F2-221 NAS can't open external USB from Windows File Explorer

[DaveA]

I recently bought a F2-221 NAS and I have successfully initialized it using TOS 4.2.40 ( the current default) with a single drive. Everything was OK. The default shares show in the embedded file manager. The NAS appears in the Windows Network folder and after entering the password the share folders can be opened and files can be added.
So what's the problem?
The problem is when I add an external USB drive. I can see it and open it in the TOS embedded file manager. When I go to the NAS in Windows, the usbshare1 folder has appeared along side the default shares but I Can't Open It. I've tried various USB drives and it's the same with Windows 7, 10 and 11. I just get a dialogue box with a password request and when I enter the Correct Password I just get "Access is Denied" I've seen a lot of examples of this sort of thing on this forum with no real answers.
Now here's the thing.
On a hunch, I reinstalled again from scratch using the earlier TOS 4.1.27. Now there is NO PROBLEM at all reading the the external USB from Windows !! So it is clearly a problem with the OS and not anything I am doing or my hardware.

So can we expect an update to TOS 4.2.40 to sort this out? I'm not interested in TOS 5 at this time, there seems to be too many problems with it. Anyway, TOS 4 should not be rendered useless by a duff upgrade, it should be sorted out

[TMzethar]

Hello, we have noticed related issues, but sorry we have basically stopped updating x86 TOS4.

[DaveA]

OK. So let me be clear on this. The earlier TOS 4.1.27 worked satisfactorly. The external USB could be read from Windows. If you buy one now, then, out of the box you do the default initialization, the TOS 4.2.40 is installed and it will not perform the basic function of being able to read an external USB drive from Windows.

You seem to be saying that TOS 4.1.40 is the last update in the 4.xxx series, you know it's defective and you're not going to fix the problem?? How hard can it be when the earlier ones worked?

Furthurmore, you are continuing to sell this product knowing it will not function correctly with the default setup.

Is that Correct?

[DaveA]

You have given me a link to TOS 5.0.176. Why this version particularly?
Could you be a bit more precise on which versions of TOS 5 I should be using?

There are no files on the NAS at the moment. I've only just bought it

If I clear the harddrive to unallocated space and return the NAS to factory defaults, can I just install the latest version TOS 5.1.40 directly?

Is the F2-221 powerful enough to run these versions of TOS satisfactorily?

[titanrx8]

You have given me a link to TOS 5.0.176. Why this version particularly?
Could you be a bit more precise on which versions of TOS 5 I should be using?

There are no files on the NAS at the moment. I've only just bought it

If I clear the harddrive to unallocated space and return the NAS to factory defaults, can I just install the latest version TOS 5.1.40 directly?

Is the F2-221 powerful enough to run these versions of TOS satisfactorily?

You were directed to .176 because it's the version that will install in machines that were initialized under 4.x.

The \ partition on your machine is 2gb. After .176, \ needs to be 8gb and that requires wiping out the partitions and starting again. My f2-221 has been non-functional for a month because I updated to .40 before they came out with the announcement not to update.

[TMLyy]

{L_BUTTON_AT}DaveA

You can reinstall TOS5, this version solves the problem. viewtopic.php?f=28&t=3358