I've had that problem for several versions, and it's not a unique thing to the ReadyNAS, as I have seen similar complaints in forums for other Linux-based NAS. Basically, there is something amiss with Windows resolving the names of Linux systems to an IP address. I have never seen a real solution, but there is a work-around, which is putting the NAS name and IP address in the Windows hosts file. You can only edit the hosts file in an editor with admin privileges, so it's best to simply Google modify windows hosts file for the particulars.
I apologize for asking about the hosts entry format. You were correct -- a simple Google.
Added info to hosts and it did not respond.
Entry of \\192.168.0.239 in FileExplorer does not work --
Similar entry into browser of http:\\192.168.0.239 also fails
RAIDar works fine
This issue presented on five different workstations all within a couple of days. Easy to blame Windows but the common focal point is the ReadyNAS system.
You do need to re-boot for edits of the hosts file to take effect.
Also, your error message is The local device name is already in usenot an indication that the name is wrong or misspelled? The first command @StephenB listed should have cleared all names that were in use. So try this and post exactly what responses you get.
net use
net use * /delete
net use
net use z: \\nas-ip-address\data /u:admin nas-admin-password
net use
If the second command warns you that you are deleting an active connection, reply YES.
I am expecting you will get different responses to each of the net use commands with no arguments.
What I suspect is that you have something that is attempting to automatically mount the NAS that is failing (quite likely simply a persistent drive mapping), but Windows is unaware it failed. So any attempt to re-mount it will give that error message. Now the thing is to find why it failed.
Firefox as the default browser. Recently we have been having some issues with Firefox -- switching to Chrome has exposed some fields in the browser display that Firefox does not display. Seems to be more prevalent on some banking applications and some Microsoft sites. That issue will be investigated separately.
Using Chrome login to the ReadyNAS is possible directly using the IP address (not fat fingered).
Using FileManager login to the ReadyNAS is possible from FileManager using the IP address which 'calls' on a browser to in turn direct to the IP address. Works.
This issue does not present with the Synology NAS on the same subnet.
My tentative conclusion is that ReadyNAS system is responding properly and connectivity is not an issue.
The issue is Windows based.
My next step is going to rename the ReadyNAS system since the Windows error messages indicate it is 'misspelled' or possibly the name is used. The Windows error messages vary between those two depending on the context of access attempts.
Using FileManager login to the ReadyNAS is possible from FileManager using the IP address which 'calls' on a browser to in turn direct to the IP address. Works.
Then this is behaving exactly as I suggested -- Windows is not properly determining the IP address from the NAS name. I urge you to type in the commands I listed and the exact responses you get from Windows. The only exact response I have seen you give thus far in no way suggests the name is misspelled. It implies that Windows has already attempted to log in, and actually thinks it has succeeded, and thus is preventing you from doing so again. That is a common symptom of the problem I believe you have.
I did not delete all existing mapped drive names but did pick a new drive letter for the new mapping...
****Cut 'n Paste from Command Prompt Below *****
C:\Windows\System32>net use New connections will be remembered.
Status Local Remote Network
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OK L: \\TROUT-NAS\AccountingFiles Microsoft Windows Network OK M: \\TROUT-NAS\PLEX--Media Microsoft Windows Network OK S: \\TROUT-NAS\SharedFiles Microsoft Windows Network OK W: \\TROUT-NAS\IYF_DataFiles Microsoft Windows Network OK X: \\192.168.0.232\MKV-Files Microsoft Windows Network OK Y: \\192.168.0.232\WorkstationBackups Microsoft Windows Network OK \\192.168.0.232\IPC$ Microsoft Windows Network The command completed successfully.
C:\Windows\System32>net use j: \\192.168.0.232\data /u:admin $#dI>ccOD30g^&wr System error 85 has occurred.
The local device name is already in use.
******* End of Cut 'n Paste *************
Note some mapped drives to the ReadyNAS device exist because of FileManager access to the ReadyNAS device and subsequent remapping.
I did not delete all mapping as your command prompt suggested -- seemed to not be useful.
Note the IPC$ mapping -- do not know why/how it got there.
Further testing today indicates that the "ReadyNAS" device that prompts the error is not limited to a single workstation.
I have changed the device name and the device IP address. The problem follows the device for some reason.
The same error occurs on every workstation -- i.e. the Windows network is somehow 'contaminated'.
Other stuff works as expected.
From my limited knowledge of the Windows browse capability it seems like the 'master browser' workstation must keep pushing out some erroneous information to all the other workstations.
The puzzle is that the Synology NAS device(s) on the same network do not exhibit the same issue.
Note some mapped drives to the ReadyNAS device exist because of FileManager access to the ReadyNAS device and subsequent remapping.
I did not delete all mapping as your command prompt suggested -- seemed to not be useful.
Windows only allows one set of credentials to be used to access the NAS at a time. So if you are testing SMB access, it is important to cancel all ReadyNAS connections.
Note that as far as Windows is concerned, the NAS hostname and the NAS IP address are two different machines. So you can use one set of credentials to connect to the hostname and a different set to connect to the IP address.
There is no indication you network is "contaminated" and the whole point of using names instead of IP addresses is that everything follows the name.
This would be a whole lot easier if you would simply do as I asked and type those commands. They will make no changes that a re-boot won't restore, but they would help show wherein the problem lies. At least you are finally providing some of the exact error messages, not your (incorrect) interpretation of them.
Is TROUT-NAS located at \\192.168.0.232? Are your existing connections made using the admin credentials?
I suspect the answers are yes to the first and no to the second. So you are trying to use a second user name for "each device" (Windows treats the name and IP as separate devices for this), which is not allowed.
Assuming I'm right, you have some options:
Use either TROUT-NAS or \\192.168.0.232 for each of the non-admin logins and the other for admin.
Add yet another name in the Windows hosts file. You can give multiple names to the same IP address and Windows will allow a separate log-in for each.
And, BTW, the use of a "Master Browser" ended with Windows 7.
The answer is yes -- admin privileges were used for the cmd operations.
Did you note that this issue has presented on five workstations?? Same issue on each workstation.
This started just after the most recent Windows update.
My network consultant/fellow says that I should ignore the issue since my work around using IP address seems to be operational. This work around fixed the issue on all five workstations.
His notion is that the NETGEAR NAS is beyond EOL and no longer sold or supported and the money we would spend for him to investigate should be used to discard the NETGEAR device in favor of another Synology NAS.
I will try your notion of adding another name to the hosts file. If that is the issue I will advise with another reply.
Reboot and NewName did not show up during the Network Browse. Only the existing name of the NETGEAR device which in turn results in an error message.
As I have explained in prior posts, our job is to make widgets and not be computer experts.
As Sandshark pointed out my knowledge of various Windows issues and methods is limited. For issues related to networking we use an outside consultant. He is also puzzled and I have explained his notions.
So, at this point we have an unresolved issue that only occurs with a ReadyNAS device on our network after the most recent Windows upgrade. Whatever that issue is it presents on all attached workstations on that LAN. Thanks to your collective help we have implemented in IP based approach and remapped the requisite drives to provide equivalent connectivity. Not ideal but it does work.
If the ReadyNAS product had not been discontinued we would pursue a solution but it seems best if we start to eliminate our ReadyNAS devices before there are more issues.
Adding something to the hosts file does not make it show up in the Network Neighborhood. But it allows you to use that name when using Windows Explorer to open a device when you specify the new name in an Explorer address bar or assign a drive letter to a device as well as use it with NET USE in a command prompt.
So now try net use j: \\NewName\data /u:admin $#dI>ccOD30g^&wr.
Reboot and NewName did not show up during the Network Browse. Only the existing name of the NETGEAR device which in turn results in an error message.It
It is very easy to add one or more NAS shares as a network location in file explorer. Just right-click in the main file explorer pane, and you will see the option.
It is also very easy to add a desktop shortcut that opens a file explorer pane for the NAS. Just right-click on the desktop, select "New", and then "shortcut". Then enter \\192.168.0.232 as the location. (Or \\nas-name if you get the hosts file working).
IMO both of these options are more convenient than using the Network Browse. If the NAS IP address is fixed (either static or reserved), then you can forget about the hosts file, since no one will need to remember the NAS IP address once the shortcuts and locations are set up.
ping works on other LAN devices as would be expected
ping works on the NETGEAR IP address as would be expected
ping works on the NETGEAR device name (??) -- sort of a surprise
Using the Windows GUI the NETGEAR device does not display -- see prior error messages.
As I have mentioned we focus on making and selling widgets not technology. Consequently one of the overriding characteristics of any systems we deploy is that then must be managed by the GUI interface of that device. No command lines, no ssh -- just the device GUI.
It is my view that we should stop this thread and consider the issue as unresolved.
I appreciate your help and Sandshark's help but at this point I am putting together a RFP for a bunch of Synology devices.
As the Snyology NAS units are deployed we will be selling the NETGEAR devices. We have almost 19 left and they are available for anyone who wants them at bargain prices so I do not have to turn to eBay.
Your issue is a Windows one, not a ReadyNAS one, but you are refusing to accept that. In addition, I believe much of it is of your own making, but I can't tell for sure just what it is because you keep resisting our efforts to determine that. If I'm diagnosing right, it's not really even a "Windows Problem" per se, it's just a lack of knowing how Windows works (and sometimes doesn't work as you'd like/expect it to). Nonetheless, we are trying to help you. If you search the Synology forum, you will find similar issues reported.
Once we use the command prompt to figure out what causes the problem, we can likely tell you how to fix it such that you don't continue to have to use it. But the GUI does not give the tools necessary to do the diagnosis.
This is my diagnosis so far: You have mapped multiple drives on the ReadyNAS using either one or two sets of credentials, which are not the Windows user's credentials or NAS admin credentials, and you are trying to access the NAS with those credentials. That makes it two sets of credentials for the same device, whihc simply is not allowed by Windows -- it has nothing at all to do with the ReadyNAS. You have not done the same on the Synology, so you don't yet have the problem there.
And this is the basis of my diagnosis: Your error message is that the device name is already in use (how you have interpreted that to mean it may be misspelled, I have no idea). Your NET USE command shows that both the NAS name and IP are, in fact, in use in drive mappings. I assume that's from network mappings you've made using the options to map using a different account and the checkbox to remember it (thus, it's of your own making). I do not know if you are using the same credentials for those mappings, but it's pretty clear that it's not the Windows user's credentials (which are presented automatically when you type the share name into the Windows Explorer address window) or NAS admin account (which you used in a NET USE mapping) since your attempts to use those credentials now fail. Whether the credentials for the mappings by IP and by name are the same or different from each other, I do not know, but we have a way to find out. The message Windows gives when you try to use a second set of credentials to access a device that's already connected (aka In use) is exactly the one you are getting.
I would still like to see what happens when you clear out all the existing connections. I believe it will make your new connection work and will be the next pointer to the root cause. This is what you can do next to better diagnose the problem. If you've already run the command to delete the existing connections, re-boot to re-establish them. Then, enter this command in the windows CMD prompt for each mapped drive: wmic netuse where LocalName="M:" get UserName /value. Run it for M, then replace M with each of the drives in the NET USE list and post the results here. If you are concerned about the user name given being posted publicly, you can replace it with something generic. But use the same generic name for each instance of the real one. E.G., replace every instance of "Tom" with "Jerry".
While you are not a technology company, expecting technology to "run itself" is a naïve position. When your whole IT infrastructure comes tumbling down and you can't fix it because you have no idea how it works and you cannot conduct business as usual, you will wish you'd learned more about it. If you choose not to learn yourself, there are consultants who can help. Unfortunately, many are not willing to work with what you have, so you may have to replace some of the hardware (the ReadyNAS likely being one, since it's no longer supported by Netgear). Trust me that it's far cheaper than calling in a "strike team" to fix a major problem while your employees' productivity is reduced but they are still getting paid.
