Starting a service from a windows network drive gives me an error"The system cannot find the path sp

[lat.lat.p]

Hi,

I have a service in a mapped network folder in Windows. While I am
starting this service I am getting "The system cannot find the path
specified" error message.

Can't we run a service which is present in a network folder?

Kindly let me know if there is any way that I can start the service
present in a mapped network folder.

PS: The registry key ImagePath in regedit --> HKLM --> -->system--

CCS-->services --> "my service" points to the network drive location.

Thanks

 

[Pavel A.]

Hi,

I have a service in a mapped network folder in Windows. While I am
starting this service I am getting "The system cannot find the path
specified" error message.

Can't we run a service which is present in a network folder?

Depends who are you. If "you" are LOCAL_SERVICE,
you have no rights to access the network locations, therefore cannot
open files or run programs from there.

Kindly let me know if there is any way that I can start the service
present in a mapped network folder.

Copy the executable file to your machine (from any account that has
network credentials, such as NETWORK_SERVICE).

Good luck.
-- pa

 

[Pavel A.]

Depends who are you. If "you" are LOCAL_SERVICE,

... or LOCAL_SYSTEM

-- pa

 

[lat.lat.p]

  ... or LOCAL_SYSTEM

-- pa

If I copy the executable to the local drive and then start the service
then it works fine without any errors. My requirement is to start it
from networked shared folder. Is there any work around to achieve this?

 

[Anteaus]

Unfortunately, no entirely satisfactory one.

You can set the service to run under other credentials, the issue then is
that password-expiry becomes a virtual timebomb just waiting to knock things
out.

The other option (which might not suit all situations) is to set automatic
logon and run the program on the desktop instead of as a service.

This is a frequent issue with backup programs which write to NAS media or
the like, and I don't know of any entirely satisfactory answer. Both of the
above workarounds have their drawbacks, though with running on the desktop
you are more likely to notice if things go wrong.

The issue arises because XP/2003 allocates drive-mappings on a user-by-user
basis. In earlier versions mappings belonged to the computer. Which, IMHO,
is the way it should have remained.

 

[Pavel A.]

Anteaus wrote:
..........

The issue arises because XP/2003 allocates drive-mappings on a user-by-user
basis.

This is another, unrelated issue. Even if they won't use drive
mappings at all and use instead UNC paths, the LOCAL_SYSTEM/SERVICE
accounts just are not able to make the connection.

-- pa

 

[lat.lat.p]

Anteaus wrote:

.........


This is another, unrelated issue. Even if they won't use drive
mappings at all and use instead UNC paths, the LOCAL_SYSTEM/SERVICE
accounts just are not able to make the connection.

-- pa

Hi,

I tried installing the Networking services windows component through
add/remove programs, after this I am not the getting the error message
"the system cannot find the path specified" instead I am getting the
error "Access is denied". I suppose the service account does not have
the required permission to access the network folder.

Any idea how to modify the service code to provide the authentication
to access the network folder? Is there any document for this?

Thanks

 

[Pavel A.]

Instead of LOCAL_MACHINE/SERVICE, run as NETWORK_SERVICE
or as some user that has access to the network share(s).

-- pa