Network setup - accessing shared drives

[absunshine99]

I just bought Patriot Box Office and tried using it to access my network of XP computers. I am using wired network connection via a router and set up network manually which seems to be OK - I can ping PBO from the network and I get an ON indication by the IP address on the interface. I set it up with a unique address in same subnet, and same subnet mask, default gateway and DNS Server as on my desktop. By the way, if I try the automatic DHCP setup instead, it doesn't work.

When I try to access a shared drive which I setup on one of the computers, it can take minutes to go through each step as it shows the rotating loading icon. First to connect to network, then to recognise a system, then to look for shared folders, then to prompt for username/password and if I get lucky it finally lists a folder within the shared area but that's as far as I got. When I tried to access the folder, the media box rebooted. This is obviously not normal performance - I understand that the loading prompt can be expected to flash momentarily, not stay on for minutes at a time.

The pdf user manual is not much use and I can't even tell where I am supposed to see what firmware version I have through the user interface in case it needs updating.
Can anyone advise?

[aasoror]

The pdf user manual is not much use and I can't even tell where I am supposed to see what firmware version I have through the user interface in case it needs updating.
Can anyone advise?

Press Stop then Pause @ the home screen and see which version of firmware you have as well as which bootcode is loaded on your machine.

Latest firmware P61 hasn't even shipped yet (AFAIK) so its doubtful that you have that on your box.

Once you upgrade the firmware (the instructions as well as the required files are in the official firmware sticky in the root of this forum) to P61, please retry and post again if your problem persist.

[absunshine99]

OK, I updated the firmware to P61 - no problem there. Still have same issues with delays accessing shared drives. Session goes like this:
Sees computer on network after only a few seconds.
Select computer then wait about five minutes or so while 'loading'.
Logon successful message and shared folder visible.
Select folder and accesses sub-folder fairly quickly.
Select sub folder - nothing happens for a minute or two then loading icon shows for another couple of minutes. Then folder shows correct location but no files listed - they are MP3 in source folder so should be readable.
If I come up tree, navigates quite quickly but just as slow coming down tree again. In fact on second attempt, prompts for Net User ID/Password and I gave up waiting after 'loading' message on screen for another few minutes.
I had used Transcode Server Net Share Dialog on source PC to delete shared drives then add just the one for testing. It appears to be setup correctly for share.

[sam]

PBO plays almost everything. You shouldn't need any Transcode Server software. You just need a shared folder with your multimedia files on the XP workstation. Not using a Transcode Server will speed up things a bit.

I am sure the workstation you're using has at 128MB RAM. Something else that slows browsing on a workstation is how deep your shared folders are buried on the hard drive. Try placing a couple of folders in the Public share Folders and browse them their see what happens.

Sam

[absunshine99]

I have 2GB memory on my XP PC so that should not be a problem. Shared folder is not deeply nested - only one level down. I setup the network afresh with a new workgroup and all PCs see shared folders fine with minimal delay but the Media Box still acts like a slug that badly needs its morning coffee. Does it matter what the workgroup name is? I have named mine WORKGROUP.

I used the Transcode Server software only to simplify and confirm setting up of shared folder. I don't think it makes much difference one way or another.

[wigout]

Well, I'm not sure I'd assume that running and accessing through a upnp/transcoding server wouldn't be part of a bottleneck. Of course a bottleneck should let files show up, even if only after a great while. You are seeing folders, but not files....

Are you browsing to your share over the "Network" heading, Neighbors or UPNP?

Just as a test of your other network functionality, can you browse/download/view any of the ims services, like a podcast from cnn or whatever? If you can, then that just shows that you have a workable network access speed. If you can't, that doesn't necessarily tell us a lot (could be the service is down or something else misconfigured).

Can you try taking your router out of the picture by wiring your pbo directly to the xp machine? That way we can rule out router issues....

just thinking out loud here,

wigout

[sam]

I agree with wigout, try to elminate as many variables as possible.

Transcode Server(TS) requires a fast computer and lots of memory. When you're accessing your media through a Transcode Server, TS has to Transcode your media regardless of wether your media player in this case the PBO can play it or not. TS does not sense any media player features or capabilities. It just Transcodes what you throw in the shares folder that Transcode Server is using.


Sam.

[absunshine99]

I shut off the Transcode Server software and that did not make any difference. I then connected the PBO to my computer directly with a cross-over cable and voila, it works fine. So the problem is indeed related to the router. Next question is what would I need to do to set the router to allow this to work properly. I have a Linksys WRT54G router which I can configure as necessary but I don't know what I would need to change to address this problem. Any ideas?

[sam]

First and far most important step is to update the Firmware to the latest. Once you update the Firmware you can't restore a saved config file from backup. Because the router Firmware sometimes chages some structure of the settings. So, go through the router Tabs one at a time Note any special settings including your Wireless info ( Access Point: Name, Security: WEP, WPA, etc.). Also, IP Address on the WAN Tab: ip address: Static or DHCP, LAN IPs: probably DHCP. If it is DHCP don't change anything. This is why your PBO probably couldn't get an IP. Not enough IPs in the DHCP Pool.

I am assuming you have Cable or DSL Internet with a DHCP IP from your ISP.

1. Note Configuration info (All Tabs, WAN, LAN, Wireless, etc)
2. Update Firmware
3. Reset router to Factory Default.
4. Change Default Admin Password.
5. Check the router Tabs and compare them to the info you noted earlier. Modify each Tab as needed and save changes on each Tab at the bottom of the screen.

6. Once the router is up and operational restart all your computers and devices on the network.
7. Test connectivity.

Keep us posted of your progress.

Sam.

[aasoror]

I have a Linksys WRT54G router which I can configure as necessary but I don't know what I would need to change to address this problem. Any ideas?

Have you considered DD-WRT firmware on your router ?