How to access external HDD plugged on MI Box from laptop ?

by Malaiac

Just got a Mi Box plugged on the TV. Deezer, Youtube etc work okay, but the main use would be to play movies/series from the HDD.

I thought about having the HDD plugged on the laptop and playing from the MI Box, but the SMB support appears to be lacking. (depending on directories, I can browse files from the /Downloads/ folder, but not from externaldrive:/movies , failing login with correct credentials )

So I plugged the HDD into the box directly. It works fine, but I need to access the HDD from the laptop (c/p files, set up subtitles etc). I can't find the way to do that :(

Windows 8.1
Network shows MIBox 3 but no way to access
SMB only shows my user account
Tried installing a SMB server on the box but doesn't seem to work with external storage.

What am I doing wrong ?

EDIT : using Plex works. Overkill though, but hey.

dexbg

Samba Server would be the way to go. Use AnExplorer. It works for me especially when trying to access external HDDs.

andyytan

He-hey what to do in Plex? Don't leave us hanging :(

SerpentDrago

Either share it though samba from computer and use a file browser on the mi box , or ... just use plex :) lol

linqque

I am also trying to figure out how to copy files to MiBox's external drive. How did you do it with Plex?

Malaiac

About Plex : tried it without much hope. Actually worked from the start : it's now set up on my laptop + phone + mibox and works almost like a charm (network errors happen sometimes). FYI : it works with the HDD plugged on the laptop, which was my first choice, which I quit when I realized the SMB support was lacking. I don't know how Plex managed the network support, but it works.

wildecoxy

From my experience, it's about how to properly enable the sharing on your Windows PC. Make sure there's no 'password enabled' on the Sharing and Security settings of the folder that you need to access.

Then make a couple of reboots both for your PC and Mibox.

Also, make sure that you connect your Mibox via SMB.

Hope these helps. BTW, I'm using KODI with these setup.