I already backup the Roon database to Dropbox, but how do I point specifically to my C: drive?
Do I use “New Folder” or “+Add Network Share”?
Is there a specific path instruction with “/” or ""? Any advice warmly appreciated.
Dave
If your Roon Server is on Windows and you want to store the backup on the same Windows machine, use New Folder. If your Roon Server is on a different computer (e.g., Roon OS) but you want to store the backup on the Windows machine over the network, use Add Network Share.
Hi, and thanks! Roon Server is on separate sonictransport, so I Add network Share.
I don’t know what to type in the top line. Can you guide me? Thx.
First, set up folder sharing on Windows:
and/or
The folder share settings will tell you the path you have to enter in Network Share Location. Not sure if it makes a difference whether you use the smb:// or \\host format, but as the Sonictransporter runs on Linux (I think) I‘d try smb://. „Host“ is the network name or local IP address of the Windows machine, „Share“ is the shared folder from the Windows machine.
I created a RoonBackups folder and allowed sharing; put the path in the line with and without smb but no backup folder is created.
Do I need to fill in Username, Password, Working Group?
I chose Everyone with which to share.
You also need to actually run the backup process in Roon. Either by scheduling it and then waiting for the next scheduled execution or by starting a manual backup with Backup Now.
I’d set up a user and password in the shared folder configuration in Windows, as it’s described in the Roon documentation:
Then use the same in the configuration in Roon. You won’t need a workgroup.
Windows is being increasingly restrictive with allowing access to shares for „Everyone“. They are removing this ability by default from more and more Windows versions with ongoing Windows updates. The fact that they ignore this in their own setup instructions for shared folders is typical Microsoft for you. The old cartoon about organizational structures of tech companies is still correct:
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Yes, I used Backup Now to Dropbox yesterday; created a shareable folder, but I failed at filling in the Add Network Share properly. I’ll maybe try it later and be content for the time being with only Dropbox backups.
Thanks for your help!
I meant to use Backup Now to the newly created shared folder on Windows, otherwise Roon won’t create the backup folder (until a possible scheduled backup runs)
Hi, thanks. So, I should see a new “share” folder on this view, right? Under Dropbox?
If so, then I can’t seem to create it.
Yes, the shared folder that you created previously on Windows should show up there. This is what I see after Backup Now > Select Location; the \\qnap one is the share from my QNAP NAS:
Did you already try clicking the “+ Add Network Share” in this view?
Got it. As said, I failed. Thanks anyway.
I see, missed that. Did you try with the user/password login configuration in Windows as recommended?
The required credentials are the credentials that you configured in Windows as access credentials for the shared folder. Again, just do what the documentation tells you:
Sorry, I’m at sea. I appreciate your help.
I’m sorry, I am a bit at a loss for what else to tell you… 
Let me try again:
You wrote that you had configured access “for Everyone”. I replied that I don’t think this is a good idea, although Microsoft mentions the possibility on their documentation page, because Microsoft keeps restricting the “for Everyone” access and this keeps causing problems. Therefore, I’d recommended configuring access only for “specific people”. On the Microsoft documentation page, this is this step where it says Show more options > Give access to > Specific people:
You can then probably choose your own Windows username. Then use the same username and password when you do the “Add Network Share” in Roon.
However, note: It is possible that you only created a “Microsoft account” (aka "online account) for yourself in Windows. The username of a Microsoft account is an email address. It is possible (not 100% sure but I believe so) that this does not work as a user account for SMB. In this case, you may have to create a “local account” in Windows. This is described here:
That is, the part that I underlined in green here:
The local account will have just a normal username (no email address). This one should definitely work for SMB access.
I hope that someone else on the forum will chime in case this doesn’t help, as I can’t think of anything else to recommend.
As @Suedkiez said, you can’t use a Microsoft Account (which has the format of an email address) to access a Windows Shared Folder via SMB.
You need to use either your local Windows user account as the username, or do as I did - create a local Windows account specifically for Roon.
To find out what your local Windows user account is, open the Command Prompt app and type whoami at the prompt and press Enter. The result will be:
your computer name\your local account name
The use your local account name together with your Microsoft Account password in the Add Network Share fields in the Roon screen.
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Thanks all. I have a piece of brain stuck in my head. Here’s what I’ve done so far:
- Created a folder
- Given access to myself
- There’s the path
Now I go to add network share and…what do I type in Network Share Location? Username? Password?
Windows credential?
The network share location is given in the properties of the shared folder in Windows:
(Screenshot from https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/faq-how-do-i-create-a-shared-folder-on-windows-and-add-it-as-a-watched-folder-in-roon )
The username and password are the Windows username and password of the Windows user to whom you have given access rights in the shared folder configuration.
Don’t forget that you need to use the username of your local Windows account - not your Microsoft Account…