How to purge or empty Windows Explorer’s network username and sharename cache

network-sharenetworkingwindows-explorerwindows-vista

While troubleshooting a Samba vs Windows Network issue, I noticed that Windows' Explorer remembers login credentials of remote shares, even if you ask it not to. For instance, after accessing a share using \\servername\sharename plus entering username/password and then closing Windows Explorer, adding the same share as a network drive gives the following message, regardless whether the username is the same or not:

The network folder specified is
currently mapped using a different
user name and password.

To connect using a different user name
and password, first disconnect any
existing mappings to this network
share.

Using NET USE does not show the share. After restarting the computer, I have no problems accessing the share using different credentials. But restarting just for testing other credentials is annoying, esp. while troubleshooting. How can I purge this cache, using Windows Vista?

Note: using nbtstat -R[R], ipconfig /renew, killing explorer.exe or disabling / re-enabling the network card didn't help.

Best Answer

The following advice does not help you to 'purge or empty Windows Explorer’s network username and sharename cache' (as you asked). But it will allow you to connect to (essentially) the same share or the same server using a different username.

The trick is to use the IP address of the remote server.

(Also,

if it's Samba on the remote side,

  • you could setup smb.conf to contain netbios aliases = firstname, secondname, thirdname and you'll have even more options

if it's a Windows AD member server on the remote side,

  • you could create a different 'Domain Name Alias' for your server,

and you'll have even more options. In all these situations, the connecting client will behave as if it connected to a different server.)

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