Keep Windows Explorer from closing open Explorer Windows while refreshing mapped network drives

Question

Hello Hivemind,

There is this known issue, where open Network Share Explorer Windows will become closed, when Windows is doing an GPO refresh, and Network Drive Mappings are using the "REPLACE" mode.

Is there a way to keep the Windows from becoming closed while the Network Drives are being "refreshed"?

We are using the REPLACE mode in GPO, because the mapping should be removed, when a user looses a certain security group (like R/W access to said network drive / share)

UPDATE mode won't remove shares, which the user has lost access to

Answer 1

Here are some measures that you can take to counter your issue:

1. Enable the policy Always wait for the network at computer startup and logon.

This policy causes Windows to wait until the network is fully initialized before completing the logon process. This helps prevent the Explorer window from closing prematurely. To enable this policy:

• Open the Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc).
• Navigate to the appropriate Group Policy Object (GPO) that contains network drive mapping settings.
• Edit the GPO and go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon.
• Enable the policy Always wait for the network at computer startup and logon. Increase the Group Policy processing timeout.

1. By increasing the timeout for Group Policy processing, you can give more time to update network drive mappings without prematurely closing the Explorer window. To adjust the timeout:

• Open the Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc).
• Navigate to the appropriate GPO that contains network drive mapping settings. C. Edit the GPO and go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Group Policy.
• Enable the "Specify wait time for processing launch policies" policy and set it to an appropriate value (for example, 60 seconds).

1. Specifically using the "update" mode.

• Instead of using "REPLACE" mode in general, consider using "UPDATE" mode for network drive mappings where the share does not need to be removed when the user loses access. This way, the connection is maintained while the GPO is updated and only the necessary changes are applied.

Note that while these steps may help alleviate the problem, they do not completely eliminate window closing behavior during GPO updates. We recommend that you test these changes thoroughly in a controlled environment to ensure they meet your needs.

Additionally, Microsoft often fixes known issues and improves functionality through these updates, so it's always a good idea to make sure your system is running the latest Windows updates and patches. 

Hope it helps!