Windows Takes a Long Time to Access Network Files and Drives – Solution

In the age of the internet that we live in at the moment, for most users local work with the PC has almost disappeared. With this, what we want to tell you is that we carry out a multitude of tasks both through the internet and connected in a local network. It is precisely for this reason that we need these connections to be as stable, reliable and fluid as possible.

In fact, Microsoft‘s own operating system, Windows , presents us with a good number of functions and facilities to work connected. At the same time, the software itself presents us with various characteristics that will help us to improve or solve problems with the connections we use on a daily basis. These connections that we are talking about refer to both the global and the local ones of a network. However, as surely many of you have seen on more than one occasion first-hand, these do not always work as they should.

Windows Takes a Long Time to Access Network Files and Drives

By this, what we mean is that the connection of our computer, whether local or global, sometimes presents certain failures.

Why does it take a long time for my PC to access a network drive

One of the most common errors that we can find in this regard is when our Windows computer takes a long time to access a network drive. Specifically, we mean that the computer takes too long to access a shared resource , such as any file or folder that we have on the local network. The reasons for this can be several, starting because some physical connection has moved and therefore ceases to exist. In this way, the first thing we have to do is test the local network connections .

You can also see some kind of failure with the drivers or the operating system itself. Therefore arrived for this situation the best thing that we can do is to update the network drivers from the Device Manager. We access this by right-clicking the Start menu and locating the Network Adapters entry.

Actualizar controlador

In the same way, if from the Configuration application of Windows 10 itself , in the Windows Update section we recommend updating the system to its most recent version. This could solve many problems as well as improve our connection. To access this section, we only have to use the Win + I key combination, go to the Update and security section. Here we already find the Windows Update functionality that will offer us, if necessary, the latest version of the system.

Fix the problem with network access time

One of the most common problems that we do not usually find when we work in a local network, is that the access time to shared resources is very high. Therefore, if we face long delays when accessing shared documents, or when accessing files on a shared network in Windows 10, let’s see how we can solve it quickly.

In fact, in these same lines we are going to identify the most common cause of this problem. In addition, and how could it be otherwise, we are going to provide you with a useful solution so that you can try to fix the problem of access time on the network .

Uninstall the latest Windows update

And it is necessary to bear in mind that normally when we update a computer with Windows 10 to the most recent version, some things may fail. In the case at hand, once the update is finished when trying to access a network share, we cannot. As a general rule in these cases we try to access a resource that can contain thousands of files and folders. Thus, when opening one of those shared documents, we see that both access and opening experience significant delays .

However, in the event that we uninstall the new version of Windows 10 that we just installed, this is fixed. By carrying out this step again we can access shared network resources without delay. This is something that we have the possibility to do from the System Configuration application. We access it using the Win + I key combination and go to Update and security. After this we click on View update history and in the new window that appears we already see the Uninstall the updates link.

Desinstalar las actualizaciones

It’s worth knowing that this network issue affects Windows 10’s ability to cache very large directories. Therefore, if what we find with delays when accessing documents from a shared network drive, we are going to try another less radical solution. And it is that as we have been told so many times by Microsoft itself, it is advisable to keep the equipment always updated.

Fix the crash with the network from the registry

Therefore, in order not to have to take a step back in this regard, we are going to show you an alternative solution to solve the problem with the network . If we have already installed all the Windows 10 updates, as we showed you at the beginning, we will fix the bug. This is something that we are going to fix from the Windows registry editor. Of course, since it is a registry operation, it is recommended to make a backup copy of it before touching it. So, once the necessary precautionary measures have been taken, let’s get started.

The first thing we do is type the regedit command in the search box that we find on the Windows taskbar. With this, what we do is open the registry editor and in the File / Export menu we can make the backup we talked about before. Next, what we have to do is locate the following path in the registry :

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services/LanmanWorkstation/Parameters

Once here in the right panel we have to find the entry called DirectoryCacheLifetime. It is worth mentioning that in the event that we do not see it, we will have to create it ourselves. To do this, simply click on an empty space in the right panel with the secondary mouse button. Select New / DWORD Value (32-bit) and name it DirectoryCacheLifetime.

error red registro

To finish, we just have to double click on the new entry created to edit its properties. In the window that appears we write 0 in the Value data box. Now we can exit the Registry editor and restart the PC. After this we will verify that the problem with network delays has already been resolved.