Windows XP drive mapping persistence
in [Windows XP]
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From: Hog on 13 Jul 2010 09:56 I've got a few PC's running XP Pro SP3. Workgroup (no Domain). I'm having that oft discussed and seldom fixed problem that XP will not retain login credentials to cload storage/Sharepoint and mapped drives (NAS etc). Same damn issue for Outlook 2007 as well. The Manage Network Passwords function doesn't help. I've read some tech comments that it may even be designed that way. Retain login name but not password. Some comments that it is a bug. I've tried a couple of suggested reg changes to no avail. Has anyone ever got to the bottom of it? I'm using WebDrive to maintain Sharepoint mappings on my own but it's an expensive little tool and is only useful for WebDav and the like. I realise I could create a logon script but in reverse the Net Use command doesn't like Sharepoint servers. Perhaps someone can suggest an App which manages mappings and persistence. -- Hog
From: Pegasus [MVP] on 13 Jul 2010 10:25 "Hog" <sm911SPAM(a)CHIPShotmail.co.uk> wrote in message news:4c3c70b5$0$28004$db0fefd9(a)news.zen.co.uk... > I've got a few PC's running XP Pro SP3. Workgroup (no Domain). > > I'm having that oft discussed and seldom fixed problem that XP will not > retain login credentials to cload storage/Sharepoint and mapped drives > (NAS > etc). Same damn issue for Outlook 2007 as well. The Manage Network > Passwords > function doesn't help. > > I've read some tech comments that it may even be designed that way. Retain > login name but not password. Some comments that it is a bug. I've tried a > couple of suggested reg changes to no avail. > > Has anyone ever got to the bottom of it? I'm using WebDrive to maintain > Sharepoint mappings on my own but it's an expensive little tool and is > only > useful for WebDav and the like. > > I realise I could create a logon script but in reverse the Net Use command > doesn't like Sharepoint servers. Perhaps someone can suggest an App which > manages mappings and persistence. > > -- > Hog You can neatly sidestep the issue by creating an account/password on the host machine for the shares that matches your current logon account/password.
From: Hog on 13 Jul 2010 11:09 Pegasus [MVP] wrote: > "Hog" <sm911SPAM(a)CHIPShotmail.co.uk> wrote in message > news:4c3c70b5$0$28004$db0fefd9(a)news.zen.co.uk... >> I've got a few PC's running XP Pro SP3. Workgroup (no Domain). >> >> I'm having that oft discussed and seldom fixed problem that XP will >> not retain login credentials to cload storage/Sharepoint and mapped >> drives (NAS >> etc). Same damn issue for Outlook 2007 as well. The Manage Network >> Passwords >> function doesn't help. >> >> I've read some tech comments that it may even be designed that way. >> Retain login name but not password. Some comments that it is a bug. >> I've tried a couple of suggested reg changes to no avail. >> >> Has anyone ever got to the bottom of it? I'm using WebDrive to >> maintain Sharepoint mappings on my own but it's an expensive little >> tool and is only >> useful for WebDav and the like. >> >> I realise I could create a logon script but in reverse the Net Use >> command doesn't like Sharepoint servers. Perhaps someone can suggest >> an App which manages mappings and persistence. > > You can neatly sidestep the issue by creating an account/password on > the host machine for the shares that matches your current logon > account/password. Hello and thanks for picking this up. Few problems with that and mainly the login on the sharepoint server is in the form of firstname.lastname(a)domain.com and of course one cannot create a login name in that format. I can't change this as we use a shared service. Which is where I came into this problem! But I'm going that way on the NAS -- Hog
From: VanguardLH on 13 Jul 2010 12:25 Hog wrote: > I've got a few PC's running XP Pro SP3. Workgroup (no Domain). > > I'm having that oft discussed and seldom fixed problem that XP will not > retain login credentials to cload storage/Sharepoint and mapped drives (NAS > etc). Same damn issue for Outlook 2007 as well. The Manage Network Passwords > function doesn't help. > > I've read some tech comments that it may even be designed that way. Retain > login name but not password. Some comments that it is a bug. I've tried a > couple of suggested reg changes to no avail. > > Has anyone ever got to the bottom of it? I'm using WebDrive to maintain > Sharepoint mappings on my own but it's an expensive little tool and is only > useful for WebDav and the like. > > I realise I could create a logon script but in reverse the Net Use command > doesn't like Sharepoint servers. Perhaps someone can suggest an App which > manages mappings and persistence. The host (server) that is sharing its resource (i.e., a mapped drive on your host making a connection to the share on the remote/networked host) can specify an expiration on idle connections. That is, if the connection hasn't been used in awhile, the server takes back its limited resources to reuse for someone else's later connection. I haven't done server admin - after all, you ARE asking in a workstation group and not in a server group - but do know as a user of mapped drives that mapped drives disappear (get disconnected) based on a server-side timeout. That's why, when possible, I use UNC paths to the shared resource instead of a mapped drive. That way the connection gets created new each time I access the remote resource and I don't end up with dead mappings. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/297684 You didn't mention what server OS is running on the NAS device. If it is an embedded OS (i.e., it's hidden from you) then you'll have to see if it has configuration options to specify the idle timeout on mappings to shares. Or see if you can switch to using UNC paths to the share (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Path_(computing)#Uniform_Naming_Convention). You never mention WHICH service pack level is on the various Windows XP hosts. Service Pack 2 included some fixes that resolved delays in reconnecting to a mapped resource to Novell NetWare or UNIX NFS servers which might apply since you didn't mention what OS runs on the remote host, like the NAS device (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=814952). SP2 also included a fix for client-side caching that caused "access denied" problems (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=837917 and http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=840749). If you read SP2's description (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811113), it lists several fixes for mapped drive problems. Since MS Sharepoint requires a *server* version of Windows, you may have generated usability problems by running it on a workstation version of Windows (indicated by "I've got a few PCs running XP Pro" which is obviously not a server version). For one thing, the workstations have a maximum of 10 connections so maybe you're hitting that limit that requires dropping old connections to service the new ones or rejecting the new connection requests because the queue is full. With the excessive cross-posting for your message (4 newsgroups), was there a reason why you didn't just post in a sharepoint newsgroup to ask about its use? I wasn't sure if your primary concern was with the use of Sharepoint or just in mapped drives and their loss but which is totally independent hence irrelevant to Sharepoint.
From: Hog on 13 Jul 2010 12:39
VanguardLH wrote: > Hog wrote: > >> I've got a few PC's running XP Pro SP3. Workgroup (no Domain). >> >> I'm having that oft discussed and seldom fixed problem that XP will >> not retain login credentials to cload storage/Sharepoint and mapped >> drives (NAS etc). Same damn issue for Outlook 2007 as well. The >> Manage Network Passwords function doesn't help. >> >> I've read some tech comments that it may even be designed that way. >> Retain login name but not password. Some comments that it is a bug. >> I've tried a couple of suggested reg changes to no avail. >> >> Has anyone ever got to the bottom of it? I'm using WebDrive to >> maintain Sharepoint mappings on my own but it's an expensive little >> tool and is only useful for WebDav and the like. >> >> I realise I could create a logon script but in reverse the Net Use >> command doesn't like Sharepoint servers. Perhaps someone can suggest >> an App which manages mappings and persistence. > > The host (server) that is sharing its resource (i.e., a mapped drive > on your host making a connection to the share on the remote/networked > host) can specify an expiration on idle connections. That is, if the > connection hasn't been used in awhile, the server takes back its > limited resources to reuse for someone else's later connection. I > haven't done server admin - after all, you ARE asking in a > workstation group and not in a server group - but do know as a user > of mapped drives that mapped drives disappear (get disconnected) > based on a server-side timeout. That's why, when possible, I use UNC > paths to the shared resource instead of a mapped drive. That way the > connection gets created new each time I access the remote resource > and I don't end up with dead mappings. > > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/297684 > > You didn't mention what server OS is running on the NAS device. If it > is an embedded OS (i.e., it's hidden from you) then you'll have to see > if it has configuration options to specify the idle timeout on > mappings to shares. Or see if you can switch to using UNC paths to > the share > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Path_(computing)#Uniform_Naming_Convention). > > You never mention WHICH service pack level is on the various Windows > XP hosts. Service Pack 2 included some fixes that resolved delays in > reconnecting to a mapped resource to Novell NetWare or UNIX NFS > servers which might apply since you didn't mention what OS runs on > the remote host, like the NAS device > (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=814952). SP2 also included a fix > for client-side caching that caused "access denied" problems > (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=837917 and > http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=840749). If you read SP2's > description (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811113), it lists > several fixes for mapped drive problems. > > Since MS Sharepoint requires a *server* version of Windows, you may > have generated usability problems by running it on a workstation > version of Windows (indicated by "I've got a few PCs running XP Pro" > which is obviously not a server version). For one thing, the > workstations have a maximum of 10 connections so maybe you're hitting > that limit that requires dropping old connections to service the new > ones or rejecting the new connection requests because the queue is > full. > > With the excessive cross-posting for your message (4 newsgroups), was > there a reason why you didn't just post in a sharepoint newsgroup to > ask about its use? I wasn't sure if your primary concern was with > the use of Sharepoint or just in mapped drives and their loss but > which is totally independent hence irrelevant to Sharepoint. Thanks but is seems to be an o/s problem. I did say SP3. Everything is right up to date on all. It happens each time the workstation reboots. It includes Outlook 2007, which will not retain the password (Exchange Server). Using the OutlookAuto app works ok though. It's an issue on the workstation o/s and specific to losing the stored password, sometime name, on reboot. It is either a feature of the o/s. A reg tweak that is needed. An o/s installation fault. Or something! -- Hog |