SOLVED! "Invalid directory" and absence of "Browse the local network"

[krasev]

SOLVED! "Invalid directory" and absence of "Browse the local network"

Checklist of necessary conditions:

- Run "Network Setup Wizard" and choose right connection setup
usually and most common with a router:

Settings --> Control Panl --> Network Setup Wizard -->
(#2) This computer connects to the Internet ... a residential gateway -->
(#1) This computer connects to the Internet directly or through the network hub ...

- Open Windows Explorer and set properly Network Connections
Remember always to check them... Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

Set user's Firewall... and better off to turn off window's OS firewall through the policy

Local Computer Policy --> Computer Configuration --> Network --> Windows Firewall --> ...

- Make sure you have running GUEST account

Local Users and groups --> Users

- Make sure you have added shares in order to browse.

Shared Folders --> Shares

- Make sure your SageTV server runs not from Local Service but from some USER

Make sure you have the following services running:

Computer Browser
Distributed Transaction Coordinator
SSDP Discovery Service

Probably they should be running as long as you ran "Network Setup Wizard"

- Make sure your "Computer Browser" service set to "FALSE-Master + AUTO-ServerList"

-------
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Browser\Parameters]
"IsDomainMaster"="FALSE"
"MaintainServerList"="AUTO"

;------- Possible values ------
;"IsDomainMaster"="TRUE"
;"IsDomainMaster"="FALSE"
;"MaintainServerList"="AUTO"
;"MaintainServerList"="Yes"
;"MaintainServerList"="NO"
-------

- Make sure you have these features properly set in "Local Computer Policy":

First better to restore default Security Features to avoid any further problems...
Easy to do it through the applet of "Computer Management" adding "Security Configuration and Analisis"


Local Computer Policy --> Computer Configuration --> Windows Settings --> Security Settings -->
Local Policies --> User Right Assighnments:

Not default value
Access this Computer from the network (Guest account should be present)

Should be default values
Logon locally (Guest account should be present)
Deny logon locally (Guest account should be absent)

- Make sure you have these features properly set in "Local Computer Policy":

Local Computer Policy --> Computer Configuration --> Windows Settings --> Security Settings -->
Local Policies --> Security Options:

Not default value
Accounts: Guest account status (Enabled)
Network access: Sharing and security model for local accounts (Classic - local users athenticate as themselves)

Should be default values
Microsft network client: Send unencrypted password to third party SMB servers (Disabled)
Network access: Do not allow anonymous enumeration of SAM accounts (Enabled)
Network access: Do not allow anonymous enumeration of SAM accounts and shares (Disabled)

- Check security set of SharedAccess in "Component services"

Component services --> Computer --> My computer --> DCOM config --> SharedAccess --> Properties --> Security

make sure all set to default

--------------

You should start seeing again "Browse the local network" or on the extender "Browse the SageTV server's network"
and browse other computers on the network and you can browse folders on the network.


P.S.:

For your convinience add to your regular Computer Configuration (compmgmt.msc /s)
aditional applets (look at the picture), if you are lazy to do so... well you can use mine COMPMGMT.msc just copy to System32 folder and overwrite default one (look for the attachment).



Do not panic if you suddenly don't see "Browse the local network" or "Browse the SageTV server's network"
first try this command:

-----
@ECHO OFF
GPUPDATE /FORCE
CMD /K
-----

then reboot server and other network computer and extender after that check all again if you still don't have "Browse the local network"

well... good advice to create a security template in "Security Configuration and Analisis" and then instead of checking just importing this template and restoring it saving tons of time on checking.

Good luck! It should work... I was desperate and no solution was on the forum fo years...

now it works and predictable.

! Nota bene !

You can see the network only in condition that you attempt browsing the network (no matter using server or client) from the computer which rebooted last in the network and I have no explanation for this...

[freewheeling]

I've never been able to access network directories, but I'm probably not going to bother with something this involved for fear it'll mess something else up. Not sure why there should be any special steps necessary. If I can access the network folders from the server computer, why can't SageTV?

Update: "Make sure your SageTV server runs not from Local Service but from some USER"

What does that mean, and how would you check it or go about changing it?

[Skirge01]

I agree. That's just far too much to be worth it. I can simply type in the full UNC path every time. I've done it for so long, I have it memorized anyhow.