[alexsisk]

5) Ummm, well crap it finally worked! - I was typing this post as I went through your steps...you are a god among men.
I forced Windows 10 to stop relying on my Microsoft Account as a login yesterday - they push that really hard and it's aggravating. <---could that be it? Maybe this should be noted on the Wiki? (or I missed it) Or could having "Over Local Network" on have influenced it, even though that is only for connections going the opposite direction? Probably the Microsoft account issue.

 This can certainly be an issue. I don't know the full details etc but the Microsoft Account allows you to log onto your computer locally (much like a Windows User or Admin account) but it seems like it has less privileges or something, PatK is pretty cluey on Miscrosoft stuff so he might know more. However when using Kodi and you get the prompt to enter username/password for setting up SMB, the Microsoft Account details will fail every time and you need to enter (excuse my terminology) the root level details i.e. the Windows User logon details.

Something else to look at is if you have an Anti-Virus / Security Firewall, as your Windows PC might be blocking the IP address of your Shield.

Doing what PatK mentioned above usually works, it'll look something like: smb://192.168.X.X when browsing for new shares in Kodi (after adding the network location obviously) 

 I ended up sticking with a completely local user account for Windows, and as far a I remember that was fine for a while.

Not too long after though, I moved to LibreELEC on the player that hosts my external HDD. LibreELEC has done a good job making their SMB shares extremely easy to access from any OS. (Truly proper implementation of the service, I assume.)

The problem I'm having now is that I can't get LE to connect to my music on another computer running macOS. I've been working on it for months. I've taken all the necessary steps in macOS, and Windows 10 sees the share fine, but not Kodi in LE. I really don't understand why networking has to be this difficult, especially when we're using a standard like SMB. Oh well.

As to your comment about browsing, that can't be done with SMB 2/3, I'm told. Only typing in the path manually. I'm trying to run exclusively on SMB 2/3, which LE supports very well, and I'm told that macOS is on SMB3 at this point. The Nvidia Shield, as of this post, is still running Android Nougat, which only supports SMB1. One of the Oreo features is suppposedly SMB 2/3 support (Google's a little late to the game....). So the Shield is out of commission until they come out of the dark ages.

[alexsisk]

I have my IPv6 turned "off" and connect to my Windows 7 machine just fine. What is the purpose of keeping this on?

It's the default setting, and I just let it stay in its default position. Of course I'm not using IPv6, but I don't believe that having it on would interfere with IPv4. (At least one would hope that since the Shield ships w/ that setting, that is the case.)

[mwkurt]

Hello,

Default for my shields (3 of them) was on and is on whenever I do a factory reset. I don't know the reason but when I first got my Shields, I had connection problems and turning IP6 off was the fix. Glad you don't need to worry about it.

Mark

[donbrew]

Windows 10 Fall Creators update changed to SMB 3, that is why the problems appeared out of nowhere.

  You have to have password sharing and you cannot browse to the share with SMB 3 you have to TYPE the IP,  like: smb://192.168.0.2/pi/tvshows then user and pword.  Good news is just type it once and save as a favorite.

  If you are networking with no Windows 10 machines there is no problem.

  It is not a change in Kodi, except that they made a provision for it.

IPV6 is also a Windows thing, that is how Home Groups connect, and why it confuses interfacing with mixed networks.  It uses a different format for IP addresses.

If that is too onerous you can now activate NFS on Windows 10.  I did it, don't remember how GoOgle it.

Maybe too simplified?  A lot is left out because I am not an expert, I don't sleep in hotels.

[alexsisk]

Actually I was checking the settings in Powershell last night, and two items were listed as being on: SMB1, and SMB2. Per a Microsoft support page, the Powershell readout for the SMB2 setting also means SMB3. They come as a pair nearly always, it seems, though you can specify only SMB3 in Kodi.

I am running the Win10 Spring Creators Update now (v1803) so I don't know if they turned SMB1 back on by default or what. Hearing of major security concerns, I disabled it.

I've stopped using Kodi on my Shield until Android Oreo is included in an update, including SMB 2/3. Reports say Nvidia is working with Google on modifications right now, but the update will come. For the Android TV interface, Oreo is a major facelift apparently.

For now I use LibreELEC on my Intel NUC. Works well and the Linux kernel finally supports bitstream audio for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

I'll have to check out the NFS feature, that sounds interesting.

[scott967]

I had my wife's win 10 home machine force update (even on metered connection) from 1703 to 1709 build 16299.309 last Friday.  I had to go into advanced sharing options and network settings for all networks and turn off password protected sharing.  I use a local account on this machine and have NO homegroups configured.  I can browse all machines on my LAN (computers node and my NAS on "other devices" as well).  I can browse the Samba folder shares on my NAS and the public folders and folder shares (shared to "everyone") on my win 7 and win 8.1 machines.

I didn't do anything with any of the win 10 services or SMB.  I'm thinking avoiding the "homegroups" helps as I've read of problems when using that feature.  I used to have XP machines on the LAN that's why I avoided homegroups initially and never found a need for them.

scott s.
.

[alexsisk]

Yeah Homegroups are a pain in the ass. I guess Microsoft got enough complaints to agree! (See image)

[donbrew]

What ticks me off is that every "upgrade" turns advanced sharing options to defaults.  The linux security fiends are taking over, some of us don't want or need that kind of sealed off security.

I don't have 1803 yet.

[alexsisk]

Yeah actually it's the folks on the LibreELEC team that got me concerned with SMB1. But I've also read things elsewhere. I wonder why the upgrades reset those settings - they shouldn't.

I forced the 1803 upgrade out of curiosity. Found an outside site with direct ISO links for home/pro in all languages on Microsoft's servers. Just burned a DVD and upgraded.