Setting needed for access to networked folders

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gary Burton
  • Start date Start date
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Gary Burton

There must be a registry setting that controls the amount of time it takes to determine whether a folder is available or not.

Problem:

I have a backup program (DataKeeper), which I love. If a specified folder is available on a mapped network drive at the time DataKeeper is launched, it will back up over the network. If the network folder is not available at launch time, it backs up to the local disk. The folder to which I wish to back up all my computers is always found by my main computer where the backup drive is installed, but it is not found over the network by the remote machines.

If I go to a remote machine and use file sharing via Windows Explorer to show the backup folder (which takes a couple of seconds), THEN launch DataKeeper, DataKeeper finds the backup folder and backs up the way it should. If I launch DataKeeper first, it will not find the folder. DataKeeper is supposed to launch at startup, and manually fiddling with Explorer on each boot is not convenient

I tried to write a Visual Basic routine to open the folder automatically, but I ran into exactly the same problem with Visual Basic. The Open command gave me a "Path not found" error when run from a remote machine, unless I first access the folder from Windows Explorer.

The only explanation I can find for this behavior is that:
1) There is a timeout (which is now set too short) that determines whether a folder is available.
2) Windows Explorer has a much longer timeout before it calls the folder unavailable.
3) Once Windows Explorer finds a folder, it is identified as found and can be accessed by other programs regardless of the timeout..

I'm not sure my theory is sound, but it is the best I can do with my limited understanding of Windows.

Can someone help me?
 
I don't have an answer to your problem other than to say I ran DataKeeper on Win98 and tried to run it on XP but had problems. Shortly afterwards PowerQuest issued a statement to the effect that they did not recommend running it under XP, the product was then discontinued.

Rod
There must be a registry setting that controls the amount of time it takes to determine whether a folder is available or not.

Problem:

I have a backup program (DataKeeper), which I love. If a specified folder is available on a mapped network drive at the time DataKeeper is launched, it will back up over the network. If the network folder is not available at launch time, it backs up to the local disk. The folder to which I wish to back up all my computers is always found by my main computer where the backup drive is installed, but it is not found over the network by the remote machines.

If I go to a remote machine and use file sharing via Windows Explorer to show the backup folder (which takes a couple of seconds), THEN launch DataKeeper, DataKeeper finds the backup folder and backs up the way it should. If I launch DataKeeper first, it will not find the folder. DataKeeper is supposed to launch at startup, and manually fiddling with Explorer on each boot is not convenient

I tried to write a Visual Basic routine to open the folder automatically, but I ran into exactly the same problem with Visual Basic. The Open command gave me a "Path not found" error when run from a remote machine, unless I first access the folder from Windows Explorer.

The only explanation I can find for this behavior is that:
1) There is a timeout (which is now set too short) that determines whether a folder is available.
2) Windows Explorer has a much longer timeout before it calls the folder unavailable.
3) Once Windows Explorer finds a folder, it is identified as found and can be accessed by other programs regardless of the timeout..

I'm not sure my theory is sound, but it is the best I can do with my limited understanding of Windows.

Can someone help me?
 
Ouch!

That doesn't abrogate my question, however. This problem also applies (apparently) to any program that looks for folders across the network as my Visual Basic experience showed. Also DataKeeper is otherwise working fine for me under XP, and I expect to use it until I can't make it work any more -- even if I have to use the clumsy Explorer work-around I mentioned in my posting.

DataKeeper is the only backup program I have ever seen that does the backup the way it really should be done. PowerQuest blew it when they discontinued DataKeeper. They should have marketed it the way they did PartitionMagic, and phaps they wouldn't have had to sell out to Symantec. I believe the only reason DataKeeper didn't become a popular standard is that people were never informed about what it is. It is difficult to get the word out on something like that, but I think it could have been done.
I don't have an answer to your problem other than to say I ran DataKeeper on Win98 and tried to run it on XP but had problems. Shortly afterwards PowerQuest issued a statement to the effect that they did not recommend running it under XP, the product was then discontinued.

Rod
There must be a registry setting that controls the amount of time it takes to determine whether a folder is available or not.

Problem:

I have a backup program (DataKeeper), which I love. If a specified folder is available on a mapped network drive at the time DataKeeper is launched, it will back up over the network. If the network folder is not available at launch time, it backs up to the local disk. The folder to which I wish to back up all my computers is always found by my main computer where the backup drive is installed, but it is not found over the network by the remote machines.

If I go to a remote machine and use file sharing via Windows Explorer to show the backup folder (which takes a couple of seconds), THEN launch DataKeeper, DataKeeper finds the backup folder and backs up the way it should. If I launch DataKeeper first, it will not find the folder. DataKeeper is supposed to launch at startup, and manually fiddling with Explorer on each boot is not convenient

I tried to write a Visual Basic routine to open the folder automatically, but I ran into exactly the same problem with Visual Basic. The Open command gave me a "Path not found" error when run from a remote machine, unless I first access the folder from Windows Explorer.

The only explanation I can find for this behavior is that:
1) There is a timeout (which is now set too short) that determines whether a folder is available.
2) Windows Explorer has a much longer timeout before it calls the folder unavailable.
3) Once Windows Explorer finds a folder, it is identified as found and can be accessed by other programs regardless of the timeout..

I'm not sure my theory is sound, but it is the best I can do with my limited understanding of Windows.

Can someone help me?
 
From memory I think it was to do with large capacity HDDs. I now use Iomega automatic backup which seems to work ok - not tried it across a network though.
Ouch!

That doesn't abrogate my question, however. This problem also applies (apparently) to any program that looks for folders across the network as my Visual Basic experience showed. Also DataKeeper is otherwise working fine for me under XP, and I expect to use it until I can't make it work any more -- even if I have to use the clumsy Explorer work-around I mentioned in my posting.

DataKeeper is the only backup program I have ever seen that does the backup the way it really should be done. PowerQuest blew it when they discontinued DataKeeper. They should have marketed it the way they did PartitionMagic, and phaps they wouldn't have had to sell out to Symantec. I believe the only reason DataKeeper didn't become a popular standard is that people were never informed about what it is. It is difficult to get the word out on something like that, but I think it could have been done.
I don't have an answer to your problem other than to say I ran DataKeeper on Win98 and tried to run it on XP but had problems. Shortly afterwards PowerQuest issued a statement to the effect that they did not recommend running it under XP, the product was then discontinued.

Rod
There must be a registry setting that controls the amount of time it takes to determine whether a folder is available or not.

Problem:

I have a backup program (DataKeeper), which I love. If a specified folder is available on a mapped network drive at the time DataKeeper is launched, it will back up over the network. If the network folder is not available at launch time, it backs up to the local disk. The folder to which I wish to back up all my computers is always found by my main computer where the backup drive is installed, but it is not found over the network by the remote machines.

If I go to a remote machine and use file sharing via Windows Explorer to show the backup folder (which takes a couple of seconds), THEN launch DataKeeper, DataKeeper finds the backup folder and backs up the way it should. If I launch DataKeeper first, it will not find the folder. DataKeeper is supposed to launch at startup, and manually fiddling with Explorer on each boot is not convenient

I tried to write a Visual Basic routine to open the folder automatically, but I ran into exactly the same problem with Visual Basic. The Open command gave me a "Path not found" error when run from a remote machine, unless I first access the folder from Windows Explorer.

The only explanation I can find for this behavior is that:
1) There is a timeout (which is now set too short) that determines whether a folder is available.
2) Windows Explorer has a much longer timeout before it calls the folder unavailable.
3) Once Windows Explorer finds a folder, it is identified as found and can be accessed by other programs regardless of the timeout..

I'm not sure my theory is sound, but it is the best I can do with my limited understanding of Windows.

Can someone help me?
 
I guess I haven't reached the capacity yet. Do you know of a replacement for DataKeeper that works the same way?
From memory I think it was to do with large capacity HDDs. I now use Iomega automatic backup which seems to work ok - not tried it across a network though.
Ouch!

That doesn't abrogate my question, however. This problem also applies (apparently) to any program that looks for folders across the network as my Visual Basic experience showed. Also DataKeeper is otherwise working fine for me under XP, and I expect to use it until I can't make it work any more -- even if I have to use the clumsy Explorer work-around I mentioned in my posting.

DataKeeper is the only backup program I have ever seen that does the backup the way it really should be done. PowerQuest blew it when they discontinued DataKeeper. They should have marketed it the way they did PartitionMagic, and phaps they wouldn't have had to sell out to Symantec. I believe the only reason DataKeeper didn't become a popular standard is that people were never informed about what it is. It is difficult to get the word out on something like that, but I think it could have been done.
I don't have an answer to your problem other than to say I ran DataKeeper on Win98 and tried to run it on XP but had problems. Shortly afterwards PowerQuest issued a statement to the effect that they did not recommend running it under XP, the product was then discontinued.

Rod
There must be a registry setting that controls the amount of time it takes to determine whether a folder is available or not.

Problem:

I have a backup program (DataKeeper), which I love. If a specified folder is available on a mapped network drive at the time DataKeeper is launched, it will back up over the network. If the network folder is not available at launch time, it backs up to the local disk. The folder to which I wish to back up all my computers is always found by my main computer where the backup drive is installed, but it is not found over the network by the remote machines.

If I go to a remote machine and use file sharing via Windows Explorer to show the backup folder (which takes a couple of seconds), THEN launch DataKeeper, DataKeeper finds the backup folder and backs up the way it should. If I launch DataKeeper first, it will not find the folder. DataKeeper is supposed to launch at startup, and manually fiddling with Explorer on each boot is not convenient

I tried to write a Visual Basic routine to open the folder automatically, but I ran into exactly the same problem with Visual Basic. The Open command gave me a "Path not found" error when run from a remote machine, unless I first access the folder from Windows Explorer.

The only explanation I can find for this behavior is that:
1) There is a timeout (which is now set too short) that determines whether a folder is available.
2) Windows Explorer has a much longer timeout before it calls the folder unavailable.
3) Once Windows Explorer finds a folder, it is identified as found and can be accessed by other programs regardless of the timeout..

I'm not sure my theory is sound, but it is the best I can do with my limited understanding of Windows.

Can someone help me?
 
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