Transfer Games to KNULLI from Windows: SMB and SFTP Setup

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Short Answer: Choose SMB or SFTP

KNULLI supports two practical Windows transfer routes on an already-working trusted local network:

  • SMB: open KNULLI’s share in Windows Explorer.
  • SFTP: connect with WinSCP over SSH, then open /userdata.

You need only one route. Use SMB for an Explorer workflow, or SFTP when you prefer an authenticated SSH session or Windows rejects guest SMB.

Release behavior differs:

  • Firefly 20241204: SMB and SSH are boot services. Do not look for later SAMBA or SSH switches under Services.
  • Gladiator II 20250813: enable SAMBA under Services for SMB. Tagged source still treats SSH as a boot service; do not require an SSH toggle.
  • Scarab 20260511: SAMBA and SSH appear under Services. SAMBA defaults off; SSH defaults on. Scarab SMB requires root authentication even with Enforce Security off.

First prove transport with one uniquely named, nonzero disposable text file. Read its unique content back, then delete only that exact remote test file. This proves one write/read/cleanup operation—not game visibility, launchability, physical storage identity, bulk integrity, backup completeness, persistence, speed, or future reliability.

For the broader setup sequence, use the KNULLI RG CubeXX setup and troubleshooting hub.

Prerequisites and Stop Handoffs

Continue only when:

  • KNULLI already boots on the RG CubeXX.
  • The Windows PC and handheld are on the same trusted private LAN.
  • KNULLI displays its current hostname or IP address.
  • No other transfer, synchronization, MTP, backup, or write operation is using the destination.

If the handheld is not on a stable local network, stop and use the KNULLI Wi-Fi troubleshooting guide.

If both documented SMB hostname and IP paths fail, credentials are rejected, or Windows reports guest/signing trouble, stop and use KNULLI SMB Share Not Visible in Windows. Do not weaken Windows security to force access.

Never forward SMB port 445 or SSH port 22, and never expose either service to the public Internet.

Release and Authentication Matrix

Release SMB service SSH/SFTP service SMB with Enforce Security off With Enforce Security on
Firefly 20241204 Boot service; no SAMBA Services item Boot service; no SSH Services item Guest SMB allowed by tagged config Use root and current displayed Root Password
Gladiator II 20250813 START → System Settings → Services → SAMBA; default off Boot service; no tagged-source SSH Services item Guest SMB allowed by tagged config Use root and current displayed Root Password
Scarab 20260511 START → System Settings → Services → SAMBA; default off START → System Settings → Services → SSH; default on Guest rejected; use root and linux Use root and current displayed Root Password

Evidence scope: RG CubeXX and the source-shared KNULLI H700 release family. This article is based on official documentation and tagged source; it is not an owner hands-on test. Service defaults must not be generalized to unrelated KNULLI platforms.

Identify the Hostname, IP, and Logical Destination

Read the current hostname or IP from KNULLI’s Network Settings. The H700 default hostname is KNULLI, but users can change it, so use the displayed value.

For SMB, enter one of these complete paths in Windows Explorer:

  • \\<actual-hostname>\share
  • \\<device-IP>\share

If the default hostname is unchanged, the first path is \\KNULLI\share.

For SFTP, connect to the actual hostname or IP and navigate explicitly to:

/userdata

The SMB name share is the network view of the active logical /userdata. This guide does not identify or change the physical device behind it.

If remote content or capacity suggests the wrong storage is active, stop and use the second-SD storage-selection guide. Do not change storage during this procedure.

Prepare One Disposable Proof File

  1. On Windows, create a new plain-text file.
  2. Use a unique name such as retrofixlab-transfer-test-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.txt.
  3. Put one unique harmless line inside it.
  4. Save it and confirm its size is greater than zero.
  5. Confirm the same filename does not already exist at the remote destination.

If it exists, choose another name. Never overwrite, merge, rename, move, or delete existing remote content.

Option A: SMB Setup with Windows Explorer

Firefly 20241204

Firefly uses SMB as a boot service. Its H700 defaults leave it enabled, and it has no later generic SAMBA item under Services.

Do not search for or invent a SAMBA toggle. If SMB is unavailable, use the troubleshooting handoff instead of editing configuration.

With Enforce Security off, Firefly’s tagged ordinary SMB configuration permits guest access to writable share. Modern Windows may reject insecure guest sessions. If so, do not enable insecure guest logons, SMB1, or weaken signing; use SFTP or the SMB troubleshooting guide.

If Enforce Security is already on, use root and the current ROOT PASSWORD displayed under START → System Settings → Security.

Gladiator II 20250813

Gladiator II exposes SAMBA as a service and leaves it off by default.

  1. Open START → System Settings → Services.
  2. Record the current SAMBA state.
  3. Turn SAMBA on only if it was off.

The service starts immediately; a restart is not required merely for this toggle.

With Enforce Security off, tagged Gladiator II SMB config permits guest access. If Windows blocks guest/signing behavior, do not weaken Windows. Use SFTP or the troubleshooting handoff.

If Enforce Security is already on, use root and the current displayed Root Password.

Scarab 20260511

Scarab exposes SAMBA under Services and leaves it off by default.

  1. Open START → System Settings → Services.
  2. Record the current SAMBA state.
  3. Turn SAMBA on only if it was off.

Scarab’s tagged SMB config uses user security, rejects guest access, and permits root.

  • With Enforce Security off: username root, password linux.
  • With Enforce Security on: username root, current displayed Root Password.

This differs from broad current networking prose describing default share access as passwordless. For Scarab, this guide follows the tagged release source.

Open the SMB share

  1. Open Windows Explorer.
  2. Enter \\<actual-hostname>\share.
  3. If hostname resolution is unavailable, enter \\<device-IP>\share.
  4. Supply credentials only when required by the release and existing security state above.
  5. Never expose or save a password in article screenshots, logs, chat, or examples.

If both paths fail, stop. Do not change firewall policy, disable signing, enable SMB1, enable insecure guest access, or broadly delete stored Windows credentials.

Option B: SFTP Setup with WinSCP

KNULLI documents SSH-based SCP/SFTP transfer and recommends WinSCP on Windows. Its pictured walkthrough selects SCP, not SFTP; that screenshot alone does not prove SFTP. Gladiator II’s changelog says SFTP remains available, and WinSCP officially supports SFTP. This branch deliberately selects SFTP.

Firefly 20241204

Tagged source uses a boot-time Dropbear SSH service. H700 defaults leave it enabled; there is no generic SSH Services item. Do not require one.

Gladiator II 20250813

Tagged source still uses boot-time Dropbear and provides no generic SSH Services item. Current Network Transfer prose says the SSH toggle began with Gladiator II, but the release tag and dedicated SSH page place that service toggle in Scarab. Do not tell Gladiator II readers to find an SSH toggle the tag does not provide.

Scarab 20260511

Scarab adds an SSH Services item and defaults it on.

  1. Open START → System Settings → Services.
  2. Record the current SSH state.
  3. Turn it on only if it was off.

Create the WinSCP site

Create a New Site with:

  • File protocol: SFTP
  • Host name: actual KNULLI hostname or IP
  • Port number: 22
  • User name: root
  • Password: linux only when Enforce Security is off; otherwise the current displayed Root Password

Enter the password privately in WinSCP. Do not request it from readers or show it in screenshots, exports, logs, or chat.

On first connection, treat the SSH host-key prompt as an identity decision. Accept a first-use key only while connecting directly to the known handheld on the trusted LAN. If a previously cached key changes unexpectedly, cancel and stop. This guide does not publish or guess a device fingerprint.

After connection, navigate explicitly to /userdata. Do not write elsewhere in the KNULLI filesystem.

If SFTP negotiation fails, stop. Do not substitute insecure FTP, expose port 22, edit SSH files, or weaken security.

One-File Transfer, Read-Back, and Cleanup

Use one route only.

SMB proof

  1. Open share in Explorer.
  2. Confirm the unique filename does not already exist.
  3. Copy the test file to the root of share.
  4. Confirm the remote filename and nonzero size.
  5. Open it remotely or copy it back under a different local name.
  6. Confirm the unique line exactly matches.
  7. Delete only the exact remote test file.
  8. Refresh and confirm that exact filename is gone.

SFTP proof

  1. Open /userdata in WinSCP.
  2. Confirm the unique filename does not already exist.
  3. Upload it directly to /userdata.
  4. Confirm the remote filename and nonzero size.
  5. Read it through WinSCP or download it under a different local name.
  6. Confirm the unique line exactly matches.
  7. Delete only the exact remote test file.
  8. Refresh and confirm that exact filename is gone.

If the remote file is zero bytes or its content differs, verification fails. Remove only that exact test file, inspect the client result, and retry once. Do not begin a game copy until filename, nonzero size, and read-back content all pass.

What this proves

  • The selected route was reachable on that trusted LAN.
  • Credentials were accepted for that session when required.
  • The active logical destination accepted one exact write and allowed read-back.
  • Cleanup of that exact disposable file succeeded.

What this does not prove

  • which physical card backs /userdata;
  • free space for a library;
  • correct system folders, extensions, BIOS, discovery, or launch compatibility;
  • integrity of bulk, interrupted, synchronized, backup, restore, or migration operations;
  • speed, persistence, or future reliability;
  • safe public exposure;
  • identical behavior on another Windows build, account, client, or KNULLI release.

Optional Next Step: Copy One Lawfully Owned Game

Only after the disposable-file proof passes, copy at most one lawfully obtained game file to an existing KNULLI-created system folder you already know is correct:

  • SMB: share\roms\<system>
  • SFTP: /userdata/roms/<system>

Do not create or guess a system folder here. Do not overwrite an existing filename, transfer a full library, or use synchronization/mirror mode.

This still proves transport only. If the copied game does not appear, use KNULLI Games Not Showing Up instead of adding discovery or rescan steps here.

This article does not provide game downloads, ROM sources, or copyrighted-content acquisition instructions.

Restore the Recorded Service State

Restore only a service changed solely for this proof:

  • Firefly: no SAMBA or SSH Services switch is part of this workflow.
  • Gladiator II SMB: if SAMBA was off before the proof, turn it off afterward.
  • Gladiator II SFTP: no tagged-source SSH Services switch is part of this workflow.
  • Scarab SMB: if SAMBA was off before the proof, turn it off afterward.
  • Scarab SFTP: if SSH was off before the proof, turn it off afterward.

Leave a service unchanged if it was already on. Do not change Enforce Security for convenience.

A service toggle starts or stops that service directly. Changing ENFORCE SECURITY is different and schedules a restart, which is why this workflow leaves it unchanged.

If Setup Fails

  • No stable local network: use the Wi-Fi guide.
  • SMB hostname and IP paths fail, credentials are rejected, or Windows reports guest/signing trouble: use the SMB troubleshooting guide.
  • SFTP cannot connect or negotiate: stop; do not expose the service or weaken SSH.
  • The disposable proof passes but a game is absent: use Games Not Showing Up.
  • Remote content or capacity indicates the wrong active storage: use the second-SD guide.

Do not forward ports, alter router/firewall/security policy, enable SMB1, permit insecure guest logons, disable signing, delete all Windows credentials, edit KNULLI files, or switch storage.

Version Differences and Documentation Conflicts

Firefly 20241204

  • SMB and SSH are boot services.
  • There is no later SAMBA or SSH Services instruction.
  • Enforce Security off: tagged SMB config permits guest access.
  • Enforce Security on: use root and the current displayed Root Password.

Gladiator II 20250813

  • SAMBA is a Services item and defaults off.
  • Tagged source uses boot-time SSH and has no SSH Services item.
  • Enforce Security off: tagged SMB config permits guest access.
  • Current Network Transfer prose says the SSH toggle began here; tagged source and the dedicated SSH page place it in Scarab. This guide follows the release tag.

Scarab 20260511

  • SAMBA and SSH are Services items.
  • SAMBA defaults off; SSH defaults on.
  • Tagged SMB config rejects guest access and permits root only.
  • Enforce Security off: the password helper returns linux.
  • Enforce Security on: use the current displayed Root Password.
  • Broad networking prose describes default share access as passwordless, but tagged Scarab SMB config requires authentication. This guide preserves the release-specific source behavior.

FAQ

Should I use SMB or SFTP?

Either can prove transfer on a trusted LAN. SMB uses Explorer. SFTP uses authenticated SSH in WinSCP and avoids reliance on guest SMB.

What SMB path should I enter?

Use \\<actual-hostname>\share; with the unchanged default hostname, use \\KNULLI\share. If hostname resolution is unavailable, use \\<device-IP>\share.

What are the SFTP settings?

Choose SFTP, actual hostname/IP, port 22, username root, and the current Root Password. Use linux only when Enforce Security is off.

Why does Scarab request SMB credentials when security is off?

Scarab’s tagged ordinary SMB config rejects guest access and permits root. With Enforce Security off, use root and linux.

Should I enable SMB1 or insecure guest access?

No. Use SFTP or the dedicated SMB troubleshooting guide rather than weaken Windows security.

Does the proof mean a game will appear?

No. It proves one file transport operation only. Game discovery is a separate problem.

Sources

Official KNULLI documentation and releases

Firefly 20241204 tagged source

Gladiator II 20250813 tagged source

Scarab 20260511 tagged source

Microsoft and WinSCP official documentation