Accessing Network Resources - Adding a Network Place

3/13/2011 4:18:01 PM

Whenever a workgroup computer shares a folder, Windows XP detects the new share and adds it automatically to your my Network Places folder. To add another folder (such as a subfolder of a shared resource) as a network place, follow these steps:

Tip

You can tell Windows XP to not add new shared resources to My Network Places automatically. To do this, launch Control Panel’s Folder Options icon, display the View tab, and then deactivate the Automatically Search for Network Folders and Printers check box.

In the My Network Places (or any network folder) task pane, click Add a Network Place to launch the Add Network Place Wizard.

Click Next. If your computer has an Internet connection, the wizard will access the Internet and retrieve a list of online storage providers.

Click Choose Another Network Location and click Next.

Either use the Internet or Network Address text box to type the network address of the resource, or click Browse to select the resource using the Browse for Folder dialog box. Click Next.

The Universal Naming Convention

Network addresses use the universal naming convention (UNC), which uses the following format:

   \\ComputerName\ShareName

Here, ComputerName is the name of the computer, and ShareName is the name given to the shared resource. For example, the following UNC path refers to a shared resource named Downloads on a computer named ZEUS:

   \\ZEUS\Downloads\

If the UNC refers to a drive or folder, you can use the regular path conventions to access subfolders on that resource. For example, if the resource Downloads on ZEUS is a drive and if that drive has a Device Drivers subfolder, you can refer to that subfolder as follows:

   \\ZEUS\Downloads\Device Drivers

Modify the name in the Type a Name for This Network Place, if desired, and then click Next.

To open the network place in a folder window, leave the Open this Network Place When I Click Finish check box activated.

Click Finish.

Tip

The UNC offers you several alternative methods of accessing shared network resources:

Select Start, Run to open the Run dialog box. Type the UNC for a shared resource and then click OK to open the resource in a folder window.
In a 32-bit application’s Open or Save As dialog box, you can use a UNC name in the File Name text box.
At the command prompt, type START followed by the UNC path. Here’s an example:
```
   START \\ZEUS\Downloads\
```
At the command prompt, you can use a UNC name as part of a command. For example, to copy a file named archive.zip from \\ZEUS\Downloads\ to the current folder, you’d use the following command:
```
   COPY \\ZEUS\Downloads\archive.zip
```

Other -----------------

- Accessing Network Resources - Using My Network Places

- Setting Up a Peer-to-Peer Network : Working with Network Settings

- Setting Up a Peer-to-Peer Network : Implementing Wireless Network Security

- Setting Up a Peer-to-Peer Network : Configuring a Wireless Gateway

- Setting Up a Peer-to-Peer Network : Running the Network Setup Wizard

- A Modem Communications Primer - Serial Ports: Communicating One Bit at a Time

- A Modem Communications Primer - Modems: The Inside Story

- Troubleshooting Device Problems

- Managing Your Hardware with Device Manager

- Tips and Techniques for Installing Devices