I have an external hard drive plugged into my router and when I try to connect to the server I am prompted to enter a Username & Password. I have tried every combination I can think of and nothing has worked any suggestions?
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.1
Ok, thanks for the update. In order to access this drive, it needs to be shared out. It appears that you may have already done so as this would have to be a setting in your Actiontec router to allow it. As such, there may have been a security option to require using user credentials (username & password) to access it. I suggest double-checking your Actiontec user guide on how connected USB drives are shared.
Ok, thanks for the update. In order to access this drive, it needs to be shared out. It appears that you may have already done so as this would have to be a setting in your Actiontec router to allow it. As such, there may have been a security option to require using user credentials (username & password) to access it. I suggest double-checking your Actiontec user guide on how connected USB drives are shared.
While I was waiting for your reply, I did manage to get a copy of your router's user guide, and I can see the very limited administration options for sharing a drive. Samba is basically an earlier name for SMB. Both are file sharing protocols ... and yes, I see that you can enter a user name & password. What I don't know is what version of SMB is incorporated in this router, but it should be, at least, SMB v2.0. Newer Macs default to using SMB as well so yours should be doing so when trying to access this drive. The fact that it can "see" it indicates a SMB connection was attempted, but failed when the proper user credentials could not be verified for access.
I suggest using the following for the credentials. If it works, you can then change them to whatever you want.
For "Samba Username:" go ahead and use admin; for password, use 12345678
Now give it a try from your MBP, by using the Finder app. Go > Connect to server...
In the blank field, enter: smb://<local IP address of your router>/<Device Name>
Note: Don't include the angled brackets.
I believe the default local IP of your router is: 192.168.1.254. The Device Name is what you entered in the router's Samba Configuration window.
Is this a USB or Ethernet connection between the external drive & your router? What is the make & model of this drive?
Hmm. Well without performing a data capture of the SMB communication between your Mac and the router, it will be difficult to pinpoint the exact reason it is not working.
One option was to disable packet signing for SMB 2 or 3 connections. These were disabled by default ever since macOS 10.13.4. This function would be enabled automatically if the SMB server (your router in this case) supports it.
Ref: Some background: Turn off packet signing for SMB 2 and SMB 3 connections - Apple Support
It just might be that how Actiontec implemented SMB sharing is not compatible with Apple's implementation. Unfortunately, I do not have an Actiontec router to test this with. Hopefully, someone else here at the ASC, who does, will chime in to assist you with what was their solution. Good luck!
The external drive is connected with a USB to the router. The MBP is connected to the router with an ethernet cable.
Hard Drive: LaCie Thunderbolt 3 6TB External Hard Drive Desktop HDD, Thunderbolt 3 USB-C 3.0
Router: Actiontec T3200M
System: macOS Big Sur 11.1
Yes. So I went into the router settings and enabled file sharing. It then shows a Samba Username, Password, Device Name, and Workgroup which I can fill in and Apply. I have tried creating usernames and passwords and none of them work when I try to connect.
When I try to connect to the server the username always auto-populates with my first and last name all under case and no spaces, not sure what to make of that.
Just tried that and got the same response. This window shakes and the password is highlighted. I also cannot use the Guest option either.
Connecting MBP to Network Drive
