No access to network drives

[SvenBO 3]

Hello everybody,

I installed Emby on a Windows 10 PC. Local data sources are also integrated into the library. So far I had successfully integrated 2 NAS shares (synology and Buffalo). Now I noticed that these are no longer recognized. I can not say exactly why or since when.

I can access it on Windows. For example:

\\ NAS \ films or \\ NAS2 \ series or with the IP address.

But Emby tells me in both spellings "The path could not be found. Please ensure the path is valid and try again."

When I go to Add Directory and then click Network, Emby doesn't find any network paths or network devices. Also via the Fritzbox, I have Fritz.Nas releases which are not found.

Does anyone have an idea why this might be?

LG Sven

Edited July 7, 2020 by SvenBO

[kernelcutter 1]

Have you recently configured Emby to run as a Windows Service or as a different windows account?

[SvenBO 3]

It runs as a service

I already restartet the service, the whole computer, both NAS and also the Fritzbox. Nothing changed...

Edited July 7, 2020 by SvenBO

[kernelcutter 1]

And what account is the service running as please?

[SvenBO 3]

There is only one account on that machine. And this account is also administrator on the machine.

It has already worked and now it isn't working anymore. I don't know why.

[FrostByte 5392]

In my experience the service has to be started with a user/password that is also on the NAS and has access to the folders on your NAS.

[kernelcutter 1]

There are a number of built-in accounts with which to run services on any windows machine and each presents to your network as a different session with varying or indeed no credentials.  Alternatively one can have the service log-on as an account you have created including your own user account.  So, to try and understand the problem we need to know whether you are using a built-in account or a user account you created.  

[rbjtech 5284]

If you are happy to do so - then simply use the same account as your Windows 'Login' on the emby service.

Stop the emby service, Select Service > properties > Log on - and  fill in your credentials in 'This Account'.  

Start the service and it should then work ok as access is then no different to your normal login (which you have advised is working ok).

[SvenBO 3]

4 minutes ago, FrostByte said:

In my experience the service has to be started with a user/password that is also on the NAS and has access to the folders on your NAS.

I don't have a domain. On the NAS there are different accounts than on my Windows 10 Emby Server. On both NAS it is the local NAS admin.

[SvenBO 3]

9 minutes ago, kernelcutter said:

There are a number of built-in accounts with which to run services on any windows machine and each presents to your network as a different session with varying or indeed no credentials.  Alternatively one can have the service log-on as an account you have created including your own user account.  So, to try and understand the problem we need to know whether you are using a built-in account or a user account you created.  

The service runs as local system.

The used windows user was created at installation of Windows. As i installed and configured Emby i also had access to the shared folders from both NAS. But now, as you can see, they are not shown as Network drives.

In Windows i can access them.

[SvenBO 3]

8 minutes ago, rbjtech said:

If you are happy to do so - then simply use the same account as your Windows 'Login' on the emby service.

Stop the emby service, Select Service > properties > Log on - and  fill in your credentials in 'This Account'.  

Start the service and it should then work ok as access is then no different to your normal login (which you have advised is working ok).

Perfect. This worked...

I don't know why it worked when the service run as local account and the did not work anymore...

 

I just started the service as a special user account and i can acces to both NAS again.

Many thanks!

[kernelcutter 1]

Local System doesn't know about the mapped drives you have created so try following the advice above from rbjtech and that should get you going.

[SvenBO 3]

Just now, kernelcutter said:

Local System doesn't know about the mapped drives you have created so try following the advice above from rbjtech and that should get you going.

The local system account and the now using user account are the same...

[kernelcutter 1]

I am intrigued.  So what is the name of the account with which you log into windows?

[SvenBO 3]

1 minute ago, kernelcutter said:

I am intrigued.  So what is the name of the account with which you log into windows?

I am too^^

The username is "homeflix". It is the only account which is used on the PC. The hidden local admin is not activated.

Emby worked with this user and the service as local system fine. But since some days, i don't know what happend, it stopped workling. Now i have changed the emby service to start as the user "homeflix" it is working again.

[kernelcutter 1]

The account Local System is separate from any user account, even Administrator and it presents on the network as the machine.  Any mapped network drives you created under your homeflix account are not seen by any other account so a process running as local System would not have any mapped drives available to it.  Does this make sense?

[pwhodges 2012]

14 minutes ago, SvenBO said:

The local system account and the now using user account are the same...

What on earth gave you that idea?

Paul

[SvenBO 3]

3 minutes ago, kernelcutter said:

The account Local System is separate from any user account, even Administrator and it presents on the network as the machine.  Any mapped network drives you created under your homeflix account are not seen by any other account so a process running as local System would not have any mapped drives available to it.  Does this make sense?

No, it makes no sense. There is only one account on that Windows machine. It is the administrator account "homeflix". No other accounts are on it. So the user "homeflix" is also the local system account...

[SvenBO 3]

3 minutes ago, pwhodges said:

What on earth gave you that idea?

Paul

There is only one account on that Windows machine. It is the administrator account "homeflix". No other accounts are on it. So the user "homeflix" is also the local system account...

[kernelcutter 1]

I think you are misunderstanding the meaning of the Local System account.  It is one of 3 built-in accounts which are Local System, Local Service and Network Service and your homeflix account makes 4 accounts on your PC, not counting the Administrator account which you say is disabled.  Each account is separate and things like mapping drives and other settings only apply for that specific account and cannot be seen from any other accounts.  If you created a second user account on your PC and logged in you would not see the mapped drives you created as homeflix and the same separation applies to the 3 built-in accounts.  Local System is NOT homeflix.  OK?

[SvenBO 3]

9 minutes ago, kernelcutter said:

I think you are misunderstanding the meaning of the Local System account.  It is one of 3 built-in accounts which are Local System, Local Service and Network Service and your homeflix account makes 4 accounts on your PC, not counting the Administrator account which you say is disabled.  Each account is separate and things like mapping drives and other settings only apply for that specific account and cannot be seen from any other accounts.  If you created a second user account on your PC and logged in you would not see the mapped drives you created as homeflix and the same separation applies to the 3 built-in accounts.  Local System is NOT homeflix.  OK?

You are misunderstanding me. There is only ONE user account on the machine. It is named "homeflix". I did never create a second user account on the machine. All mapped drives are mapped as user homeflix. The user is also admin on this machine.

The mapped drives always worked on this account. I created them a year ago. Also a year ago i installed and configured Emby on the WIndows machine. I always was logged in as user homeflix. Once again, there has never been another account on this PC.

Also a year ago i created the library for emby. With local drives and network shares. I always had access to network shares in emby library. But since a few days ago, i had no access anymore. Nothing changed...

Today i change the way to start the emby service and everything is working fine again...

[FrostByte 5392]

1 hour ago, SvenBO said:

Perfect. This worked...

I don't know why it worked when the service run as local account and the did not work anymore...

 

I just started the service as a special user account and i can acces to both NAS again.

Many thanks!

LOL, this is exactly what I told you to do

[SvenBO 3]

8 minutes ago, FrostByte said:

LOL, this is exactly what I told you to do

Not exactly. You wrote:

"In my experience the service has to be started with a user/password that is also on the NAS and has access to the folders on your NAS."

But the user homeflix, which is now used to start the service, does not exist on any of the NAS. There exists only the "NAS admin". It also worked for over 1 year without the service being started as a specific user.

 

[pwhodges 2012]

58 minutes ago, SvenBO said:

You are misunderstanding me. There is only ONE user account on the machine. It is named "homeflix". I did never create a second user account on the machine. All mapped drives are mapped as user homeflix. The user is also admin on this machine.

No, you misunderstand - Windows has a number of built-in accounts, not created by you, and not able to be deleted by you.  They are known as system accounts.  See here.

Paul

[pünktchen 1409]