Question : Problem: missing nas

i run a mac mini, connected to a nas via a 10/100 switch. Also connected to the switch are 2 windows pc's one with vista, the other with xp. when i start up my mac, the nas normally should appear as shared on the sidebar. however this does not always happen, and i might get access via the shared drive link appearing maybe once every 4 power-ons. i can log into the nas at any time via safari, and see all my files and even download them from it, so there are no access problems in that regard. The nas is completely accessible from both windows pc's, and remains on all the time. All computers and the nas are on fixed ip's and i have no problems dumping files from the mac directly to the ps's and vice versa.

any ideas how can i get the nas to stay on my sidebar all the time?

Answer : Problem: missing nas

The sidebar listing of Network Volumes in OSX 10.5 is a little flaky.  It often will not show drives which you know are there and available (this is because it really only pick up Bonjour shares reliably and not SMB Windows shares).

This does not mean that the drive is unavailable or missing so you can usually just click on the Connect to Server option in the Finder Go menu.

Consider doing the following

Connect/Mount the NAS on your Mac .. now Cmd-Alt and drag the icon of the mounted volume on your desktop to create an alias/shortcut.  You can put this shortcut on your desktop, in the Dock or in the sidebar of the Finder window to allow quick and instant access to the NAS.

There are alternatives such as Applescripts to auto mount the NAS .. you can find these in the OSX Experts Exchange answers.