Access Windows (SMB) shared drives and directories problems

[isadora]

In going through rebuilds and new installs of Mga 7, it does seem to me that this function within the Mageia Control Centre is becoming more and more broken with each new iteration of Mageia. Many years ago it was a useful utility to incorporate data stores, etc on the local network. The intention is fine. You are asked to initiate a search for servers on the network. The system will search, and from what it finds you can assign a mount point, enter a username and password, and mount the drive. If all goes well, and it usually did, an entry would be written into the /etc/fstab file, and the drive would be mounted automatically at the next boot.
It got a bit more complicated later when it was discovered that the username and password were stored in clear in fstab. So an authorisation file with read only available to root was added to hide the password detail.
There was further complication when cifs replaced smb, but this was of a minor nature, despite there being little explanation. The next hiatus, which is still extant, was the removal of the option to enter a password. Without a password the unit could not be mounted to confirm a successful operation, and a complete fstab file created. There has always been a bit of a problem with the server search, being a bit hit and miss. With the latest iteration it's more like a near perpetual miss, with an occasional hit. The last time I had to do a complete install, I bypassed the utility and from the entry in another machine, I wrote out the whole fstab entry with vi.
There was, and is another snag, in that when it finally ran, files could be read from the storage device on the LAN, but could only be written to the remote as root. I did finally find that if uid= (username) and gid=(groupname) are added to the command line in fstab, the user has write rights in the remote machine.
Finally should anyone comment that if I want these things, I should learn to create them, I'd point out that I'm a Mechanical Engineer in Production. Given a draughting machine and a plentiful supply of paper, or a CAD system, I could design all the tools required to make a car, save for the tin, rubber, glass and electrical parts. It was only the UK's decision to cease getting it's hands dirty actually making things which pushed me into Computer Support.

[isadora]

Thanks for your post rodgoslin. I read it with interest.
But it was also tiresome reading with this full lines, and little spaces in between.
Just an advise.

[rodgoslin]

will do.