My Network Places

How do you find the folders and printers floating around out there somewhere in the Network Twilight Zone? If you've been using Windows for any length of time, you may have guessed by now that you can do the job in several ways.

The most straightforward way is through the My Network Places display. It appears as a choice on the Other Places list of My Computer after you install any network components in Windows XP and it's the starting place for finding network resources.

My Network Places gives you a way to browse, search, and select "favorite" network resources, including shared folders, Web pages, FTP sites, and so on. To open My Network Places, view My Computer, and then select My Network Places from the Other Places menu.

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If you find yourself using My Network Places frequently, you can add it to your Start menu. Just right-click Start, select Properties, and Customize. Select the Advanced tab and scroll the Start menu items list down to My Network Places. Check it and click OK. You also can drag a shortcut to My Network Places from your Start menu onto the desktop or the quick launch bar.

When you select My Network Places from the My Computer window, you get the "folder" view of My Network Places, as shown in Figure 17.2.

Figure 17.2. My Network Places is the starting point for searching and opening network resources. On a peer-to-peer network, by default Windows will locate and display icons for all shared folders.

My Network Places is meant to be a place to collect shortcuts to commonly used remote network resources like shared folders, Web Folders, FTP sites, and the like. When you first install Windows, My Network Places doesn't have any of your personalized shortcuts, of course. On a workgroup network, by default it will display an icon for each shared folder on your network. (This is controlled in Explorer by selecting Tools, Folder Options. On the View tab, check Automatically Search for Network Folders and Printers.)

On a domain network, you'll have to browse through the network or ask your network administrator to identify shared network folders for you. I'll show you how to browse later in this chapter under "Exploring and Searching the Network."

My Network Places organizes your network resource shortcuts, and also lists several commonly used tasks:

• Add a network place Opens a wizard to create network or Internet shortcuts. I'll discuss the Add Network Place Wizard later in this chapter.

• View Network Connections Displays and configures your dial-up connections or LAN adapter.

On a peer-to-peer-network, there are additional choices:

• Set up a home or small office network Runs the Network Setup Wizard. (For more information, see "Using the Network Setup Wizard" in Chapter 16).

• Set up a wireless network for a home or small office Runs the Wireless Network Setup Wizard to create or add to an existing wireless network. (For more information, see "Using the Wireless Network Setup Wizard" in Chapter 16.)

• View Workgroup Computers Provides a quick way to view the list of computers in your workgroup.

• Show (or hide) icons for networked UPnP devices Installs or removes the optional Universal Plug and Play User Interface (UPnPUI), which lets you manage and configure UPnP enabled devices such as routers. The UPnPUI is discussed in Chapter 19, "Connecting Your LAN to the Internet."

I suggest that you browse through My Network Places to check out the computers and resources on your network.

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You can drag shortcuts to any of the icons in My Network Places to your desktop for convenience.