Using My Network Places to Access SharePoint 2003 Sites

In Windows XP, the My Network Places tool can quickly become the SharePoint 2003 user's good friend but can be confusing to users who are not very savvy with networking fundamentals. This section reviews the basic functionality of My Network Places in Windows XP and offers some advice on how to configure it to make it more user friendly.

As its name suggests, My Network Places provides one location for shortcuts to be created and managed that connect to networked computers, servers, printers, and other devices. If the XP Show Common Tasks view is used, My Network Places also provides a number of hyperlinks to commonly used folders such as the Desktop folder, My Computer, My Documents, Printers, and Faxes.

To add a network place, follow these steps:

1.	Open My Network Places and under the Network Tasks area of the common tasks area click on Add a Network Place. If you are using the Windows Classic view, double-click on the Add Network Place icon.
2.	The Add Network Place Wizard opens and gives an introductory message if it hasn't been used before. Click Next.
3.	In the Where Do You Want to Connect This Network Place? window, select the Choose Another Network Location icon and click Next.
4.	In the What Is the Address of This Network Place? window, enter the address if it's known, or click on the Browse button to find it manually. Click Next.
5.	In the What Do You Want to Name This Place? window, enter a name that uniquely identifies the folder and click Next.
6.	Check the box next to Open This Network Place When I Click Finish, if desired, and click Finish.

New SharePoint 2003 users should be encouraged to house-clean their Network Places, especially if they have a number of connections listed, or are using a laptop that gets attached to multiple networks.

To ease new SharePoint 2003 users' navigation experience, an administrative or Help Desk resource should help them configure their systems with the appropriate Network Places and provide basic training on how to use Network Places to navigate the SharePoint 2003 sites. This is particularly useful when the user is opening or saving files from Office applications to SharePoint 2003 sites.