Hello Peter,
To resolve the issue of your program not being able to access the configuration files on the network server at startup, you can try the following steps:
1. Check the file permissions: Ensure that the program and the user account running it have sufficient read/write permissions on the network server where the configuration files are located. You can right-click on the configuration file, select "Properties", and go to the "Security" tab to review and modify the permissions if needed.
2. Set up a network drive mapping: Instead of accessing the configuration files via the network path (e.g., \\server\share\config), try mapping the network folder to a drive letter. To do this, open "File Explorer" and click on "Map network drive" in the "Computer" tab. Then, select the drive letter and provide the network path to the folder containing the configuration files. This can help ensure consistent access to the files, even on restart.
3. Create a script to copy the files locally: If mapping a network drive doesn't resolve the issue, you can create a simple script to copy the configuration files from the network server to a local directory before the program starts. This way, the program can access the files locally and avoid any potential network access issues. You can place this script in the startup folder so that it runs automatically on system startup.
4. Review any firewall or antivirus settings: Sometimes, firewalls or antivirus software can block network access to specific programs or files. Check the settings of your firewall and antivirus software, and ensure that the program and the network server are allowed to communicate without any restrictions.
By going through these steps, you should be able to troubleshoot and allow access to the configuration files at program startup. If the issue persists, it may be helpful to provide more information about the program, the operating system, and any error messages you encounter.