Fix for When The Network Drive Does Not Map Automatically at Windows Restart
The below is one possible fix for this situation - but it might not apply in all cases.
At each workstation on the network you "map" a drive letter to a shared folder on the main / server computer and this drive letter is supposed to automatically reconnect each type you turn on the computer.
However, in many cases the mapped drive does not actually connect automatically and if you open "My PC" ("Computer") from Windows you'll see the drive letter with a red X indicating that it's not connected.
A common cause is a Windows timing problem by which at the moment the computer is trying to remap the drive, the network connection hasn’t totally been established yet.
Usually, you can reconnect it by simply double clicking it. If this doesn't reconnect it, that means that the main computer is not on
or there is a network problem - which your computer tech can solve.
However, even though it's easy to double-click to reconnect (if it's just the simple timing problem it's an irritant.
The steps below can help the Windows timing problem in many cases by slowing down the Windows restart a bit - making it wait for the network connection.
Press Windows-R on the keyboard to get the "Run" box type "gpedit.msc" (without quotes) click ok.
From the Policy Editor program, navigate to:
> Local Computer Policy
> Computer Configuration
> Administrative Templates
> System
> Logon
> Always wait for the network at computer startup and logon
Set this to Enable then reboot.
