\\domain.com\namespace: The Namespace cannot be queried. Element not found.

After we managed to save our SAN disk and have it represented to the server after it had booted (I don't recommend it! Boot the server with the drives presented EVERY time), we had some unusual DFS issues. When we opened DFS Management to check one of the namespaces, it was showing:

\\domain.com\namespace: The Namespace cannot be queried. Element not found.

We could successfully open the folder on the server, but couldn't when trying to access as a network resource. We tried to remove the share on the folder using folder properties but it said we had to remove it from the DFS management console first.

After much playing around, we decided it had to be deleted. So... ADSIEdit > open the domain > CN=system > dfs-configuration > find the namespace you wish to delete and delete it. Open DFS management and remove the problematic share from view. Next - make sure you restart the server! We spent the next half an hour troubleshooting it - all it needed was a restart. This kicks DFS into play again and it catches up with itself.

At this point, open the folder properties, remove the option to share from advanced sharing and then set it all up again using the DFS Management console.

In all, quite a simple fix - but as the saying goes, it's easy when you know how!