Still can’t add music library (external drive connected to a Mac - error 913)

By the way, although all the support articles say that my pathname should be in the form \\MyComputer\Music Folder

They aren’t. They are in the form //MyComputer/Music Folder

Forward slashes, not backslashes. And the Sonos app (both OS X and iOS) will only accept forward slashes anyway.

Interesting, something I’d expect the web team to have to fix.

Have you read 

?

It’s odd, as error 1001 is supposed to only occur when updating a Sonos device, and the device can’t be reached, according to 

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/error-1001-when-updating-sonos

Have you submitted a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and called Sonos Support to discuss it?

There may be information included in the diagnostic that will help Sonos pinpoint the issue and help you find a solution.

When you speak directly to the phone folks, they have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your network and Sonos system.

Edit: I have no idea why the first link gets ‘interpreted’ and the second link does not. 

Currently I’m waiting in line for Sonos live chat support. I’ve been waiting an hour …

Error 1001 has disappeared now, replaced by Error 913. Again.

Trying to follow this guide …

https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers%2Dand%2Dmusic%2Dservices%2D229131/how%2Dto%2Dsolve%2Dthe%2Derror%2D913%2Dmusic%2Dlibrary%2Don%2Da%2Dmac%2D6894161

Straight away I’m stuck with the ‘backslash vs forward slash’ issue again.

• Remember the ShareName and MacName you captured earlier? This is where you’ll use them. Make sure the \ are the right ones (not /, but \).

That’s not possible. Both the OS X app and the iOS app don’t accept backslashes in the path name. 

So, half a result from Sonos live chat.

They checked my diagnostic and said that my Mac is using SMBv1 for file sharing, and that’s not compatible with Sonos. I need to change it to SMBv2 or 3.

Then told me I have to call Sonos phone support during working hours next week.

They are blowing smoke up your yazoo. Native Mac library support is just broken. You -need- to use SMB and unless you’re running a very old macOS, it’s not using SMB v1. 

Follow these instructions and you’ll be back in business with the workaround.

https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers%2Dand%2Dmusic%2Dservices%2D229131/how%2Dto%2Dsolve%2Dthe%2Derror%2D913%2Dmusic%2Dlibrary%2Don%2Da%2Dmac%2D6894161

Thanks, but I’ve already tried that guide. Didn’t help. (I did already say so above.)

For one thing, see the part where it says to use backslashes in the path name, not forward slashes? Can’t do that. Neither the OS X app nor the iOS app accept backslashes.

Apologies, I read so many of these Mac 913 threads I didn’t note you posted the link to that specific guide. However, it absolutely can (does) work, as I’ve done it myself (twice now, thanks to another recent Sonos update removing the setup unexpectedly.  😣)

I’m not going to re-write the posted instructions but here are three screen shots that may help.

In File Sharing, you can see I shared the location of my Music library (“Music Library”). I think the Sonos App may try (and unsuccessfully for other reasons) to add the hidden Sonos account (SonosDMS) to this share if you choose the originally working “My Music folder” option. But as we’re aware, that fails out anyway. (All I am noting is that I did not manually add “SonosDMS” to the userlist for that share. It could have been a part of the way the app used to work but it doesn’t work now anyway.)

So when you choose the  “Networked device” option in the Sonos App, the UNC path (the thing with the slashes) will look like:

In this case, I chose to use the IP address for my computer that is running the MacOS desktop app and where my Music Library is shared from. I set the IP for this client to static in my router, so it always gets that IP. You can also use your computer name per the linked instructions without having to get into the IP address “stuff”. ;-)

The Sonos App will then prompt you for your computer’s user name, which must also have access to the share in question (my username is obfuscated above along with an unrelated share), the Sonos desktop app will then scan (index) the shared library and eventually land on this screen:

As you can see the app manages to figure out the actual volume path name to the music folder/library from the UNC shared path. 

You can now choose your Music Library content from any of the apps (MacOS or iOS) on your local network.

Hope that helps. 

Thanks. Hopefully these screenshots will show you how that isn’t working for me.

Here’s me attempting the pathname with backslashes, as you demonstrated. Notice that the ‘Next’ button is greyed out. I can’t move forward.

And here’s me attempting it by just browsing, which produces a path with forward slashes. Here the ‘Next’ button works. But then the process after that fails with error 913.

Even though I’m not using a NAS drive? Okay, great. Thanks. Can’t believe I missed that. I’ll try it tonight.

Amazing! It seems to have worked. 

I had to use the guest user method in the end (it wouldn’t log in with my user details), but I got there.

Now I just have to wait and see … adding 20k songs might take a while.

Thank you so much. I was never going to get to try Sonos phone support - they’re only open while I’m at work.

Glad it worked out and that I could help a bit. Enjoy the tunes! 😊

Okay, now my whole library is present, but none of the songs play. Pick a song, tap play … nothing happens. Argh.

And this morning, the next day - it works! I changed nothing. No idea why it works now, but it does.

OK,

So earlier this week, I was able to download the latest SONOS update.  Given that we’d been told the “fix” for the music library would be out in June, then July, then July/August, and we’re now in September, I had high hopes this latest release would finally solve the problem.  Alas, even after checking all my sharing permissions (per SONOS instructions), I STILL face that same 913 error.  Yes, I know there are “workarounds” that some great contributors have posted here, but the simple truth is that I don’t like temporary workarounds, as it seems there is always the potential that a “workaround fix” that solves a problem for one app, can trigger issues for a different app (iTunes interoperability comes to mind here). Worse, temporary workarounds can be blown out of the water with future software updates, or may have to be either manually undone or manually tweaked somewhere down the road.

So, when can we now expect a release from SONOS that actually fixes (permanently) this problem they’ve unleashed on all of their customers?  Has SONOS given any updated projections, or is this STILL a problem with no foreseeable solution: a solution that could honestly be years in the making?

Was working then after update can’t access my Mac music library.

Error message show non existent pathname.  Not what I input via browse. 

I agree with Fred 6.  It is ok to be able to get round the problem but there shouldn’t be a problem.  I was similarly excited when I saw the latest update but again it failed to address the problem.  This is unbelievable.   Like many others I have a very expensive product that won't do what I bought it to do, namely play my music library around the house.  Feel cheated.  Is there any legal action being taken over this?