Question Windows 10 2004 NAS Issues - Keeps Asking for Password

[alcoholbob]

Since I updated to Windows 10 build 2004 it seems like my old Western Digital 3TB Live NAS drive keeps asking me for a security credentials to log in every time I start up Windows in order to access the drive.

In order to remove this prompt, I have disabled Windows security credentials, turned off password protected sharing in the Network Center, and enabled SMB 1 in Windows Program settings. Enabling SMB1 requires a restart, and then I am able to access my Network Drive.

However once I restart again, or cold boot, even with SMB 1 enabled in Windows Program settings, it asks me for login credentials to access the NAS. I have to disable SMB1, restart, then enable SMB1, restart again, in order to access my NAS drive. What's even weirder is there's a Twonky folder that is automatically mapped where I can access only the Videos, Photos, and Music folders on the drive that doesn't require any password at all. But I can't access any of the folders from a custom mapped network drive or folder without a password, and "anonymous" doesn't work.


Is there a better way of doing this or does this sound like a bug? Or did Microsoft just obsolete my old SMB1 NAS and is telling me to buy a new drive?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Why would you have a NAS on your network with writable shares, that didn't have a password? That's just ASKING for malware to worm it's way in.

 

[alcoholbob]

Why would you have a NAS on your network with writable shares, that didn't have a password? That's just ASKING for malware to worm it's way in.

But wouldn't it be useful to know what the password is? Or do you like owning hardware that you can't use?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Are you saying, that your user on your NAS unit, has a password, that you didn't set? That you don't know? Why is that?

 

[alcoholbob]

Are you saying, that your user on your NAS unit, has a password, that you didn't set? That you don't know? Why is that?

Dear god...please stop posting in tech support threads that you can't even bother to read.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Maybe if you bothered to explain yourself, I might be able to follow along.

1) SMB shares REQUIRE a user (unless you allow public/anonymous access on the NAS side). This user is DEFINED on the NAS. It can optionally require a PASSWORD.
2) Windows, when it connects with the NAS, wants to know WHAT USER, and also WHAT PASSWORD to use, hence it prompts you for credentials.

Disabling password-protected sharing in Windows Network Control Center, HAS NO EFFECT ON THE NAS ITSELF.

You need to enable PUBLIC/ANONYMOUS access on the NAS, if you want to be able to log in, without a USER specified, I believe. Which is HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY, insecure.

 

[VirtualLarry]

But I can't access any of the folders from a custom mapped network drive or folder without a password, and "anonymous" doesn't work.

Are you saying, that your user on your NAS unit, has a password, that you didn't set? That you don't know? Why is that?

Dear god...please stop posting in tech support threads that you can't even bother to read.

So, you're saying that it is prompting for the password, you KNOW the password, but just don't want to be prompted.

Then open Windows Credential Manager (don't disable it), and then enter the credentials for that NAS/server USER/PASS combo there. Note, that normally you can only log into a NAS using ONE user at a time, per machine / IP address.

 

[VirtualLarry]

keeps asking me for a security credentials to log in every time I start up Windows in order to access the drive.

This is a NORMAL WINDOWS FEATURE, and has been for some time, unless you've opted to SAVE CREDENTIALS at some point, when you logged into the NAS, and then that USER/PASS combo would be stored in Windows Credential Manager.

 

[VirtualLarry]

That said, Windows 10 SMB/CIFS support COULD BE BETTER.

I have a backup program, Macrium Reflect Free edition, that has a scheduled backup to run EVERY DAY. It has the credentials for my backup share in the backup job. Yet, for RANDOM, UNKNOWN REASONS, in the log files, some days, it doesn't back up, and claims that it cannot log into the NAS. Other days, it's just fine. GO FIGURE?

It's a relatively modern Asustor NAS, running SMB 2.1 through 3.0 on the NAS unit, plenty of space left, PC left on all of the time, dedicated wired LAN, etc. It's a mystery to me.

 

[alcoholbob]

Nevermind, I figured this out on Microsoft forums. This is a issue that popped up for a lot of users from the Windows 2004 update for older NAS drives. I can access the network drive just fine with other computers that haven't gone through the update yet as well as on my iphone and Ipad. I have multiple NAS drives, after the update this is the only one I'm having trouble with and it's an old NAS drive. The current recommended fix is to disconnect the drive, uncheck SMB1 and restart, then recheck and then remap the network drive to a different drive letter.

 

[alcoholbob]

So, you're saying that it is prompting for the password, you KNOW the password, but just don't want to be prompted.

Then open Windows Credential Manager (don't disable it), and then enter the credentials for that NAS/server USER/PASS combo there. Note, that normally you can only log into a NAS using ONE user at a time, per machine / IP address.

No I don't know what the password was supposed to be, and there probably wasn't one since it appears to be a Windows build 2004 bug. But I read on some Microsoft forums that some mods were suggesting in (admittedly some very old threads) that typing "anonymous" and leaving the password blank would sometimes work if you were prompted for a login by credential manager for credentials that didn't exist.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Hmm, I think maybe using "DOMAIN\GUEST" and password empty, might work too. Haven't had that happen to me. Must be a fairly old NAS unit.

 

[mpo]

No I don't know what the password was supposed to be, and there probably wasn't one since it appears to be a Windows build 2004 bug. But I read on some Microsoft forums that some mods were suggesting in (admittedly some very old threads) that typing "anonymous" and leaving the password blank would sometimes work if you were prompted for a login by credential manager for credentials that didn't exist.

Went through this with a WD My Cloud 3TB earlier this year. Kept a journal of what passwords worked (whether share, Windows, or anon) and SMB status. Never was sure which of 4 computers would complete their nightly backup.

Gave up. Got a Synology NAS. Kept the journal for the new NAS. Since the original setup, referred to it a handful of times.

Kept the WD My Cloud as a media server.

Ironically, my 1 2004 test machine is the only one that successfully maps to the WD NAS every time. Won the lottery on that one.