andrew82net
asked on
Desktop computer setup to share the My Documents folder, but reboots when attempting to save a Word document from another computer via the share.
Problem Summary:
I have shared the My Documents folder on my desktop computer so I can access it from my notebook. When I open a Word document via the network share using my notebook, if I attempt to save the Word document, my desktop will reboot. If I try do the same thing with the same Word document stored in a different shared folder, the desktop doesn’t reboot and it works just fine. What do I have to do to setup a network share of the My Documents folder that allows me to save Word documents (and all other file types) without the desktop rebooting?
See futher details below.
Setup:
A. Desktop computer
- OS: Windows XP Pro SP2
- Software Firewall: Zone Alarm Security Suite
- Antivirus: Norton AntiVirus 2005
B. Notebook computer
- OS: Windows XP Pro SP2
- Software Firewall: Zone Alarm Security Suite
- Antivirus: Norton AntiVirus 2005
C. Network
- Router: Netgear FVS318
- Wireless Access Point: Netgear WG602
- Connection: 802.11g between notbook and router, hardwire ethernet between router and desktop
Configuration:
- Files stored on my desktop computer (A).
- Simple File Sharing turned off on desktop (A).
- Various folders setup as (hidden) network shares, such as: Main Drive$, My Documents$, etc. with automatic sharing of files and programs turned on.
- The shared folders are mapped as network drives on my notebook (B) and set to make the files available offline.
Problem Details:
Given the above setup, if I try to save a Word document using the My Documents$ network share, the desktop computer (A) reboots. If the same document is stored in a different network share, such as Main Drive$, saving the Word document succeeds and the desktop (A) does not reboot. I have tried moving the My Documents folder to just C:\My Documents and setting that as the special My Document folders using TweakUI. I then set the share permissions to allow Everyone to have Full Control. I also set the NTFS Security settings to allow Everyone to have access to everything except full control and changing permissions and taking ownership. That didn’t make any difference. The desktop still rebooted when attempting to save a Word document from the notebook via the network share.
Nonetheless, I am able to save Word documents via network shares if they are stored anywhere else on the desktop besides the folder designated by Windows as the special My Documents folder.
What do I have to do to setup a network share of the My Documents folder that allows me to save Word documents (and all other file types) without the desktop rebooting?
Thanks,
Andrew
I have shared the My Documents folder on my desktop computer so I can access it from my notebook. When I open a Word document via the network share using my notebook, if I attempt to save the Word document, my desktop will reboot. If I try do the same thing with the same Word document stored in a different shared folder, the desktop doesn’t reboot and it works just fine. What do I have to do to setup a network share of the My Documents folder that allows me to save Word documents (and all other file types) without the desktop rebooting?
See futher details below.
Setup:
A. Desktop computer
- OS: Windows XP Pro SP2
- Software Firewall: Zone Alarm Security Suite
- Antivirus: Norton AntiVirus 2005
B. Notebook computer
- OS: Windows XP Pro SP2
- Software Firewall: Zone Alarm Security Suite
- Antivirus: Norton AntiVirus 2005
C. Network
- Router: Netgear FVS318
- Wireless Access Point: Netgear WG602
- Connection: 802.11g between notbook and router, hardwire ethernet between router and desktop
Configuration:
- Files stored on my desktop computer (A).
- Simple File Sharing turned off on desktop (A).
- Various folders setup as (hidden) network shares, such as: Main Drive$, My Documents$, etc. with automatic sharing of files and programs turned on.
- The shared folders are mapped as network drives on my notebook (B) and set to make the files available offline.
Problem Details:
Given the above setup, if I try to save a Word document using the My Documents$ network share, the desktop computer (A) reboots. If the same document is stored in a different network share, such as Main Drive$, saving the Word document succeeds and the desktop (A) does not reboot. I have tried moving the My Documents folder to just C:\My Documents and setting that as the special My Document folders using TweakUI. I then set the share permissions to allow Everyone to have Full Control. I also set the NTFS Security settings to allow Everyone to have access to everything except full control and changing permissions and taking ownership. That didn’t make any difference. The desktop still rebooted when attempting to save a Word document from the notebook via the network share.
Nonetheless, I am able to save Word documents via network shares if they are stored anywhere else on the desktop besides the folder designated by Windows as the special My Documents folder.
What do I have to do to setup a network share of the My Documents folder that allows me to save Word documents (and all other file types) without the desktop rebooting?
Thanks,
Andrew
BTW: I am just suggesting this as a test.. as I would like to know if the problem persists from another Folder... :)
ASKER
Well I have already tried saving Word documents to shares pointing to other locations and haven't had problems....
I'm having a connection problem with my VNC connection to my home computer, so I can't test anything until tonight when I get home from work. But when I get back I'll try your suggestion to see what happens. ... The File Location setting, though, just changes where MS Office apps will save files by default, correct?
Obviously one solution is to simply make some other folder the folder where I store all my files and put a shortcut to that folder inside My Documents...but that creates an extra step. And some things are automatically saved to the system desginated My Documents folder. So in this scenario, I'd end up with two "my documents" folders.
I think I've tried to save a .txt file inside the My Documents share and was successful. But I tried so many tests that I don't remember now whether I actually tried that or only planned to. I'll test that again to see if it maybe has something to do with Word as opposed to the sharing of the My Documents folder.
I'm having a connection problem with my VNC connection to my home computer, so I can't test anything until tonight when I get home from work. But when I get back I'll try your suggestion to see what happens. ... The File Location setting, though, just changes where MS Office apps will save files by default, correct?
Obviously one solution is to simply make some other folder the folder where I store all my files and put a shortcut to that folder inside My Documents...but that creates an extra step. And some things are automatically saved to the system desginated My Documents folder. So in this scenario, I'd end up with two "my documents" folders.
I think I've tried to save a .txt file inside the My Documents share and was successful. But I tried so many tests that I don't remember now whether I actually tried that or only planned to. I'll test that again to see if it maybe has something to do with Word as opposed to the sharing of the My Documents folder.
ASKER
Oh yeah...
I'm pretty technically oriented (software engineer by day, web developer by night, technology geek by all the time). So feel free to offer any technical suggestions (changing XP policies, security settings, registry settings, whatever) that might help.
Thanks....
I'm pretty technically oriented (software engineer by day, web developer by night, technology geek by all the time). So feel free to offer any technical suggestions (changing XP policies, security settings, registry settings, whatever) that might help.
Thanks....
This is so strange, I cannot think of anything that would cause this to happen... Note that I just wanted you to test this with a new share, as perhaps that would tell us something, but I doubt it... I do believe it is computer specific, meaning that nothing within your LAN would be causing a reboot.. Now, I did have a problem with a computer a few months ago when saving files locally, and found that the CPU had been damaged. Dropping the Mhz down in the BIOS got rid of the problem and prevented the user from having to purchase a new one...
ASKER
I have confirmed that I am able to save Word files from different shares. I can also save .txt files inside the My Documents share.
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
Well, I agree with FE... this is very weird. (See how helpful I am already?)
We've had some strange MS Word problems on a couple of client networks; nothing quite like this, though. Have you reinstalled Word, by any chance? There could be a corrupt DLL out there somewhere (I doubt it, but anything's probably worth a shot). Another thing I would do is run chkdsk on the hard drive; we've had really weird things happen when bad clusters are in the exact wrong place. Also, something this weird, yet this specific, makes me start thinking about potential virus infections and/or spyware problems; although you have Norton installed, my experience has been that McAfee and Norton are both kind of crappy. Another long shot is conflicting versions of Office and MDAC (since you're a developer, you probably have MDAC installed)... make sure MDAC is the latest and greatest.
I'm not sure any suggestion I'm going to have is going to be anything more than a WAG, but one never knows....
<-=+=->
We've had some strange MS Word problems on a couple of client networks; nothing quite like this, though. Have you reinstalled Word, by any chance? There could be a corrupt DLL out there somewhere (I doubt it, but anything's probably worth a shot). Another thing I would do is run chkdsk on the hard drive; we've had really weird things happen when bad clusters are in the exact wrong place. Also, something this weird, yet this specific, makes me start thinking about potential virus infections and/or spyware problems; although you have Norton installed, my experience has been that McAfee and Norton are both kind of crappy. Another long shot is conflicting versions of Office and MDAC (since you're a developer, you probably have MDAC installed)... make sure MDAC is the latest and greatest.
I'm not sure any suggestion I'm going to have is going to be anything more than a WAG, but one never knows....
<-=+=->
ASKER
I don't think reinstalling Word on either computer would make any difference.
I don't think it's a corrupt hard drive, since I haven't had any other problems AND I can save the same Word file just fine if I edit locally. I only have the problem if I try to save the file remotely from my notebook via the network share.
I also doubt it's Norton AntiVirus. I've been using Norton for many years and it has served me well.
I don't have MDAC installed on either of the two computers in question.
The key question in all of this is: why does saving a Word document (but not a .txt file) via a network share cause the "server" computer (the computer with the original copy of the file) to reboot ONLY if that Word document is located inside the shared My Documents folder. I can save Word files via other shares on my C drive and also via shares pointing to other hard drives.
I grant that this is a tough one...hence why I cam here looking for answers! :-)
--Andrew
I don't think it's a corrupt hard drive, since I haven't had any other problems AND I can save the same Word file just fine if I edit locally. I only have the problem if I try to save the file remotely from my notebook via the network share.
I also doubt it's Norton AntiVirus. I've been using Norton for many years and it has served me well.
I don't have MDAC installed on either of the two computers in question.
The key question in all of this is: why does saving a Word document (but not a .txt file) via a network share cause the "server" computer (the computer with the original copy of the file) to reboot ONLY if that Word document is located inside the shared My Documents folder. I can save Word files via other shares on my C drive and also via shares pointing to other hard drives.
I grant that this is a tough one...hence why I cam here looking for answers! :-)
--Andrew
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Good point, FE. I hadn't thought of that. If the computer is BSODing, it would reboot immediately if that's checked. Once it's cleared, you can see the beauty of the Blue Screen. That might give a clue.
<-=+=->
<-=+=->
So, why don't you just create another Share on your Desktop (call it Documents) and make sure that your Word Application (and anything else including Excel) are redirected to that Shared Folder. You do this within the Word > Tools > Options > File Location tab...
FE