Hello,

These days when I try to open a shared folder in other machines(including XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003/2008) from my own Windows 7 Ultimate pc, I get a Network Error dialog saying:
Windows cannot access \\machine\sharedfolder, error code 0x80004005, unspecified error.

It aslo failed with IP.  And I have disable the Firewall

But the other XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008 machines can reach each other and they even can open the shared fodler from my Windows 7.

It's too strange. Maybe you can give me some useful suggestion.

Thanks.

Xi

Hi,

Try to disable IPv6 and restart your computer, please visit the following site for detailed steps:

How to disable certain Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) components in Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008

Best Regards

Dale

• Proposed as answer by Windows7IsUseless Saturday, August 13, 2011 10:02 AM

Hi Dale

Thanks for your response.

Unfortunately, it's not fixed after disabling IP6. I take 0xffffffff as value of DisabledComponents to disable all the IP6 components.

Hi Dale

Thanks for your response.

Unfortunately, it's not fixed after disabling IP6. I take 0xffffffff as value of DisabledComponents to disable all the IP6 components.

Hi Daniel

I have disabled all the firewall for the test. Neither IP nor host name can be avaiable.

As I said above,  only one Window 7 can not access shared resources from other machines(xp, vista, server 2003, server 2008), but  other machines can access  each other, they also can access shared resouces from the Windows 7. It seems this Windows 7 guy locks himself in the room but seeing others get in and go out. too strange.

T

In case this helps... I was having a similar problem on a new laptop (Toshiba) with Windows 7 Home Premium using wifi.  Accessing a share on an XP desktop "suddenly" stopped working.

It appears the issue is related to the Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter, which was evidently installed with a driver update around the first week of April.  Even though the adapter is disabled, it appears that any changes that you make to the settings on your "normal" wireless adapter also need made on this one.  For me, this included enabling NetBIOS over TCP/IP (under IPv4 settings) and ensuring IPv6 was disabled.  Again, THE INTERFACE IS DISABLED, but these changes still "magically" made my sharing work immediately.

• Marked as answer by Dale QiaoModerator Friday, May 07, 2010 2:34 AM

I have exactly the same problem with my Windows 7 Enterpise x64 on my laptop. It happened sometimes around last week, and it worked fine before that.
I also have this strange Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter, but disabling, uninstalling it, or changing its settings - doesnt help.

I tried disbling IPv6 - it doesnt help either.

Any help will be really appreciated.

Thanks

In two words: Domain vs. Workgroup

Basically, here’s why it took an hour to figure this out: after using this file share SUCCESSFULLY for one Windows session thru address bar in Windows Explorer and subsequently mapping the drive and asking Windows to restore the network mapping on reboot, things got sour after the actual reboot.

Typing share location in address bar would time out in 90 seconds.  The error is beyond cryptic.  I would know what to do if it said that IOINC Active Directory does not contain such-and-such user name.  Instead it said unspecified error 0x80004005.  Diagnostics could not determine anything either.

After scratching my head, I went to disconnect the share, and try to re-establish it.  Direct approach (typing \\PCName\FileShare ) still led to the error code 0x80004005.

Resolution was in sight, but still not obvious.  Map network share dialog has a way to enter new credentials.  Just re-tying password still took me to 0x80004005.

I had to see DomainName\UserName as the fully-qualified user name to get what was going on.  Windows 7 Pro assumed that UserName was a domain user, whereas it isn’t. BUG, N times over.

Having supplied the new credentials, I can now type \\PCName\FileShare in Windows Explorer address bar and see the files.  I haven’t tried, but I guess clearing passwords in Internet Explorer Options would have resolved the issue as well.

Does this have anything to do with the version of our Active Directory server?  Is the behavior nicer with new AD?

Vote up if this helps,

-Greg

• Proposed as answer by GregChernis Friday, August 06, 2010 12:53 AM

Thanks for your suggestions. Unfortunately this doesnt help me. Tried everything and still getting error 0x80004005

I'm sure that one of windows updates makes it, because it worked before, and just stopped working without any reason.

Additional information. When I'm trying to browse by clicking on computer name from my homegroup it first shows list of shared folders. but when I'm trying to open one of them it first trying to do this, but then after 5-10 seconds shows me error Network path not found 0x80070035

What else I might try to restore my network access?

• Proposed as answer by Geron Profet Sunday, August 22, 2010 7:28 PM

I had the exact same problem as descibed. For some reason I could no longer connect to my NAS drive via my network share or by typing  \\machine\share in windows explorer.

Then I remembered that I had installed PHP5, apache, a web deployment tool and some other additional tools to run Wordpress locally. The troubles started around that time. I used system restore to go back before the newly installed programs.

That solved it for me. See this site for instructions on how to use system restore: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/700-system-restore.html

@axlns - The problem is probably not caused by windows update because I just updated my system (windows 7 ultimate - 32bit) to all latest updates and I can still connect to my network shares.

I finally fixed my problems. It turns out that my network adapter somehow loosed component called "Client for Microsoft Networks", not sure how that happened, I certainly did not removed it manually. Anyway, I have installed it back, rebooted, and voila, everything started working again!

• Proposed as answer by axlns Monday, August 30, 2010 4:09 AM

Xiaofeng did you ever fix the problem?  I too got the same problem on my Windows 7 Professional Ed PC... I get the same "Windows Cannot Access \\192.168.102.220", "Error code 0x80004005" when I access my own machine's shares from my file explorer's address bar.  Same error when I type in my IP and hostname directly. I also have Firewall disabled.  This computer is NOT inside an AD domain, just the default workground named WORKGROUP.

I did not install any new hardwares and didn't move any shares. There's only 2 connections, "Bluetooth Network Connection" and "Local Area Connection". Client for Microsoft Networks, File and Printer Sharing, and NetBIOS over Tcpip are all enabled in my LAN.

PLEASE HELP!! Could this be a bug in Windows 7?

• Edited by Lyndon's Mobile Thursday, November 04, 2010 6:34 PM typo

Had similar issues as described in 'Lyndon's Mobile' post above.  NAS (\\192.168.1.xx\Public) accessible from laptop and mac mini, desktop system refuses to connect throwing 0x80004005 error.  Both the laptop and desktop system are win7 home premium.  Following the suggestion from 'axlns' post 'Client for Microsoft Networks' was not installed on the desktop system network adapter.  Installing it fixed the issue and NAS is now accessible to all three systems.   It was working on all three platforms in the past, I'm not sure how it 'broke'.  About the only difference between the laptop and desktop systems has been the installation of HP networked printer drivers.  As a test the same drivers were installed on the laptop and shutdown/restart preformed.  NAS and printer are working fine so I haven’t got a clue when or how the 'Client for Microsoft Networks' got uninstalled on the desktop system.  Something else ‘changed’ between 11/27/2010 and 10/17/2010, my last desktop backup date to the NAS.

I had a similar problem as axlns and followed the steps advised and now my windows 7 laptop can "see" xp and earlier computers on the network. 

the solution was to add back clients for microsoft network which for some reason was not there in the wireless adapter properties.

adoor

• Proposed as answer by Driftmotion Sunday, December 02, 2012 5:13 AM

Same problem with a MSI Wind Notebook.
I was looking for anything else but I could't see that the "Client for Microsoft Networks" didn't appear in the properties fo the network adapter.
Now, I wonder why it dissapeared in the first place!

Thank you axlns anyway

THANKS!  IT'S FIXED ==> (GregChernis's "In two words: Domain vs. Workgroup")

====FIX
Mapping a network drive to the share (\\192.168.x.y\folder_name) and selecting "use different network credentials" did the trick even though the network credentials I typed were identical the logged-on user's Windows UserID and password (no domain prefix, btw). The network share appeared immediately.

====My 80004005 problem background
For awhile now, I've been dealing with that 80004005 error when trying to access a network share via \\192.168.x.y\folder_name on one of our remote client PCs accessing a shared folder on our Win2008R2 server (workgroup, not ActiveDirectory) over VPN.  Over VPN, all our OSX Macs (using smb://192.168.etc.etc) worked perfectly first try, as did WinXP PCs and a Win7 PC, but our only Vista PC Home Premium (gag) kept getting the error 80004005. About a month ago, I told the remote user to upgrade to Vista SP1, then SP2 plus install remaining updates, but the ole 80004005 persisted. After connecting with VPN, the Vista PC could ping the server no problem, but typing the UNC (IP+folder) in an explorer bar always the generated 80004005; my goal was to create a shortcut for the user and not use a mapped drive.  But mapping a drive ( including typing in the UNC and choosing alternate credentials) fixed the problem!  After this, typing the UNC in explorer also worked, but not after restarting Vista and reconnecting the VPN; we have to use a mapped drive instead so the credentials are stored ok.
Basically, it seems the credentials that Vista used for the UNC were wrong and it never prompted for alternate credentials. I dodeca-checked that the Vista Windows log-on user ID and password matched the Server's credentials for this user (which also matched the successful VPN credentials, too, btw) but 80004005 always appeared.

====Theory
I concur that mapping the network drive per se didn't fix the problem, but the mapping option of entering alternate credentials did the trick.  The bugs, in my opinion, are (1) that Vista Home Premium SP2 (and pre-SP1 and SP1) don't prompt for a user id/password when its stored credentials fail to connect to a UNC address typed into the explorer bar, and (2) that Vista didn't apply the user's Windows log-on credentials to the attempted UNC access (I know this because the alternate credentials I typed that worked were identical to the Windows logon (and VPN credentials)).

====Request from MS
Make Vista Home Premium prompt for connection credentials if the stored ones don't match for a UNC-typed connection in the explorer bar rather than throw up an error.

THIS THREAD HAD THE BEST 80004005 ANSWERS BY FAR of any I scoured via Google.

• Edited by UpAndRunning Wednesday, February 09, 2011 12:46 AM credit to gregchernis
• Proposed as answer by joggerjed Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:06 PM

Hi,

Can you pls tell me how to reinstall the client for microsoft networks.

I am having the same problem!

Any other solution on that problem? I tried all the mentioned things, but nothing helped.

Thanks,

S.

I finally fixed my problems. It turns out that my network adapter somehow loosed component called "Client for Microsoft Networks", not sure how that happened, I certainly did not removed it manually. Anyway, I have installed it back, rebooted, and voila, everything started working again!

THKS, It works for me too,

I don't know how to disapear it, but now works.

Thanks.

This will only work if you are trying to access computer from a different domain or workgroup. Under your NIC, IPV4 propreties -> Advance -> DNS tab -> Append these DNS suffix(in order): -> add domain names or workgroup names from which you are trying to access the resources.

I hope this helps.

I had the same problem and this work for me:

http://www.ryanvictory.com/posts/automating-6to4-adapter-removal-in-windows/

Had same problem, but nothing here worked.

Oddly I could bring up a cmd window and dir \\shareip\share, I could even xcopy files from shares.

I used autoruns and eventually figured out that my NetworkProvider order was incorrect. the "LanmanWorkstation" entry had been chopped in half. Modifying the entry restored functionality instantly.

Registry key... HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\NetworkProvider\Order  = (REG_SZ) "RDPNP,LanmanWorkstation"

Hello,

These days when I try to open a shared folder in other machines(including XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003/2008) from my own Windows 7 Ultimate pc, I get a Network Error dialog saying:
Windows cannot access \\machine\sharedfolder, error code 0x80004005, unspecified error.

It aslo failed with IP.  And I have disable the Firewall

But the other XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008 machines can reach each other and they even can open the shared fodler from my Windows 7.

It's too strange. Maybe you can give me some useful suggestion.

Thanks.

Xi

Thank you, mcgoober.  You set me on the right path.  I discovered:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\NetworkProvider\Order - Provider Order
and
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\NetworkProvider\HWOrder - Provider Order
values were set to LanmanWorkstation,RDPNP in both string values referenced above.  I changed these both to RDPNP,LanmanWorkstation and I was then able to connect without a problem.

• Proposed as answer by sharpwaves Thursday, September 27, 2012 10:18 AM

This worked for me

http://www.orison.biz/blogs/chall3ng3r/?p=2932

• Proposed as answer by Joachim89 Wednesday, October 31, 2012 10:15 AM

Please ensure the windows service below was started: - Server - TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper - Workstation

We had this problemen on a 2008 server.

Thanks to this post we found out the service "Server" wasn't running.

Had same problem, but nothing here worked.

Oddly I could bring up a cmd window and dir \\shareip\share, I could even xcopy files from shares.

I used autoruns and eventually figured out that my NetworkProvider order was incorrect. the "LanmanWorkstation" entry had been chopped in half. Modifying the entry restored functionality instantly.

Registry key... HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\NetworkProvider\Order  = (REG_SZ) "RDPNP,LanmanWorkstation"

 

• Proposed as answer by Rui Bruno Mendes Friday, January 04, 2013 4:19 PM

Hello,

Obviously a lot of things can cause this.  Here's what fixed it for me.

Opening the properties of my network adapter (in my case my wifi) and found that CLIENT FOR MICROSOFT NETWORKS was unticked.

As soon as I ticked it, and clicked OK, swoosh!  Everything started working, queue started printing, and I could browse other shares.

Had same problem, but nothing here worked.

Oddly I could bring up a cmd window and dir \\shareip\share, I could even xcopy files from shares.

I used autoruns and eventually figured out that my NetworkProvider order was incorrect. the "LanmanWorkstation" entry had been chopped in half. Modifying the entry restored functionality instantly.

Registry key... HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\NetworkProvider\Order  = (REG_SZ) "RDPNP,LanmanWorkstation"

 

I am on Windows 8, and I also had this problem. Tried everything on this thread, and nothing helped me.

What saved me was this post: I went to command line, and tried NET USE, and received another error code: "System error 2148073478". Googled it, and the first hit was this post -> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2686098

It seems that Windows 8 / Server 2012 implements a new SMB protocol, 3.0 according to this post, and it may have some problems with older protocols. I made the 2nd workaround, and now it works :)

If you are on Windows 8 / Server 2012, you should definitely try this!

We're having this problem intermittently. Several Win 7 64 bit workstations are randomly losing connection to one of our shared drives from a Windows 2003 server.
1) In Windows Explorer for example trying to access \\caedc1\Macshare results in:

Windows cannot access \\caedc1\Macshare
Error code: 0x80004005
Unspecified error

2) Then net use results in the following seemingly, the share is still there:

Status       Local     Remote                    Network

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK           H:        \\caedc1\users$\me        Microsoft Windows Network
OK           S:        \\caedc1\shared$          Microsoft Windows Network
OK           Z:        \\caedc2\T-L-Video        Microsoft Windows Network
OK                     \\10.0.225.240\Macshare   Microsoft Windows Network
OK                     \\caedc1\users$           Microsoft Windows Network
The command completed successfully.

3) Pinging the DNC path works:
C:\Users\me.CAE>ping caedc1

Pinging caedc1.xyz.com [10.0.225.240] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 10.0.225.240: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=128
Reply from 10.0.225.240: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 10.0.225.240: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 10.0.225.240:
    Packets: Sent = 3, Received = 3, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 17ms, Average = 5ms

4) I can also access the files if I use the IP address like this, in Windows Explorer:
\\10.0.225.240\Macshare\

5) Trying to map another temporary share via the net use command results in this:
C:\Users\me.CAE>net use t: \\caedc1\shared$
System error 64 has occurred.

6) IPv6 is disabled & "Client for Microsoft Networks" still exists.

7) Windows Firewall is disabled.

8) We use Symantec Endpoint Protection as our AV.

9) A reboot always fixes the share.

Allow port 445 through your inbound rules in your firewall.  Windows file sharing uses that port for loading shares. hope this helps.

Feras Mash

Computer Troubleshooters

CTCarmel.com

• Proposed as answer by bluegrassnash Friday, March 28, 2014 5:20 PM

Often these type of problems on workgroups are caused by what isn't visable, like your windows credential manager.  When you connect to a network share and specifiy a user name, it is stored in the windows credential manager.  This means that you may not be connecting to a server share with the credentials you think you are.  Hence why connecting with the IP address may solve your problem, the credentials for the IP address are not in your windows credential manager cache.

If you saved a password for a network drive in windows and want to remove it, press the keys [Windows] + [R] to open the windows command line. Then enter control keymgr.dll and click on OK to open the windows credential manager.   Find the server name or IP address of the server you are having trouble connecting to,  and delete passwords saved in Windows.

Now when you connect windows will try the credentials you are logged in with first if that fails you will be prompted to enter new credentials. 

• Edited by RobertBaird Wednesday, July 24, 2013 3:13 PM Updated
• Proposed as answer by RobertBaird Wednesday, July 24, 2013 3:14 PM

This made my night!!!! Fantastic solution...

Provide order had something different for me i just put as you said, RDPNP,LanmanWorkstation  and the issue gone...

i have w2008 r2 x64..

Really....... Thanks.

I had a similar problem, but in my case the solution was different.  I had tried using the offline files feature and it seems that that was causing the 0x80004005 error.  I fixed it by:

Start the "Sync Center"
Click on Manage Offline Files
Click View your offline files
Under computers, select the server and hit delete to remove it.

After that, I was able to browse the share again.

I finally fixed my problems. It turns out that my network adapter somehow loosed component called "Client for Microsoft Networks", not sure how that happened, I certainly did not removed it manually. Anyway, I have installed it back, rebooted, andvoila, everything started working again!

Hello,

Obviously a lot of things can cause this.  Here's what fixed it for me.

Opening the properties of my network adapter (in my case my wifi) and found that CLIENT FOR MICROSOFT NETWORKS was unticked.

As soon as I ticked it, and clicked OK, swoosh!  Everything started working, queue started printing, and I could browse other shares.

In my case, Client for Microsoft Networks was present on the adapter. I removed it, restarted then added it back and restarted again. That fixed it in my case.

-Brian

Not relevant to the OP, but I had a similar problem with Win 2012 servers talking to each other. Turned out to be riverbeds not coping with SMBv3 - solution was to turn on pass-through for port 445 for those servers.

Hi,

in most cases, you can spent lot of hours if got this error,
the Client looses Client for Microsoft Network Service under Network Connections.
So check if it is present on Client Config first.
Then in registry the Ordner of LANmanworkstation as some posted seems to be important, too.

You have to restart the Client after the changes although some UNC path resolves quick.

If this would not solve your Problem check on Server side the dns ip config.
restarting netlogon Service would cause reregistering the locator srv records in dns (Ads).

Very lucky that a fat Client does now what he should do... :-)

Mathias Rhn - Kopyczynski

RequireSecureNegotiate       on Windows 2012

http://winplat.net/post/2013/10/25/Error-0x80004005-accessing-CIFS-from-Windows-server-2012.aspx

Thank you very much.

It worked for me perfectly.

I was using windows 8 PC and wasted around 2 days to figure it out using troubleshooting tool.

Thank once again.

Tada!!!! After chasing this problem around for the better part of a week, I finally find the solution here. Thank you very much! I have no idea how the Client for Microsoft Networks was de-selected, whether by me or by something I installed, but (of course) simply re-enabling the client solved the problem.

Thanks again,

-stephen

in Myrtle Beach SC

• Proposed as answer by AngieE Wednesday, November 27, 2013 6:58 PM
• Unproposed as answer by AngieE Wednesday, November 27, 2013 6:58 PM

I was getting the same error.

I tried connecting using  NET USE in a command prompt

The NET USE  returned  "User must change password at next login"  

Went back to AD and unchecked the "User must change password"  and was able to connect to the shared drive.

I finally fixed my problems. It turns out that my network adapter somehow loosed component called "Client for Microsoft Networks", not sure how that happened, I certainly did not removed it manually. Anyway, I have installed it back, rebooted, andvoila, everything started working again!

For those still looking for a solution this worked for me:

Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Local Security Policy
Under Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options

Set "Microsoft network client: Digitally sign communications (always)" to "Disabled"

Restart the computer

Found here: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/d5e7ae85-6a28-450a-a796-7a18fe9781ce/unable-to-map-with-hostname-or-fqdn-system-error-64-has-occurred-2008-r2?forum=winserverPN

• Edited by Dobert Chodkowski Tuesday, February 04, 2014 12:39 PM

We were able to fix this problem by Uninstalling 'File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks' from one of the adapters. (Does not matter which one, Services are removed from all adapters when you do this)

Access to network shares was restored immediately and continued to work after re-installing File and Printer Sharing.

Hope this helps someone.

Chris

1. All accounts must have a password

2. All accounts must be on same workgroup

3. All of the following services must be running:

Computer Browser
DHCP Client
DNS Client
Function Discovery Resource Publication
Server
SSDP Discovery
TCP/IP Netbios helper
UPnP Device Host
Workstation

4. Client for Microsoft networks and File and Printer sharing for Microsoft networks must be checked

5. Goto Network and Sharing Center=>Advanced sharing settings and Turn off password protected sharing.

No need to disable Firewall, IPv6 or join any Homegroup.

• Proposed as answer by Mvp77 Friday, February 14, 2014 8:47 AM
• Edited by Mvp77 Tuesday, April 15, 2014 4:04 PM

Thanks. This resovled my issue.

Hello...

I'm using Windows Pro 8.1, and only enabling NetBIOS over TCP/IP under IPv4 works for me...

Thanks

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have been trying to solve this problem for about a week now. Worked excellent! 

Regards, D

• Edited by Christian Baracchi Thursday, April 24, 2014 1:24 PM

Finally got the Problem solved... after spending many hours on it.

Short Version:
There have been a hundret of "ghost" VMBUS Network Adapters on the server. I was able to remove them with x64 bit Version of devcon, restartet the system and it worked again. Seems like windows azure is creating each time you reprovision the VM a new Network Adapter...

Long Version:

After removing the server from the domain, i was unable to rejoin the machine. error:".. network path not found". So i tried different things, even recreating the machine in an other virtual network at windows azure and even downloaded the .vhd and created a vm on the local hyper-v-host. Nothing helped...

As the Network Adapter in use was labeld with "Microsoft Virtual Machine Bus Network Adapter #115" i've allways been currious where the other 114 are hidden, but i was neither able to find them in Device Manager (even with show hidden devices) nor in devcon.

What to do: 
1. Show hidden and unplugged devices in device manager
-> http://www.theitcommunity.com/wiki/Show_hidden_and_unplugged_devices_in_device_manager

Make sure to run start devmgr.msc out of the same cmd windows and enable "Show hidden devices" in Device Manager

2. Uninstall unused Network adapters either manually in Device Manager or by creating a devcon skript.
Make sure to use the right verison (32 / 64bit) of devcon.

Example for devcon remove command:
devcon -r remove  "@VMBUS\{47ED9815-24B3-423A-8E35-5313940423DE}\5&296C0F0E&0&{47ED9815-24B3-423A-8E35-5313940423DE}" do this for all unused VMBUS network adapters.

In devcon you can check if all adapters have been remove with command "devcon findall =net"

• Proposed as answer by Greg - (Unique Characters...) Thursday, May 29, 2014 9:21 PM

I finally fixed my problems. It turns out that my network adapter somehow loosed component called "Client for Microsoft Networks", not sure how that happened, I certainly did not removed it manually. Anyway, I have installed it back, rebooted, andvoila, everything started working again!

Same solution for me that fixed axlns.  The "client for microsoft networking" part of the stack suddenly went missing.  I added it back AND rebooted and I can see all my file shares again.  Bizarre.  I am running Windows 7 pro.  The only recent updates were microsoft SUS and an update from Apple for airport utility. 

I wish the error message had said something like "microsoft client missing".  It would have shorted many hours of work.

1. Uninstall CLIENT FOR MICROSOFT NETWORKS from network adapter
2. bounce (reboot)
3. Install CLIENT FOR MICROSOFT NETWORKS
4. bounce
5. Mine works!

Only 2 hours of troubleshooting. Just so happens this decided to surface the first day in our new office. I modified some GPOs to push out new printers to everyone. I thought for sure I had changed something with my super power GPO. Wow that was not fun. I had to bluff my cohorts by telling them I was working on other things pertaining to the new building. I'm the one person here that is not supposed to have issues like this.

I would love to know what caused that!

4 years later i had the same problem and resolved ! Thanks to you, you put me on the good way. The other things i had to do is to install the "Client for microsoft network" and the "files and printer share in microsoft network", it was gone (in the same window as the internet version protocole TCP/IPv4), then reboot.

Don't ask me how this happen, the laptop came back from Africa...

Work fo me as well.

Thanks "Client for microsoft network" Missing.

For prosperity, I had a similar issue; a share would exist, but with very few files in it. Windows would not ask for any login credentials, and there was no way to log out and re-log in. The problem was a file on that share that was being synchronized (there's a little green ball icon in the details when you select the offending file). When I removed this file from the synchronization list and i let my computer go to sleep, it would ask me for my login credentials on wakeup like it should.

tl:dr;

A file on a share that has been synchronized stops windows from being able to re-establish a connection to that share. Tell windows to stop synchronizing that file(s) on the share.

Dobert Chodkowski saved my bacon.

My Windows Server 2012 Standard in a VMware Workstation 9.0.3 VM had full Internet access, but it could not browse external network shares by name or by IP address, either via Windows Explorer or from the command line (even though its command line could ping the IP addresses).

Dobert's guidance:

Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Local Security Policy
Under Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options

Set "Microsoft network client: Digitally sign communications (always)" to"Disabled"
Restart the computer

I'm on Windows Server 2012 (no "Start" menu), so I did the following:

• ServerManager->Tools->Local Security Policy->Local Policies->Security Options
  Set "Microsoft network client: Digitally sign communications (always)" to"Disabled"
• Restart the computer (Required!)

I did the above after unsuccessful efforts that included:

• Reading above-referenced KB article 2686098 and attempting to manually Disable "Secure Negotiate" on the client via Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters" RequireSecureNegotiate -Value 0 -Force  (got a "you don't have permissions to do this" error, despite my using an administrator account)
• Attempting the equivalent using regedit to create the above as a DWORD in the registry
• Getting nowhere with "NET USE" accounts in the command line
• Disabling, rebooting and then re-enabling Client for Microsoft Networks on my network adapter

Many thanks, Dobert!

Hi.

I just had exactly the same problem with Windows 7, but none of the previous answers listed here worked for me.

I finally tracked down the problem, which was different to any solutions above...

In the Control Panel >> Network and Sharing Center >> Change Advanced Sharing Settings, somehow the File & printer sharing setting had been turned OFF.

I have no idea how this occurred. It was working correctly for ages before that, right up to the previous day, then all of a sudden it just stopped.

Turning this setting back ON immediately resolved the problem.

I thought it may be useful to add this solution to the many other solutions above, as this post seems to have the best range of potential solutions for this problem that I have been able to fond anywhere.

Regards

Neville