Accessing Shared Drive On Windows 11 randomly works when it wants to.

Ethan Thomas 0 Reputation points
2026-11-10T09:30:30.5666667+00:00

We have a server with shared folders on to the network. It will normally not work in the morning then randomly at any time in the evening or afternoon it will work.

Sometimes we get different error messages and trying to access it via ip address does not work.

I have tried quite a few things to trouble shoot it but nothing seems to work. then a couple hours later i will suddenly be able to access the folder.

Windows for business | Windows Server | Networking | Network connectivity and file sharing
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  1. Xuan Nhu 1,695 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-10T10:09:53.9566667+00:00

    Hello Ethan,

    Since accessing the shared folders also fails using the server's IP address, I'd investigate SMB connectivity and server availability rather than DNS alone.

    First, check whether the LanmanServer service is running when the issue occurs. Run Test-NetConnection <ServerIP> -Port 445 and review Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System and Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > SMBServer for related errors.

    Also, check for scheduled tasks, backup jobs, network adapter resets, or firewall rules that might interrupt SMB connectivity.

    One question: When the issue occurs, can users still ping the server and access other services, or is the entire server unreachable? This will help narrow down whether the problem is SMB-specific or related to overall server/network availability.

    Hope this helps!

    Xuan Nhu.

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