Drives mapped via GPO, NET USE shows mapping but doesn't show up i

[NOTORIOUSVR]

Alright so, fresh install of Windows Enterprise 8.1 on my desktop machine.

Connected PC to domain, logged in, drive mapping worked as it should.

Rebooted a few times after installing software that I normally install on my computers (from the same sources/locally from my file server, etc). Rebooted a few more times all is well.

A few reboots later, the only drive that is mapped is X: which is my user drive done via the user profile in AD. The rest of the mappings that normally show up done by the GPO no longer show up.

After some digging, and noticing no errors in any logs or gpupdate I ran NET USE in a CMD prompt window, low and behold the drives are actually mapped and I can access them via the CLI without issue. I can navigate via their mapped drive letters (V:, Y:, etc).

They just don't show up in Windows Explorer at all and I cannot navigate to the drive letters via the address bar. Strangely enough, it still kinda works since the Downloads start menu item is mapped to a network drive and that still works (Q:\) and Chrome can access it as well if I try to download something.

I'm really not sure what else to check/try here.

Have other Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 machines (my laptop) and all works just fine, so it's only this specific install on my desktop that is showing this issue.

A few days later as a test, I decided to wipe the computer, and re-install (this time with 8.1 Pro N).

Installing went great, installed only Video drivers (Nvidia), then connected to the DC. After that I logged into the PC with the domain user as usual, and all the drives appeared as normal (mapped via the existing GPO).

I then manually disconnected my user profile mapping (X and logged off, after logging off and logging back in I now have the exact same issue as before. None of the drives mapped by the GPO are showing up in Explorer. Only the X: drive which is mapped in the user Account from the DC is mapped.

But as usual if I check with NET USE under the CLI it shows that all the drives are mapped and I can access them normally under the CLI.

Here is a screenshot:

http://i.imgur.com/IzaO9WV.jpg

Cheers!

[Tripredacus]

This is a permissions issue. If UAC is enabled and the mapping is done via an elevated cmd, you will only see the mappings in an elevated program. I've run into this problem before. The problem is due to Explorer.exe not running elevated. See Andre's response to my post here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/144776-unable-to-open-an-elevated-windows-explorer-window/?p=1013637

[NOTORIOUSVR]

This is a permissions issue. If UAC is enabled and the mapping is done via an elevated cmd, you will only see the mappings in an elevated program. I've run into this problem before. The problem is due to Explorer.exe not running elevated. See Andre's response to my post here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/144776-unable-to-open-an-elevated-windows-explorer-window/?p=1013637

Unfortunately the mapping isn't done with a cmd prompt in my case (like normally done with a login script), it's done by GPO mapping instead.

Also strangely enough, this GPO works on every other PC on the Domain including another Win 8.1 x64 PC (Lenovo laptop).

I did however try to disable UAC and that made no difference unfortunately in this case.

That said, the tool in the link doesn't work with Win 8 FYI.

Edited March 20, 2014 by NOTORIOUSVR

[jaclaz]

Have you also checked the "other" point in the mentioned thread?

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/144776-unable-to-open-an-elevated-windows-explorer-window/?p=1013641

http://technet.microsoft.com/it-it/library/ee844140(v=ws.10).aspx

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/a31e2c3d-4e35-4c33-8208-0a0e3b6964c1/mapnetworkdrive-and-enablelinkedconnections

jaclaz

Edited March 21, 2014 by jaclaz