After updating to Windows 10 v20H2, cannot map network drives

Anonymous

Hi,

How can I solve this problem after updating to windows 10 v2004 from v1909, i cannot map network drives/shares anymore, everything was working fine before the update, the shares are located in a windows server v1809.

When i try to connect the shares on map a network drive either using \server_name\share_name or \IP_of_the_Server\share_name using the correct domain\username and password i get a error code 0x80070043, the windows server is a domain controller and the windows 10 is a laptop that is not joined in the domain.

Thanks.

[Moderator Edit: Answers marked in this post reflect work arounds to this problem**]**

Update (2/9/2021): Last year when I posted this problem the solution that i used was to rollback to v1909, so if you're having the same problem this is still the best solution, because it was working fine until today, when on my laptop appears a message box to update windows to a newer version and since i was on my way out and was going to live the laptop on, (i keep come back to read the post but never decided to update and since there was solutions each i now know are not related to my problem), i just click update my BAD, because instead of updating me to v20H2, it updated me to v20H1 and since I was on a roll, I decided to update to v20H2 to see if this was already fixed and no the problem still exist and now I'm stuck with windows v20H2 or v20H1, the windows server is still v1809 with all updates, it's using SMBv3, since Encrypted data is on (i also tried it with Encrypted data off/SMBv2v3 and with SMBv1 ON in both client and server and i get the same network name not found error), and the client is windows 10 v20H2 and it have no mapped network drives and i just can't map any network drive i always get the same error code 0x80070043, i can use RDP, i can access my personal website, i can use FTP each is the workaround that I'm using at the moment, but i just can't map the drives i think that the problem in my case is related to some kind of authentication or secure protocol communication error used in SMB., but keep in mind that when i was using v1909 or previous versions, i had no problem with mapped drives or accessing the server with net use and there are no modifications on the server or network side, the only change is updating the client (my laptop) to a newer windows version after v1909.

So if someone has a solution or some ways of troubleshooting this please share them with me.

Thanks.

Update (2/9/2021): Finally got a solution after having 3 windows installations on the same day, that makes everyone happy, reinstall windows but keep apps and files, voila everything is like it was before and working fine again. :)

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

SUCCESS! I fixed the problem.

Using regedit I searched for my mapped XP drive, \drive name, and deleted the 4 registry entries found after exporting them just in case.

Rebooted the PC and all is well, File Explorer works and the XP drive is gone.

Re-mapped the XP drive and I can now get to it without problems and all works as it should.

My best guess is some update screwed things up because the drive was mapped and connected when the update installed.

Version 2004 STILL has problems. Please fix it Microsoft if you follow your users problems.

What was the exact keys you modified and is the fix still working?

Yes, it's still working for me.

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Network\Z or your drive letter, I deleted Z.

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Map Network Drive MRU and delete the entry, (a, b, etc), for your drive.

Then add the following after remapping your drive or else it will fail to connect after a reboot or shutdown.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Network\Z]

"ProviderFlags"=dword:00000001

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

SUCCESS! I fixed the problem.

Using regedit I searched for my mapped XP drive, \drive name, and deleted the 4 registry entries found after exporting them just in case.

Rebooted the PC and all is well, File Explorer works and the XP drive is gone.

Re-mapped the XP drive and I can now get to it without problems and all works as it should.

My best guess is some update screwed things up because the drive was mapped and connected when the update installed.

Version 2004 STILL has problems. Please fix it Microsoft if you follow your users problems.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Monkey57 3,535

Win10 20H2 fixes the issue.

Previously when 2004 broke smb1, I rolled back.

There was no registry change or any other modification made to the system. After Win10 20H2 upgrade was installed via Windows Updates; SMB1 worked as it did before the upgrade.

Thank you Microsoft.

0 comments

242 additional answers

Anonymous

2021-07-26T12:15:23+00:00

I just deleted the mapped drive(s) with

> net use Z: /delete

and the connection started working again normally after that.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2021-08-02T10:29:43+00:00

This is going to sound really unhelpful to start with. But go with it.

I had / have this same ongoing problem with Win10. Network drives won't connect. If I install a virtual machine on the Win10 PC, that virtual machine can find and use the shared network drive. (???)

You will probably have tried the usual suspects. SMB1 (used to work), All other options within sharing, tried mapping the drive both by name - \network_computer\drive\ and by address \170.120.0.33\drive. Sometimes these will work. Sometimes they won't.

Try pinging the drive. (using the address) from a cmd prompt or accessing it through Microsoft Edge. If it pings ok, then here is a solution that for no apparent reason works.

Open File Explorer, left hand side right click on the Network option and try mapping the drive. Ok. It doesn't work.

But now leave File Explorer open. Just leave it. And try again in 30 minutes. then one hour. Then and hour and a half. Try Map again, this time enter drive name but in the location box enter details in address format (\170.120 etc) but click browse rather than finish. It will suddenly appear.

I have 4 windows 10 machines two take around 20-30 minutes, one takes an hour roughly and the third takes an hour and 20 minutes.

I have run through all the settings, all the parameters, the network drives can be accessed by older Win8 or Win7 machines with no problem (Even an XP system when tested) But Win10 continues to be a problem.

It will work fine once connected. You may have to go through this whole process again when you next disconnect / reconnect but I have found that 2 out of 3 times it reconnects ok. It will definitely fall over when an update happens.

Apologies to anyone looking for the holy grail, but I have spent months with this problem and tried every option known to man. Then by accident I left the machine open. And bingo, the network drives just appeared on one machine (the other Win10 shared drives were always shown) on the other machines they don't appear even when connected with the above process.

Good luck. Try not to hit it with a stick.
Was this answer helpful?

1 person found this answer helpful.

0 comments No comments