This is a small network, one workgroup. We recently added a new machine running wn7Pro 64-bit. We had to fiddle for days with it just to make winXPpro and win2kPro workstations and their drives visible to it. That should be out-of-the-box automatic functionality, but it isn't because Win7Pro makes assumptions which, for our use cases, are just flat wrong. Now, those workstations and/or their drives keep disappearing from the win7 workstation's view! Running a net use command on the win7 box makes one workstation visible again to the station. That's good as far as it goes, but the fact that it's necessary is inconvenient, not to mention absurd. In the case of another xpPro station, also a w2kPro station, nothing works to bring the network drives back into view. So instead of getting our work done, here we are again fiddling with what Microsoft claims is a new and improved operating system. If it were possible to go back to XP, we would. But Micosoft has made that impossible. So what in blazes do we have to do to get these LAN stations and their drives to stay visible to our new Win7Pro workstation!?

1.Please do distinction between the visibility and accessibility. Various ports play the role. For access to shared resources you do not need visibility. 2. Starting from Windows XP only one port - 445 - is needed to reach resources. "Legacy" ports 137,138 and 139 are those that play the role in shared resources visibility. (They are well known target of attacks in Internet and corporate environment. Many viruses use legacy ports.) 3. To say the trueth, the situation is a bit more complicated, becase of the transfer of packets governs protocols that need not be compatible. I mean SMB. In Windows XP it is SMB 1 and in Windows 7 it is SMB 2.1. If Windows 7 does not set the communication to SMB 1 - it can, but sometimes it is not the case, in this situation you should set the SMB to version 1 manualy. Look here http://www.petri.co.il/how-to-disable-smb-2-on-windows-vista-or-server-2008.htm 4. I recommend simple way how to avoid prpoblems with visibility by scripting. Include the following line into script named share.bat explorer \\server\shared_folder and put it on desktop. Clicking the icon Windows Explorer opens and when you finish work close the explorer and connection is ended. 5. Search information before you blame software vendor (MS). 6. Use Windows XP, if you are more comfortable in this environment, but remember that the last support will end on April 2014 and Windows 7 is safer than Windows XP. Regards Milos

> 1.Please do distinction between the visibility and accessibility. Various ports play the role. For access to shared resources you do not need visibility. Eh? I am talking about being able to (i) access the shared drives and (ii) see representations of them in Explorer. > 2. Starting from Windows XP only one port - 445 - is needed to reach resources. "Legacy" ports 137,138 and 139 are those that play the role in shared resources visibility. (They are well known target of attacks in Internet and corporate environment. Many viruses use legacy ports.) Eh? The various XP machines have no trouble seeing one another. > 3. To say the trueth, the situation is a bit more complicated, becase of the transfer of packets governs protocols that need not be compatible. I mean SMB. In Windows XP it is SMB 1 and in Windows 7 it is SMB 2.1. If Windows 7 does not set the communication to SMB 1 - it can, but sometimes it is not the case, in this situation you should set the SMB to version 1 manualy. Look here http://www.petri.co.il/how-to-disable-smb-2-on-windows-vista-or-server-2008.htm Eh? This is Windows 7, not Vista, not Server 2008. > 4. I recommend simple way how to avoid prpoblems with visibility by scripting. Include the following line into script named share.bat >explorer \\server\shared_folder >and put it on desktop. Clicking the icon Windows Explorer opens and when you finish work close the explorer and connection is ended. Not a viable solution. Access/visibility to several different computers is required, at any moment several may be disconnected. If Win7's version of Windows Explorer is not capable of managing this job, I need a replacement for it. > 5. Search information before you blame software vendor (MS). ?! I did, extensively, and was directed to this forum by a Microsoft techie. Consider more carefully before you write such remarks. > 6. Use Windows XP, if you are more comfortable in this environment, ?! Not possible, the computer came with win7pro installed, and a computer meeting our requirements with XP is not currently avalable.. > but remember that the last support will end on April 2014 and Windows 7 is safer than Windows XP. Not safer from anything that threatens any of our computers. Does anyone have a helpful suggestion?

Microsoft community, I've had the same issue with several of my user's network mapped drives disappearing. All we've been doing is adding a logon script shortcut to the user's desktop and telling them to click it when the drives disappear. I am a Domain Administrator so security isn't that problem. I've had this issue on my own PCs for the past several years whether I'm running Windows 64 or 32 bit. There's no rhyme or reason to it. We make sure our users power down every day and reboot before placing a panic call to the I.T. help desk. We have just determined that this problem is cabling-related. I tried a new CAT5 cable and it didn't resolve the issue. Once I switched to a different wall port (I have four to choose from), it works just fine. So, check your wiring. It's odd that otherwise I could run fine and the issue only manifested itself with network drive mappings. JBZ

Microsoft community, I've had the same issue with several of my user's network mapped drives disappearing. All we've been doing is adding a logon script shortcut to the user's desktop and telling them to click it when the drives disappear. How absurd is that? I am a Domain Administrator and I've had this issue on my own PCs for the past several years whether I'm running Windows 64 or 32 bit. There's no rhyme or reason to it. We make sure our users power down every day and reboot before placing a panic call to the I.T. help desk. I have yet to find a concrete solution for this problem. Someone please let me know if you find the ACTUAL answer to this nonsense. Yeah, can you tell I'm frustrated? JBZ