Can’t map network drive on Windows 7 after closing VPN connection

lostmappeddrivevpnwindows 7

So the command below works if I reboot my computer. But whenever I VPN to a certain customer's network on Windows 7, I lose my mapped drive. And when I try to re-establish the mapped drive (even after closing the VPN connection), I get this error at the Windows command prompt. FYI: I have another Virtual Machine running Windows XP and this never happens on there.

C:\Windows\system32>net use z: \\{my company domain name}.local\dfsroot\docs
System error 53 has occurred.

The network path was not found.

For this question, I'd just like to map this drive without having to reboot Windows 7. How can I do that?

Bonus questions: Why does this only happen on Windows 7? How can I keep my VPN open and also map this drive? Are there tools for troubleshooting these types of things?

So I'm no networking guru, but I see 1 difference with the ipconfig /all command. The Physical Address is different and that's it. And the Lease Obtained and Lease Expires, but those are probably irrelevant. If there's any other info you need, please let me know.

===================

"ipconfig /all" after closing VPN connection and losing mapped drives:

C:\Windows\system32>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

   Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DEV-WIN7-KW
   Primary Dns Suffix  . . . . . . . : {my company domain name}.local
   Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
   IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
   WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
   DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : {my company domain name}.local

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection* 11:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Juniper Network Connect Virtual Adapter
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-FF-B0-EB-06-06
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter LAN:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : {my company domain name}.local
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Citrix PV Ethernet Adapter
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 92-50-96-20-DE-C0
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.10.151(Preferred)
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, December 16, 2011 3:30:23 AM
   Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, December 28, 2011 3:30:28 AM
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.10.1
   DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.10.18
   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.10.18
                                       10.0.10.14
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.{949B9867-7CBD-40A3-B92F-DD2E687C26AB}:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.acumium.local:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : {my company domain name}.local
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

C:\Windows\system32>route print
===========================================================================
Interface List
 31...........................OmegaVPN
 16...00 ff 10 80 06 06 ......Juniper Network Connect Virtual Adapter
 13...92 50 96 20 de c0 ......Citrix PV Ethernet Adapter
  1...........................Software Loopback Interface 1
 12...00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
 15...00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
 18...00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #3
 17...00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
===========================================================================

IPv4 Route Table
===========================================================================
Active Routes:
Network Destination        Netmask          Gateway       Interface  Metric
          0.0.0.0          0.0.0.0        10.0.10.1      10.0.10.151      5
        10.0.10.0    255.255.255.0         On-link       10.0.10.151    261
      10.0.10.151  255.255.255.255         On-link       10.0.10.151    261
      10.0.10.255  255.255.255.255         On-link       10.0.10.151    261
      12.54.41.18  255.255.255.255        10.0.10.1      10.0.10.151      6
        127.0.0.0        255.0.0.0         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
        127.0.0.1  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
  127.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
      192.168.2.0    255.255.255.0    192.168.2.110     192.168.2.97      6
     192.168.2.97  255.255.255.255         On-link      192.168.2.97    261
        224.0.0.0        240.0.0.0         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
        224.0.0.0        240.0.0.0         On-link       10.0.10.151    261
  255.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
  255.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link       10.0.10.151    261
  255.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link      192.168.2.97    261
===========================================================================
Persistent Routes:
  None

IPv6 Route Table
===========================================================================
Active Routes:
 If Metric Network Destination      Gateway
  1    306 ::1/128                  On-link
  1    306 ff00::/8                 On-link
===========================================================================
Persistent Routes:
  None

===================

"ipconfig /all" after reboot:

C:\Windows\system32>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

   Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DEV-WIN7-KW
   Primary Dns Suffix  . . . . . . . : {my company domain name}.local
   Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
   IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
   WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
   DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : {my company domain name}.local

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection* 11:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Juniper Network Connect Virtual Adapter
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-FF-10-80-06-06
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter LAN:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : {my company domain name}.local
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Citrix PV Ethernet Adapter
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 92-50-96-20-DE-C0
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.10.151(Preferred)
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Thursday, December 22, 2011 10:09:45 AM
   Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Friday, December 30, 2011 10:09:50 AM
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.10.1
   DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.10.18
   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.10.18
                                       10.0.10.14
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.{949B9867-7CBD-40A3-B92F-DD2E687C26AB}:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.acumium.local:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : {my company domain name}.local
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

C:\Windows\system32>route print
===========================================================================
Interface List
 16...00 ff b0 63 dd 05 ......Juniper Network Connect Virtual Adapter
 13...92 50 96 20 de c0 ......Citrix PV Ethernet Adapter
  1...........................Software Loopback Interface 1
 12...00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
 15...00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
 17...00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
===========================================================================

IPv4 Route Table
===========================================================================
Active Routes:
Network Destination        Netmask          Gateway       Interface  Metric
          0.0.0.0          0.0.0.0        10.0.10.1      10.0.10.124      5
        10.0.10.0    255.255.255.0         On-link       10.0.10.124    261
      10.0.10.124  255.255.255.255         On-link       10.0.10.124    261
      10.0.10.255  255.255.255.255         On-link       10.0.10.124    261
        127.0.0.0        255.0.0.0         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
        127.0.0.1  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
  127.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
        224.0.0.0        240.0.0.0         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
        224.0.0.0        240.0.0.0         On-link       10.0.10.124    261
  255.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306
  255.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link       10.0.10.124    261
===========================================================================
Persistent Routes:
  None

IPv6 Route Table
===========================================================================
Active Routes:
 If Metric Network Destination      Gateway
  1    306 ::1/128                  On-link
  1    306 ff00::/8                 On-link
===========================================================================
Persistent Routes:
  None

C:\Windows\system32>

Best Answer

I'm just taking a shot in the dark here, but have you tried running the following after closing your VPN connection?

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

and possibly followed up with

ipconfig /flushdns
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