Steps to get network drive working in Windows
If you have come this far, it is because you have tried to connect to a network drive in Windows and it has not been possible. You have probably updated the system recently. If this is the case, you would be facing the most common error, so you will have to follow a series of steps that we are going to show so that it works correctly again.
We are going to have to access the operating system services and carry out a series of changes there. We will have to press the Windows + R key combination and run services.msc. We can also just go to Start, type Services and open the tool.
When we are inside we will have to look for a series of services and make a small change. It is important that we do this in all of them, since only then will we correct this error that may have occurred after having updated the operating system to a new version. These are the services to look for:
- Computer Browser (Browser)
- Function Discovery Provider Host (FDPHost)
- Function Discovery Resource Publication (FDResPub)
- Network Connections (NetMan)
- UPnP Device Host (UPnPHost)
- Peer Name Resolution Protocol (PNRPSvc)
- Peer Networking Grouping (P2PSvc)
- Peer Networking Identity Manager (P2PIMSvc)
In each of these services that we have put we will have to double click on the name and open the Properties window. Later we will have to change the start type to “Automatic (delayed start)”. By default, it is normal for it to be in Manual.
Once we have changed this in all these services, what we have to do is restart the computer. This will allow the changes to take effect and once started again, we should be able to start the network drive without any problem.
Other solutions to the network drive problem
We have focused on a first solution in case there was a problem after updating Windows. However, there are other causes that can also prevent us from starting the network drive correctly. We will also explain other possible solutions to make it work properly.
Check that the antivirus or firewall is not the cause
It could also happen that we could not access the network drive because we have some security program installed and it does not work correctly. Sometimes he antivirus or even the firewall They can affect the operation of certain services, block an update or be able to access a device on the network.
The first thing to do is check that the antivirus we have installed is properly configured and is not the cause. We can always try to stop it momentarily and thus verify if this may be the problem. We speak for example of Windows Defender, Avast, Bitdefender or any antivirus that we have.
Something similar could happen with the firewall, in case we have one installed. It could be blocking certain services from the connection and even preventing us from accessing the network drive.
Verify that the VPN is working well
You have someone VPN installed? It could also be the reason why you cannot access the network drive. These types of programs serve to encrypt connections and allow us to connect securely through public Wi-Fi networks. But of course, sometimes they have problems.
It is important that we use a good service of this type, that it is updated and that we periodically check that it works correctly. Only then can we be sure that it is not a problem related to it and, if we suspect that it is, we can always stop the VPN momentarily.
Update Windows successfully
We must also verify that we have the latest version of Windows and that it has also been updated correctly. Sometimes these problems appear when a file has been hung or there has been a failure during the installation process.
To do this we have to go to Start, we enter Settings, we go to Update and security and there we will see if there is anything pending, in addition to knowing the version that we have installed. Everything that is pending should be updated as soon as possible. This will also help us avoid security problems.
Have the devices updated
On the other hand, it is equally important to have all connected devices correctly updated to the last version. This also applies to network adapters, be it Ethernet or Wi-Fi. This will help us reduce the risk of problems of this type.
In this case we have to go to Start, we go to Device Manager, Network adapters and there we select the one that interests us. We have to click with the second mouse button and we click Update driver. Later we restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
In short, if you have problems accessing the network drive, you can follow these steps that we have mentioned. Perhaps it is due to a recent Windows update, but it could also be the cause of having incorrectly configured antivirus or a VPN, as well as outdated network adapter drivers.