Mapped network drive is connected but shows as not connected

Anonymous
2010-01-26T16:37:55+00:00

Just instqalled Windows 7 at the office. All works fine except that the mapped network drives show up with a red x after reboot. If I double click on them they work fine but Wondows sees them as not connected. This creates problems for AutoCad as it is referencing the network drives. When Windows tells AutoCad they are not connected it crashes your AutoCad user profile which is a real pain. Is there a way to force refresh the network drives?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Internet and connectivity

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Anonymous
2010-01-27T23:26:49+00:00

Ditto for op sys on my main machine (upgraded from XP.SP3/HP/32 just over a week ago) but I've seen the same behaviour on my Vista HP 32bit laptop (which connects to my router via Wi-Fi). First you get the pop-up saying 'could not connect to netwrok drive' in the notification area then the icon for the network connection itself appears. This may be coincidence but I do suspect that the network hasn't finished initialising and reporting connected devices by the time both OS's go looking for them, fail to 'see' them and report a 'problem'. A few seconds delay between the two stages would probably solve the issue if I'm right.

Generated a boot log earlier to try and confirm this speculation but soon decided it would take days of work for anybody outside the MS development team to decipher :). The other interesting thing here is that if I do a 'warm-boot' restart (rather than a cold boot from a machine that was physically switched off) of either computer then the problem doesn't occur - so 'perhaps' the router itself (regardless of model) is involved in this problem. IE on a cold boot perhaps it takes longer to detect and 'talk back' to the OS whereas with a warm-boot it's already expecting queries from the machine?

This should be solvable for those of us who object to keeping our computers permanently switched on for either financial or ecological reasons. Or should we conclude that MS's development machines really do run 24/7 and that's why they're unaware there is a problem?

:)

John

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-04-08T09:03:45+00:00

    I have been struggling with this for a year, since April 3 2009 to be precise.  To solve the problem each day takes 8 minutes and 11 seconds.  Since then, 221 working days have passed and that means I have spent more than 30 hours repeating the same steps before I can begin work.  This was the argument I gave my boss when I said it was time to get it solved.  He agreed.  This worked for me, ignore the reference to Vista.  I am using Windows 7 Professional:-

    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/937624?p=1

    To configure the EnableLinkedConnections registry value, follow these steps:

    1. Click  Start , type  regedit   in the  Start Search   box, and then press ENTER.
    2. Locate and then right-click the following registry subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System 3. Point to  New , and then click  DWORD Value . 4. Type  EnableLinkedConnections , and then press ENTER. 5. Right-click  EnableLinkedConnections , and then click  Modify . 6. In the  Value data   box, type  1 , and then click  OK . 7. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

    Here's to the next 221 days where I can relax with my morning coffee for an extra 10 :-)

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-01-27T20:23:03+00:00

    What you described is exactly how I have done it. When I click on Computer the drives show up but they have a big red x over them. If I double click on them they are connected just fine Windows is just not updating them at the proper time. I am running Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-01-27T18:44:30+00:00

    This often occurs on both my W7/HP/64 desktop and my V/HP/32 laptop when first booted up. The mapped network drive (connected to a router via CAT5) has a red X in My Computer but if you actually double-click on it it works fine (reverse out to view all the drives and the X has now vanished). Both machines also routinely pop-up the 'couldn't connect to network drive' message on intial boot (but not restarts) - the pop-up dissapears of its own accord as the boot process continues.

    Am I right in suspecting that what's happenning here is that both Vista and W7 are looking for the mapped drive BEFORE they've actually established a network connection? IE these two tasks are given the wrong precedence in both OS's boot sequences - if so there should be an easy fix for the problem. This is just an inconvenience for me (I've got into the habit of 'correcting' My Computer manually), but it could be a major headache for some networked users.

    Hope that helps,

    John

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-01-27T16:19:32+00:00

    Hi JSkellington, A. Which version of windows7 are you using? I would suggest you to check the settings for mapping the network drive with windows7. When you create a shortcut to a shared folder or computer on a network (also called mapping a network drive), you can get to it from Computer or Windows Explorer without having to look for it or type its network address each time. 1.Open Computer by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Computer. 2.Click Map network drive. 3.In the Drive list, click a drive letter. You can choose any available letter. 4.In the Folder box, type the path of the folder or computer, or click Browse to find the folder or computer. To connect every time you log on to your computer, select the Reconnect at logon check box. 5.Click Finish. Additional information: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Create-a-shortcut-to-map-a-network-drive

    Hope this helps. Let us know the results.

    Thanks & Regards,

    Vijay B – Microsoft Support

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