Android app (VLC) can't access Shared Folder

I 'm trying to give VLC app, access to a Shared Windows Pc Folder (SMB Protocol) but I haven't sort it out so far.
The app connects to the Network, sees the Shared Folder (-----SHARED-----) but it can't open it.
Although password protected sharing is off, VLC keeps asking me for username and password.
Also, for some unknown reason the Folder seems Empty although it isn't (App Screenshot 3).
Am I missing something?
I have asked in the VLC community (no answer yet) but I think that 99% it's a Windows thing, that's why I am also asking here.
Thank you!



My setup
Media player: Xiaomi Mi Box S (MIBOX4)
Android 9
VLC 3.3.4
Pc: Win 10 Pro, ver.1909, build 18363.1316

My Windows settings






Screenshots from the app

Samuria said:

It should be asking for a username and passord for a admin on the pc your connecting to NOT the one your connecting from.

I'm not sure what you mean. An app from a media player is trying to connect to my pc to play video files.

Samuria said:

Check the share is set to everyone and the ntfs permission are set on the folder if its a folder in the user profile it will have special permission set from above

It's set as it should be, I think.

@Skakner
Did you ever find the problem?

I have VLC for Android TV.
It can read files on all computers except one.
It can see the computer, but I get "VLC is unable to open MRL file" error.

So, like you, I suspect it's a problem with the computer settings, but I have compared computer settings with computers that VLC for Android TV can read files on, and they appear to be the same.

I am tending to think it is an SMB problem.
Something that doesn't occur on the problem computer is that I cannot get the login and password screen to pop up.

If I could get that to pop up again, then I am thinking that maybe all it needs is the login name and password re-entered, but I cannot find how to re-enable the prompt.

I have uninstalled VLC for Android TV and reinstalled it, but I get the same result.
The problem computer used to work until the last time I tried it about 2 weeks ago.

Stigg said:

Hi @jimbo45

I'll go through all those settings again.
I did all the basics with folder security and permissions and all that.
The strange is, I don't even get to see the shared folders before VLC displays the "VLC is unable to open MRL file" error as soon as I click on the computer name.
VLC sees the computer though. And other computers can browse all folders.

Regarding SMB. None of the other computers that work have any SMB settings selected.
The non-working computer had one of the SMB 1.0 settings selected, so I unselected it.
Something different that I noticed on the non-working computer is that SMB Direct is in the list, but not selected. The other computers don't even have it listed. I did try selecting SMB Direct, but it didn't work.

Where is the SMB username and password stored?
I am thinking of removing it so I can get the prompt to input it again.



I do use KODI from time to time, but I like streaming movies with VLC. For me, it's a better experience.
That MRL error is everywhere if you search for it, but almost every site has the exact same non-working solutions.

Hi there
I found KODI was better at streaming my DVD iso archives - I've literally several hundred DVD's that I'd ripped via AnyDVD to an iso image (and de-regionalised and decrypted) - DVD plays exactly like it would on a classical consumer DVD player - menus etc. It also handles some of "(Cr-)Apple's m2ts type of videos without conversion or stuttering.

I also use KODI a lot because some people I watch movies with like to get Icelandic subtitles -- opensubtitle.org downloads from within KODI (you can select other subtitle servers e.g addic7ed but Opensubtitles seems to work best for me) --then I use the google subtitle translator which works very well indeed .

Machine translation A.I has improved so much these days it really makes a reasonable job. You still get the hillarious howlers from time to time --in a recent war film the translation of ammo out - throw me a magazine was translated as ammo out - throw me a Comic !!! but good enough inn most cases.


Translate Subtitles FREE online Subtitles Translator

Anyway good luck if you succeed -- I've always regarded Windows Networking as one step removed from old fashioned Sorcery - sometimes you get 1 rogue computer which looks identical in every way to others but it won't connect !!!!

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

I've always regarded Windows Networking as one step removed from old fashioned Sorcery - sometimes you get 1 rogue computer which looks identical in every way to others but it won't connect !!!!

Cheers
jimbo

Never has a truer word been spoken.

I had a similar issue when trying to access files on my Windows 10 PC for my Phone via the SMBv2 protocol. I was able to see the shared folders but they showed up as empty on my phone. From my experience, even if you have password protected sharing off in Windows 10 it will still prompt for login credentials.

What worked for me was giving Windows 10 what it wanted and entering the credentials. For login, enter the account name that you use to sign into your PC & do the same for password.

Example:

If your user account on your PC is Mark, enter Mark in the login field.
If your password for the Mark account is pepper, enter pepper in the password field.

Note


If you use a Microsoft account to sign-in to your PC, you will have to use the first five characters of your email address or phone number. Depending on how the Microsoft account was created.

So if your sign-in email is someone@outlook.com, enter someo in the login field.

Or

If your account was created via phone number and your phone number is 1 234 567 8910, enter 12345 in the login field.
Enter your email password in the password field.

Hopefully this helps.