Still !

My other Win 7 Pro laptop never had this problem.

The NAS drives just decide to go to sleep, red X show next to drive letter.
Two brands of NAS drives and all do it.

I have to click on the drive letter in Win Explorer and then they come
back. Hours later they are red X again and I have to click on them again.

Is there some setting in WIn 7 Pro to keep the NAS available ?

Jordee <Jordee@Noplace.com> wrote:

> My other Win 7 Pro laptop never had this problem.
>
> The NAS drives just decide to go to sleep, red X show next to drive
> letter. Two brands of NAS drives and all do it.
>
> I have to click on the drive letter in Win Explorer and then they come
> back. Hours later they are red X again and I have to click on them
> again.
>
> Is there some setting in WIn 7 Pro to keep the NAS available ?

Mappings normally expire after loggoff. When you go into Windows
Explorer's Tools -> Map Network Drive, you select the drive letter and
the UNC path to the network drive, but do you should also enable the
"Reconnect at logon" to make the drive mapping persistent across Windows
account sessions.

Or, are you using a command line in a logon script (Logon registry
entry, Startup batch file, Task Schedule onlogon) with the "net use"
command? If so, did you include the /persistent:YES argument?

https://www.howtogeek.com/118452/how-to-map-network-drives-from-the-command-prompt-in-windows/

If you use the /persistent:YES argument, and if your network drives
require a login, you'll probably also want to include the /savecred arg.

Are you allowing your computer to go into low-power (aka power-saving)
modes, like sleep or hibernate? If so, did you exclude your NIC from
the power savings mode? Dev mgr -> select Nic, go to its properties,
Advanced tab, disable the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to
save power" (that's what it's called in Windows 10, might be differently
titled in Windows 7).

Another cause is network shares will idle expire. See:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/troubleshoot/windows-client/networking/mapped-drive-connection-to-network-share-lost

The default is 15 minutes (even when defined in the registry). The max
value is FFFF hex (65535 dec) seconds, or about 18 hours. So, no matter
how long you configure the autodisconnect setting, mapped drives will
eventually expire (disconnect) during sleep mode. The command line is
also mentioned, but that's just to configure the disconnect idle
expiration. Perhaps you could configure a batch file to run using Task
Schedule at intervals less than the autodisconnect interval, like have a
scheduled event that runs:

net use <driveLetter>: /delete
net use <driveLetter>: <UNCpath> /persistent:YES

or, for mappings to more than one network drive:

net use * /delete
net use <driveLetter1>: <UNCpath1> /persistent:YES
net use <driveLetter2>: <UNCpath2> /persistent:YES
....

You want to run the scheduled event only under your own Windows account,
not for any login unless you want all Windows accounts to have those
drive mappings.

Sometimes the problem is with the NIC driver, like for some Optiplex
models (e.g., 3010 uses a Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller NIC while
the 760 uses an Intel 82567LM Gigibyte, and the 3010 doesn't have the
network problems exhibited by the 760).

On 03/08/2021 19:54, Jordee wrote:
>
> Still !
>
> My other Win 7 Pro laptop never had this problem.
>
> The NAS drives just decide to go to sleep, red X show next to drive letter.
> Two brands of NAS drives and all do it.
>
> I have to click on the drive letter in Win Explorer and then they come
> back.  Hours later they are red X again and I have to click on them again.
>
> Is there some setting in WIn 7 Pro to keep the NAS available ?

Why do you need a drive letter anyway? If you know a NAS is there, you
can access it directly in Explorer without having to map a drive letter.
I only ever map a drive letter when I'm doing something in a DOS box
that absolutely requires it.

Two ways of doing this are:

Click on Network. Yes, Windows networking since XP is a bit dud,
because you often have to click on Network and then choose View,
Refresh, and even then not every machine on the network will necessarily
show up. But that's Windows networking, not the NAS's fault, because
PCs disappear as well. The old XP system of making a permanent static
icon to click on was much better than all this dynamic stuff that seems
to fail half the time.

However if the above does fail, then in extremis you have the UNC
alternative of just typing into the Explorer address bar ...
\\NAS_Name\Share_Name\Optional_Directory_Name\etc
.... and Explorer will take you there, possibly after a short pause while
the NAS hard disks spin up.

--

Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website:
www.macfh.co.uk

Jordee wrote:
>
> Still !
>
> My other Win 7 Pro laptop never had this problem.
>
> The NAS drives just decide to go to sleep, red X show next to drive letter.
> Two brands of NAS drives and all do it.
>
> I have to click on the drive letter in Win Explorer and then they come
> back. Hours later they are red X again and I have to click on them again.
>
> Is there some setting in WIn 7 Pro to keep the NAS available ?
>

https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/2175392-network-drives-show-red-x-on-boot-up-or-log-on

There are two levels of discovery involved.

\\nasbox\diskdrive

First, network tries to resolve (ping) nasbox. Figures
out the IP address.

If the NIC is in power save mode, perhaps this operation gets
lost, and all "diskdrive" on "nasbox" would be red-X.

If the process connects to the IP, then they can talk
about individual hard drives. Hard drives, some of them
fall asleep all on their own (firmware function). An OS could
access them every three seconds, to keep such drives awake.
There have been cases in the past, where the OS doesn't
manage to wake a drive like that.

*******

If it was me, I would go to the Client machine, devmgmt.msc
and select the NIC. Do Properties. The Power Management tab
has an option to "Allow the OS to turn off this device",
and you want that unticked. You want devices to stay awake
and not be sliding into power-save state.

On the NAS end, there could be solutions on that end to keep
the drives alive. High quality drives (550TBW per annum),
those can pretty well spin 24/7/365). Some of the cheap drives
you can get for $99 a pop, those might only be rated to spin for
8 hours out of each day. and they can unload the heads, anywhere
from 300,000 to 600,000 times without injury or wear. The end of
the head has a "handle" on it, and the "handle" rides up the
landing ramp inside the drive. In the old days, they used to
have a "clamp" as well, but they don't do stupid stuff like
that any more. I lost a 32550N due to that clamp gadget - ruined
the drive one day. There was a gouge left in the platter, as
a side effect. And a neat sound effect that says in an unmistakable
way "I just destroyed your drive, pal" :-)

Paul

On 03/08/2021 22:25, Paul wrote:
>
> On the NAS end, there could be solutions on that end to keep
> the drives alive. High quality drives (550TBW per annum),
> those can pretty well spin 24/7/365). Some of the cheap drives
> you can get for $99 a pop, those might only be rated to spin for
> 8 hours out of each day. and they can unload the heads, anywhere
> from 300,000 to 600,000 times without injury or wear.

Not the climate friendly solution though. I have three models of NAS
here, 2 x QNAP & 1 x Zyxel, and none have a problem when the disks go to
sleep. You just have to wait a few seconds while they spin up, that's all.

--

Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website:
www.macfh.co.uk

I do not believe there is any difference between the Win 7 Pro previous
laptop with no problems of disabling the NAS' and this laptop.
I am not smart enough to set up anything other than finding the // and
assigning a drive letter and whatever defaults is there. Yes I checked
and see that connect on startup is on.

I will try to find turn off to save power wherever it is hiding.

I do log on to this PC as Administrator with a password. I have but do
not use User. Te previous laptop had no login.

No hibernation or power off it just stays on all the time until I push
the power button. Even the display stays on. I am always plugged in to AC.

As far as I know, there are no scheduled events and I do not know how to
set one up.

I will not dismiss what you have said and try to see what I can see.
Thanks.

VanguardLH wrote:
> Jordee <Jordee@Noplace.com> wrote:
>
>> My other Win 7 Pro laptop never had this problem.
>>
>> The NAS drives just decide to go to sleep, red X show next to drive
>> letter. Two brands of NAS drives and all do it.
>>
>> I have to click on the drive letter in Win Explorer and then they come
>> back. Hours later they are red X again and I have to click on them
>> again.
>>
>> Is there some setting in WIn 7 Pro to keep the NAS available ?
>
> Mappings normally expire after loggoff. When you go into Windows
> Explorer's Tools -> Map Network Drive, you select the drive letter and
> the UNC path to the network drive, but do you should also enable the
> "Reconnect at logon" to make the drive mapping persistent across Windows
> account sessions.
>
> Or, are you using a command line in a logon script (Logon registry
> entry, Startup batch file, Task Schedule onlogon) with the "net use"
> command? If so, did you include the /persistent:YES argument?
>
> https://www.howtogeek.com/118452/how-to-map-network-drives-from-the-command-prompt-in-windows/
>
> If you use the /persistent:YES argument, and if your network drives
> require a login, you'll probably also want to include the /savecred arg.
>
> Are you allowing your computer to go into low-power (aka power-saving)
> modes, like sleep or hibernate? If so, did you exclude your NIC from
> the power savings mode? Dev mgr -> select Nic, go to its properties,
> Advanced tab, disable the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to
> save power" (that's what it's called in Windows 10, might be differently
> titled in Windows 7).
>
> Another cause is network shares will idle expire. See:
>
> https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/troubleshoot/windows-client/networking/mapped-drive-connection-to-network-share-lost
>
> The default is 15 minutes (even when defined in the registry). The max
> value is FFFF hex (65535 dec) seconds, or about 18 hours. So, no matter
> how long you configure the autodisconnect setting, mapped drives will
> eventually expire (disconnect) during sleep mode. The command line is
> also mentioned, but that's just to configure the disconnect idle
> expiration. Perhaps you could configure a batch file to run using Task
> Schedule at intervals less than the autodisconnect interval, like have a
> scheduled event that runs:
>
> net use <driveLetter>: /delete
> net use <driveLetter>: <UNCpath> /persistent:YES
>
> or, for mappings to more than one network drive:
>
> net use * /delete
> net use <driveLetter1>: <UNCpath1> /persistent:YES
> net use <driveLetter2>: <UNCpath2> /persistent:YES
> ....
>
> You want to run the scheduled event only under your own Windows account,
> not for any login unless you want all Windows accounts to have those
> drive mappings.
>
> Sometimes the problem is with the NIC driver, like for some Optiplex
> models (e.g., 3010 uses a Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller NIC while
> the 760 uses an Intel 82567LM Gigibyte, and the 3010 doesn't have the
> network problems exhibited by the 760).
>

On 03/08/2021 19:54, Jordee wrote:
>
> Still !
>
> My other Win 7 Pro laptop never had this problem.
>
> The NAS drives just decide to go to sleep, red X show next to drive letter.
> Two brands of NAS drives and all do it.
>
> I have to click on the drive letter in Win Explorer and then they come
> back.  Hours later they are red X again and I have to click on them again.
>
> Is there some setting in WIn 7 Pro to keep the NAS available ?
>

If they wake up again when you use them surely there is no problem?

You need to change the settings on your NAS box if you want to change
the time before drives sleep or disable sleep altogether.

--
Brian Gregory (in England).

This is not wake up problem.
It is a windows problem.

My newest Buffalo NAS I updated the firmware as soon as I installed it
and this makes the so called wakeup of this NAS instantaneous.
Older Buffalo NAS's do take time to wake up but there is NO red X on the
drive letter at that time. Red X is from Windows.

Brian Gregory wrote:
> On 03/08/2021 19:54, Jordee wrote:
>>
>> Still !
>>
>> My other Win 7 Pro laptop never had this problem.
>>
>> The NAS drives just decide to go to sleep, red X show next to drive
>> letter.
>> Two brands of NAS drives and all do it.
>>
>> I have to click on the drive letter in Win Explorer and then they come
>> back.  Hours later they are red X again and I have to click on them
>> again.
>>
>> Is there some setting in WIn 7 Pro to keep the NAS available ?
>>
>
> If they wake up again when you use them surely there is no problem?
>
> You need to change the settings on your NAS box if you want to change
> the time before drives sleep or disable sleep altogether.
>