Windows 7 Pro Red X on mapped drive 1

[goombawaho]

I know this is an old problem, but I can't find any solutions that work for me. Please don't tell me to upgrade to Windows 10. The software won't run on Windows 10, so that is out. The PC is Windows 7 Pro (upgraded from Windows 7 Home via in-place upgrade) and joined to Windows Server 2012 Essentials domain.

Having this problem periodically. The PC is set to NOT sleep or hibernate. The customer is generating a PDF from a tire alignment program and they want to save it to their server with a drive mapped to a share as T:

If they go into COMPUTER and double click on the T: drive, it will reconnect and remove the red X. Then they can save under the PDF application's SAVE dialog box. It just won't save without that step and the technicians are not going to be bothered.

Tried the following with no improvement.
Installed a new USB wifi network card. The old one was only 2.4GHz with lots of competing wifi around. New one is dual band.

VERIFIED File and Printer Sharing was turned ON

With mapped drive T: deleted, cleaned out two similar entries (with ## in them) in this key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MountPoints2

Ran these at CMD prompt:
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns

Set up a nightly reboot at 1:00 a.m. via scheduled task

Tried to set up a recurring scheduled task to unmap and remap the drive, but it didn't seem to work at all via task scheduler.

 

[Rick998]

Perhaps use PowerShell to first (re-)map drive (with persistence) then launch PDF app?

Have a look at the use of New-PSDrive, for example in this post (which also shows a method for using credentials, if needed).

Just a thought...

 

[pmonett]

And does this help any ?

Command prompt :

powercfg.exe -h off

I've got nothing to hide, and I demand that you justify what right you have to ask.

 

[goombawaho]

I never use powershell so I'm not sure I can translate that page into what I need to do for my situation. Sorry.

I set all power options manually to maximum performance, no hibernation, no sleep, no hard drive power down, etc. Wireless network card set to NOT allow power management to shut it off. USB selective suspend - OFF.

 

[strongm]

Try the following - in the Group Policy Editor go to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Logon → Always wait for the network at computer startup and logon and set it to "enabled

 

[Rick998]

I never use powershell

You don't use the Microsoft management and configuration tool of choice for how many years now?

It was released November 14, 2006, just a scant 15 years ago... yet you don't even try to take advantage of its capabilities when MS is actively expanding its scope across the entire Windows infrastructure?

Oh well, your choice. I'm outta here...

(Very similar to your "Don't ask for help with a problem and simultaneously poo-poo possible solutions." post in another recent thread. Perhaps not criticise others for not doing what you won't do either?)

 

[goombawaho]

I didn't say I wouldn't use it. I just have never had the need to use it or the training to use it, so it's very foreign to me. Like a non-IT person would think the command prompt is "exotic". I was a Novell guy back in the day so Windows servers were only bit players in my server realm. I only have a few customers with servers and I can handle the normal stuff to keep them running and backed up. This problem just seems to NOT be definitely answered on the internet.

 

[mikrom]

If they generate the PDF via a program, which could be used on command line, then they could put it together in a batch file with a previously executed command for drive mapping, like this:

generate_tire_pdf.bat

rem map network drive
net use T: \\my_server\my_shared_dir_for_pdf /persistent:No

rem execute PDF generator saving the output to drive T:
.\tire_pdf_generator -input tire_data.dat -output T:\tire.pdf

 

[Rick998]

@goombawaho... My apologies. I revisited my last post and realised how critical it was. Sorry.

Novell servers? You must be as old as me or more. ROFL

PowerShell is an arse to learn, it's true.

But, unfortunately... it's the way forward.

I struggle with it every single flipping day when I need to query or fix stuff. Its saving grace is that it is VERY capable... so I have a love/hate relationship with it... 'cos I have to cram like mad to use it expeditiously.

 

[xwb]

Does this happen whenever passwords are changed? Do you keep a log of when it happens? Worth noting what changes during the dates that you get the red x

 

[goombawaho]

>>>>>> I'm going to try the group policy change first and then wait a bit to hear from them. <<<<<<

xwb - No password changes on this domain. The owner would not allow that for the SHOP user. He wants that user password to never expire. All the service technicians use it to log into their computers.

xwb - I don't have a log because I never get a report until days later. The service tech tells the counter person and at some point, they contact me. It's a very lax environment.

mikrom - They get the alignment "report" from the SnapOn PRO42 software and then create a PDF via PRINT TO some free PDF creator and then save it to the network drive. Upon which the drive is not available at times. I don't know that this can be automated.

Rick998 - It's okay. I somewhat deserved that. I got out of corporate IT in April 2006, FYI.

 

[goombawaho]

Seems like strongm's suggestion did the trick. No more problems since changing that Group Policy setting. It's these type of problems that make you look incompetent until you can figure it out OR smash the computer.

 

[Rick998]

Yay @strongm... and apologies again for my earlier rant (still embarrassed).

 

[Andrzejek]

goombawaho - How about a star for strongm?
Others with this issue may find it easier to solve their problem....

---- Andy

"Hmm...they have the internet on computers now"--Homer Simpson

 

[goombawaho]

Yes, forgot that. But not too many people using Windows 7 machines on Domains at this point.