Windows 7 – Network Files Not Showing Up After Save, Copy, or Other File Activities – File Cache Lifetime

Once in a while we see a behaviour in our Windows 7 systems that is a bit puzzling.

While working on a Win7 VM creating our PDF invoices the local Windows 7 workstation where they are e-mailed out from does not see the file at all in Windows Explorer.

Yet, if the filename such as “Invoice 12345 Client.PDF” is punched into the Search field the file shows up as being there.

If the file in the search result is double clicked to open or copy there is an error stating that the file does not exist! Click the X to the right of the search term and the file is not listed there after the search either.

After much research we have figured out what we need to do to reduce the likelihood that the behaviour will happen, or if it does happen the time for the file to show up is greatly reduced.

• Windows Server Forums: How to Disable SMB2 Caching on a per application basis, or how to detect SMB2 ?
• MSDN Open Specifications Developer: SMB2 registry settings
• Posts on this forum topic are very informative.
• Microsoft TechNet: SMB2 Client Redirector Caches Explained

The last one has an explanation of all of the registry settings.

We will be configuring the registry settings into our Windows Computers Policy GPO with reduced time settings to see if the changes make a difference. When waiting for the file to show up in Windows Explorer it sure does not seem like 10 seconds!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer