The Skinny on the problem and solution:
If a user can't see their thumb drive when plugged in. Map it to a different drive letter, avoiding drive letters c-o , and drive letter x-z.
Details and instructions:
I have gotten a couple of calls, ironically, not about the drive mapping, but about USB Thumb drives not smart enough to find an empty drive letter to map themselves on.
I had always thought that this would not be a problem, however, it's proving to be one.
The login scripts have a system in them that would avoid already mapped fixed or removable disks. However, I have no way of controlling what drive letter a USB thumb drive is going to try to take once a user plugs it in.
The easiest way to fix this is to do the following:
While the user's shares are all mapped, ask the user to plug in the USB thumb drive.
Right click on "My Computer"
Go to "Manage"
Click on Disk Management
Find the USB thumb drive in the list, right click, and select Change Drive Letter and Paths
Choose an unused drive letter.
I noticed a couple of things:
1- If a user has 2 different thumb drives, it is possible that they will attempt to take entirely different drive letters. (even when plugged in by themselves). This, unfortunately, makes it harder to permanently resolve the issue, but at the same time, shouldn't be something too widespread.
2- As a general practice, when assigning a new drive letter to a USB thumb drive, try to stay away from the low letter, (d,e,f,g,h,i), and away from the last 3 high letter (x,y,z). Reason for that is that the low letters are usually taken by fixed disks, and media readers, and the high letters are the ones that get taken when a mapping action (net use *) is used, the highest letter would get taken, and starts working backwards.
The login scripts don't really use this as a general rule, but as a fallback, and in certain situations where one folder is potentially accessed by user from different departments. (i.e; Agenda Prep)
Assigning a high letter to the thumb drive will not cause a problem with the mappings, as the mappings will work their way around the USB thumb drive letter, but the problem will occur if the opposite was done, where the drives mapped first while the USB thumbdrive is unplugged, and will consequently take the highest letter (z), and therefore not allowing the thumbdrive to have a drive letter.
If a user can't see their thumb drive when plugged in. Map it to a different drive letter, avoiding drive letters c-o , and drive letter x-z.
Details and instructions:
I have gotten a couple of calls, ironically, not about the drive mapping, but about USB Thumb drives not smart enough to find an empty drive letter to map themselves on.
I had always thought that this would not be a problem, however, it's proving to be one.
The login scripts have a system in them that would avoid already mapped fixed or removable disks. However, I have no way of controlling what drive letter a USB thumb drive is going to try to take once a user plugs it in.
The easiest way to fix this is to do the following:
While the user's shares are all mapped, ask the user to plug in the USB thumb drive.
Right click on "My Computer"
Go to "Manage"
Click on Disk Management
Find the USB thumb drive in the list, right click, and select Change Drive Letter and Paths
Choose an unused drive letter.
I noticed a couple of things:
1- If a user has 2 different thumb drives, it is possible that they will attempt to take entirely different drive letters. (even when plugged in by themselves). This, unfortunately, makes it harder to permanently resolve the issue, but at the same time, shouldn't be something too widespread.
2- As a general practice, when assigning a new drive letter to a USB thumb drive, try to stay away from the low letter, (d,e,f,g,h,i), and away from the last 3 high letter (x,y,z). Reason for that is that the low letters are usually taken by fixed disks, and media readers, and the high letters are the ones that get taken when a mapping action (net use *) is used, the highest letter would get taken, and starts working backwards.
The login scripts don't really use this as a general rule, but as a fallback, and in certain situations where one folder is potentially accessed by user from different departments. (i.e; Agenda Prep)
Assigning a high letter to the thumb drive will not cause a problem with the mappings, as the mappings will work their way around the USB thumb drive letter, but the problem will occur if the opposite was done, where the drives mapped first while the USB thumbdrive is unplugged, and will consequently take the highest letter (z), and therefore not allowing the thumbdrive to have a drive letter.
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