This is a samba joined to 2003 AD using security=domain. Exports that look like [dgo] force user = dgo (foo beeing local user) do not work from windows (user cannot enter directory) but work from smbclient. Renaming the export solves the problem (!). machine name is hpora, dgo is the export, real path is /extra2/dgo. strace shows a strage stat64 when export name is dgo: chdir("/tmp") = 0 chdir("/extra2/dgo") = 0 stat64("hpora/dgo", 0xafae2990) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) stat64("hpora", 0xafae2990) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) but not when export name is dgo1: chdir("/extra2/dgo") = 0 stat64(".", {st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_size=632, ...}) = 0 stat64("*", 0xafae3180) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) stat64("*", 0xafae3180) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) stat64("./.", {st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_size=632, ...}) = 0 What on earth is windows (or samba) trying to do?