"initializing folders", how to edit network delay ?

Hi, within Office 2007, whenever attempting to browse to open or save
attachments, etc, the "Initializing the root folders to display" window
appears and delays any browsing for a long period of time. From what I've
read in previous posts, this is due to an unavailable mapped drive. Deleting
the mapped drive is a poor solution, considering in this case it's probably
only available when a VPN is active and the user isn't going to want to
recreate the mapped drive letter everytime the VPN is initiated.

Where in the registry can I edit the timeout delay for this problem in
Office? If this is not possible, when will MS issue some solution to this
well-known hassle?

Thanks in advance,
Tyson.

The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

Tyson wrote:

Hi, within Office 2007, whenever attempting to browse to open or save
attachments, etc, the "Initializing the root folders to display" window
appears and delays any browsing for a long period of time. From what I've
read in previous posts, this is due to an unavailable mapped drive. Deleting
the mapped drive is a poor solution, considering in this case it's probably
only available when a VPN is active and the user isn't going to want to
recreate the mapped drive letter everytime the VPN is initiated.

Where in the registry can I edit the timeout delay for this problem in
Office? If this is not possible, when will MS issue some solution to this
well-known hassle?

Thanks in advance,
Tyson.

Hi Bob, that would work for me if we were using an interface like Cisco's VPN
client, but considering it's just a simple PPTP connection through Windows XP
Pro I don't know how to use your suggestion as a solution ? As it stands,
the user isn't going to want to recreate a drive mapping each time the VPN is
initiated, and I don't know how to automate a drive mapping for a PPTP
connection in Windows.

Thus, I'm still hopeful MS will fix the software issue.

"Bob I" wrote:

The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

This "software issue" is Office waiting for the Operating system to
return a list of valid targets. Office is primarily designed to work in
a business environment with a working network. Provide an invalid
target, and you will wait. As to fixing your setup. Simply put a
shortcut on the desktop that points to a batch file that contains the
mapping to the drive letter you want to use and click it to do the mapping.

example line for batch file which you write in NOTEPAD and save to the
root of "C:"

NET USE Z: \\computername\sharename


save and name the file something like MAPDRIVE.BAT then right click on
it and Send To Shortcut to desktop.



Tyson wrote:
Hi Bob, that would work for me if we were using an interface like Cisco's VPN
client, but considering it's just a simple PPTP connection through Windows XP
Pro I don't know how to use your suggestion as a solution ? As it stands,
the user isn't going to want to recreate a drive mapping each time the VPN is
initiated, and I don't know how to automate a drive mapping for a PPTP
connection in Windows.

Thus, I'm still hopeful MS will fix the software issue.

"Bob I" wrote:


The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

It seems to me that you're suggesting that Microsoft office is perfect (once
again) and people should go out of their way to work around their issues with
the program.

I have a similar situation. I use a laptop for work. In the office, I am
plugged into the network and have several mapped drives to the server drives.
Outside of the office, once connected to a VPN, I also use these same mapped
drives. At home, the laptop is connected to a different network and I use
different mapped drives. Lastly, I am an electrical designer and do
programming of PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). Some of the software I
use has a software key that I need to move to other computers depending on
what I am working on. I can only move the key to a mapped hard drive.

As you might be starting to comprehend, constantly removing and
re-installing mapped drives is not exactly the ideal solution.
Is it possible that there is another solution to this problem?

I would be grateful for any replies. Thanks.



"Bob I" wrote:

This "software issue" is Office waiting for the Operating system to
return a list of valid targets. Office is primarily designed to work in
a business environment with a working network. Provide an invalid
target, and you will wait. As to fixing your setup. Simply put a
shortcut on the desktop that points to a batch file that contains the
mapping to the drive letter you want to use and click it to do the mapping.

example line for batch file which you write in NOTEPAD and save to the
root of "C:"

NET USE Z: \\computername\sharename


save and name the file something like MAPDRIVE.BAT then right click on
it and Send To Shortcut to desktop.



Tyson wrote:
Hi Bob, that would work for me if we were using an interface like Cisco's VPN
client, but considering it's just a simple PPTP connection through Windows XP
Pro I don't know how to use your suggestion as a solution ? As it stands,
the user isn't going to want to recreate a drive mapping each time the VPN is
initiated, and I don't know how to automate a drive mapping for a PPTP
connection in Windows.

Thus, I'm still hopeful MS will fix the software issue.

"Bob I" wrote:


The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

No Office is not perfect, but it seems you have a pretty cobbled up mess
on your computer as far as configurations go. If you need to use custom
mapping then do so. Simply map the appropriate drives with a logon
script or batch file. End of issue. What you are doing is like commuting
all week with a housetrailer behind your car, because you go camping on
the weekend, and then complaining about the cars perfomance around town.

JMF wrote:

It seems to me that you're suggesting that Microsoft office is perfect (once
again) and people should go out of their way to work around their issues with
the program.

I have a similar situation. I use a laptop for work. In the office, I am
plugged into the network and have several mapped drives to the server drives.
Outside of the office, once connected to a VPN, I also use these same mapped
drives. At home, the laptop is connected to a different network and I use
different mapped drives. Lastly, I am an electrical designer and do
programming of PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). Some of the software I
use has a software key that I need to move to other computers depending on
what I am working on. I can only move the key to a mapped hard drive.

As you might be starting to comprehend, constantly removing and
re-installing mapped drives is not exactly the ideal solution.
Is it possible that there is another solution to this problem?

I would be grateful for any replies. Thanks.



"Bob I" wrote:


This "software issue" is Office waiting for the Operating system to
return a list of valid targets. Office is primarily designed to work in
a business environment with a working network. Provide an invalid
target, and you will wait. As to fixing your setup. Simply put a
shortcut on the desktop that points to a batch file that contains the
mapping to the drive letter you want to use and click it to do the mapping.

example line for batch file which you write in NOTEPAD and save to the
root of "C:"

NET USE Z: \\computername\sharename


save and name the file something like MAPDRIVE.BAT then right click on
it and Send To Shortcut to desktop.



Tyson wrote:

Hi Bob, that would work for me if we were using an interface like Cisco's VPN
client, but considering it's just a simple PPTP connection through Windows XP
Pro I don't know how to use your suggestion as a solution ? As it stands,
the user isn't going to want to recreate a drive mapping each time the VPN is
initiated, and I don't know how to automate a drive mapping for a PPTP
connection in Windows.

Thus, I'm still hopeful MS will fix the software issue.

"Bob I" wrote:



The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

LOL, Well my performance has worked extremely fast and efficiently until
Microsoft Office 2007. No matter where I am, everything has previously
worked correctly without delay from the moment I powered up the computer.

How does the batch file work? Are the mapped drives disconnected
automatically when the computer is hibernated? or turned off? Or is the
mapping temporary?


"Bob I" wrote:

No Office is not perfect, but it seems you have a pretty cobbled up mess
on your computer as far as configurations go. If you need to use custom
mapping then do so. Simply map the appropriate drives with a logon
script or batch file. End of issue. What you are doing is like commuting
all week with a housetrailer behind your car, because you go camping on
the weekend, and then complaining about the cars perfomance around town.

JMF wrote:

It seems to me that you're suggesting that Microsoft office is perfect (once
again) and people should go out of their way to work around their issues with
the program.

I have a similar situation. I use a laptop for work. In the office, I am
plugged into the network and have several mapped drives to the server drives.
Outside of the office, once connected to a VPN, I also use these same mapped
drives. At home, the laptop is connected to a different network and I use
different mapped drives. Lastly, I am an electrical designer and do
programming of PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). Some of the software I
use has a software key that I need to move to other computers depending on
what I am working on. I can only move the key to a mapped hard drive.

As you might be starting to comprehend, constantly removing and
re-installing mapped drives is not exactly the ideal solution.
Is it possible that there is another solution to this problem?

I would be grateful for any replies. Thanks.



"Bob I" wrote:


This "software issue" is Office waiting for the Operating system to
return a list of valid targets. Office is primarily designed to work in
a business environment with a working network. Provide an invalid
target, and you will wait. As to fixing your setup. Simply put a
shortcut on the desktop that points to a batch file that contains the
mapping to the drive letter you want to use and click it to do the mapping.

example line for batch file which you write in NOTEPAD and save to the
root of "C:"

NET USE Z: \\computername\sharename


save and name the file something like MAPDRIVE.BAT then right click on
it and Send To Shortcut to desktop.



Tyson wrote:

Hi Bob, that would work for me if we were using an interface like Cisco's VPN
client, but considering it's just a simple PPTP connection through Windows XP
Pro I don't know how to use your suggestion as a solution ? As it stands,
the user isn't going to want to recreate a drive mapping each time the VPN is
initiated, and I don't know how to automate a drive mapping for a PPTP
connection in Windows.

Thus, I'm still hopeful MS will fix the software issue.

"Bob I" wrote:



The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

The "network delay" due to inaccessible mapped drives has been around
since at least Office XP. If you had Office 2003 and and it changed when
you went to Office 2007, it could be some other issue. As far as
"hibernation", whatever the machine was connected to going in, it should
have available coming out. If it wakes up and resources are gone, the
operating system does get cranky about it. I suspect there is more to
this issue than there was before. As to "unmapping" you would have to
trigger it yourself if "hibernation" is involved. A batch file simply
issues the commands to delete old mapping and map the new assignment.
And you can run it by simply clicking on it or it's shortcut.

example

net use * /DELETE
net use N: //computer/share
net use O: //computer/share2
net use P: //computer2/share
net use Q: //computer2/share2

JMF wrote:
LOL, Well my performance has worked extremely fast and efficiently until
Microsoft Office 2007. No matter where I am, everything has previously
worked correctly without delay from the moment I powered up the computer.

How does the batch file work? Are the mapped drives disconnected
automatically when the computer is hibernated? or turned off? Or is the
mapping temporary?


"Bob I" wrote:


No Office is not perfect, but it seems you have a pretty cobbled up mess
on your computer as far as configurations go. If you need to use custom
mapping then do so. Simply map the appropriate drives with a logon
script or batch file. End of issue. What you are doing is like commuting
all week with a housetrailer behind your car, because you go camping on
the weekend, and then complaining about the cars perfomance around town.

JMF wrote:


It seems to me that you're suggesting that Microsoft office is perfect (once
again) and people should go out of their way to work around their issues with
the program.

I have a similar situation. I use a laptop for work. In the office, I am
plugged into the network and have several mapped drives to the server drives.
Outside of the office, once connected to a VPN, I also use these same mapped
drives. At home, the laptop is connected to a different network and I use
different mapped drives. Lastly, I am an electrical designer and do
programming of PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). Some of the software I
use has a software key that I need to move to other computers depending on
what I am working on. I can only move the key to a mapped hard drive.

As you might be starting to comprehend, constantly removing and
re-installing mapped drives is not exactly the ideal solution.
Is it possible that there is another solution to this problem?

I would be grateful for any replies. Thanks.



"Bob I" wrote:



This "software issue" is Office waiting for the Operating system to
return a list of valid targets. Office is primarily designed to work in
a business environment with a working network. Provide an invalid
target, and you will wait. As to fixing your setup. Simply put a
shortcut on the desktop that points to a batch file that contains the
mapping to the drive letter you want to use and click it to do the mapping.

example line for batch file which you write in NOTEPAD and save to the
root of "C:"

NET USE Z: \\computername\sharename


save and name the file something like MAPDRIVE.BAT then right click on
it and Send To Shortcut to desktop.



Tyson wrote:


Hi Bob, that would work for me if we were using an interface like Cisco's VPN
client, but considering it's just a simple PPTP connection through Windows XP
Pro I don't know how to use your suggestion as a solution ? As it stands,
the user isn't going to want to recreate a drive mapping each time the VPN is
initiated, and I don't know how to automate a drive mapping for a PPTP
connection in Windows.

Thus, I'm still hopeful MS will fix the software issue.

"Bob I" wrote:




The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

Hardly a good enough 'fix'. I have the same issues as the user above - work
and home mappings that I don't really want to continually mess with when
changing locations.
I originally encountered this problem on updating to Office 2007 but for
some reason it seemed to fix itself and I have not seen the message until
applying SP1 in the last day or so. Now it's back again and I'd really like
to fix it again.

"JMF" wrote:

LOL, Well my performance has worked extremely fast and efficiently until
Microsoft Office 2007. No matter where I am, everything has previously
worked correctly without delay from the moment I powered up the computer.

How does the batch file work? Are the mapped drives disconnected
automatically when the computer is hibernated? or turned off? Or is the
mapping temporary?


"Bob I" wrote:

No Office is not perfect, but it seems you have a pretty cobbled up mess
on your computer as far as configurations go. If you need to use custom
mapping then do so. Simply map the appropriate drives with a logon
script or batch file. End of issue. What you are doing is like commuting
all week with a housetrailer behind your car, because you go camping on
the weekend, and then complaining about the cars perfomance around town.

JMF wrote:

It seems to me that you're suggesting that Microsoft office is perfect (once
again) and people should go out of their way to work around their issues with
the program.

I have a similar situation. I use a laptop for work. In the office, I am
plugged into the network and have several mapped drives to the server drives.
Outside of the office, once connected to a VPN, I also use these same mapped
drives. At home, the laptop is connected to a different network and I use
different mapped drives. Lastly, I am an electrical designer and do
programming of PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). Some of the software I
use has a software key that I need to move to other computers depending on
what I am working on. I can only move the key to a mapped hard drive.

As you might be starting to comprehend, constantly removing and
re-installing mapped drives is not exactly the ideal solution.
Is it possible that there is another solution to this problem?

I would be grateful for any replies. Thanks.



"Bob I" wrote:


This "software issue" is Office waiting for the Operating system to
return a list of valid targets. Office is primarily designed to work in
a business environment with a working network. Provide an invalid
target, and you will wait. As to fixing your setup. Simply put a
shortcut on the desktop that points to a batch file that contains the
mapping to the drive letter you want to use and click it to do the mapping.

example line for batch file which you write in NOTEPAD and save to the
root of "C:"

NET USE Z: \\computername\sharename


save and name the file something like MAPDRIVE.BAT then right click on
it and Send To Shortcut to desktop.



Tyson wrote:

Hi Bob, that would work for me if we were using an interface like Cisco's VPN
client, but considering it's just a simple PPTP connection through Windows XP
Pro I don't know how to use your suggestion as a solution ? As it stands,
the user isn't going to want to recreate a drive mapping each time the VPN is
initiated, and I don't know how to automate a drive mapping for a PPTP
connection in Windows.

Thus, I'm still hopeful MS will fix the software issue.

"Bob I" wrote:



The corrective action is to ONLY map active drives. There isn't any
valid reason to not include the drive mapping at the time the VPN
mapping is done.

A simple question regarding this: suppose a drive is mapped, and the machine
is no longer on the network through which the drive is normally accessed. How
long will Windows Explorer try to connect to the mapped drive before it gives
up? And is this timeout settable, e.g. in a registry key? If so, which one?

Thanks in advance,

HJ

"Andrew.Bath" wrote:

Hardly a good enough 'fix'. I have the same issues as the user above - work
and home mappings that I don't really want to continually mess with when
changing locations.
I originally encountered this problem on updating to Office 2007 but for
some reason it seemed to fix itself and I have not seen the message until
applying SP1 in the last day or so. Now it's back again and I'd really like
to fix it again.
[...]