Disconnected from VPN causing file explorer to hang trying to reconnect to network drives.

Posted by Sea_Introduction_986@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 7 comments

At work we have been running into an issue that I am shocked is so hard to find a solution for. The title really explains it. Of course not being on the VPN will cause the file explorer to try and connect to network drives and eventually fail. The main issue is that while it is searching, it can cause the file explorer to hang for about 30s. This is very frustrating for users who cannot connect to the VPN. This is common since some users are always traveling and are at a plant with poor connection.

Currently the only solution I have found that works is creating folder shortcuts that point to the mapped network drive location instead of mapping the drives. I would like to find a better solution that allows users to still use mapped drives because of their convenience. If it is possible to shorten the searching time from 30s to 5s for example would be great. Another option would be to prevent drives from automatically connecting at all, and only attempting the connection when clicked on. If anyone knows any solutions or has ideas please let me know.

Any help is appreciated, Thank you!

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nicholaspham@reddit

Has this recently become an issue for your users or has it always hung?

XInsomniacX06@reddit

A. It took longer to write this post than to google mapping drives hangs explorer. B. https://gprivate.com/6ecb5

Sea_Introduction_986@reddit (OP)

What a silly response. You don’t think I extensively searched for solutions to this issues before coming here to ask? smh

I mean all you wrote was how you worked around it and nothing indicating you actually tried settings wise to resolve it. You should at least include” I already tried these things that are the top 5 google suggestions but those don’t change anything what else could it be”

But I get the shade, but it’s such a bad habit in a professional environment. I could imagine the status update on this issue. I asked Reddit and I’m waiting on their response. lol

GinAndKeystrokes@reddit

Tbf, it's reddit. Prior googling isn't often a prerequisite. Though, it does seem you did some due diligence.

ZAFJB@reddit

Stop using drive mappings. Use DFS-N shortcuts instead.

DFS-N:

Only connects on demand, in other words when you actually use it.
Reconnects seamlessly if the connection drops out. Depending on how your applications are written they should see no effect.

thenightsiders@reddit

Two first guesses:

Check that Netlogon is enabled on startup in services.msc (I assume it is, but doesn't hurt to check).

Users --> Settings --> Disable Continuous Availability. This is supposed to help with failovers on SMB shares, but it can cause the issue you're having when VPN disconnect happen. I'd last resort this as a feature I'd rather keep on in general.