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Router can't acess USB drive content

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Router can't acess USB drive content

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Router can't acess USB drive content
Router can't acess USB drive content
2021-10-07 23:26:06 - last edited 2021-10-12 08:37:28
Model: Archer C59  
Hardware Version: V2
Firmware Version: 2.0.1

I connected my external hard drive to my router using the USB port, but I can't access it from my Windows 10 laptop. It seems the router recognizes the HD was connected, but it can't access any of the contents in it. This only happens to this external hard drive. The router works fine with a SSD and allows my laptop to access its contents.

Also, the HD is plugged in to an external power source, so that is not the problem, I think.

 

Here's what I get from the router config page. The router recognizes the hard drive is connected to it, but it can't access any information about it.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the sharing access details:

 

If I try to share just a folder instead of everything in the drive, I can't access anything in it.

 

 

 

To make sure the hard drive was correctly set, I formatted it using these settings (the default ones), but I still couldn't get it to work:

 

 

 

The HD works just fine with my laptop. I can read and write data in it. 

 

Can anyone help me with this problem?

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#1
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1 Accepted Solution
Re:Router can't acess USB drive content-Solution
2021-10-12 06:59:23 - last edited 2021-10-12 08:37:28

@Kevin_Z 

Splitting the HDD into multiple partitions smaller than 4TB solved the problem :D

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#7
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Re:Router can't acess USB drive content
2021-10-09 12:40:07

@ze_drive 

 

Hello, is the USB folder encrypted or is it open? Was there any error message when you try to access the files?

 

You may check if you are experiencing the same issue as the others:
https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/237066

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#2
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Re:Router can't acess USB drive content
2021-10-09 17:36:02 - last edited 2021-10-09 17:37:15

@Kevin_Z 

 

The hard drive model I have (WD 8TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive HDD - WDBWLG0080HBK-NESN) doesn't have any innate encryption and I checked and it's also not encrypted by Bitlocker.

 

From the router config page, I can't see any details of the HDD other than the name. It doesn't show me how much space it has or any other information like it shows when I connect my SSD to the router.

 

When I try to access the HDD from Windows Explorer while it's connected to the router, it shows me an empty folder. If I access it using the "Network Neighborhood" method, it won't allow me to do anything like create a folder or paste a file in it (as in, the option won't even be available in the first place). If I access it through FTP, I can try to create a folder, but it gives me a "550 New Folder: Permission denied" error.

 

I checked that forum post and it seems like updating the firmware solved their problem. My firmware is already up to date, according to the router config page (firmware version 2.0.1). It seems they had access to a beta version of the firmware for their router models, but mine is a different one (Archer C59 v2.0)

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#3
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Re:Router can't acess USB drive content
2021-10-11 06:24:16

@ze_drive 

 

You mentioned that "The router works fine with an SSD and allows my laptop to access its contents.", so how about the capacity and format of this SSD? Is it also 8TB or smaller?

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#4
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Re:Router can't acess USB drive content
2021-10-11 17:16:12 - last edited 2021-10-11 17:18:42

@Kevin_Z 

 

Yeah, it's a few 250 GB NTFS. I'm hoping it's not a capacity thing. Everywhere I read says that newer TP-link routers, particularly the dual band ones, don't have a limitation on how much the HDD can store (if it has one partition). I'd hate to see there's an exception that I haven't heard of :( 

I read here https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2290/ that if the HDD has multiple partitions, there's a 5TB limit, but my HDD only has one.

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#5
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Re:Router can't acess USB drive content
2021-10-12 06:02:31 - last edited 2021-10-12 06:15:54

@ze_drive 

 

That is correct. You can try to re-format the 8TB HDD into multiple partitions that are smaller than 5TB, then confirm again.

Nice to Meet You in Our TP-Link Community. Check Out the Latest Posts: Connect TP-Link Archer BE550 to Germany's DS-Lite (Dual Stack Lite) Internet via WAN Archer GE550 - BE9300 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Gaming Router EasyMesh Is Available When Wi-Fi Routers Work in AP Mode as A Controller. Archer BE550 New Software Enhances System Stability and Optimizes MLO Network Stability. If you found a post or response helpful, please click Helpful (arrow pointing upward icon). If you are the author of a topic, remember to mark a helpful reply as the "Recommended Solution" (star icon) so that others can benefit from it.
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#6
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Re:Router can't acess USB drive content-Solution
2021-10-12 06:59:23 - last edited 2021-10-12 08:37:28

@Kevin_Z 

Splitting the HDD into multiple partitions smaller than 4TB solved the problem :D

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#7
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Re:Router can't acess USB drive content
2021-10-12 08:38:13

@ze_drive 

That's awesome.yes

Nice to Meet You in Our TP-Link Community. Check Out the Latest Posts: Connect TP-Link Archer BE550 to Germany's DS-Lite (Dual Stack Lite) Internet via WAN Archer GE550 - BE9300 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Gaming Router EasyMesh Is Available When Wi-Fi Routers Work in AP Mode as A Controller. Archer BE550 New Software Enhances System Stability and Optimizes MLO Network Stability. If you found a post or response helpful, please click Helpful (arrow pointing upward icon). If you are the author of a topic, remember to mark a helpful reply as the "Recommended Solution" (star icon) so that others can benefit from it.
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#8
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