# Master browser woes with WDTV Live Network Shares



## be4con (Mar 20, 2006)

I'm really hoping someone here can help me with a problem that's driving me potty. 

I'm pretty green to networking and my self taught knowledge has only taken me so far so please bear this in mind if you offer solutions or if I make any patently stupid comments! 

I'm running a wired network with 1 server PC running Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 connected to a WDTV Live box. I use the server PC as my everyday desktop and it runs OpenVPN for internet connectivity. (not sure if this is relevant but it seems likely)

I am able to connect to my server and access all the network shares through my Android phone, Android tablet and another laptop in the house running Windows 7. 

Intermittently I am able to connect to the server through the wired WDTV Live box, which I've had for over a year. For a good 8 months it has been connecting without fail or issue, but about 2 weeks ago it dropped the shares and wouldn't find them. A reset of the box (which has helped in the past) has made no difference.

Investigation into the issue seems to point to it being a master browser issue. On the WDTV Live forum it is recommended that you don't run a homegroup (so I don't), and there are user posted walkthroughs involving checking that the server is set as master browser, but not really any advice on what to do if not. There is also no advice on what to do if you fall at the first hurdle like I seem to do which is what to do if your server doesn't show up when you run "net view" in command prompt.

Typically when I run net view I get the response below:



> Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
> Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
> 
> C:\Users\beacon>net view
> There are no entries in the list.


A google of this issue leads me up blind alleys. Yesterday I did some random fiddling around with my network adapters - disabling and then re-enabling the TAP adapter and the Local area Connection - then rebooted my pc and lo and behold I got the correct response in net view with the server listed, and suddenly the network shares can be found on WDTV Live. 

Great. Only this morning I'm back to square 1 with no entries in the list in net view and no network shares in WDTV Live.

It's probably worth commenting that the WDTV Live box will connect to my pc as a media server using Universal Media Server, so it's not that there's an absolute loss of network connectivity, it just won't find the network shares.

Can anyone help me sort this out? Thanks in advance for any advce


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

Go to Control Panel/Network and Sharing/Change Advanved Settings Make sure *Network Discovery* is turned on, make sure* File and Print Sharing* is turned on. Check you security settings in your Anti Virus software. Make sure that each computer has a User Name and Password to log into the computer and does not login automatically. Make sure that every computer and device is under the same Workgroup _name _not just the blank Workgroup. 
To browse for a computer on the network go to Start/Search and type the computer name (eg)* \\computername* or type it's IP address (eg) *\\192.168.1.254* and press enter, the shared files should appear. 
Request that a Mod move this thread to the Networking section of the forum for better results.


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## be4con (Mar 20, 2006)

Thanks for your reply. It's not an AV issue, both Network Discovery and File and Printer Sharing are turned on. Logins are correct. Every device is on the same workgroup name. I have no issue browsing the shared folders from another pc, or my Android devices, it's simply when trying to find the network shares on the WDTV Live which uses SMB protocol that causes me headaches.

I nearly posted this in networking but then decided it was a file sharing issue I was having!  I'll see if a mod will move it, thanks.


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## be4con (Mar 20, 2006)

OK, I think I have at least partially solved this issue. I thought I'd post my solution in case anyone reads this and is interested.

At least some of the problem is definitely due to master browser issues. It seems that other computers in the home were winning the master browser election, thereby displacing the server pc. There are 3 other laptops that are connected periodically to the network and it seems that each of those had every chance of winning the election each time they booted up and connected to the network. Even when they were subsequently shut down, the server didn't take the master browser position again. 

So I have disabled the computer browser service on each of the laptops and now they no longer enter the election. The result is that the server is unchallenged and remains master browser and the WDTV Live is able to connect.

That has solved at least some of the disconnections. However, I'm pretty sure that isn't the whole problem as, in theory, if the server is the only pc on the network then restarting it should allow it to become master browser again (as should restarting the computer browser service) and allow the WDTV Live to connect, and that hasn't always been the case.

Anyway, we shall see. In the meantime, at the moment at least, the WDTV Live can connect and see the network shares so I am happy.


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