iTunes on Windows with media stored on Netgear RAX54v2 routers causes drive disconnections

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Level 1

8 points

iTunes on Windows with media stored on Netgear RAX54v2 routers causes drive disconnections

I'm trying to use a networked disk to store iTunes media files (mp3, wav). The network is rock-solid, the files are all in the right places so that iTunes can access them.

But when actually playing files, there is something strange going on and the "readyshare" networked drive goes offline every 2-4 minutes for a couple of seconds. This iTunes does not like, and play is interrupted. 100% reproducible with several different disks, several different PCs.

Anybody have any experience with this? Somehow, the way iTunes pulls files from disk is upsetting the NightHawk (Netgear RAX54v2) router's disk sharing functions.

I'm running iTunes 12.13.7 on windows 10 with all the latest drivers and firmware.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Need help: iTunes on windows with media stored on NightHawk routers -- drive disconnects?

Windows, Windows 10

Posted on Jun 24, 2025 08:19 AM

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Answer 1

turingtest2

Level 10

277,723 points

Jun 26, 2025 08:19 AM in response to davodavo

Are the files accessed via a UNC path (//<server>/<folder>/etc.)) or by way of a mapped drive letter? Do you have any non-Microsoft security software that might block file access requests? Have you tried sharing the drive from one of the other PCs to see if the issue is perhaps specific to the router rather than iTunes?

tt2

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Answer 2

davodavo Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 26, 2025 08:41 AM in response to turingtest2

So, I did a bunch of testing. The symptom is totally reproducible on several rPCs and Android phones, a wide range of USB drives, and lots of different use-cases beyond just iTunes. Turns out that the shared-disk functionality simply can't stream even audio (~1 Mbps) for more than a couple of minutes, irrespective of the application. The router simply disconnects the disk drive and re-mounts it a couple of seconds later, making any app reading or writing data barf and move on. I guess a valid use-case for the "mini NAS" features on these routers is photo sharing...can't think of another one that would actually work.

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Answer 3

turingtest2

Level 10

277,723 points

Jun 26, 2025 08:45 AM in response to davodavo

Fair enough. Might be best to invest in an actual NAS that also has some resilience built into it.

tt2

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