Posted on 05/15/2023 3:44:47 PM PDT by ducttape45
Good evening fellow Freepers. I'm in search of some computer assistance with Linux Mint and accessing a Windows network.
In times past, whenever I programmed Linux on a computer, I never had problems getting it to interface with my Windows network. That all changed in recent weeks/months, apparently.
Now, whenever I try to access a Windows network with a Linux machine, I get this error:
Unable to mount location
Failed to retrieve share list from server: No such file or directory
If you look at the discussion going on at the link, I've tried almost everything suggested, and then some. But so far, nothing has worked. There are other discussion forums on this topic, and again, nothing those suggested work.
So I thought I'd consult Linux experts here to see if anyone else has run into this problem and what possible solutions you might have.
Thank you and have a great evening!
Try logging into the router user interface and check whether the router sees the linux machine. If you can’t log into the user interface from the linux box that is a useful piece of info, and of course if linux can’t log in you should log into the user interface from a windows machine and check what the router shows for the linux machine.
I can log into the ASUS router using Linux. I can also see other Linux machines on the ASUS router user interface, I can also ping those machines, but, when trying to browse the network, they aren’t there.
If I may ask, what will that do? And can I also do that on a Windows 7 machine?
How to join a Windows network with your Linux device
https://linuxhint.com/add_linux_to_windows_network/
You can enable/disable NetBIOS on Windows 7.
I am merely trying to find and pass along info that may help.
Not being able to access the usb drive on the router (while your other machines can) is the serious red flag. It indicates a network problem on the particular linux machine that has the problem. However, troubleshooting a network problem on single machine means considering so many possible settings that it can be like a needle in a haystack, emphasis on Haystack. I am out of simple suggestions and worse even simple methods for dealing with a potential haystack. I have one suggestion, that you can certainly reject, that can simplify isolating where your actual problem exists.
If the problem is solely in the “haystack” of settings on the problem machine: You could run a Live Linux (usb any version) on problem machine and if that live version can see the usb drive etc., you have at least isolated where the problem is.
Honestly, if the live version can see the usb and the rest of the network shares you’re looking at a reinstall on the problem machine. As an aside, my approach to reinstalling is to image my problem machine/drive, reinstall and then if I need something that was on the old version I use the image inspector utility to extract those files from the ‘bad’ image - sometimes I even image the new version and reinstall the old bad version if I think I need something from the bad version I can only get while it is running.
Again, I can not think of any simple actions at this point, so if you decide a different action, that is totally understandable.
Thanks for your help. I'll let you know what happens.
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Things to try
1) Select one Windows OS machine and be sure that NetBIOS is enabled on it. This will be your test Windows OS machine.
2) Shut down everything - all computers, printers, scanners, etc. - everything that might be connecting to the Internet (TV, media services’ devices, for example).
3) Disconnect power to the network modem/router, and all hubs, switches.
4) Wait at least 10 minutes.
5) Connect power to the modem/router that you use for Internet access. Wait 1 minute, at least.
6) Connect power to only the necessary network hubs and/or switches that will connect:
- the test Windows OS machine to, and
- what will be a test Linux OS machine
. . . to the Internet access modem/router. If you can use Ethernet cables only, and connecting both test computers straight to the modem/router - that would be great, and you would not need the intermediary hubs/switches.
In other words, try to have the most basic, Ethernet network.
7) Start up that test Linux OS machine and let it run for a few minutes.
8) Start up the test Windows OS machine and let it run for a few minutes.
Play with that “laboratory setup” and write down your findings.
Work toward being able to use the test Linux OS machine, in order to connect to the test Windows OS machine and share simple files (such as a text document).
- - -
https://opensource.com/article/21/4/share-files-linux-windows
https://www.howtogeek.com/176471/how-to-share-files-between-windows-and-linux/
https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001636.htm
I meant:
- the test Windows OS machine, and
- what will be a test Linux OS machine
BOTH as directly as possible to the Internet modem.
I'm at the end of my rope with this problem. Does that mean I'll not still for answers, no, but I'm done stressing over it. Someone, whether it be Windows or Linux, must have made some software changes that caused this problem. Until someone at Microsoft or the makers of Linux Mint step up to the plate and owns up to their mistakes, I don't see this changing.
I appreciate your efforts to help me fix things. God bless.
OK
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