Help. Windows 10 file explorer does not discover FreeNAS

[Smeghead68]

As the title says I am unable to "see" my NAS in windows explorer. I was able to use explorer to view/add/delete files on my NAS a few weeks ago but now now cannot even see the NAS in the network section.
Funny thing is that I am able to ping the server and even login to the GUI via IE and firefox. But i can't get the media files via the explorer.

This is probably a windows issue but I don't seem to be getting a response on those forums so I thought I'd try here.

I am currently running the evaluation copy of Windows 10: Details:
- Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview
- version 1511
- OS build 10565.41737
- 64Bit
- Intel i&-2600 CPU with 24GB of RAM


I have tried the following (some simple things found on the net) to correct the issue with no success:
- Rebooted windows 10 machine (several times)
- Rebooted Router (Actiontec V2000H)
- Rebooted NAS (FreeNAS 9.3)
- ipconfig /flushdns
- change from using PIN to password
- Change from password to PIN
- using regedit added the AllowInsecureGuestAuth = 1 to the registry.


Notes on NAS:
using Freenas 9.3, ZFS volume, enabled CIFS shares. do not require login to access media files (or any files). The server only has media files on it so no password required or enabled. My Windows 7, 8 and ubuntu machines all access the NAS with not issues.


Notes on Network:
- The network is hardwired with Cat 5e cable (except for wireless printer)
- Windows 10 explorer is able to "see" other windows machines (windows 7 and 8), an Linus Ubuntu 14.04 machine, router (Actiontec V2000H, printer (wireless), AV receiver,
- the windows 7/8 machines are able to access the media files on the NAS with no issues and are able to see the windows 10 machine.
- the ubuntu 14.04 machine is able to access the media files on the NAS with no issues and is able to see the windows 10//8/7 machines on the network.

Any help or direction to try next would be greatly appreciated. I like windows 10 but it will be a show stopper if I cannot access my NAS from this Windows 10 machine.

Thanks

 

[INCSlayer]

what if you go directly to it instead of letting windows try to discover it?

type "\\ip address of server"
without the "" into the address bar in the windows 10 explorer

Edit: corrected the Slashes Thanks Ericloewe... it's not exactly the first time i mix those up

 

[Ericloewe]

type "//ip address of server"

\\NetBIOS name or \\IP address

Note that backslashes. Forward slashes will not work in Windows.

Quite simply, NetBIOS discovery is fscking horrible. However, NetBIOS name resolution works well enough. If this bothers you, make a link to your server on your desktop.

 

[Jailer]

Are you sure both are in the same workgroup?

 

[Smeghead68]

Thanks for the replies INCSlayer, Ericloewe and Jailer.

When i go directly to the server using \\ipaddress from explorer window I am able to see the shared files no problem.
However when using the \\NetBios name method it seems intermittent(?), in that it didn't work the first time (got the Windows cannot access error). The second time I tried (about 1 min later) the \\Netbios it connected?!? However occasionally I will still get the Windows Cannot Access error but if wait 1 minute and try again it connects. Seems like some kind of timing or handshaking issue?

So where do I go from here? Any way to set windows so that the server is automatically discovered? Do I need to map a network drive to the \\ipaddress ?

Thanks again guys I've been pulling my hair out trying to figure out what happened.

 

[pclausen]

I had the same issue on build 10565 (fast ring). Rolling back to regular windows 10, the issue went away and I can see the share.

You can map it as a network drive. That works on both regular win10 as well as with the insider preview versions.

 

[anodos]

You're better off configuring dns for your LAN or using hosts files. Both options take less time than debugging NetBIOS name resolution problems and are overall better solutions. :)

 

[nightshade00013]

You're better off configuring dns for your LAN or using hosts files. Both options take less time than debugging NetBIOS name resolution problems and are overall better solutions. :)

Wouldn't static IP's and not using NetBIOS names at all be even easier? If one computer is having the problem the likelihood of another having the same issue creep up is there.

Basically just go to the computer, open up the file explorer and get to the point where you can see all the drives in the computer and then map a network drive. \\xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx\sharename\ Asign it to a drive leter and good to go.

 

[Smeghead68]

anodos, I'm not sure what you mean by configuring DNS for the LAN or by what using host files. I am no network guru and need a lot hand holding as I wade through. I have configured the NAS for a static IP address and currently have it mapped to a network drive. This gets me what I want but it seems like a work around rather than a fix.

I can live with it for now but would still like to know what happened and what I can do to fix it.

nightshade, Like you said i mapped a network drive but would still like to know what happened.

thanks for your input guys!

 

[nightshade00013]

For the DNS for the lan you can do one of two things, Edit the hosts file on each computer and redirect names to IP's or you can go into your router and see if there is a way to do the same there and make it network wide. If you are using DHCP for everything and not setting static leases for particular MAC addresses though it is an utter PITA.

My guess is possibly netbios is turned off or something has caused it to go funky, that is windows way to allow all the computers to resolve their own hostnames without a WINS.

I actually have my clients set to get a DHCP IP from the router but have static entries setup to be handed out. This way if I need to make changes or I take my FreeNAS to my father's place I can just plug it in and boot and look for the IP address in his system. All my jails get an IP address this way as well and everything just comes up and functions even if it can be a pain to figure the IP it's on but it's easier than changing each one by hand.

 

[anodos]

anodos, I'm not sure what you mean by configuring DNS for the LAN or by what using host files. I am no network guru and need a lot hand holding as I wade through. I have configured the NAS for a static IP address and currently have it mapped to a network drive. This gets me what I want but it seems like a work around rather than a fix.

I can live with it for now but would still like to know what happened and what I can do to fix it.

nightshade, Like you said i mapped a network drive but would still like to know what happened.

thanks for your input guys!

The big picture is that you want name resolution to work. If your freenas server is named "freenas", you want to be able to type "\\freenas" in explorer and reliably land at your server. There are typically two ways that windows computers will do this (netbios name resolution and hostname resolution). The former uses what is typically (in the absence of a WINS server) a peer-to-peer model, the latter typically uses a client-server model. On a windows computer, the netbios name and hostname are typically identicial (unless the hostname is longer than 15 characters - the maximum length of a netbios name).

Netbios name resolution has historically been a sore spot windows admins. It was (and is) unreliable. Computers would disappear. Name resolution across subnets was a bear to troubleshoot. People have been happy to ditch it.

That being said, if you want to have it work
1) it must be turned on - and not be blocked by your host firewall
2) your computers need to be in the same workgroup
3) your computers need to be in the same subnet
4) your freenas server should have a static IP address

If you've done (1)-(4) and it still isn't working, AND if you need it to work on your home network, modify the LMHOSTS file on your windows computer and call it a day. Troubleshooting netbios problems just isn't worth your time.

Do the following to modify the lmhosts file:

• right-click on "notepad", click "run as administrator"
• Open the lmhosts file under "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\"
• Add an entry for your freenas server. For example "192.168.0.42 freenas #PRE" (the #PRE instructs the windows computer to not attempt to resolve the netbios name through broadcast packets).

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

The big picture is that you want name resolution to work.

In the past I've had success installing Apple's Bonjour for Windows. Just because it's designed to simplify printer support, doesn't mean it can't help to resolve other Zeroconf names, i.e. "freenas.local", if the name of your box is "freenas". YMMV.

 

[esamett]

I hope it is not too late to chime in here. I looked in

• "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\"

and found the sample file lmhosts.sam. I created a new file from Notepad with the single line:
"192.168.0.193 freenas #PRE"
to correspond to my NAS IP address. I saved files as lmhosts and lmhosts.txt as I didn't know which to try. I rebooted Win10 and FreeNAS was still not showing under Network.
Any idea what I am doing wrong?

P.S. FWIW I read that Microsoft will address this problem in March of this year.

 

[Smeghead68]

I hope it is not too late to chime in here. I looked in

• "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\"

and found the sample file lmhosts.sam. I created a new file from Notepad with the single line:
"192.168.0.193 freenas #PRE"
to correspond to my NAS IP address. I saved files as lmhosts and lmhosts.txt as I didn't know which to try. I rebooted Win10 and FreeNAS was still not showing under Network.
Any idea what I am doing wrong?

P.S. FWIW I read that Microsoft will address this problem in March of this year.

I hope you're right about MS looking into this. I still have not found anyway to get my NAS in Network discovery. Luckily I can access it directly with \\ipaddress

Still waiting for input from MS or others on why this does not work.

 

[muddypaper]

I came here looking for a solution to this:

If your freenas server is named "freenas", you want to be able to type "\\freenas" in explorer and reliably land at your server.

But then I came across https://bugs.freenas.org/issues/12251 and https://bugs.freenas.org/issues/12069 that talks about preferred master = Yes causing the problems. I disabled it and I can now access my freenas box from Windows 10's explorer.

It doesn't seem a complete solution. Explorer does not automatically list it under the Network folder, only after you manually connect to it the first time.