At My Wits' End: Shortcuts no longer trusted by workstations?

[sonofsanta]

I think - think deargodeargodpleasedon'tbreakovertheweekend - that it's fixed now...

 

Repeated logons at different PCs proved that it was a user config setting, so instead of setting the site-to-zone list in the Basic Config GPO that applied to the Users OU, I've instead set it one each of the Extended Config GPOs (one for staff, one for students) and that, miraculously, seems to have fixed the bloody thing.

 

So unanswered questions are: why the bloody hell did it break in the first place, why when I updated that top GPO were the changes not reflected, what the bloody hell, how, what, why and is there really a God after all. Current answer to all of the above is: I don't f***ing care right now because it's bloody well fixed and it's the weekend.

 

Eternal, immense, undying thanks to you Sukh, for prodding me through the troubleshooting process and making me actually do it from the ground up - I'd never have bothered with a fresh PC in a new OU otherwise. And thank you for the offer of assistance with sending the report, but for now, it looks like it might be unnecessary, so long as I keep my fingers crossed. +reps for you, and hobnobs, and whatever other signs of gratitude I can give.

 

The weekend is calling now - thankyou thankyou thankyou again

[sukh]

Hi

 

Glad to hear it worked.

 

Regards

Sukh

[srochford]

Unless you're running an exceptionally large network with many servers and users, there's little need to operate shortcuts from a DFS share.

 

I'd disagree.

 

Even on a tiny network, the time will come when you have to replace a server. If you have DFS then you just add in the new server, add it to DFS and let it replicated. You take out the old server when it's all done and nothing has to change for the clients - no worries about mapping drives to a new server, shortcuts not working etc.

 

There are problems with DFS if you have a network with Macs and Linux machines but in a small or big Windows network it's brilliant!

[Gatt]

Did you get this sorted?

I had it initially and had to edit GPO as follows:

 

User Config > Policies > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Internet Explorer > Internet Control Panel > Security Page

Edit "Site to Zone Assignment List"

 

Add the following:

 

Value Name: file://*.yourdnsdomainname.here

Value: 1

 

Assign the GPO to all Users as appropriate ...

[ChrisH]

I'd disagree.

 

Even on a tiny network, the time will come when you have to replace a server. If you have DFS then you just add in the new server, add it to DFS and let it replicated. You take out the old server when it's all done and nothing has to change for the clients - no worries about mapping drives to a new server, shortcuts not working etc.

 

I will second that it has made migration of file servers etc extremely easy. Before that it was changing all the paths or making an alias for the new server and changing the registry to make it respond to both hostnames as a share etc. Definitely worth doing and really not that complicated.

[sonofsanta]

I'd disagree.

 

Even on a tiny network, the time will come when you have to replace a server. If you have DFS then you just add in the new server, add it to DFS and let it replicated. You take out the old server when it's all done and nothing has to change for the clients - no worries about mapping drives to a new server, shortcuts not working etc.

 

There are problems with DFS if you have a network with Macs and Linux machines but in a small or big Windows network it's brilliant!

 

I will second that it has made migration of file servers etc extremely easy. Before that it was changing all the paths or making an alias for the new server and changing the registry to make it respond to both hostnames as a share etc. Definitely worth doing and really not that complicated.

 

This is the chief reason I run DFS (or at least, it's my chief reason now): after having a file server break on me once and 2 days of downtime as a result, we pressganged an older server into service to run purely as a backup server. Originally we had DFS replication so we could literally switch over at a moment's notice, but DFSR was a pain in other ways with backups and Volume Shadow Service, so we now run a nightly robocopy to the backup server and if the worst happens, we can switch over in a few moments.

 

It also makes it a damn sight easier when you want to look for a network file and you can't remember which server it's stored on.

 

Did you get this sorted?

I had it initially and had to edit GPO as follows:

 

User Config > Policies > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Internet Explorer > Internet Control Panel > Security Page

Edit "Site to Zone Assignment List"

 

Add the following:

 

Value Name: file://*.yourdnsdomainname.here

Value: 1

 

Assign the GPO to all Users as appropriate ...

 

Yeah, that was the relevant fix... but for some reason, when I did that in the main user GPO (as I'd already tried to previously), it didn't change anything. Other changes I make to this GPO are reflected in policy implementation, but not that part, for some reason. Settings are now applied one OU down, in the main Student and Staff GPO's. It's rubbish in that the setting is replicated twice, but at least it's working (I think - not seen any users log on this morning yet, just going on my testing still /fingerscrossed)