network drives don't show

[redfilm]

Hello to you all. This is my first time on TechArena and hopefully to stay for a long time.
Well, now to my problem.
I have networked computers (win-sp pro) connected to Win2003SmallBusiness partitioned as different drives, eg one for the system (c:) and other for work in progress (d:, e:, etc). On the xp units most of the time the networked folders show up (appear as network drives and access normally) - then if the computer is not connected to the server for a particular length of time, these drives don't show up, disappear, even when I access the network folder in the control panel. Checked network and all ok; ping and all is fine. Sometimes on shortcuts files created from the network, the connections come back quickly but some other time gives an error message that I am unable to write down and disappear quickly. I understand that there are settings in Windows that control the connection time and when lags it tend to terminate or hide (such as 'keep always connected' or similar). Does anyone know where is this setting is located? Been searching the MS website for ages but cannot find the details.
I'll appreciate greatly if someone can help me.
Thanks.

[Zipp]

when a computer is switched on the drives would be show if u have accessed it before. but if the computer is switched off the network drives disappear. this is a network mechanism. the computer keeps track of the network devices regularly via "hello" packets. these packets can be assumed as pinging network devices. when the network device or system is turned off, it cannot reply to the hello packets obviously. windows do not hide the network folder immediately after the network machine is switched off. it waits for some time. this wait time is known as "dead" time. when the dead time expires, windows hide the network drives/machine/devices. windows still keeps on sending the hello packets to the network so as to show the device again when it recieves a reply from the device on network. its a normal & basic phenomenon to keep track of network devices. its not an issue so don't worry about it.