DOCUMENT:Q160807 06-AUG-2002 [crossnet] TITLE :Cannot Connect to Windows NT Server with Many Shares PRODUCT :Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT Networking Issues PROD/VER::2,2.1,3.1,3.5,3.51,4.0 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kberrmsg kbnetwork osr2kbfixlist ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Windows 95 - Microsoft Windows 95 OEM Service Release, versions 2, 2.1 - Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, 4.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SYMPTOMS ======== You may experience problems connecting to a share on a Windows NT server from a Windows 95 workstation if the Windows NT server has a large number of shares. Specific symptoms may include: - When you attempt to make a UNC (Universal Naming Convention) connection to the share, you may receive the following error message: The folder "\\\" does not exist. - When you attempt to connect to the share in Windows NT Explorer, you may receive the following error message: Access Denied - In Microsoft Word version 7.0 for Windows 95, when you change the default document location to a folder on the server, the File Open operation does not work. The current folder reverts to the desktop or the root folder of drive C. This may occur whether the share on the server is accessed using a mapped drive letter or a UNC connection. - While using shortcuts you cannot get to lower level directories on the Windows NT server. If you double click the shortcut - it connects to the servers share and displays folders, but when you double click the lower level folder all it does is refresh the upper level share points directories thus creating a shortcut loop. CAUSE ===== In some scenarios, Windows 95 determines whether a share exists on an SMB server by getting the list of shares from the server, then searching for the specified share name in the data returned. The SMB protocol used to get the list of shares is limited to a total data size of 64K. If the list of shares is too large, not all names fit within the 64K data block. If the specified share is not included in the partial list returned, the operation does not work. RESOLUTION ========== To work around this issue, use one or more of the following methods: - Reduce the number of shares on the Windows NT server. - Reduce the length of the share names on the server. - Reduce the length of the comments on the shares. This issue is resolved by the following updated file for Windows 95 (retail and OSR1), and later versions of this file: SHELL32.DLL version 4.00.955 dated 9/30/96 817,664 bytes This issue is resolved by the following updated file for Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2), 2.1 and 2.5, and later versions of this file: SHELL32.DLL version 4.00.1112 dated 9/25/97 819,200 bytes STATUS ====== Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Microsoft Windows 95 and OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2). An update to address this problem is now available, but is not fully regression tested and should be applied only to computers experiencing this specific problem. Unless you are severely impacted by this specific problem, Microsoft does not recommend implementing this update at this time. Contact Microsoft Technical Support for additional information about the availability of this update. This issue is resolved in Microsoft Windows 98. MORE INFORMATION ================ This symptom is typically encountered if the number of shares on the Windows NT server exceeds 1,000 shares, or if the shares generally have long comment strings. For additional information about related issues, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q160808 Profiles and Briefcase May Not Work with Windows NT Server Q188206 Access Denied Connecting to Windows NT Server with Many Shares For additional information about issues resolved by updates to this component, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q161100 File May Be Truncated When Copied to a Full Network Drive Q150215 Disabling Automatic Network Shortcut Resolution Q138014 File May Be Truncated to Zero Bytes When Copied Onto Itself Q136834 Error Copying Read-Only Files to Core SMB Server For additional information about Windows 95 updates, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q161020 Implementing Windows 95 Updates Additional query words: winnt refresh 1000 shares network path not found error 53 ====================================================================== Keywords : kberrmsg kbnetwork osr2 kbfixlist Technology : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNT351search kbWinNT350search kbWinNT400search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400 kbWinNTS351 kbWinNTS350 kbWinNTS310 kbWinNTS351search kbWinNTS350search kbWinNTS310search kbWin95search kbWinNT310Search kbOPKSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbWin95OPKOSR2 kbWin95OPKOSR210 Version : :2,2.1,3.1,3.5,3.51,4.0 Issue type : kbprb ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2002.