VLC cannot open files from NAS since upgrade to 1903

[Captainquark]

Hi all,
I am using VLC since many years on my HTPC to play video files from my NAS, where my movie collection is stored. Since I updated the HTPC to Windows 10 1903 (I had 1809 before), it cannot play any video file anymore. I do not have problems to open other file types (i.e. Word, Excel, PDF...), or to copy / read / write any files on the NAS. Just playback is not working.
The error message I get is (translated from German):

Your file could not be opened.
VLC cannot open the address 'file:///Z:/2012/2012.mkv'.
For details, please check the error log.

I ran the player with enhanced logging (level 2) on, please find the log here [url]https://pastebin.com/ddAnSBuP[/url].
Strange enough - I can play those files with any other player. I tried Windows Media Player and "Movies & TV", no problem.
.
As to my setup:
- As mentioned before, Windows 10 Pro 1903, build 18362.267, 64bit
Windows is fully patched, nothing missing
- self-assembled PC with i7-4790K, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- My NAS is also a self-built ZFS NAS on the basis of OmniOS r151022-f9693432c2, managed through napp-it

I can imagine that the problem could be related to the Linux-based NAS, because as far as I can tell, it only features SMBv2, whereas Windows 10 1903 tries to use SMBv3.1.1, and I am not sure how backwards-compatible that is. All my other Win10 clients (all 1809) do not have the issue. I decided to post here, as I only have a problem with VLC accessing those files. Windows seems to be able to handle this, if the SMB version is the origin of the problem. Oh, and I also tried to enable SMBv1 on Windows, which should usually solve compatibility issues, but to no avail.

Could this be a bug in VLC? Anyone having other ideas how to solve this?
Looking forward to all ideas you might have on the subject - thanks for your support!

[Captainquark]

Just found this article in the German forum
[url]https://www.vlc-forum.de/thread/3784-seit-windows-10-update-auf-1903-bringt-der-vlc-player-fehlermeldung-beim-abspiel/[/url]
He has exactly the same symptom as I have. He received a "permission denied", whereas in my log, there is a "filesystem error: read error: Invalid argument" - which might also point in the direction of SMB problems.
Quickly checked my connection to the NAS (powershell "get-smbconnection"), and the dialect used is 2.1.

[Captainquark]

Bumping up - nobody has this problem, too?

[HerbertForester]

I actually have the same problem, but on my search for an answer i landed here.
The interesting part is, that its not only VLC having the problem but Teracopy too.
Keep u updated if i find a solution.

[Captainquark]

So where are you copying to - a NAS, a Server, another Windows PC? Please provide some detail so we can see if we have the same prerequisites.

[unidan]

Hi, did you try 3.0.8 release ?

[Captainquark]

Hi,
Just tried, did not help, unfortunately. Same error as before.
Thx,

[HerbertForester]

So where are you copying to - a NAS, a Server, another Windows PC? Please provide some detail so we can see if we have the same prerequisites.

I try to copy from a PC to a NAS. Its a HD connected by USB to the Router/Internetbox2 (from my internet provider). Im in contact with their Tech Lab where they could recreate the problem and are looking into it. So hopefully they figure something out.

[tjs]

VLC reports following error when trying to open mp4 file:
filesystem error: read error: Permission denied
However, I am able to play the same file with Windows Media Player or Movies & TV app.

[tjs]

More VLC logs:

NOK (Widows 10 1903):

main debug: creating access: file://nas/d/WP20120704134302Z.mp4
main debug: (path: \\nas\d\WP20120704134302Z.mp4)
main debug: looking for access module matching "file": 26 candidates
filesystem error: read error: Permission denied
main debug: no access modules matched
main debug: dead input

OK: (Windows 10 1809):

main debug: creating access: file://nas/d/WP20120704134302Z.mp4
main debug: (path: \\nas\d\WP20120704134302Z.mp4)
main debug: looking for access module matching "file": 26 candidates
main debug: using access module "filesystem"

[Captainquark]

That's right, got the same error. So under 1903, it does not match "file" with access module "filesystem". Any developer familiar with this?

[Captainquark]

Found another article https://www.hardwareluxx.de/community/f101/zfs-stammtisch-570052-357.html, German though, and also one year old. However, they say there's a module mWn (?) that seems not capable of SMB2, and the guy that invented napp-it said that Omnios sometimes uses SMB1 for the creation of the connection, and then switches to SMB2 for transmitting the data. I'm no expert on these things, so I was hoping a developer could comment on this?
Thanks!

[tjs]

Not quite valuable workaround but I can play video using following steps:

- open file with Media/Open Network Stream (instead of ordinary Media/Open File option)
- in Network tab give URL: smb://nas/d/WP20120704134302Z.mp4

It can be seen in logs that above method forces VLC to use smb access module (internal VLC implementation of SMB is used as far as I see), not default file access module (I suppose here VLC relies on system file API calls).

[Captainquark]

Thanks for the hint. I can confirm this works also in my environment.
Now the big question is - what changed in 1903 that VLC cannot tell anymore which module to take?
I posted this problem also in Hardforum, in a thread about ZFS NAS. They instructed me to upgrade my NAS to a point where it features SMB 3 (it's a bloody release, I'm afraid), so I will give this a try as well, but it will take some time.
Appreciate all ideas on the subject, should anyone have a new one!

[Captainquark]

Meanwhile, I have upgraded my NAS to OmniOS 151031 (bloody), and my Windows 10 client is now connecting to it using SMB 3.0.2. Unfortunately, the problem persists.
So... back to square 1. If anybody knows how to fix this, that would be really great. Thanks!

[HerbertForester]

Well, after a long wait i have a solution, sadly only for me.
My provider went ahead and worked with Visuality Systems on a patch and they gave me a beta version and it works.
So everybody with a Swisscom Internetbox 2 should be good after the next official patch.
sorry for everyone else but i cant help...

[Captainquark]

Hi Herbert
It's quite unbelievable, but I do in fact have an Internetbox 2 from Swisscom... so are you saying their router is causing the problem? Do you know any details? How can I get it, too?
Thanks for any info on the subject!
Regards,
Cap

[Captainquark]

Herbert, can you please comment on this?
Meanwhile, I have upgraded my NAS to support SMB3, but the problem persists. I would really like to learn more about what Swisscom told you.
Thanks!

[Maddd]

I think, I can help diagnose this problem further. The problem is - since Win1903 (1909 included) - Windows Explorer passes address to VLC from SMB share as "file://yourIP/your_video.mp4" instead of "smb://yourIP/your_video.mp4". You can check this by pasting address from your VLC ERROR message into "Media - Open Network Stream - Network" field and changing "file" to "smb". Then it will open - so no problems with permissions or access present. Still, has no solution for a problem

[Captainquark]

Yeah, I see your point, but this doesn't fix my issue, unfortunately. I do not understand why others don't have the same problem then.
Maybe a developer would consider to add "file://" to the existing file types, would that be possible?

[Captainquark]

So just updating here... went up to 1909 meanwhile, to no avail. Got the problem now on a notebook and my HTPC, but not to the office PC. Although all 3 are on the same Windows version and are set up the same way. It's really strange that it works on one... as I am using the same account on all 3 computers, it can't be a permisssion problem. Help anyone?

[Captainquark]

Just for me to better understand... That call "file:///", is that coming from Windows or from the VLC player? It used to be "smb:///" in the past...

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

What is the filesystem error in the VLC logs?

[Captainquark]

Hi Rémi
I just created another two log files. The odd thing is that it works on my office PC, but not on my notebook and also not on my HTPC.
This is the situation:

• Office PC -> Windows 10 PRO 1909 Build 18363.535 -> here, it is working!
• Notebook -> Windows 10 HOME 1909 Build 18363.535 -> here, it is NOT working
• HTPC -> Windows 10 PRO 1909 Build 18363.535 -> here, it is NOT working

All 3 computers connect to the same NAS, and they all have VLC Player 3.0.8 installed. It's a ZFS NAS built on OmniOS 151032. The Windows clients use the SMB dialect 3.0.2 to connect to it.

I uploaded the log files to pastebin.com. Here are the links:

• Office PC (working) -> [url]https://pastebin.com/b5GrXDDb[/url]
• Notebook (not working) -> [url]https://pastebin.com/G2YVVygD[/url]

As far as I can tell from the log file, it looks for an access module for file type "file" and then throws a read error, however, I am able to copy, edit and delete files on that filesystem without any problem. Also, it works on the Office PC, so why not on the others?
Your support is greatly appreciated!

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

VLC cannot get the file stats. The error seems to occur in MingW or the CRT, not VLC here.