Mapped (Network) Drives Disconnect

Nov
08
2022
By admin

I've run into this issue many times after upgrading servers and/or workstations - suddenly mapped drives are disconnecting after a certain period of time. The solution requires modifying settings on both the workstations and the server(s).

The difficulty I've run into is determining what must be done on the workstations and what must be done on the server to resolve the issue. The following breaks down what needs done on the workstation(s) and what needs done on the server(s).

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Foster Technologies cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Workstation(s):

  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanworkstation\parameters
  3. In the right pane, click the KeepConn value, and then on the Edit menu, click Modify. If the KeepConn value does not exist, follow these steps:
    1. On the Edit menu, point to New and then click REG_DWORD.
    2. Type KeepConn, and then press ENTER.
  4. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
  5. Click Hexadecimal.
  6. In the Value data box, type ffff, and then click OK.


Server(s):

  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver\parameters
  3. In the right pane, click the autodisconnect value, and then on the Edit menu, click Modify. If the autodisconnect value does not exist, follow these steps:
    1. On the Edit menu, point to New and then click REG_DWORD.
    2. Type autodisconnect, and then press ENTER.
  4. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
  5. Click Decimal.
  6. In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.

        Then, run the following command in an elevated Command prompt:

               net config server /autodisconnect:-1