Another issue I’ve seen a lot is issues with the Offline Files and Folders or Client Side Cache. This particular bit of Microsoft Genius breaks on a regular basis and creates untold headaches. Typically I just turn it off using a Group Policy but sometimes the policy doesn’t apply.
Symptoms: Users log in and find that they can access the network location but the data is completely wrong (outdated or missing)
This means the PC is permanently stuck in an ‘offline mode’ for that network share and will never again attempt to reconnect. The cache is corrupted but is the only thing the PC will use.
The solution:
CTRL + R to bring up the RUN dialogue box
Copy/Paste this line:
REG ADD "HKLM/System/CurrentControlSet/Services/CSC/Parameters" /v FormatDatabase /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
This forces a reset of the client side cache on the next reboot and the registry entry is deleted automatically. It’s a one time thing.
Now run this from a command prompt (probably still have the prompt open, no?):
gpupdate /force
Now reboot. A reboot is required for the reg key to do it’s job.
Along with issues with the Client Side Cache and GPO’s not updating: delete everything in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Group Policy\History and reboot. This is a more severe method of gpudate /force as it actually removes all cached policies from the PC and forces them to be recreated.
