Application from Mapped Network Drive will not run.

[JaBurd311]

We have an old application that installs and runs from a mapped network drive. This application runs fine on all of our old machines, but we have recenlty purchased two new machines that this application simply will not run on. These new machines are current and patched Windows XP Pro boxes and the server is running 2003 R2. When the application is launched the hourglass fires and the app shows up in Task Manager for a brief seccond and then dissapears. Nothing appears in either the Server or the Client's logs, no errors, nothing, nada.

We have mucked around with permissions etc, used different accounts and nothing we do works. If only an error message would be produced perhaps that would provide something to go on.

Any assistance or ideas or things to check would be helpful. Has anyone ever seen this behavior? At this point we are grabbing straws.

 

[Diancecht]

Did you try executing it from command line? Maybe there's a message there.

Cheers,
Dian

 

[linney]

Is there anything in the Security Log of the Event Viewer?

308416 - HOW TO: Create a Shortcut to a Network Location in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=308416&FR=1

Mapped drives failing
thread779-1394389

 

[PCmad]

The path to the application on the shared drive, have you tried going to Start and run and typing in the path before the exe file. If so does the folder appear ?? If the folder doesn't appear then there is a problem with the mapped network drive.

Does the program you are running need to run in MS DOS Mode, or Windows 95/98 mode as its older, might need to check properties on the exe files on the machines that do work ok to check this and change if required.

When you check in task manager, have you also checked the processess tab is there anything in here or not in here, check against machines that do work. Does the application need any services to run if so could one of these be stopped or not started automatically that could cause the problem ??

Could there be any firewall settings, anti-spyware that are preventing the app from appearing?

 

[customcracka]

I would check the speed and duplex settings on the ones that work and compare against the ones that don't work.

 

[thefourthwall]

shot in the dark: is compatibility mode set in the shortcut properties, on the pc's where the shortcut does work?

 

[JaBurd311]

Thank you all for your suggestions, and my hair can now begin growing back.

We finally broke down and called the company, paid a bunch of money to find out the application isn't even supposed to run on Windows XP. Us: "But we have the application running fine on four other XP Pro boxes." Them: "Yea the version you have doesn't work on Windows XP." Us: "Hmm well how does that explain the application installs and runs just fine on four other Windows XP boxes. And the application installs without any issues on the two new boxes, it just doesn't run." Them: "Well that version doesn't work on Windows XP." .... you can imagine the rest of the conversation.

So they sent us a new application installer that "works" on Windows XP and everything is running fine.

Thanks again, I'll never get those days back.