Can't connect your computer to NAS shared folders? It prompts that the network path cannot be found. I queued from Windows 11 all the way to Synology, and these are the only four pitfalls

cousin's second-hand four-speaker Synology has been used for almost half a year and has been working fine for a long time. Last month, he updated his laptop to Windows 11 24H2, and the next day when he typed \192.168.0.30 in the address bar, a popup message said "Network path not found." His first reaction was that the NAS was broken, and he was about to come to my house holding the machine, but I stopped him—the web backend could be opened, so the NAS was working fine, and the root of the problem was probably on Windows.

take a minute to clarify: is the internet cut off, or is SMB not acknowledging it

don't rush to randomly click on settings; start with a command: ping 192.168.0.30. If it works, it means the connection between the computer and NAS is good; the problem lies in SMB, the "file sharing language"; If it doesn't work, that's a matter at the network layer, not related to the four pitfalls discussed in this article. First, check whether the WiFi connection is right and whether the has an AP isolation .

the error copy itself is a clue; I stepped on it and it matched the account:

there's another uncommon truth: just because the webpage backend can be opened doesn't mean SMB services are running. Webpages use ports like 5000 or 5001, while file sharing uses 445—two different things. Feiniu checks the SMB switch in the File Services section of the Control Panel, while Synology checks in the Control Panel, File Services, and SMB to confirm the service is "Enabled" before checking further. Not sure if the 445 will actually be activated, SSH enters the NAS and taps a netstat -tln | grep 445—if there's output, it's listening; Alternatively, on Windowstelnet 192.168.0.30 445 will connect to it, as long as it connects.

By the way, don't rely solely on proof when reporting 'login failure.' If the account password is correct but you still can't access it, then it's really a permission issue—go to the NAS backend to check if this account has enabled read/write to that shared folder. the permission matrix in the I shared accounts for my whole family is worth checking again. My husband couldn't connect to his directory, and in the end, I found out I had left his account in the read-only group.

most unfortunate experience: Win11 24H2 made three security cuts

Why does

cousin's car just get stuck right after the update? I checked his error logs and finally figured it out. Starting from Win11 24H2 and Server 2025, Microsoft has by default forced SMB signatures and disabled guest credential rollbacks, with SMB1 continuing to solder through. All three slashes hit the core of the old firmware—his Synology still runs DSM6 old firmware, can't keep up with the new rules when shaking hands, and Windows directly refuses to discuss further, superficially giving a message like "Network path not found" that seems completely unrelated.

want to know exactly where the rejection happened, don't guess—the event viewer already has ready-made items: Application and Service Logs, Microsoft, Windows, SMBClient, Security. Find the rejection records by chronology, and the reasons are clearly written. I locked it because I saw "Signature negotiation failed" on my cousin's machine.

There are two ways to

it. I suggest prioritizing the NAS side:

cousin's DSM6 wouldn't lift up, so I gave him the fast road. If the Home Edition doesn't have a group policy editor, you can just use PowerShell directly, which works the same way; After making changes, take Get-SmbClientConfiguration and read back. Only when the RequireSecuritySignature field becomes False does it take effect. To be fair: signatures are meant to prevent tampering with by intermediaries. Turning it off means the file transfer is not authentic. Risks in the home intranet are controllable, but if you're unsure, upgrading your NAS to firmware that supports signature is the real solution—don't run around for long. Microsoft has tightened SMB (Medium Selling Points) for the past two years to block enterprise relay attacks. Encountering home scenarios is a case of getting caught off guard, but the trend is clear: NAS firmware upgrades wherever possible.

old NAS only recognized SMB1 errors, it looked like this

another type of older machine only has a feature in error copy: "You may not have permission to use network resources." Judging by the prompt that seems like a permission issue, it's most likely that the NAS only supports SMB1, while Windows has been removing SMB1 by default since Windows 10 1709, so you can't even negotiate permissions.

urgent need, you can manually turn SMB1 back on: Control Panel, Programs & Features, Enable or disable Windows features, and check "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support." But I don't recommend keeping it running long-term—back then, WannaCry ransomware exploited SMB1's Eternal Blue vulnerability and knocked door to door. NAS ransomware targeted the , this account was written about: port 445 exposed and old protocols were left open.

cleaner approach is to set the minimum SMB protocol version on the NAS side to SMB2 or above: Synology has a minimum SMB protocol section in the SMB Advanced settings, and Feiniu's Samba configuration is similar. If an old machine really can't be adjusted, then the only options left are "replace with new firmware" or "this unit only stores the data that doesn't matter."

password and name: two of the most inconspicuous pitfalls

first is credential caching. I also encountered this once on my cousin's machine: even though the NAS password was clearly changed, Windows kept failing to log in. The root cause is that Windows credential manager keeps old passwords from three months ago, and every time I connect, I arbitrarily use the old password to test it. Control Panel, User Accounts, Credential Manager, Windows credentials—just delete the entry for that NAS and reconnect it. You can also flip through the 'Regular Credentials' section—some software stores the address there. Command-line users can use net use to check existing connections, net use * /delete to clean it up, then net use Z: \\192.168.0.30\media /user:admin manual mapping—one step in place. Before backing up files on computers, it's best to run this manual mapping first. The Time Machine and file history both rely on this channel for food; if the channel is closed, backups run idly.

Credentials have another rare error: System error 1219, prompting 'One user is not allowed to use more than one username for multiple connections to a server or shared resources.' It means that on the same NAS, you first use account A to install a mapping drive, then want to connect directly with account B, but Windows won't do it. The solution is the same net use * /delete above. Disconnect all the old connections before trying again, don't argue with it.

second is the difference between "name" and "IP." Many people are used to typing \mynas machine names. If the router changes or the network segment changes, the name resolution breaks, but direct IP connections still work. When troubleshooting, always use the IP first. If the name doesn't connect but the IP works, then mDNS or NetBIOS resolution is a matter of resolution, which doesn't affect usage. Replace the mapping from the name to the IP once and for all. By the way, the best NAS IP is to bind it as a static in the router. When the DHCP lease expires, you change the address, and all the mapped disks in the family keep losing contact—I've experienced that once.

third pitfall is the 'passwordless sharing' feature that suddenly can't connect. Some older NAS or guest sharing for convenience will be directly rejected on 24H2—guest credential rollback is disabled by default. Kuailu is also an administrator, running PowerShell Set-SmbClientConfiguration -EnableInsecureGuestLogons $true. But I still recommend setting a proper account and password for shared accounts. Microsoft has clearly stated that the guest path will only get tighter going forward. Rather than loosening restrictions every day, it's better to pair them once.

all the queues are still stalled, just check these three things

After sorting out

four pitfalls, there are still a few issues that don't work. Check in order: First, check whether the device and NAS are truly on the same network segment. Machines that have manually configured IPs can easily get stuck in the gateway the ipconfig at a glance; Second, whether the router has VLANs or guest networks to separate the two sides. I wrote about the isolation methods in my about building walls at home, the two zones separated by the two zones can't find each other; Third, port 445 on Windows is occupied by other software. Some cloud drive clients will snatch 445, so stop the service and try again.

In the end,

sums it up in one sentence: first ping to distinguish network and protocol, then to find direction by reporting error messages. Ninety percent of the "suddenly unreachable" issues after the Win11 update fall into the three slashes of signature, guest, and SMB1; the rest are the passwords and the small account for parsing. My cousin's unit was handled using the second method, and the mapping disk hasn't fallen out for three months now.