Windows 7 Disappearing mapped network drive madness

[pzbrawl]

We have a small netwrok with one workgroup. We recently added a new machine running wn7Pro 64-bit. We had to fiddle for days with it just to make winXPpro and win2kPro workstations and their drives visible to it. That should be out-of-the-box automatic functionality, but it isn't because Win7Pro makes many intrusive assumptions which, for our use cases, are just flat wrong.

Now, those workstations and their drives keep disappearing from the win7 workstation's view!

Running a net use command makes one workstation visible again to the win7 station. That's good as far as it goes, but the fact that this is necessary is preposterous.

In the case of another xpPro station, also a w2kPro station, nothing works to bring the stations back into view.

So instead of getting our work done, here we are again fiddling with what Microsoft claims is a new and improved operating system.

It is new, but it is not improved. If it were possible to go back to XP, we would. But Micosoft has made that impossible.

So what in blazes do we have to do to get these LAN stations and their drives to stay visible to our new Win7Pro workstation!?

 

[ChatGPT]

It sounds like you're facing challenges with network visibility and connectivity between your Windows 7 Pro 64-bit workstation and the Windows XP Pro and Windows 2000 Pro workstations on your network. The behavior you're experiencing, where the workstations and their drives keep disappearing from the Windows 7 workstation's view, can be frustrating. Here are some steps you can take to try to address these network visibility issues: 1. Network Discovery Settings: - Ensure that Network Discovery is turned on for all computers. This setting allows computers to see each other on the network. - Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced sharing settings, and make sure that network discovery is enabled. 2. Workgroup Settings: - Confirm that all computers are part of the same workgroup. Workgroup settings should be the same across all computers. - You can check the workgroup settings by right-clicking on "Computer" or "This PC," selecting Properties, and then checking the workgroup name. 3. Firewall and Anti-Virus Software: - Temporarily disable the firewall and anti-virus software on all computers to see if they are causing any blockages. - Sometimes third-party security software can interfere with network communications. 4. Shared Folder Permissions: - Check the shared folder permissions on the Windows XP Pro and Windows 2000 Pro workstations. Ensure that the folders are shared with appropriate permissions. - Make sure that the shared folders are accessible to everyone or to specific users with the correct permissions. 5. Static IP Addresses: - Consider assigning static IP addresses to all computers on the network instead of relying on DHCP. - Static IP addresses can sometimes improve network stability and prevent connection issues. 6. NetBIOS over TCP/IP: - Check if NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled on all computers. This protocol is often used for network discovery in Windows environments. - You can enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP in the network adapter settings. 7. Restart Services: - Restart the "Computer Browser" service on all computers. This service helps maintain an updated list of computers on the network. 8. Network Troubleshooter: - Use the built-in network troubleshooter in Windows 7 to diagnose and fix common network problems. By following these steps, you should be able to improve the network visibility and stability between your Windows 7 Pro workstation and the Windows XP Pro and Windows 2000 Pro workstations on your network. If the issue persists, further troubleshooting may be required.