diff --git a/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/config/default_settings.xml b/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/config/default_settings.xml
index 60181b8f53..8bf4abbde6 100644
--- a/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/config/default_settings.xml
+++ b/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/config/default_settings.xml
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@
     <setting id="NET2_SECURITY" value="NONE" />
     <setting id="NET2_SSID" value="" />   
     <setting id="SAMBA_START" value="true" />
+    <setting id="SAMBA_SECURITY" value="false" />
+    <setting id="SAMBA_USERNAME" value="openelec" />
+    <setting id="SAMBA_PASSWORD" value="openelec" />
     <setting id="UPDATE_AUTO" value="manual" />
     <setting id="X11_KEYMAP" value="us" />
     <setting id="X11_KEYMAP2" value="" />
diff --git a/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/source/resources/language/English/strings.xml b/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/source/resources/language/English/strings.xml
index 72c9edc799..b55f353595 100644
--- a/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/source/resources/language/English/strings.xml
+++ b/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/source/resources/language/English/strings.xml
@@ -36,5 +36,8 @@
 	<string id="5000">Samba</string>
 	<string id="5010">Boot</string>
 	<string id="5011">Start Samba at boot</string>
+	<string id="5012">Use Samba Passwords</string>
+	<string id="5013">Samba Username</string>
+	<string id="5014">Samba Password</string>
 
 </strings>
diff --git a/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/source/resources/settings.xml b/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/source/resources/settings.xml
index 3b223be4fb..f09078cb27 100644
--- a/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/source/resources/settings.xml
+++ b/packages/mediacenter/xbmc-addon-settings/source/resources/settings.xml
@@ -67,5 +67,8 @@
 		<setting label="5010" type="lsep"/>
 		<setting type="sep" />
 		<setting id="SAMBA_START" type="bool" label="5011" default="true" />
+		<setting id="SAMBA_SECURITY" type="bool" label="5012" default="false" enable="eq(-1,true)"/>
+		<setting id="SAMBA_USERNAME" type="text" label="5013" default="openelec" enable="eq(-1,true) + eq(-2,true)"/>
+		<setting id="SAMBA_PASSWORD" type="text" option="hidden" label="5014" default="openelec"  enable="eq(-2,true)+ eq(-3,true)"/>
     </category>
 </settings>
diff --git a/packages/network/samba/build b/packages/network/samba/build
index 6e00127131..6c8ac50e68 100755
--- a/packages/network/samba/build
+++ b/packages/network/samba/build
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ make bin/libsmbclient.so
 if [ "$SAMBA_SERVER" = yes ]; then
   make bin/smbd
   make bin/nmbd
+  make bin/smbpasswd
 fi
 
 mkdir -p $SYSROOT_PREFIX/usr/lib
diff --git a/packages/network/samba/install b/packages/network/samba/install
index 3bb6978be1..9777f14b92 100755
--- a/packages/network/samba/install
+++ b/packages/network/samba/install
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ if [ "$SAMBA_SERVER" = "yes" ]; then
   mkdir -p $INSTALL/usr/bin
     cp $PKG_BUILD/source3/bin/smbd $INSTALL/usr/bin
     cp $PKG_BUILD/source3/bin/nmbd $INSTALL/usr/bin
+    cp $PKG_BUILD/source3/bin/smbpasswd $INSTALL/usr/bin
 
   mkdir -p $INSTALL/etc/samba
     cp $PKG_DIR/config/smb.conf $INSTALL/etc/samba
diff --git a/packages/network/samba/scripts/52_samba b/packages/network/samba/scripts/52_samba
index 9410fe3b13..0c9dbb246e 100644
--- a/packages/network/samba/scripts/52_samba
+++ b/packages/network/samba/scripts/52_samba
@@ -35,13 +35,49 @@
 
       SMB_USERCONF="/storage/.config/samba.conf"
       SMB_DEFCONF="/etc/samba/smb.conf"
+      SMB_CONF="/var/run/smb.conf"
 
+      mkdir -p /var/run
       if [ -f $SMB_USERCONF ]; then
-        SMB_ARG="--configfile=$SMB_USERCONF"
+        cp $SMB_USERCONF $SMB_CONF
       else
-        SMB_ARG="--configfile=$SMB_DEFCONF"
+        cp $SMB_DEFCONF $SMB_CONF
       fi
 
+      # only letters & numbers permitted for username & password
+      SAMBA_USERNAME=`echo $SAMBA_USERNAME | sed "s/[^a-zA-Z0-9]//g;"`
+      SAMBA_PASSWORD=`echo $SAMBA_PASSWORD | sed "s/[^a-zA-Z0-9]//g;"`
+
+      if [ "$SAMBA_SECURITY" == "true" -a ! "$SAMBA_USERNAME" == "" -a ! "$SAMBA_PASSWORD" == "" ] ; then
+        # username map: first line makes sure plain root does not work all the time
+        # processing continues, so if user chooses root as username, second line overrides the first
+        # this is done always in case user uses passwords in userconf.
+        # many thanks to viljoviitanen for this
+        echo -e "$SAMBA_PASSWORD\n$SAMBA_PASSWORD" | smbpasswd -s -a root >/dev/null 2>&1
+        echo -e "nobody = root\nroot = $SAMBA_USERNAME" > /var/run/samba.map
+
+        # set public = no
+        sed -e 's|^.[ \t]*.public.=.*|  public = no |' $SMB_CONF > $SMB_CONF.tmp && \
+          mv $SMB_CONF.tmp $SMB_CONF
+        # remove username map (if any in userconfig)
+        sed -e 's|^.[ \t]*.username map.=.*||' $SMB_CONF > $SMB_CONF.tmp && \
+          mv $SMB_CONF.tmp $SMB_CONF
+        # set security = share, add username map
+        sed -e 's|^.[ \t]*.security.=.*|  security = user\n  username map = /var/run/samba.map|' $SMB_CONF > $SMB_CONF.tmp && \
+          mv $SMB_CONF.tmp $SMB_CONF
+      else
+        # set public = yes
+        sed -e 's|^.[ \t]*.public.=.*|  public = yes |' $SMB_CONF > $SMB_CONF.tmp && \
+          mv $SMB_CONF.tmp $SMB_CONF
+        # remove username map (if any in userconfig)
+        sed -e 's|^.[ \t]*.username map.=.*||' $SMB_CONF > $SMB_CONF.tmp && \
+          mv $SMB_CONF.tmp $SMB_CONF
+        # set security = share
+        sed -e 's|^.[ \t]*.security.=.*|  security = share|' $SMB_CONF > $SMB_CONF.tmp && \
+          mv $SMB_CONF.tmp $SMB_CONF
+      fi
+
+      SMB_ARG="--configfile=$SMB_CONF"
       mkdir -p /var/log/samba
       nmbd --daemon $SMB_ARG > /dev/null 2>&1
       smbd --daemon $SMB_ARG > /dev/null 2>&1