WINDOWS 7 - Set up Naim Uniti Core’s SSD of WAV files on Windows Network

I am not sure if things have changed but it used to be you had to have at least a 2tb drive in order to save to a downloads folder.

Can you be more specific on access denied? Do you mean you cannot access the share, or do you mean you tried to adjust the file name, or do you mean you tried to play it on your pc?

I was busy ripping CDs to the SSD inside my Naim Uniti Core, not concerned about what Windows was doing with it.  When I finished ripping all my CDs, I wanted to see how Naim had organized the SSD.  I opened File Manager expecting to see all my WAV music files.  That’s when I discovered Windows was not treating my new SSD as a normal file.  

As I said, I opened File Manager, the usual method I use to open any file.  File Manager wouldn’t let me open and view the files on the  SSD.  Instead, I was asked to choose a Media Player.  Having no alternative but Windows Media Player, I clicked on OK.  It was that or no access.    I’m now able to open the file, but it is managed by Windows Media Player and not File Manager.  I want a File Manager presentation.  

Im not aware of any requirement for a 2 tb minimum file, but I would be rather upset if it were true as the expense of buying another expensive SSD is not a happy prospect.  Why would there be such a requirement?

The 2TB comment relates to the UnitiServe, and is not relevant in your case. 

Hi echolane

It would appear you are good to go with your ssd sorry for the confusion.

However your wording is a bit ambigous. When you are ripping is this directly on the core? You say not worried about what windows is doing, but windows has nothing to do with the core ripping?

If you mean you are ripping with your windows computer and transfering to the core then there are plenty of options there. COme back to us

I think the OPs wording is pretty clear, he wants to view the files and folders of his CD rips, and in future, wants to add downloads. It seems odd that he can't do this on his computer, but as a Mac user I wouldn't know how to solve this on a Windows device.  

Have you tried mapping a network drive to your Core through win 7 and then opening through that? That's the method I use and it gives me full access. I'm using win 10 but the idea is the same. Rich 

As Rich1 says, mapping the drive is the way to go in Windows, but with current Core firmware that may not work for you in which case you have to use Windows explorer to navigate to the IP address of the Core which you can find via the Naim app or using a network analyser app like Fing or Net Analyzer. When windows explorer finds the Core, it will allow you to select the downloads or Music folders as usual. The online Core support info in the Naim website does explain this.

You don't want to be using Windows Media Player. That is a red herring and doesn't help at all.

Naim have the fix for this in beta so once the next Core firmware release is out it should be business as usual again.

best

David

Let me ask this in a different way.  What is it about the file containing the music ripped by my Naim Uniti Core that makes it different.  It IS different in some way or I could use File a manager to open it and see a a typical Windows File Manager presentation.  That is Name of File, Name of any Subcategories, followed by detailed list of files within each category.

Why did Windows treat this File differently and force me to assign a Media Player to view the contents?

Rich 1 posted:

Have you tried mapping a network drive to your Core through win 7 and then opening through that? That's the method I use and it gives me full access. I'm using win 10 but the idea is the same. Rich 

I have never “mapped a drive”.  Why would I need to do this?  Why can’t File Manager present it’s contents to me as any other file?

It's not the file that is different in the Core. In fact it's exactly the same. It's the Core that won't allow connections from your Windows 7 PC, which is why you end up being offered windows Media Player as the only option.

Mapping a drive is just a signing a letter to it so you can easily open it with a file manager type of program. But see my previous answer for how to deal with this until Naim issue updated firmware for the Core.

best

David

I see what you are getting at now.

Yes if a folder contains music files windows presents them differently to standard view, as with a folder of jpgs

You should be able to right click in the column header of the window and there are additional things to select. But no off the bat windows does not present you with a simple 'details' view like other folders.

David Hendon posted:

It's not the file that is different in the Core. In fact it's exactly the same. It's the Core that won't allow connections from your Windows 7 PC, which is why you end up being offered windows Media Player as the only option.

Mapping a drive is just a signing a letter to it so you can easily open it with a file manager type of program. But see my previous answer for how to deal with this until Naim issue updated firmware for the Core.

best

David

David,you may remember a couple of months ago,I had the exact same problem ECHOLANE is having.When I tried to find the downloads folder on my laptop,it only showed up in windows media player.You tried talking me through it,and told me Naim was working on this in Beta testing.What ended up solving it for me (I think) ,was I had a power outage for a couple of hours,when it came on I suddenly was able to see the downloads folder under Network.I believe I also tried changing a setting in the APP around the same time,after reading a post from GARY I...Workgroup or something like that.This tells me that powering everything down,router and all gear might of solved it,but I am no expert here,I kind of unknowingly stumbled on a solution.

ECHOLANE,I understand your frustration,the exact same thing happened to me too,sorry I don’t have a real solution for you.

It's always worth trying a restart of the router, which is what probably helped you NQ.

We are still waiting for that Core firmware update to be released.

I also know navigating to the Core IP address also works on the release firmware.

best

David

Echolane posted:

Let me ask this in a different way.  What is it about the file containing the music ripped by my Naim Uniti Core that makes it different.  It IS different in some way or I could use File a manager to open it and see a a typical Windows File Manager presentation.  That is Name of File, Name of any Subcategories, followed by detailed list of files within each category.

Why did Windows treat this File differently and force me to assign a Media Player to view the contents?

In windows file manager, the Core should appear as a directory containing folders HQ, MQ and LQ.

Music files ripped by the Core should reside in MQ.

flammenwerfer posted:

Echolane posted:

Let me ask this in a different way.  What is it about the file containing the music ripped by my Naim Uniti Core that makes it different.  It IS different in some way or I could use File a manager to open it and see a a typical Windows File Manager presentation.  That is Name of File, Name of any Subcategories, followed by detailed list of files within each category.

Why did Windows treat this File differently and force me to assign a Media Player to view the contents?

In windows file manager, the Core should appear as a directory containing folders HQ, MQ and LQ.

Music files ripped by the Core should reside in MQ.

Well that certainly makes sense and would be exactly what I would expect.  But I can’t see HQ, MQ, and LQ.  Why is my file apparently different?

Echolane posted:

flammenwerfer posted:

Echolane posted:

Let me ask this in a different way.  What is it about the file containing the music ripped by my Naim Uniti Core that makes it different.  It IS different in some way or I could use File a manager to open it and see a a typical Windows File Manager presentation.  That is Name of File, Name of any Subcategories, followed by detailed list of files within each category.

Why did Windows treat this File differently and force me to assign a Media Player to view the contents?

In windows file manager, the Core should appear as a directory containing folders HQ, MQ and LQ.

Music files ripped by the Core should reside in MQ.

Well that certainly makes sense and would be exactly what I would expect.  But I can’t see HQ, MQ, and LQ.  Why is my file apparently different?

Did you read my posts in this thread? It's not your file that's different. It's your Core won't let your PC connect to it normally. It's a known Core firmware bug that does affect Windows 7 PCs.

best

David

David Hendon posted:

As Rich1 says, mapping the drive is the way to go in Windows, but with current Core firmware that may not work for you in which case you have to use Windows explorer to navigate to the IP address of the Core which you can find via the Naim app or using a network analyser app like Fing or Net Analyzer. When windows explorer finds the Core, it will allow you to select the downloads or Music folders as usual. The online Core support info in the Naim website does explain this.

You don't want to be using Windows Media Player. That is a red herring and doesn't help at all.

Naim have the fix for this in beta so once the next Core firmware release is out it should be business as usual again.

best

David

I overlooked this advice!  Though I don’t really understand why I should have to do this, I’ll definitely give this a try tomorrow.  Thanks.

Echolane posted:

David Hendon posted:

As Rich1 says, mapping the drive is the way to go in Windows, but with current Core firmware that may not work for you in which case you have to use Windows explorer to navigate to the IP address of the Core which you can find via the Naim app or using a network analyser app like Fing or Net Analyzer. When windows explorer finds the Core, it will allow you to select the downloads or Music folders as usual. The online Core support info in the Naim website does explain this.

You don't want to be using Windows Media Player. That is a red herring and doesn't help at all.

Naim have the fix for this in beta so once the next Core firmware release is out it should be business as usual again.

best

David

 

 

 

 

At last, a reason for the problem.   I will plan to map the drive as suggested or navigate to the IP address.

I have wanted to send this SSD to  Small Green Computer to be installed inside the Sonic Transporter I want to buy.  Hopefully this purchase will keep me clear of complex Windows problems, but I don’t want this bug to carryover to the Sonic Transporter!!  What exactly is the bug and what does it do?   Does it put something on the file label of the SSD?  

It's nothing to do with the files, as I explained before. The Core is choosy about what it allows to connect to it's drive over the network and the bug is that it is more choosy than it has any right to be.

Anyway the new update for the Core firmware is very imminent so you will be able to try for yourself whether it fixes it for you. I hope it does! But tell us anyway.

best

David

David Hendon posted:

It's nothing to do with the files, as I explained before. The Core is choosy about what it allows to connect to it's drive over the network and the bug is that it is more choosy than it has any right to be.

Anyway the new update for the Core firmware is very imminent so you will be able to try for yourself whether it fixes it for you. I hope it does! But tell us anyway.

best

David

I’d very much like to think it does nothing to my “precious” file of music!    But OTOH, I can’t imagine any other way Windows would recognize it had to treat this particular file differently.   I keep thinking the bug must be something in the file label (that would be File Properties, I think) that misdirects Windows.  

Really you are completely on the wrong track. It's like your Core is a drawer and there are CDs in it. You want your PC to open the drawer and take out a CD. But the Core won't let your PC open the drawer. The CDs are unmarked and just waiting for the drawer to be opened. Once the Core firmware update has been done, the hope is that the Core will now let your PC open the drawer.

The key point is that it's not Windows treating "this particular file" differently. Windows can't see into the drawer and so isn't able to do anything with whatever is in there. As far as Windows knows, the drawer could be empty.

best

David

With all due respect, I think we are thinking of it in two different ways.  I am not worried that anything has corrupted what’s in the drawer.  I’m worried about whatever it is that is preventing Windows from opening the drawer.  There has to be a “signal” that Windows is “reading” that tells it not to open the drawer.  I’m assuming that has to be the bug.  The question is, where is that “signal” or bug?  My thinking is that it has to be on the file.  I am guessing it might be part of File Properties, but maybe there is another less obvious place to leave a switch of some sort.  Or....Perhaps the switch is in the Naim Uniti Core itself but I struggle  with the logic of that because Windows doesn’t even “know” about the Core as I’ve never downloaded any drivers for it.  Which reminds me,  I received no documentation with my Core.  I suppose there might be something I’ve missed doing.

Let me have one more go.

You tell the PC to open the Core's drawer. The drawer is locked. The PC says to the Core, "open the drawer" and the Core says "no I'm not going to". That's it. There is nothing more the PC can do. 

After the firmware update, what I'm expecting is that when your PC says to the Core "open the drawer" the Core will say "Certainly, here you go."

Regarding documentation, there is nothing in the box and nothing you can download, but there is an online support wizard on Naim's website. You can explore that, but I doubt if it will help you because you need the firmware update which isn't released yet and obviously not written up in the support wizard yet.

best

David

It took weeks but Naim Support finally responded to my request and at this point my struggle to gain access to the folders in the SSD inside my Uniti Core is fruitless.  There is no direct way to add to it.  Here is my correspondence from Support.

First this one:

Dear Mrs Mountjoy,

Dear Mrs Mountjoy,

Then a second reply 

This advice from Naim support is plainly wrong. I am afraid that whoever gave it to you is completely mistaken. If you look in the Core support wizard, it tells you how to do it over the network and some of the recent beta testing of the recently released Core firmware was about connecting to the Core downloads folder over the network from different PCs. But I'm not sure how to suggest you proceed since the technical support people who knew what they are talking about have apparently left Naim now.

best

David