How about a Windows util that makes it easy to connect with LE?

Try installing NFS server on Windows:

WinNFSd download | SourceForge.net

Networking Software for Windows

That's the best bet..try NFS...another option is install zeroconf/bonjour server on your windows pc...it's kind of the smb version of Apple devices

Zeroconf/Bonjour is not a file transfer protocol (like SMB or NFS) but a network services discovery protocol. In other words, it makes the computers see the shares automatically as they are advertised on the network, but it does NOT provide any file transfer capability.

NFS, SMB, AFP, any file transfer protocol will not function properly if the underlying network is misconfigured. @bilzilla, you should describe your setup first (router, IP addresses, if you're running DHCP, if the internal DNS works correctly). I believe your router might handle out IP addresses from DHCP so once they change you are unable to reconnect to an IP address and your internal DNS does not work properly in order to connect to the existing shares using "smb://myfileserver/share" instead of "smb://192.168.0.128/share/" (192.168.0.128 being an example only). Once the DHCP leases expire, your computers may be getting different addresses, thus voiding your share definitions. So please let us know what your actual network setup and settings are.

Quote from TheWojtek

Zeroconf/Bonjour is not a file transfer protocol (like SMB or NFS) but a network services discovery protocol. In other words, it makes the computers see the shares automatically as they are advertised on the network, but it does NOT provide any file transfer capability.

NFS, SMB, AFP, any file transfer protocol will not function properly if the underlying network is misconfigured. @bilzilla, you should describe your setup first (router, IP addresses, if you're running DHCP, if the internal DNS works correctly). I believe your router might handle out IP addresses from DHCP so once they change you are unable to reconnect to an IP address and your internal DNS does not work properly in order to connect to the existing shares using "smb://myfileserver/share" instead of "smb://192.168.0.128/share/" (192.168.0.128 being an example only). Once the DHCP leases expire, your computers may be getting different addresses, thus voiding your share definitions. So please let us know what your actual network setup and settings are.

I know what you mean...Zeroconf/Bonjour is not a file transfer protocol in itself but helps to connect to smb/SFTP network shares when someone is having these mysterious issues/ misconfigured network to enable samba between windows and libreelec...

I wonder how Billzilla 's network is setup..I was trying to follow his other thread and still not sure...I would start with connecting both LEbox and server on same router...Do you have a second router to connect to the box?are you on same subnet as your main router?I would give a static IP to all my connected devices to avoid conflicts first thing before you try again.

Quote from Billzilla

I thought of a better analogy to describe it. At the moment the only way I can get my LE box to play videos in to plug in a USB stick with what I want to watch. What I'm suggesting is a software version of a USB cable from the LE box up to the hard drive of the Windows PC. I don't know if that's possible, but it's just a suggestion to possibly make things easier to keep the network shares working no matter what updates Windows gets.

Not sure what you mean...why don't you try Plex or Emby server

Quote from Billzilla

3. Write a small util that installs into Windows that connects it to the Le Box like an electronic version of a USB cable.
Ignore all of Windows networking stuff.

This reminds me on

Quote from Billzilla

I'm not sure how I can make the explanation any easier.
1. My LE box refuses to network.

2. My LE box can play vids on a USB stick.

Looking around the various forums, I'm far from alone with this, so ->

3. Write a small util that installs into Windows that connects it to the Le Box like an electronic version of a USB cable.
Ignore all of Windows networking stuff.

1 - why on Earth won't you share your network setup? It's not LE box. If your hardware is not borked (did you check the cables?) it's an user thing.
3 - don't you think it would need the... network to work properly on the LE box to begin with?

Quote from TheWojtek

1 - why on Earth won't you share your network setup? It's not LE box. If your hardware is not borked (did you check the cables?) it's an user thing.
3 - don't you think it would need the... network to work properly on the LE box to begin with?

Have you been reading Billzilla's main post?

Yeah, it's right on top. Unless contrary to the usual forum etiquette there is another thread regarding same topic somewhere else.

Quote from TheWojtek

Yeah, it's right on top. Unless contrary to the usual forum etiquette there is another thread regarding same topic somewhere else.

This thread is about a feature request, his main problem is here

Billzilla, totally off the wall, how about dual booting your pc with freenas or nas4free?

Or, just buy a NAS.

Quote from Mario77

try NFS...another option is install zeroconf/bonjour server on your windows pc...it's kind of the smb version of Apple devices

NFS is not well supported in Windows; for example, I cant find a GUI interface, so you have to use terminal just to mount shares. Windows native protocol (SMB) is only slightly less problematic: there are many different versions, and they often dont work right together 100%, particularly across different OS platforms. Sometimes multiple machines will contest for the status of master browser, and changes in network topology may require a reboot of one or all participants to get things working again. Bonjour / Zeroconf has none of these issues. Once its been set up correctly, Bonjour is the most reliable way for applications on different machines to find shared resources on the LAN automatically. It's worth a try if you cant get anything else to work. I wrote a short guide for this on Windows a while back,* and even if you dont end up using Bonjour, there might be something which helps you to see what is wrong. The advantage of Zeroconf tools like "Bonjour browser" is the ability to see whether shared services have been configured properly, which helps to narrow down the source of the problem... and you can get those tools for any major platform, including Android. Also, dont forget to (temporarily) disable the Windows Firewall and run the network troubleshooter if nothing works at all. I never had much problem getting Mac & Linux machines to communicate as I have with Windows, regardless... and sharing folders on Windows is a lot more buggy than browsing shared resources from Windows. That's why I say, if you are using an old, spare Windows box as a file server, just put Linux on it instead and your life will be easier.

* RE: SAMBA problem

Quote from Billzilla

Thanks for all the suggestions, but I'm not going to put another second of effort into getting my LE box to work properly.

I feel your pain, Windows networking is crazy

Quote

This thread was intended to solve all the networking problems for everyone by suggesting adding a small util to Windows,thus bypassing anything that Windows would normally require.

It's my opinion that Bonjour for Windows is the closest thing to what you have in mind, but you will still have to contend with all of the other bugs in Windows file sharing, Homegroup, the crappy firewall, et cetera. This is why people often give up.

Quote from Klojum

Please don't use headache-colors for your quotes.

Oh, yeah... I forgot. I was using Dark Reader to automatically invert the white background on your forum to BLACK, because a screen full of blinding bright white gives me a much BIGGER headache than a few little characters in fluorescent green. (I actually do have a medical condition, BTW.)