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Applications creating mapped drives

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by nickpao

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We have a system that has 6 NT 4.0 workstations connected to a NT 4 Server and mapped with a drive letter to the applications folder. These workstations have shortcuts on the desktop that point to the applications. When the applications are started they create a new mapped drive letter. Eventually every time the program is launched it creates a new drive letter up to Z.

Thanks for any help
Nick

9 replies

by joseph moore

Well, you can add this line to the login script of the users:
NET USE * /DELETE /Y

That line will run through and delete all mapped drives automatically. So, if that is ran when the users first log in, and then after that you map the one drive letter to the applications folder, then there will be all of those free drive letters for the app to use in the future.
Then when the users log off and log back in the next day, the logon script deletes all the old mapped drives, and you start the process over again.

You can also use the NET USE command in a stand-along BAT file itself. So, you could make a BAT file that does the NET USE command I listed above, then a NET USE to map a single drive letter to your application folder, and that is it. Here is what I mean (for an example):

NET USE * /DELETE /Y
NET USE L: \\SERVER1\APPLICATIONFOLDER
call L:\YOURAPPLICATION.EXE

hope this helps

by beermonster

Hi,
As I understand it you map a drive (presumably during login) before the shortcut is run, and are then seeing that every time the app is run a new drive is mapped? I would be taking a look at the properties of the shortcut, I bet that it doesn't point to the executable of the app but to a script which maps a drive then runs the app. Take that script out of the process, and edit the shortcut to point to the app as

youroriginaldriveletter\app.exe

Hope i'm on the right track....

by gigelul

I has the same problem.
If you use Microsoft Office try to remove from StartMenu\Startup - FindFast. Also you can stop this from Control Panel.
In addition after that you can apply the last SP.

by curlergirl

This is a known problem in NT 4.0 with shortcuts to mapped drive letters on the desktop. One of the following steps will fix it:

1. The problem was supposedly fixed in SP4. If your workstations are lower than SP4, then install the latest NT service pack (SP6a) and see if that fixes the problem. (I have found that the updated SP does NOT always fix this problem, but you should be on it anyway.)

2. If the workstations are already above SP4 or if installing SP6a doesn't fix it, check tosee if FindFast is in the Startup folder. If it is, remove it and then reboot. This will stop FindFast from running - it is usually the culprit for creating these extra drive mappings.

2. If this doesn't fix it, email me at dlane-olson@synoffsys.com and I will send you instructions for a registry hack that DEFINITELY will fix the problem - I just don't have it in front of me right now.

Hope this helps!

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