Windows Networking Issue Since SL Update

This system is in an office that uses a couple windows servers for a fileserver. Running Leopard everything was fine. After the update things have gotten funky. The shares often disconnect and the finder has to be left opened for them to remain connected, if you close the finder, all connections close.

Further more when you are trying to open files, say from Word, it won't let you navigate into folders, you can see the fileshares, you can open the first folder, but not navigate below them. Mounting them with apple-k is the only way to mount them as well, used to be able to mount them from the finder.