Annoying Lacie NAS

This morning a new 1TB Lacie NAS arrived. We already have one in school which runs Windows XP Embedded, so if you plug in a Mouse/Keyb/Monitor you can log in and create shares, run whatever software or services you need etc. which is brilliant.

The new one is annoying me to hell though. On booting up I get the usual XP loading process but the Windows Gina picture has been changed to a Lacie logo (which I can live with). However when I log in, either as a local administrator or a domain user all I can run is the Lacie interface software (ED.exe) which allows you to do the basic tasks of a NAS. If you Ctrl-Alt-Del and kill this app then you nothing, just your cursor.

Does anyone know how I can get to the usual start menu / taskbar etc. so that I can set up shares and customise the machine as I did with the older one?

Can you get ctrl-alt-del again and gain access to run then try starting explorer again?

Tried that, in the File menu (where 'New Task (Run)' is on a normal PC, that option is not there, just 'Exit Task Manager'.

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We already have one in school which runs Windows XP Embedded

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Are you meaning you have the same model/type already, or you have a 1TB NAS system already?

If its the former, then it seems odd they would change it that drastically between revisions :S Best to give them a call on the matter and see if theres anything they can do.

Nath.

Don't you set it up using web management? - I mean can you customise the options you need from there - maybe it's changed - although you could see that they'd want to restrict too much messing - probably contravene the terms of the XP embedded licence.

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Originally Posted by mark

Don't you set it up using web management? - I mean can you customise the options you need from there - maybe it's changed - although you could see that they'd want to restrict too much messing - probably contravene the terms of the XP embedded licence.

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Yes it is web managed or managed by a web-like full-screen interface on the actual machine. My point though is that:

a. The older Lacie NAS we have allows normal access to XP but the new one doesn't.
b. The web config allows most things but you can't install software or modify the machine's settings other than shares from there.

It is just far more confined than just letting you do what you want.

@u8dmtm: They have obviously editted the registry to change the shell from explorer to whatever they wanted to use. Maybe if you boot into a recovery console you could 'edit it back'.

Another option would be to 'downgrade' the firmware to the version on your other box... I don't know if the firmware is available mind.