diff --git a/playbook/shopfloor-setup/Fetch-StagingPayload.ps1 b/playbook/shopfloor-setup/Fetch-StagingPayload.ps1
index 4bc00d4..4ad6dcf 100644
--- a/playbook/shopfloor-setup/Fetch-StagingPayload.ps1
+++ b/playbook/shopfloor-setup/Fetch-StagingPayload.ps1
@@ -86,7 +86,11 @@ if (Test-Path $pxeStatusLib) { try { . $pxeStatusLib; Send-PxeStatus -Stage 'Fet
 # --- Mount the share fresh (use Z:; retry to ride out a brief blip) ---
 $drive = 'Z:'
 function Mount-Share {
-    & net use $drive /delete /y 2>$null | Out-Null
+    # Pre-clear any stale Z: mapping. Wrap in cmd.exe (output to nul INSIDE cmd)
+    # so net.exe's "network connection could not be found" stderr - emitted when
+    # Z: is not mapped (the normal first-attempt case) - never reaches PowerShell
+    # as a NativeCommandError. PS 2>$null does not reliably suppress that.
+    cmd /c "net use $drive /delete /y >nul 2>&1"
     $r = & net use $drive $shareUnc /user:$shareUser $sharePass /persistent:no 2>&1
     return ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0)
 }
@@ -160,7 +164,7 @@ Fetch-Item -Label 'preinstall installers' -SrcDir 'pre-install\installers' -DstD
 Fetch-Item -Label 'udc-backups'      -SrcDir 'pre-install\udc-backups' -DstDir (Join-Path $PIN 'udc-backups') -Recurse
 
 # --- Unmount ---
-& net use $drive /delete /y 2>$null | Out-Null
+cmd /c "net use $drive /delete /y >nul 2>&1"
 
 # --- Summary table ---
 Log "================================================================"
diff --git a/playbook/shopfloor-setup/Verify-And-Heal-Staging.ps1 b/playbook/shopfloor-setup/Verify-And-Heal-Staging.ps1
index 69961e9..ffc1aed 100644
--- a/playbook/shopfloor-setup/Verify-And-Heal-Staging.ps1
+++ b/playbook/shopfloor-setup/Verify-And-Heal-Staging.ps1
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ if ($pcType -eq 'gea-shopfloor-cmm') {
 # non-empty. VerifyOnly adds /L (list-only): it reports what WOULD be re-pulled
 # without changing anything.
 $drive='Z:'; $mounted=$false
-function Mount-Share { & net use $drive /delete /y 2>$null | Out-Null; & net use $drive $ShareUnc /user:$ShareUser $SharePass /persistent:no 2>&1 | Out-Null; return ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) }
+function Mount-Share { cmd /c "net use $drive /delete /y >nul 2>&1"; & net use $drive $ShareUnc /user:$ShareUser $SharePass /persistent:no 2>&1 | Out-Null; return ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) }
 
 $report = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[object]
 for ($a=1; $a -le 5 -and -not $mounted; $a++){ if (Mount-Share){$mounted=$true;Log "Mounted $ShareUnc as $drive"} else {Log "mount attempt $a/5 failed - 10s" 'WARN'; Start-Sleep 10} }
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ if (-not $mounted) {
         $report.Add([pscustomobject]@{Item=$it.Label;Status=$status})
         Log "[$($it.Label)] robocopy rc=$rc -> $status   $(("$files").Trim())"
     }
-    & net use $drive /delete /y 2>$null | Out-Null
+    cmd /c "net use $drive /delete /y >nul 2>&1"
 }
 
 # --- report --------------------------------------------------------------------