Fix: Mapped Drive is Disconnected After Reboot

The “Mapped Drive is Disconnected After Reboot” issue is quite common in the Windows operating system. The issue usually occurs after a Windows update, when the user restarts the system Mapped Network Drives get disconnected. The Mapped drive can also get disconnected after reboot in the case when the Fast Start up within the system is enabled.

The said issue is a repetitive situation now, and thus various users are looking forward to some excellent solutions. Today, in this article, we have compiled a list of tried and tested fixes that will help you in getting rid of the “Mapped Drive is Disconnected After Reboot” issue.

How to fix the “Mapped Drive is Disconnected After Reboot” issue?

Before we move onto the long-processed Fixes, give the following workarounds a try and check if they resolved the said issue for you.

Ensure you are using the latest version of Windows. (If not, update to the latest available update). Also, ensure you can access the network location as well.
Enable or Disable the SMB (Server Message Block) and check whether it helps.
Ensure you are using GPT (GUID Partition Table) to boot your system. (In case you are using UEFI).
Check if any Task in the Task scheduler is causing the said issue.
Change your Network credentials and use the same credentials you generally use to log into your system and check whether it helps.
Make sure the time Zone and Host within your system are appropriately set.

If none of the above situations is applicable and helpful in your case, then move forward and use the fixes as mentioned below:

FIX 2: Disable the Fast Startup of Your System:

As explained above, Fast Startup, if enabled, might disconnect the Mapped Drive after a system reboot. Fast Startup makes the system boot process quick and easy. However, when it is enabled, it processes your system into a mixed state of shuts down and hibernation during the power off, which further can break certain network-related operations resulting in the said issue. To avoid or resolve any similar situation, it is advisable to disable your system’s Fast Startup. For doing so,

On the Desktop search bar, type Choose a Power Plan and select the relevant search result.
Now on the Power Options window, click on the options What the Power Buttons Do -> Change Settings That Are Currently Unavailable from the left-pane menu.
Untick the checkbox associated with the option Turn on Fast Startup (recommended), click on Save Changes and then exit the window.
Finally, reboot the system and check whether the Mapped Drive is Disconnected After the Reboot issue got resolved or not.

FIX 3: Disable Offline Files for Your System:

At times the offline copies of the Network Shares create a syncing glitch and often trigger the Mapped Drive is Disconnected After Reboot issue in your system. Here disabling the offline copies and the password-protected sharing for your system might help in resolving the issue. For doing so,

Firstly, go to the Desktop search bar, type Control Panel and open the relevant search result.
On the Control Panel window, set the View by as Small Icons and select the option Sync Center.
On the next window, navigate to the left-pane menu and click on the option Manage Offline Files.
Further, click on the Disable Offline Files tab, click on OK and then reboot your system. Once the reboot processes, ultimately check whether the said issue got resolved or not.
If the issue still persists, then navigate to the File Explorer and open a Mapped Drive.
Now right-click on the Mapped Drive and choose the option Always Available Offline from the sub-menu. Let the process complete on its own.
Further right-click on the Network Share and uncheck the option Always Available Offline.
Once again, reboot your system and check whether the Mapped Drive is Disconnected After the Reboot issue got resolved or not.

FIX 4: Use the Group Policy Editor:

Various group policy settings can trigger the Mapped Drive is Disconnected After Reboot issue. However, editing the relevant group policy setting can resolve the said error in no time. Let’s learn how:

Firstly, on the Desktop search bar, type Group Policy and open the Edit Group Policy option.
On the Group Policy window, you need to go to the following path,

Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Logon

On the right-pane menu, scroll down to locate the option Always Wait for the Network at Computer Startup and Logon and then double-click on it.
On the next prompt, click on the circular button adjoining the option Enabled and then click on OK.

Note: The following changes can extend the login time. Thus, to avoid any such situation, follow the steps further:

On the Desktop search bar, type “Regedit” and open the Registry Editor with Administrator access.
On the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following path,

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

On the right-pane screen, click anywhere on the white background and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) value.
Now rename the newly created DWORD as GpNetworkStartTimeoutPolicyValue and then double-click on it.
Further, set its value to 0x3C (60). (Here, numeric 60 means 60 seconds, and if the login process takes a second longer than the given time, then again change the value for that in seconds).
Meanwhile, on a Synology device, ensure that you have toggle On WS Discovery (Control Panel -> File Services -> Advanced) and Enable Windows Network Discovery to Allow Access Via Web Browser

Note: Here, ensure Min SMB is SMB1 and Max is SMB 3.

While Mapping drives via Group Policy in the Corporate Network, you can check to toggle between the “Replace, Recreate, or Update” options to resolve the said issue for you. Also, in the meantime, make sure that no old hidden devices in the group policy are taking up the drive later and further triggering the said issue.

Furthermore, make the following changes as explained below in order to resolve the issue entirely:

In the GPO settings, navigate to the following path:

Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/System/Group Policy/

After that, make sure the policies are configured as mentioned below:

Configure Drive Maps preference extension policy processing: Enabled

Allow processing across a slow network connection: Enabled

Process even if the Group Policy objects have not changed: Disabled

Background priority: Idle

Finally, check whether the Mapped Drive is Disconnected After the Reboot issue got resolved or not.

FIX 5: Change the Network Card Options:

If the Network Card is not configured rightly, it can trigger the Mapped Drive is Disconnected After Reboot issue for you. Here changing the link & power within the Network Card options might help to resolve the said situation. Let’ learn how:

Firstly, press the Windows + X keys altogether and click on the options Device Manager from the Context Menu.
In the Device Manager window, expand the option Network Adapters, right-click on your Network card and then choose Properties from the Sub-menu.
On the Properties window, navigate to the Power Management tab from the vertical menu and then untick the checkbox adjoining the option Allow the Computer to Turn Off This Device to Save Power.
Click on OK, and then open the problematic program to check whether the said issue got resolved or not.
If not, further launch the Command Prompt window. (Go to the desktop search bar, type “cmd,” and open the options Command Prompt from the search result.
On the Command Prompt window, type or copy + paste the following command and then press Enter

net config server /autodisconnect:-1

Follow the same procedure on the Host as well.
Once done, reboot your system and check whether the said issue got resolved or not.

If the issue persists, it could be due to the attempts of Network card to renegotiate the network to a better speed. However, it can be changed with the following steps:

Follow the first 2 steps of the same fix.
On the Properties window, navigate to the Advanced tab from the Vertical menu.
Hereunder the Property section, scroll down the list, and select the option Wait for Link. Meanwhile, on the Value section, open the drop-down and click the option ON.
Again, reboot your system and check whether the said issue got resolved or not.
If still the issue exists, on the icon tray, right-click on the Network icon and then select the option Open Network & Internet Settings.
On the Next window, click on Network and Sharing Center and then select your Network connection.
Note down your Network speed for further reference and then in the Device Manager window, navigate to the Advanced tab within the Network Card Properties.
Under Property section, scroll down the list and select Speed & Duplex. Then under the value box, open the drop-down and select the speed that matches the speed of your network. Select only the option with Full-Duplex Value.
Lastly, click on OK, reboot your system, and check if the said issue is resolved or persists.

These were detailed explanations of all the possible solutions that can be used to resolve the Mapped Drive are Disconnected After Reboot issue in your system. Apart from them, you can also edit some of the Registry editor settings and check whether it helps.

However, working within the Registry editor requires a level of Computer proficiency, and we recommend you avoid the same the most. Wrongly configured registries can lead to data loss or even system damage. After reading this article if you have any queries or feedback, please write down the comment in the below comment box.