Introduction:
A shared folder is a network folder that is accessible to multiple users. Shared folders can be used to share files and folders between computers on a network. Sometimes, users may experience problems accessing shared folders.
This blog post will discuss how to troubleshoot access issues to shared folders using Sysinternals tools, based on a real-life case study.
The Case Study:
In a specific scenario involving Symantec Backup Exec, the goal was to add a new storage device as a share. A shared folder was created on a Synology NAS with domain administrator rights, including the user’s username.
However, an error message, “The path seems to be invalid. Check the server and the path names” was encountered when attempting to add the share in Symantec Backup Exec.
Interestingly, accessing the shared folder using Windows Explorer worked without any issues. This raised the question: Why was Symantec Backup Exec unable to access this share?
I employed Process Monitor to capture a trace while clicking the “Next” button in Symantec Backup Exec to delve deeper into the issue.
Analyzing the Process Monitor results, I searched for the “\NASSYNOLOGY\Backup” string, which yielded a clue. The process “BackupExecManagementService.exe” was attempting to access the “\NASSYNOLOGY\Backupp” share but received an “ACCESS DENIED” error.
The next step involved determining which user was associated with the BackupExecManagementService.exe process. To accomplish this, I utilized the SysInternals’ Process Explorer tool.
Within Process Explorer, I right-clicked on BackupExecManagementService.exe, selected “Properties,” and navigated to the Security tab. This provided insight into the user account associated with the process.
It became evident that the user running the BackupExecManagementService.exe process did not have the necessary access rights to the shared folder. By granting the user the correct access rights, the access problem was resolved.
You can download the Sysinternals suite here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb842062.aspx
Conclusion
Through the case study outlined in this blog post, we have demonstrated how to identify and overcome access issues by using tools like Process Monitor and Process Explorer.
By implementing these techniques and ensuring the correct access rights are granted, you can confidently troubleshoot and resolve shared folder access problems.