Double-clicking a file in a USB shared on my router opens a new Edge tab not the file

I have a TP-Link Archer C1200 router, which (like many routers) has a USB port. I plugged a USB drive into that port, and checked that the router could see it...



I can see this in File Explorer under the Network node, but I can't seem to do anything useful with it. Double-clicking it opens the device web page, and right-clicking only gives the option to open Media Player or the web page. I want to be able to browse the folders.

So, I added a network drive using the FTP details (middle row), and can now see the drive in File Explorer, and browse the folders.

However, if I double-click a file, instead of opening it with the default program (eg Word for Word documents, Media Player for audio/video files, Picture Viewer for pictures, etc), Edge pops up with a new tab. It doesn't even load the file into Edge, it just opens a new tab.

Anyone any idea why this happens? I want it to behave like any other folder, ie double-clicking a file would open it in the default program.

Thanks

I have an Archer but a different model which shares an attached usb drive. It is recognized by my devices just fine and I can access file without issue. Your user manual pages 25-36 shows how to share the drive and set up access on your computers. I suggest you walk through the settings again to see if you missed a step.

@glasskuter Thanks, but I did all of that already (except for the security bit which I'm ignoring for now). Whichever method I use, I can browse the folders on the USB drive, but double-clicking a file opens a new Edge window (not a tab as I mistakenly said earlier) instead of opening the file.

Thanks again, any other ideas?

I haven't looked into my router settings in a long time. I will do that when i have some time. I believe your problem to be you set the usb drive up as a FTP server.
I don't think that's what you want for sharing the drive only between devices in your home. 6.1 in the manual

glasskuter said:

I haven't looked into my router settings in a long time. I will do that when i have some time. I believe your problem to be you set the usb drive up as a FTP server.
I don't think that's what you want for sharing the drive only between devices in your home. 6.1 in the manual

Click to expand...

I didn't change anything, the screenshot I showed earlier has the default settings, other than the change of name to Stuff.

The reason I mounted it as an FTP network drive was because when I first plugged the drive in, I tried accessing it via \\Stuff, but got an error saying Windows could not access it. When I tried ftp://192.168.0.1:21, I could browse the folders, so I mounted it as a network drive for easier access. It was only afterwards that I discovered that I couldn't open files.

If I disable the FTP method, then I can't access the drive at all.

Thanks again.

Anyone able to comment here? I tried accessing this drive from another PC, without mounting a it as a network drive, but had the same issue, so it's nothing to do with the FTP network drive.

I have a Netgear NightHawk Wireless Router on my LAN. I am on a Wireless Notebook and just plugged a USB 3 Thumb drive into the port on the front of the Router, opened File Explorer and clicked This PC. This image shows the path to the data on the drive, a partial list of the data on the drive, didn't have to anything to get it.
This PC to R7450 [the Router] to Browse Folders to U to Downloads which has the data. The subfolders also open. The U in the path probably means me, the user.