Mapped Drives Freezing, Disappearing, or Blinking on Windows 7
AD domain running Server 2008 R2 on a large network. All fileservers are Windows Server 2008 R2. Windows XP computers have no problems with mapped network drives. Windows 7 computers have sporadic problems. Sometimes if you double click on a drive in Explorer and start to browse through the contents, the Explorer window will blink once or twice and kick you out of the drive. You'll be back at the initial Windows Explorer screen. Sometimes if you try to access a mapped drive, Explorer will freeze except for a green progress bar that seems to take forever. Then it might let you into the drive after waiting 10 minutes or 10 hours, or it might blink and go back to the beginning as in #1 above. Sometimes the network drive will disappear from Windows Explorer. Accessing drives via the command window is much more reliable than Windows Explorer. When a drive starts behaving this way, you can reboot or you can disconnect the drive and remap it using the "net use x: \\servername\sharename" command. It doesn't seem to matter if the fileserver is on the same subnet or on the other side of the state.
September 22nd, 2011 8:55pm

How fast is your LAN and how heavy is the traffic load I noticed that mapped drives on my shop are sometimes slow when my servers are busy. I have added more RAM to my servers and it has helped lots. Windows MVP, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint etc. My page on Video Card Problems is now my most popular landing page. My Page on SSD is now #2. See my gaming site for game reviews etc. Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
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September 22nd, 2011 10:40pm

Hi, did you try to run "Safe mode with networking" - if not, can you try it: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Start-your-computer-in-safe-mode Does it do the same sporadic problems in this mode? LC
September 23rd, 2011 12:00pm

Hi LC. I can't run my computer (or any of the computers that usually have this problem) in Safe Mode because these computers are used for working. Too many applications won't work in Safe Mode. I do have a spare laptop that I can try for a while. But, since it doesn't happen all the time, and I don't know how to force the problem, it might take a few weeks before I'll know whether or not running in Safe Mode makes any difference. Even then, it could still just be a coincidence.
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September 23rd, 2011 5:43pm

Hi Vegan. My network is very fast, but, like I said, it doesn't matter if the server is on the same subnet or across the state. Network speed doesn't seem to make any difference. I seriously doubt that the problem is on the server since no XP computers ever have this problem. It only happens with Windows 7 and a reboot always fixes the problem temporarily.
September 23rd, 2011 5:44pm

OK, I agree with you - "Safe mode" is not suitable for the common work. Did you try to download and flash the latest BIOS for the mainboard and install the latest drivers for the network card ? LC
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September 23rd, 2011 10:17pm

Do you use any policies on your servers outside of AD Windows MVP, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint etc. My page on Video Card Problems is now my most popular landing page. My Page on SSD is now #2. See my gaming site for game reviews etc. Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
September 23rd, 2011 10:46pm

Vegan, do you mean local security policies as opposed to GPOs?
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September 23rd, 2011 11:53pm

both Windows MVP, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint etc. My page on Video Card Problems is now my most popular landing page. My Page on SSD is now #2. See my gaming site for game reviews etc. Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
September 24th, 2011 12:09am

Vegan, There are numerous GPO settings applied to my fileservers via AD. There are no custom local security policies that I know of. Why do you think a policy might be involved. The mapped drives work most of the time and they always work on XP computers. The problem only exists on Windows 7 computers and only sometimes, and a reboot always fixes the problem temporarily. If there was a policy interfering with connections, then the problem would be consistent. I really do not think a security policy is involved.
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September 24th, 2011 12:32am

some policies seem to have effects that differ from XP to vista/7 if you are having issues with Explorer in Windows 7 it could be a problem with the system have you done anything to the standard windows 7 setup? Windows MVP, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint etc. My page on Video Card Problems is now my most popular landing page. My Page on SSD is now #2. See my gaming site for game reviews etc. Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
September 24th, 2011 12:53am

Nothing special, no. Some of these computers are set up with all factory defaults plus installed software and joined to the domain.
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September 26th, 2011 6:35pm

Post a screen shot of the policies screen from your domain controller Windows MVP, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint etc. My page on Video Card Problems is now my most popular landing page. My Page on SSD is now #2. See my gaming site for game reviews etc. Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
September 26th, 2011 9:18pm

Why the domain controller? My fileservers aren't DCs. I could run gpresult on the fileserver and post those results.
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September 26th, 2011 10:32pm

post thatWindows MVP, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint etc. My page on Video Card Problems is now my most popular landing page. My Page on SSD is now #2. See my gaming site for game reviews etc. Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
September 26th, 2011 10:32pm

I ran "gpresult /h gpresults.htm" under normal context then "gpresult /h gpresults2.htm /scope computer" under administrator context. I removed a few security-related polices that didn't seem relevant (e.g. password policies). Command: gpresults /h gpresults.htm User Configuration Summary Security Group Membership when Group Policy was appliedhide subdomain\Domain Users Everyone SERVERNAME\avUser BUILTIN\Users BUILTIN\Administrators NT AUTHORITY\REMOTE INTERACTIVE LOGON NT AUTHORITY\INTERACTIVE NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users NT AUTHORITY\This Organization LOCAL subdomain\Core-engineering subdomain\Everyone-it subdomain\NoDriveScript subdomain\Domain Admins subdomain\Records Management subdomain\View-Only Organization Management subdomain\Mailbox Import Export Role subdomain\Hygiene Management subdomain\CSAdministrator subdomain\Delegated Setup subdomain\Server Management subdomain\Organization Management subdomain\$DUPLICATE-277e subdomain\Denied RODC Password Replication Group subdomain\avAdministrator Mandatory Label\High Mandatory Level WMI Filtershide Name Value Reference GPO(s) None Component Statushide Component Name Status Last Process Time Group Policy Infrastructure Success 9/26/2011 2:32:49 PM Registry Success 9/19/2011 1:11:31 PM Computer Configurationhide No data available. User Configurationhide Policieshide Administrative Templateshide Policy definitions (ADMX files) retrieved from the local machine. Control Panel/Personalizationhide Policy Setting Winning GPO Enable screen saver Enabled ScreenSaver ON Policy Force specific screen saver Disabled ScreenSaver ON Policy Password protect the screen saver Enabled ScreenSaver ON Policy Screen saver timeout Enabled ScreenSaver ON Policy Number of seconds to wait to enable the screen saver Seconds: 1200 Command: gpresult /h gpresults2.htm /scope computer Computer Configuration Summary Security Group Membership when Group Policy was applied BUILTIN\Administrators Everyone SERVERNAME\avAdministrator SERVERNAME\avUser BUILTIN\Users NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users NT AUTHORITY\This Organization subdomain\SERVERNAME$ subdomain\Domain Computers Mandatory Label\System Mandatory Level WMI Filters Name Value Reference GPO(s) None Component Status Component Name Status Last Process Time Group Policy Infrastructure Success 9/26/2011 1:05:58 PM Registry Success 6/29/2011 8:45:27 AM Security Success 6/16/2011 3:07:14 AM User Configuration Summary No data available. Computer Configuration Policies Windows Settings Security Settings Interactive Logon Policy Setting Winning GPO Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL Disabled Logon Legal Notice Network Access Policy Setting Winning GPO Network access: Allow anonymous SID/Name translation Disabled Default Domain Policy Network Security Policy Setting Winning GPO Network security: Do not store LAN Manager hash value on next password change Enabled Default Domain Policy Network security: Force logoff when logon hours expire Disabled Default Domain Policy Public Key Policies/Certificate Services Client - Auto-Enrollment Settings Policy Setting Winning GPO Automatic certificate management Enabled Default Domain Policy Option Setting Enroll new certificates, renew expired certificates, process pending certificate requests and remove revoked certificates Enabled Update and manage certificates that use certificate templates from Active Directory Enabled Public Key Policies/Encrypting File System Certificates Issued To Issued By Expiration Date Intended Purposes Winning GPO administrator administrator 7/31/2110 4:36:57 PM File Recovery Default Domain Policy For additional information about individual settings, launch Group Policy Object Editor. Public Key Policies/Trusted Root Certification Authorities Properties Winning GPO [Default setting] Policy Setting Allow users to select new root certification authorities (CAs) to trust Enabled Client computers can trust the following certificate stores Third-Party Root Certification Authorities and Enterprise Root Certification Authorities To perform certificate-based authentication of users and computers, CAs must meet the following criteria Registered in Active Directory only Administrative Templates Policy definitions (ADMX files) retrieved from the local machine. Network/DNS Client Policy Setting Winning GPO DNS Suffix Search List Enabled Nameserver Policy DNS Suffixes: subdomain.domain.com,domain.com Network/Network Connections/Windows Firewall/Domain Profile Policy Setting Winning GPO Windows Firewall: Allow ICMP exceptions Enabled Allow Ping Allow outbound destination unreachable Disabled Allow outbound source quench Disabled Allow redirect Disabled Allow inbound echo request Enabled Allow inbound router request Disabled Allow outbound time exceeded Disabled Allow outbound parameter problem Disabled Allow inbound timestamp request Disabled Allow inbound mask request Disabled Allow outbound packet too big Disabled Windows Components/Remote Desktop Services/Remote Desktop Session Host/Printer Redirection Policy Setting Winning GPO Do not allow client printer redirection Enabled TerminalServices
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September 26th, 2011 11:16pm

I looked this over and I do not see anything out of the ordinary. In my shop all my machine use Windows 7 or higher, long ago dumped XP Mixed environments are usually not very successful in my experience. I have often tried to figure out what causes it, nothing stands out. I use Server 2008 R2 but no AD and out of the box policies and XP and Vista, 7 all can connect to the public folder that is secure I now use a sync but in the past I was using redirect to the server Windows MVP, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint etc. My page on Video Card Problems is now my most popular landing page. My Page on SSD is now #2. See my gaming site for game reviews etc. Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
September 26th, 2011 11:27pm

I have learned that we see the problem much less often if we do not map drives to DFS locations and use the actual server and share name instead.
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November 27th, 2011 4:15pm

I often use C++ to manage data, and when I do that I cannot depend on mapped drives. Its not problematic unless the server is out of order Windows MVP 2010-11, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint etc. My page on Video Card Problems is now my most popular landing page. My Page on SSD is now #2. See my gaming site for game reviews etc. Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Hardcore Games | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
November 27th, 2011 4:27pm

Still seeing this problem on mapped network drives on Windows 7 computers. Here are more details: It's doesn't happen on most Windows 7 computers. Only one some of them. It is sporadic. After a reboot, a computer will work fine for a few hours and then start having the problem. Or it will work for a week. The problem will come and go over the course of the day. A network drive will fail to respond. You will probably see a progress bar going through the address bar in Windows Explorer as if Windows is searching (indexing?) the contents of the drive, but it will never complete. Sometimes the network drives will simply disappear. Double click on a network drive or a subfolder, and the drive/folder will open and display the contents for a split second before going back to the drive list for the Computer. Sometimes a network drive will appear in the main pane of the Explorer window, but not in the navigation pane on the left. Saving a file to a network drive will return an error or it will cause corruption and lost data in the file. There are no errors or warnings in the event logs for the times when this is happening. This driving me nuts. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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February 1st, 2012 4:30pm

if a machine is sporadically disconnecting, try loading it with the sysprep image of Windows and and see if it works better Windows MVP 2010-11, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint, Cloud, Virtualization etc. etc. Hardcore Games, Legendary is the only Way to Play Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
February 1st, 2012 4:38pm

Another symptom: 9. Sometimes if you click on a network drive in the navigation pane of Windows Explorer, it will display the contents in the main pane on the right, but the drive will disappear from the navigation pane, the highlight will jump up to "Computer" instead of to the drive, and the Title bar will say "... (Not responding)".
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February 1st, 2012 4:39pm

that suggests the network stack is up to no good Windows MVP 2010-11, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint, Cloud, Virtualization etc. etc. Hardcore Games, Legendary is the only Way to Play Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
February 1st, 2012 4:41pm

Any suggestions on what to do about it?
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February 2nd, 2012 4:56pm

download the windows automated installation kit, waik and create a standard image one you have one you like for you shop the problem is using a range of disparate machines, each group needs its own image due to hardware issues Windows MVP 2010-11, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint, Cloud, Virtualization etc. etc. Hardcore Games, Legendary is the only Way to Play Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
February 2nd, 2012 5:04pm

Since we have so many different types of computers in our organization, most of our computers weren't built using an image other than what came from the factory.
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February 3rd, 2012 1:50pm

that makes any IT guys job much harder than necessary Windows MVP 2010-11, XP, Vista, 7. Expanding into Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server, SharePoint, Cloud, Virtualization etc. etc. Hardcore Games, Legendary is the only Way to Play Developer | Windows IT | Chess | Economics | Vegan Advocate | PC Reviews
February 3rd, 2012 2:01pm

Nuke and Pave appears to have resolved the problem.
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April 10th, 2012 6:03pm

Did you get a suitable answer to this problem? We experience the same thing (sporadic, only on Windows 7). The machines are all created from same image, so continually reimaging is not the solution. I'm not clear on what "Nuke and Pave appears to have resolved the problem" means.
April 20th, 2012 1:06pm

No, sorry. I'm sure there is an easier solution, but I've spent too much time on this problem already. Nuke and Pave = format and reinstall.
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April 20th, 2012 1:58pm

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