Our readers are awesome. They are always trying to help. For instance we just got an email explaining the process needed to get the Seagate Dockstar to work on a local network without using Pogoplug. Here, let me give you the back story.
I originally reviewed the Seagate Dockstar a while ago an found it to be a nifty little device hampered by the fact that you must use the online sharing service Pogoplug. It’s essetually a Pogoplug dock, really. You can use the dock on your local network with any USB drive, but only if you activate local network access on Pogoplug’s website. Totally lame in my opinion. It truly limits the appeal of the device. Anyway, this is where reader Matt T. comes in. He has solved my problem and came up with a solution that unlocks the dock with the help of a little text file on a connected drive.
He writes,
Matt Burns though he might change his opinion of the Dockstar if Seagate
would tell him how to use it without Pogoplug.I’m not Seagate, but I’ve figured out how…
You can use this as a home network server for windows without signing up
with pogoplug or installing any software.Plug your USB drive into your computer, format it (preferably with NTFS) and
create a file on it named .ceidUsing notepad, or your favorite text editor, put these lines in the file
(replacing yoursharename with a name of your own choosing). Note the mode=rw
allows reading and writing.servicename=yoursharename
xcode.metadata=never
xcode.thumbnail=never
xcode.stream=never
cifs.mode=rwPlug the usb drive into the Dockstar, and you’re all set. The drive will be
available as
\\fadsMMMMMM\yoursharename (where MMMMMM are the last 6 letters and numbers
of the Dockstar’s mac address, which is on the label on the bottom).
There you have it. Nicely done.