[Evergreen4]

Hi all,

I have been using XBMC (ups, I meant Kodi) for many years, but I pretty new when it comes to the NAS thing… (actually, I am using my Synology DS213j for only a couple of weeks).

Here is the thing: when I did the first set up, I started using the default “admin” user of the NAS. I created a couple of shared folders with some films and TV shows episodes. Then I turned on the SMB protocol in the NAS system.
Then I went to XBMC (running under Windows 7 in the HTPC placed in my living room) to set up a new “video source” pointing to the shared folders I created in the NAS. I was prompted to write an username and password (so I did) and a 25 seconds later, I was watching some TV shows with no problem at all… Cool and easier than I expected…

But yesterday, after reading this tutorial from Synology (https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledge...orials/615) to increase the security in the NAS, and following the advices from some folks in the Synology forums, I decided to disable the default “admin” account and replace it with a custom one with the same privileges than the default “admin” one.

I assumed that, due to the change of username and password, the “video source” that I created in the HTPC was going to need an update… and I was right: I could not access to the content in the NAS so I tried to edit the source.
But although I was able to “see” the NAS in the browser, I could not access to its folders… I was not even prompted to input the new username and password…

So I decided to delete this video source and create a new one… again, I was able to find the NAS listed in the browser, but unable to enter in its folders… and I was NOT asked to enter username & password neither…

I returned to the NAS software, I enabled the admin account again… and guess what: yes. The video source in XBMC was working fine again with NO need to input username & password again (it seems that this info was stored in the XBMC the first time I set up the source).

So I had another idea: I disabled the admin account again and I installed XBMC in a different computer (running also under Windows 7). In this computer, I set up the same “video source” than in the HTPC. I was prompted to enter the username and password, I used the NEW account username & password, and… yes, it worked just fine.

So XBMC running in the computer number 2 is able to access to the NAS but the HTPC is not able anymore…

It seems that, somehow, the login details of the first video source that I created are still stored in XBMC so every time that I tried to set up a different source with the new credentials, XBMC is not able to get access to the NAS. But as soon as I enable the NAS default admin account, XBMC and NAS will work again…

In the computer number 2, XBMC is able to get access to the NAS using the login details of the NEW account and with default admin account disabled…

Any thought??

Thanks all in advance.

PS: sorry for my poor English.

[Miss_80]

Im not sure, but maybe the password is stored 'somewheree in userdata as well. You could try to delete not just the source in xbmc, but also the videodatabase in userdata folder. Then, set everything up again.

[Evergreen4]

Im not sure, but maybe the password is stored 'somewheree in userdata as well. You could try to delete not just the source in xbmc, but also the videodatabase in userdata folder. Then, set everything up again.

Hi Miss_80

Thanks for your suggestion... but before trying this, allow me one question: will delete this video database affect to the rest of the video sources in my HTPC (I have several video sources pointing to several folders in different units)?? Will I need to rescan the whole library if I delete this file??

[Evergreen4]

Hi all again,

Sorry to be a pain. I have been doing some tests. Problem remains the same.

To sum up, this is the scenario:

- 2 computers, both running XBMC 13.2 under Windows 7: one is a HTPC the other is a regular desktop PC.
- 1 Synology NAS running DSM 5.0-4493 Update 4. In this NAS there are a few shared folders, but the relevant one in this case is one called "Video" containing 2 subfolders: "Films" and "TV shows".

Those are the test that I run:

1) If I disable the default "admin" account (as per Synology advices) in the NAS, the desktop PC is able to access to the NAS so I can set up a couple of "Video sources" (one for films and another one for TV shows) with no problem at all. Regarding the HTPC, although I CAN see the NAS in the browser when trying to set the same above mentioned "video sources", XBMC is NOT able to access to its folders/subfolders. I do not even get any error message...
Funny fact: in this scenario, SMB protocol is not working in the HTPC, but UPnP protocol seems to be ok because I can access to the NAS and browse it folders and subfolders.

2) If I enable back the default "admin" account in the NAS, BOTH computers will be able to see and access to the content of the NAS. I will NOT be prompted to enter the username & password. It seems this info was stored the first time I entered it.

3) Following the advice of Miss_80, I tried to remove the files "MyVideos75 and MyVideos78" from the userdata folder in the XBMC. I run XBMC and all my collection (Films and TV shows) in my HTPC was gone... Ups! . No problem. Just testing. So I tried to setup a video source pointing at the NAS... with no luck at all... same thing: HTPC can see the NAS but cannot access to it.
I paste the 2 "MyVideos" files back, run again XBMC, and, thanks Lord, my collection is back.
Funny fact#2: in the HTPC version of XBMC there are 2 "MyVideos" files as described above, but in the desktop PC version of XBMC there is only one: "MyVideos78"... when running test in the HTPC I also tried to remove only the file "MyVideos78" and leave the old one (MyVideos75)... when I run XBMC an old version of my collection was loaded...

VERY IMPORTANT thing to keep in mind: the very first time I set up the SMB protocol in the HTPC, the default admin account was enabled and everything worked just fine in XBMC: I was able to setup the video source pointing to the NAS and I was watching some TV show episodes stored in the NAS.

I am not an expert at all, that why I am asking, but it seems that some kind file, or registry or whatever is corrupted in my XBMC installation in the HTPC, because exactly the same NAS configuration is working ok in the desktop PC.

So, as far as I can see, there are only 2 options:

1. Trying to fix the XBMC installation in my HTPC. In this case I need a clue about the file/s that I might be looking at…

2. Perform a TOTAL uninstall of XBMC so every piece of user configuration is erased. In this case, I would need to know:
a) how to uninstall completely XBMC.
b) If I keep a copy of the file "MyVideos78", will I be able to recover my database collection?

I really appreciate some help in either option… I just want to get rid of this problem…

Thanks all for you patience.

Cheers.

PS: again, pls apologize for my English.

[black_eagle]

1) If you choose to delete everything then keeping a copy of MyVideos78 will indeed allow you to recover your current database.

2) If you delete the 'sources.xml' in the userdata folder, then start XBMC, it shouldn't know about any sources you previously added. Usernames and passwords for SMB shares are held in this file so I'd try stopping XBMC, deleting that file and re-starting, then adding your source again.

Note that you will have to do a 'clean library' if it works to remove all the duplicate old files from the original share.

[Evergreen4]

1) If you choose to delete everything then keeping a copy of MyVideos78 will indeed allow you to recover your current database.

2) If you delete the 'sources.xml' in the userdata folder, then start XBMC, it shouldn't know about any sources you previously added. Usernames and passwords for SMB shares are held in this file so I'd try stopping XBMC, deleting that file and re-starting, then adding your source again.

Note that you will have to do a 'clean library' if it works to remove all the duplicate old files from the original share.

Hi black_eagle,

Thanks for your suggestion. I deleted the "sources" file but the problem remained the same...
But guess what... when I was pasting back this "sources" file into the user data folder, I realized that, in this same folder, there was a file called "passwords". This file was created in the SAME day I add for the first time the video source pointing to the NAS (you know, the only source that worked the first time)... so I remove this file from the folder, entered XBMC again and... bingo!... I CAN get access to the NAS again!!!
Funny thing is that this "password" file is NOT present in XBMC installation in the desktop PC despite I also setup a video source pointing to the NAS in this computer... In this case, I honestly cannot remember if I was prompted to enter the username & password or not...

So, maybe this password file is generated only when you access the first time to the NAS with the default "admin" user enabled (that was the case with the HTPC) but is not generated if this first access to the NAS is done with the default "admin" user disabled (that was the case with desktop pc)...

In any case, this problem is solved. Thanks all for your patience.

Cheers.

[scott967]

I am no expert, but I think in Windows 7 the "credentials" (username/password) used to access an SMB/CIFS shared folder can be cached. You can look in the control panel -> credential manager to see if any are stored for "admin" and remove those. You might also need to shut down any open session to that Win 7 system on the synology to get windows to "forget" the old admin credentials. Probably wouldn't hurt to then reboot the win 7 machine.

Now I think windows will ask for new credentials if you attempt to open the shared folder (at least in windows explorer, not sure if you just try in XBMC what happens).

I have to admit once it works right I don't "play" with it so I don't get the situation you had.

scott s.
.

[Evergreen4]

I am no expert, but I think in Windows 7 the "credentials" (username/password) used to access an SMB/CIFS shared folder can be cached. You can look in the control panel -> credential manager to see if any are stored for "admin" and remove those. You might also need to shut down any open session to that Win 7 system on the synology to get windows to "forget" the old admin credentials. Probably wouldn't hurt to then reboot the win 7 machine.

Now I think windows will ask for new credentials if you attempt to open the shared folder (at least in windows explorer, not sure if you just try in XBMC what happens).

I have to admit once it works right I don't "play" with it so I don't get the situation you had.

scott s.
.

Thanks for your input Scott, but it seems that the problem was actually in the XBMC side (a file named "passwords"). In the above post you can have a further explanation about what I found out.

Thanks anyway.