Can't offer a solution, I'm afraid. What I can say is that I'm having exactly the same problem, and if you Google, you can see we are not alone. It's a Win7 problem with network shares. Some detail:
Like the OP I have had a network running flawlessly for years, with a few XP clients using the NASLite server. I recently added a Win7 (x64) box, but that randomly drops the NASLite shares.
It goes like this: everything is fine when I boot the Win7 box. All shares are available. But after a random period of time, the shares will drop, and the shares are covered with big red "x"s in Windows Explorer. Clicking on the shares brings the following error:
"An error occurred while reconnecting X: to \\NETWORKSHARE. Microsoft Windows Network: The local device is already in use. The connection has not been restored."I can still ping the NASLite box from the Win7 box, and I can access the status pages via http. The XP boxes continue to access the NASLite box without any difficulty 24/7.
I've been looking into this for some time, and judging by the number of threads I've come across, many people seem to be having this problem with Win7 - shares dropping randomly, and failing to reconnect. For the record, I've tried many of the suggestions made elsewhere, including:
Change authentication settings:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\LmCompatibilityLevel = 1
Disable server disconnect:
net config server /autodisconnect:-1
set the following to disabled in network adapter:
Large Send Offload (IPv4)
Large Send Offload v2 (IPv4)
TCP/UDP Checksum Offload (IPv4)
TCP/UDP Checksum Offload (IPv6)
None of the above worked. Below is the output from
net use on my Win7 box once the shares vanish:
Code:
Status Local Remote Network
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unavailable M: \\192.168.0.25\Disk-2 Microsoft Windows Network
Unavailable N: \\192.168.0.25\Disk-3 Microsoft Windows Network
Unavailable S: \\192.168.0.25\Disk-4 Microsoft Windows Network
Unavailable T: \\192.168.0.25\Disk-0 Microsoft Windows Network
Unavailable U: \\192.168.0.25\Disk-1 Microsoft Windows Network
This has been happening since before Win7 SP1. All my connections are wired, no wifi. I've run out of ideas. I now know that when I switch on my Win7 box, I have about 30-60 minutes to access my NASLite shares before they vanish and I have to reboot. It's bizarre. I'm guessing it can't be a universal problem for Win7 users, though, otherwise there'd be riots on the streets.