Losing Mapped Drives after logoff?

Losing Mapped Drives after logoff??

I recently switched over from Windows 2000 to Windows XP Pro.

I have a bunch of mapped drives and I keep losing them after I logoff. Yes I checked the user a different username/password and I checked reconnect at logon. This doesn't seem to help. I use the same username in some cases just with a different password. In another case I have an entirely different username and different password.

For some reason the drives are not mapped after logging off and back on again. I don't even get prompted to enter the password.

Any ideas???

 

You don't get reconnected to the mapped share or there is no trace of ever having a share mapped to a drive letter?

If you go to 'disconnect' in WE, do you see any mappings that don't show up elsewhere?

I use the same username in some cases just with a different password

If this really means you have the same user account with different passwords that work with it, then I'm completely confused about your setup. If this is simply the way you connect to 9X shares that are passworded, it makes sense.

 

Sorry I should have been more detailed.

The mapped drives do show up in WE but just as disconnected. When I log back into Windows XP Pro it gives me a warning that it was unable to reconnect the mapped drives. If I click on one of the dirves that could not connect again it prompts for the username and password. I enter the credentials and I'm in. I would like this to prompt at logon like it use to in Windows 2000.

I have multiple drive mappings. One is mapped using Administrator to a Windows 2000 server and the rest are with my same username just a different password because those mappings are from my Unix (OpenBSD) machine using Samba. So I always login to my workstation with my domain username (not admin).

 

OK. Makes sense now.

My suggestion for this if you don't like the XP 'real time' prompt to reconnect would be to put a batch file in your startup folder that maps to the drive with the account & password it wants when you boot up.

echo off
net use x: \\computer-name\share-name /user:domain-name\username the-proper-password /persistent:no
exit

 

So there is no way I can change the setup in XP to prompt for the username / password at logon like Windows 2000 does or even prior version of Windows?

Seems rather dumb to have it this way especially in a networked environment where areas are restricted to privileged individuals.

If I can get away with it I would not like to do the batch file thing because that defeats the purpose of security since the file would have to contain the usernames/passwords used to attached the network drives. But then again last time I checked the stupid registry kept hold of this info at one point. Not sure about W2K or XP.

 

So there is no way I can change the setup in XP to prompt for the username / password at logon like Windows 2000 does or even prior version of Windows?

Sorry, I evidently mis-understood something.

Yes, you can certainly require a logon prompt with XP. With the pro version you have two options. You can set it to look exactly like 2K does or (workgroups/standalone only) you can have a 'friendly' screen with an icon for each user (which will put in the user name) and when clicked, a password block.

Click for general logon setup info.

 

I had a look at the article you linked to and that appears to only change the way you logon to the Windows XP workstation.

I'm looking for a solution that makes mapped drives prompt for username and password after you logon to the workstation. In my situation I'm authenticating to the domain if that info helps.

As I explained before presently I have to go to each drive letter I have mapped that uses a different username / password an manually type it in. Now I have no problem with it knowing my username but I would however like to be prompted for the password after logging on to the workstation.

Any idea??

 

Do you have simple file sharing enabled? If so, disable it and XP-pro on a domain should then behave just like 2K on a domain.

 

Well the only thing I have on this workstation related to that is under my Local Connection (LAN), "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" is installed.

Are you referring to that? The shares I'm trying to access are on W2K servers and OpenBSD (unix) using Samba.

I don't understand why something so simple has to be so complicated. Microsoft does it again..... argh!

 

Simple File Sharing isn't any place you would reasonably expect it to be.

Open Windows Explorer then tools~folder options~view and scroll the list all the way to the bottom. It should be the last entry. Just make sure it is not checked or if it is, uncheck it and then click on apply and then on OK.

 

Okay I disable it and restarted my computer. Nothing has changed. Still the drives are not mapped and never prompt at logon for a username/password.

Would you like to see a screen shot of what I'm referring to?

 

At log on to the XP machine are you logging on locally or are you authenticating with a domain controller?

 

yes I am authenticating to a domain controller.

 

Screen shot - yes please.

This forum will not accept pictures so a link if you have internet web space or email me the picture and I'll post it /w a link.

 

Alright here's two screen shots. The first one is the very first notification I get after I logon. When I click on the bubble it brings up the second screen shot with as you can see disconnected mapped drives.

I can reconnect the drives by double clicking on them and it prompts for username and password. I would like it to do this at logon time. The drives that have mapped are working I believe because they require the same username and password I use to logon my workstation which authenticates to the domain controller. As mentioned before when I mapped this disconnected drives I set the username and password under "connect using different username" and checked of "reconnect at logon ".

If you need any more information let me know.

http://www.venmarces.com/images/MappedDrives1.jpg
http://www.venmarces.com/images/MappedDrives2.jpg

 

Thanks for the pics. Always good to know we are both talking about the same thing.

To the best of my knowledge, what you are seeing is the only way XP on a domain will behave. I have the same situation and have never found a way around it.

I haven't been on 2000 for a while and not sure I had any drives mapped to a different user when I was so I didn't remember how it behaved - if I ever knew. But I just got on a spare server running 2K and tried it so now I do know.

Lots of internet searching and no clues about making XP act like 2K does. It may not even be possible. But I am spending a few days (Apr 3-8) at a Microsoft conference and one of our breakout sessions will be Q&A with some of their networking gurus. I'll pose the question tonight and get it answered there. I'll post the answer from them when I get it.

 

Oh thanks a lot. That would be great. It's just so annoying and does not make sense why this would not work. Especially when you map a drive and it gives you an option to enter a username and password.

Any direction would be great <G>.

 

How about a log on script on the DC?

 

A logon script would be nice but in my opinion that breaks the security since you would have to store the username and passwords for those mapped drives. Also these drives are only accessible to authorized admins on our network, basically IT Department.

I would be happy just to be prompted at logon like all other versions of Windows do.

 

Just back from Redmond and some time with various product designers at M$.

Near as I can tell, the behavior you are seeing with XP is going to be the way it and newer OS versions handle things.