issue persists, try uninstalling and reinstalling the network adapter driver.

These steps should resolve most network connection issues. If the problem persists, further investigation of your NAS logs or testing connections from other devices may be needed.

Have a nice day. 

Best Regards