Longstanding SAMBA issue finally solved

[Boot_WB]

I've never been able to connect to my PC using SAMBA - whenever the Amiga would connect I would get a BSOD IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL on the PC side (obviously) under Windows XP.
The problem was the McAfee virusscan software (Network Associates Virusscan Enterprise 8.00). The mini-firewall driver mvstdi5x.sys was identified as the culprit. This file is well known for causing issues, however remains unfixed by McAfee (presumably to force upgrades to an updated version of their software).

As the version of the software came free from my University, most of the settings are locked - therefore I am not able to change the settings in the Console to disable the mini firewall. The only way I could connect the Amiga to the PC was to disable the entire Antivirus program - not something I want to do.

For a while I used a workaround of operating an FTP server on the PC side, and using AmiTradeCentre to access the Amiga, but it was not the ideal solution.

Yesterday I finally found the solution - using Sysinternals Autoruns, find the entry for NaiAvTdi1 (under HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services) and disable it. Simple as that, all done, no more BSOD.
As the router provides a firewall, and Windows provides another firewall, I'm hoping that disabling this will not cause any issues :-/.

Hooray - I can finally connect to all my shared folders transparently without having to remember to disable the Antivirus software! :-D

Just thought I'd post this info for anyone else experiencing the same problems with SAMBA/McAfee.

[Boot_WB]

Zac67 wrote:

Boot_WB wrote:
using Sysinternals Autoruns, find the entry for NaiAvTdi1 (under HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services) and disable it.

A good hint for anyone using McAfee software (which isn't bad usually). You probably could achieve the same effect by disabling the service in My Computer -> Manage -> Services though.

The only McAfee related entries in Services are:

Network Associates Task Manager
Network Associates McShield
McAfee Framework Service

There was no discrete mini firewall service running, it is just part of one of these. The previous workaround was to disable all three (and thus disable Virusscan) each time I wanted to connect. By disabling the registry entry which starts the Mini Firewall I no longer have to do anything.