Why can't I access my NAS (Network Attached Storage) share, Macintosh (MAC) share, linux share, or a share from an old version of Windows

When accessing a file share on a remote computer or device, Windows Vista will refuse to send your password using older encryption methods.

Unfortunately, many NAS devices as well as older versions of linux do not understand the newer encryption methods. This keeps you from being able to access these devices.

The solution is to force Windows Vista to use the older encryption methods. To do that, follow these steps:

Users of Windows Vista Home Basic and Home Premium

CAUTION: Improperly modifying the registry can harm your system.

1. Click start
2. Type: regedit
3. Press enter
4. In the left, expand these folders: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\
5. In the left, click on the folder named: Lsa
6. In the right, double-click "LmCompatibilityLevel"
7. Type the number 1 and press enter
8. Restart your computer

Users of Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate

1. Click Start
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click System and Maintenance
4. Click Administrative Tools
5. Double-Click Local Security Policy
6. In the left pane, click the triangle next to Local Policy
7. In the left pane, click Security Options
8. In the right pane near the bottom, double-click "Network security: LAN manager authentication level"
9. Click the drop-down box, and click "Send LM & NTLM - use NTLMv2 session security if negotiated"
10. Click OK