Home drive mapping problem

used a VBS script to create around 1000 users every year (AD on a W2K
server with W2K workstations).
I then use another VBS script to update the accounts by setting a Home
Drive:

Connect H: to \\servername\folder\%USERNAME%

When the user logs in the mapped drive maps to \\servername\folder and
doesn't map to the username folder.
I checked the NTFS and share permissions, and everything is ok (the user can
even click on the subfolder of the share and access his/her home folder).

The last years, it was working fine, and this year I get this problem. Was
it a update?

The most bizarre part is that if I go in the User properties, and click in
the home drive section, I get a message that the drive already exist and was
not created, but then %USERNAME% becomes the actual name of the folder and
the next user logon will correctly map the drive to the username folder. as
if the translation of
%USERNMAME% does not work this year.

Any thoughts?