Win 11 Home Ver 24H2 Network Drive Connection Issues

Anonymous
2025-02-07T19:54:55+00:00

New Win 11 Home Ver 24H2 PC built Jan 2025 by CPU Solutions in Madison WI. I was online with a Microsoft tech using the chat option and they were unable to get me connected to my Western Digital (WD) MyCloud network drive. The drive is connected via ethernet to my LinkSys router. I have never had a problem connecting automatically/seamlessly on my old Win 10 PC, nor on a Dell laptop I upgraded from Win 10 to Win 11 a few months ago. I used the WD website to verify the name and password associated with WD drive. Finally, using the different account/credentials option in the Win 11 map network drive options, I was able to connect to the drive and the shared "Public" folder. I set the "Reconnect at Login" option but Win 11 will not connect on restart. I get the red X indication. I then have to disconnect and reconnect manually using the map network drive options to connect using a different account (i.e. the name and password credentials associated with the WD MyCloud drive) . Any suggestions most welcome.

***Move from Windows / Windows 11 / Files, folders, and storage***

Windows for business | Windows Client for IT Pros | Networking | Network connectivity and file sharing

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question. To protect privacy, user profiles for migrated questions are anonymized.

0 comments No comments
{count} votes

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. Anonymous
    2025-02-10T05:58:25+00:00

    Hello,

    Thank you for reaching out

    It sounds like you've already made some good progress troubleshooting your issue with connecting to your WD MyCloud network drive, but the automatic reconnection issue persists. Here's a more comprehensive approach to resolve the problem:

    1. Check Windows Credentials Manager

    Sometimes, even though you enter the correct credentials when mapping the network drive, Windows may not store them properly for reconnection. Go to Control Panel > User Accounts > Credential Manager, and ensure that your WD MyCloud credentials are saved there.

    If you don't see them, add a new Windows Credential with the following:

    Network Address: The IP address or network name of the WD MyCloud device (e.g., \<WD_MyCloud_IP> or \WDMyCloud).

    Username: The username for the MyCloud device (usually admin or the one you created).

    Password: The associated password.

    2. Enable SMB v1 or v2 (if needed)

    Windows 11 has dropped support for SMBv1, but some devices, especially older ones like the WD MyCloud, still rely on it.

    To check if you need SMB v1:

    • Press Win + X, then select Apps and Features.
    • Under Optional Features, check if SMB 1.0 is installed. If not, you can install it.
    • Alternatively, you may enable SMB v2 by ensuring that Windows Features have SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support enabled.

    If you choose to enable SMBv1, be aware that it is not as secure as the newer versions, and should be used cautiously.

    3. Configure Group Policy to Reconnect Network Drives Automatically

    Open Local Group Policy Editor by typing gpedit.msc in the Start Menu.

    Navigate to: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon.

    Find Reconnect network drives at logon and ensure it is set to Enabled.

    Apply the settings and restart the system.

    4. Modify the Network Drive Mapping Script

    Create a batch file that automatically reconnects the network drive after each restart. You can do this by:

    • Open Notepad and enter the following script:
    • net use Z: /delete
    • net use Z: \<WD_MyCloud_IP>\Public /user:<YourUsername> <YourPassword> /persistent:yes

    Replace Z: with the desired drive letter, and <YourUsername> and <YourPassword> with your MyCloud login credentials.

    • Save the file with a .bat extension.
    • Add this batch file to your Startup folder (to run it at login):

    Press Win + R, type shell:startup, and hit Enter.

    Place your .bat file in this folder.

    5. Disable Windows Fast Startup

    Fast Startup can sometimes interfere with network drive reconnections. To disable it:

    • Go to Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do.
    • Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
    • Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) and Save changes.
    • Restart your system to see if it resolves the issue.

    6. Check WD MyCloud Settings

    Ensure that your WD MyCloud device is configured correctly for network access, and there are no settings that would interfere with persistent connections (like timeouts or auto-disconnect).

    Let me know if any of these steps work or if you're still having trouble!

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  2. Anonymous
    2025-02-11T16:38:00+00:00

    I tried all but the gpedit option since I have Win 11 Home version and thought I would see if any of the other options worked before installing, perhaps unecessarily, the local group policy software. With gratitude, the Western Digital MyCloud drive and the shared Public folder now working on my new Win 11 PC., i.e., is available automatically upon restart without me having to manually connect to it Thank you for your help.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments