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ASIAIR SMB Access Issues on Windows

This issue is almost always caused by Windows SMB security hardening, not the VPN or the ASIAIR itself.

This is confirmed because:

  • The same VPN configuration works for other users

  • The ASIAIR SMB share is accessible from macOS

  • The ASIAIR SMB share is accessible from other Windows systems

  • Only one Windows machine is affected

Recent Windows updates (2023–2025) block several legacy SMB behaviors by default, including:

  • Guest / anonymous SMB logins

  • Unsigned SMB sessions

  • NTLM fallback authentication

The ASIAIR uses a minimal Samba configuration and relies on guest-style access, which Windows now blocks unless explicitly allowed.

Important Note About ASIAIR SMB Paths

The ASIAIR does not allow browsing the root SMB path:

\\172.x.x.x

This is expected behavior.

Instead, users must connect directly to a named share, such as:

\\172.x.x.x\EMMC Images

or to externally mounted storage, for example:

\\172.x.x.x\USB Images

Attempting to open the root path will fail even when SMB is working correctly.

Step 1 – Enable Insecure Guest SMB Logons (Most Important)

This resolves the majority of Windows ASIAIR SMB issues.

Windows Pro / Enterprise

  1. Press Win + R

  2. Type gpedit.msc

  3. Navigate to:

Computer Configuration

→ Administrative Templates

→ Network

→ Lanman Workstation

  1. Set Enable insecure guest logons to Enabled

  2. Reboot the computer

Windows Home Edition

  1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator

  2. Run:

reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters /v AllowInsecureGuestAuth /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

  1. Reboot the computer

Step 2 – Map the ASIAIR SMB Share Directly

Windows network discovery often fails over VPN. Always map the share explicitly.

Use one of the following formats:

\\172.x.x.x\EMMC Images

or, if external storage is installed:

\\172.x.x.x\<Mounted Storage Name>

If prompted for credentials:

  • Username: guest

  • Password: leave blank

To force a mapped drive:

net use Z: "\\172.x.x.x\EMMC Images" /user:guest "" /persistent:yes

Step 3 – Verify SMB 2 / 3 Is Enabled

ASIAIR does not require SMB1.

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator

  2. Run:

Get-SmbClientConfiguration

  1. Confirm:

EnableSMB2Protocol : True

If disabled:

Set-SmbClientConfiguration -EnableSMB2Protocol $true

Step 4 – Clear Cached Windows Credentials

Windows may reuse incorrect cached credentials.

  1. Open Control Panel

  2. Go to Credential Manager

  3. Select Windows Credentials

  4. Remove any entries related to:

  • The ASIAIR IP address

  • The VPN subnet

Reboot

Step 5 – Temporarily Disable Windows Firewall (Testing Only)

This helps identify firewall profile issues.

  1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator

  2. Run:

netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off

If SMB access works while disabled, a firewall rule is blocking SMB.

Re-enable firewall after testing:

netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state on

Step 6 – Verify Network Profile Is Set to Private

VPN adapters may default to Public, which blocks SMB.

  1. Open Windows Settings

  2. Go to Network & Internet

  3. Select the VPN adapter

  4. Set the network profile to Private

Step 7 – Adjust NTLM Compatibility (Last Resort)

Only use this step if all others fail.

  1. Press Win + R

  2. Type secpol.msc

  3. Navigate to:

Local Policies → Security Options

  1. Set:

Network security: LAN Manager authentication level

→ Send LM & NTLM – use NTLMv2 session security if negotiated

  1. Reboot

Diagnostic Test (Optional)

Run the following command in Command Prompt:

Test-NetConnection 172.x.x.x -Port 445

Results:

  • Success → SMB authentication or policy issue

  • Failure → Firewall or routing issue

Summary – Most Common Fix

In most cases, enabling insecure guest logons and rebooting restores ASIAIR SMB access on Windows.



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