Mapped Drives Disappear After Logoff or Reboot
Release Date: 10/25/2017
This article is a re-post of the following Knowledge Base article from Microsoft:
Q: I cannot get a mapped drive to stay mapped after a logoff in Windows 7. Whether I map the drive by right clicking My Computer or by the command prompt (net use f: \\sharename /persistent: yes), after the user logs off or reboots, the drives disappear.
This is only happening to the users on Windows 7. We have no problems with the users on XP. Anyone have any idea? I've tried logging in with different usernames, disabling third-party client firewalls, disabling UAC, etc.
A: I would suggest that you try the methods below. Try performing these and check to see if the issue is resolved after each method:
Method 1:
Open a Command Prompt as the user for whom the drives are not being remembered. Do not use the "Run as Administrator" option. In this case we don't want to do that. At the Command Prompt type: net use <enter>
Does it say something like this:
C:\>net use
New connections will not be remembered.
See sample screen below:
If it says they "will not be remembered," then you need to change that. Type:
net use /p:yes
That will change the system setting for the user to make the drives remembered all the time and will be the default action.
If the above is not the case, then map the drive through the Command Prompt and see if the mapping is remembered.
net use /p:yes
net use r: \\servername\sharename
You may change the drive letter R: above to any free letter you wish. However remember that if you use a letter that is too close to the beginning of the alphabet you may overlap with USB devices and then one or the other will be missing. You can replace the R: with * and it will start with the next free drive letter starting at the bottom of the alphabet. That should make the system remember the drive through logoff and reboot.
Method 2:
The long-term fix is a registry edit that will make mapped drives visible in both standard and administrative sessions.
1. Press Windows +R and type in :
regedit
2. In Regedit, navigate to HKLM//SOFTWARE//Microsoft//Windows //Current Version//Policies //System.
3. Create a new REG_DWORD entry named "EnableLinkedConnections". See sample screen below.
4. Set its value to 1.
5. Reboot after adding the registry entry and programs will be able to see mapped drives forever.
Note:
This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly.Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the
following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ )
"How to back up and restore the registry in Windows"
This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly.Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the
following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ )
"How to back up and restore the registry in Windows"
EMK
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