RT-AX86U USB Network Storage

[Recon2018]

Hello. I am at my wits end here with this router and after looking all over I came across this Forum so I am hoping someone can help.

I have had this router for awhile and everything has ran just fine until recently. My wife computer could no longer pull up the USB drive in File Explorer from the network but my computer that is directly connected to it still could as well as my tablet and laptop. As of today now my desktop can no longer find the USB drive in Explorer but my laptop that is connected to the network via wireless connection can still pull it up, weird I know. I have not changed anything and I am running the most current Asus firmware 3.0.0.4.386_45934.

When I log into into my Network Map the USB drive is showing there. (Seagate 4tb) I have taken out the USB drive and plugged it into the desktop and it works as it should and even plugged it into the laptop as well and it worked. I put in another USB drive and it did the same thing in the router.

If I need to provide more information let me know. Thank you for your time.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Are the effected computers running Windows 10? If so did you see the FAQ that is noted on the router's Samba configuration page?

 

[Recon2018]

Yes they are all running Windows 10. I am doing that now, I tried earlier today to no avail but will let you know here momentarily the results.

Update - Just did the restart and still nothing.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Was SMBv1 already enabled on the PC or did you have to enable it?

Post a screen shot of your router's Network Place (Samba) Share / Cloud Disk page.

 

[Recon2018]

First off thank you so much for taking the time to help, it is greatly appreciated.

Yes it was already enabled, all three to be exact then I changed it to the Client.

Here is the screen shot you requested as well. Hope it helps.

 

[bbunge]

With the current Asus firmware you do not need to enable SMB1. It is still a security risk to do so.

I just plugged a 2 TB WD green drive in a USB3 case, externally powered, and connected two Win 10 pro PC's to the router using the IP address like this: \\192.168.50.1 Popped right up in the File Explorer and I was able to log in and upload/download files. SMB1 was not enabled.

Your 4 TB drive is at the limit of the router acceptable external drive. You likely are pushing the limit of router RAM usage. It is possible to add a swap file or partition on a thumb drive to help with this but the process is not for the casual user.

Make sure your drive is powered externally and not from the router.
If the drive is formatted with NTFS remove it from the router and plug into a WIndows PC. Then run a disk check.
And we all will recommend you save up to invest in a good NAS. It is well worth the bucks. And most NAS allow you to plug USB drives in. I have a 2 TB USB2 plugged into my Synology DS216j to store seldom used files.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Press Windows and R keys together to bring up the Run dialog. Then enter \\RT-AX86U-F900\ or use the IP address of your router as the previous post said (e.g. \\192.168.50.1\).

 

[Recon2018]

@ColinTaylor - YOU ARE A ROCKSTAR !!! That fired it right up, thank you so much! I take it I can do that with the other computers attached to the network and it will have the same results.

@bbunge - I also want to take a moment and thank you as well for your information/advice and I am taking it to heart, trust me and started looking at NAS units earlier today, also learning as well to be honest because my knowledge is pretty minimal in that subject. My frustration lies in that I have been running this setup in our house for a few years and now it just stopped from one computer to the next. If it happened all at once I would understand but it threw me off when it didn't, if that makes sense. You are correct in that my USB is not externally powered.

Again I can't thank either of you enough for your assistance.