Problem with mapping a network drive in PS

Question

Hello!

Would you please try helping me with the strange problem: I can't map a network drive in the script with the correct network credentials.

I have many scripts that use the following string (for example):

net use H: \10.10.10.10\someFOLDER /user:"domain\user1" "nnnfff444"

...and never had any issues with it: while I'm supplying to the script the correct credentials, the network drive H: gets connected flawlessly.

~Last week I started seeing the strange behaivour: either brand new scripts that I'm currently working on or the old ones that have already been running for months started showing the following (in the case of old scripts this behaviour can be seen only when I run this particular string of the script manually! - when the script is running on the server no problems arise).

1. I try to map a disk in PS using the right user name and password:
   

2 The disk does not map and the following event gets registered on the server containing the share:

3 I then try to open the share in the explorer: I copy/paste the username and password from the script to the Enter your credentials dialog and can successfully access the share:

4 The event 4624 (success) with the same credentials:

Q1: What does it mean???

And one more problem that I see only in the cases described above: I always use error checking when running some commands and in case the error arises I use something like

Error.Clear
COMMAND
Write-Output "..... the error was $Error[0].Exception.Message"

-but in these cases the $Error[0] is always empty, the first error is in the $Error[1]:

Q2: Why?

Regards,
Michael Firsov

Answer 1

Do you have any special characters, like dollar signs, in the password? Powershell may be trying to interpret them instead of just passing them on to net.exe.

Try putting single quotes around the password.

net use H: \\test10\c$ /user:"admin" 'admin'
net use H: /del 

Your image shows that you launched Powershell_ISE with "run as administrator". You may be running into a conflict between elevated and non-elevated processes. Explorer does not run elevated. If the script normally runs unelevated, then test that way, don't use "run as administrator".

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/networking/mapped-drives-not-available-from-elevated-command

Net.exe doesn't know anything about Powershell error variables. You need to check $LASTEXITCODE.

$error.clear()
net use H: \\test10\c$ /user:"admin" "aaaaaaaaaaaaa"
"Net.exe RC=$LASTEXITCODE"
$error
 
$error.clear()
net use H: \\test10\c$ /user:"admin" "admin"
"Net.exe RC=$LASTEXITCODE"
$error

If you want to reference $error, then use the Powershell cmdlets instead of net.exe.

$User = ".\admin"
$PWord = ConvertTo-SecureString -String "admin" -AsPlainText -Force
$Cred = New-Object -TypeName System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList $User, $PWord
New-PSDrive H -PSProvider FileSystem -Root "\\test10\c$" -Credential $cred  -persist      
remove-psdrive H
$error.clear() 
$User = ".\admin"
$PWord = ConvertTo-SecureString -String "aaaaaaaaaaaaa" -AsPlainText -Force
$Cred = New-Object -TypeName System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList $User, $PWord
New-PSDrive H -PSProvider FileSystem -Root "\\test10\c$" -Credential $cred  -persist      
$error[0]
$error[1]

Answer 2

MotoX80, yes, that's it!!!

"net use H: \test10\c$ /user:"admin" 'admin' - single quotes do really work - thanks a lot (yes, there was $ in the password)!!!

Regarding the $Error:

1. thank you for the net.exe's replacement
2. if Net.exe doesn't know anything about Powershell error variables then why the $Error[1] (instead of $Error[0]) does return the correct error???

Answer 3

MotoX80, thank you very much for your help!

Regards,
Michael