Mapped Network Drives are Disconnected at Startup

[Jim Snively]

Hi All:

I have a four node peer-to-peer network with all machines running WIN XP (3
Proand 1 Home). There is no internet connection on this network by design.
The root of c: \ is shared on each machine and (accounting) applications are
served from various machines. All machines boot directly to the desktop.
Problem is some applications fail to start because the mapped network drives
are initially disconnected. Using windows explorer to expand and then
contract these mapped drives will reconnect them (remove the red X's), but
this is a tedious task for a computer novice.

I googled this problem and seem to think I saw a Microsoft response that
Windows is acting as designed. I seem to remember earlier versions of
windows had an option to connect at logon or to connect at first use. Has
that option not been carried forward to WinXP? Does anyone have more
insight into this problem? Does anyone have a workaround -- perhaps a
program that does what explorer does to force the connections perhaps in a
windows startup script?

Jim Snively

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Hi All:

I have a four node peer-to-peer network with all machines running WIN XP (3
Proand 1 Home). There is no internet connection on this network by design.
The root of c: \ is shared on each machine and (accounting) applications are
served from various machines. All machines boot directly to the desktop.
Problem is some applications fail to start because the mapped network drives
are initially disconnected. Using windows explorer to expand and then
contract these mapped drives will reconnect them (remove the red X's), but
this is a tedious task for a computer novice.

I googled this problem and seem to think I saw a Microsoft response that
Windows is acting as designed. I seem to remember earlier versions of
windows had an option to connect at logon or to connect at first use. Has
that option not been carried forward to WinXP? Does anyone have more
insight into this problem? Does anyone have a workaround -- perhaps a
program that does what explorer does to force the connections perhaps in a
windows startup script?

Jim Snively

Instead of relying on remembered connections, you should seize
control of mapped drives and create this file:

c:\documents and settings\all users\start menu\programs\startup\netlogon.bat
===================================================
(The file starts with the line "@echo off")
@echo off
net use /persistent:no
net use * /del /y
net use S: \\SomeMachine\C
net use T: \\SomeOtherMachine\C
net use
pause

This file will run each time anyone logs on. Remove the "pause"
command when you're happy with the result.

 

[Guest]

I have a similar problem. We use w/xp Home to map drives to a server in a
small 'workgroup', and one of the pc's drops the mapped drives when the pc is
started up or restarted. You have to manually remap it. This may have
happened to this pc during a power surge, that's when it started, however the
NIC seems OK, it connect to the server, internet, etc, it just doesn't
remember how to stay mapped.

In the 'net use' formula you used is "somemachine" and "someothermachine"
your indication of the pc or server name that you want to map a network drive
to? Is this a batch file ? If so, how do I create and impliment it?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Click Start / Run, then paste the following single long line into the
window:
notepad "c:\documents and settings\all users\start
menu\programs\startup\netlogon.bat"

@echo off
net use /persistent:no
net use * /del /y
net use S: \\SomeMachine\SomeShare
net use T: \\SomeOtherMachine\SomeOtherShare
net use
pause

Make sure to use proper names for "Some..." in the
code above.