MAPPED DRIVES
CREATE A MAPPED DRIVE QUICKLYThe Annoyance:I usually think about mapping a drive when I'm ready to access a shared resource in My Network Places or Network Neighborhood. The Windows Help files tell me to use the Map Network Drive command on the Tools menu. That in turn asks me to enter the path to the share I want to map, or makes me open another window and select the shared resource. There must be an easier way. The Fix:Actually, mapping a drive to a share in front of your face is the fastest way to accomplish this task. In the window that displays all the shares of a computer, right-click the icon for the shared resource and select Map Network Drive. This action opens the Map Network Drive dialog box seen in Figure 3-23. Windows has already selected the next available drive letter and inserted the UNC to the shared resource. Specify whether you want to reconnect to this mapped drive every time you start the computer, and click Finish. The drive appears in My Computer. Figure 3-23. Mapping a drive can be a one-step process.
CHOOSE A DRIVE LETTER FOR A MAPPED DRIVEThe Annoyance:I don't always use the same computerI usually have to find one my kids aren't using. I mapped drives to my favorite resources on each computer, but I find the inconsistency of the drive letters annoying. Each computer seems to pick a different letter for the "next available drive letter." The Fix:You don't have to accept the next available drive letter; just pick any letter that the computer you're working on isn't using already. To do this, click the arrow to the right of the Drive text box on the Map Network Drive dialog box and select another letter. Usually, drive letters A through D are taken by physical drives in the computer. If you have multiple hard drives or have partitioned a hard drive, A through E might be taken. A second CD-ROM drive might also eat up another drive letter. All versions of Windows except XP suggest the first empty letter for your mapped drive. As you map more drives, the system keeps offering the next available drive letter, working its way through the alphabet. Windows XP starts at Z and works backward. If you want consistency in your mapped drives, pick a letter from the middle of the alphabet. For example, use M for your first mapped drive on every computer, N for the next mapped drive, and so on. AUTOMATICALLY RECONNECT A MAPPED DRIVEThe Annoyance:The Map Network Drive dialog box has an option labeled Reconnect at Logon. I don't know what effect this would have on restarting my computer, so I never know whether to select the option. It's annoying that the Map Network Drive dialog box offers no help. The Fix:Although it is annoying that the Map Network Drive dialog box lacks both a help button and a "What's This?" feature, the explanation is rather simple. Reconnecting at logon means the drive mapping is permanent and will be available every time you log on to this computer. Deselecting the Reconnect at Logon option creates a temporary drive mapping that expires when you log off the computer (whether by using the Log Off option, restarting the computer, or shutting down the computer). The next time you log on, the mapped drive doesn't exist. Tip: Windows remembers the state of the Reconnect at Logon option. The next time you map a drive, the option is selected or not, depending on how you left it the last time you mapped a drive. Except for Windows 98SE (see the next annoyance), selecting the Reconnect at Logon option means more than maintaining the mapped drive permanently. It also affects the logon process. Every time you log on, Windows verifies the mapped drive, which means it peers down the network cable (or virtual cable in a wireless network) to make sure the shared resource mapped to the drive is up and running. This verification slows the logon process a bit, but I doubt you'll notice the difference. If the share isn't available, the mapped drive still appears in My Computer, but is marked as inaccessible until its linked share is available again. (See the "Failed Automatic Reconnections" annoyances later in this section.) WINDOWS 98SE AUTOMATIC RECONNECTION OPTIONSThe Annoyance:On my Windows 98SE computer, I can configure the way mapped drives are reconnected in the Network dialog box. But why does my selection have no effect on whether the Reconnect at Logon option appears when I map a drive? The Fix:This can be confusing, so let me try to explain what's going on. In Windows 98SE, open the Network Properties dialog box, select the Client for Microsoft Networks component, and choose Properties. The bottom half of the Client for Microsoft Networks Properties dialog box offers two options for managing your mapped drives (see Figure 3-24):
Because these options manage the logon process, the selection you make is unrelated to the Reconnect at Logon option (making the mapping permanent) when you're creating a mapped drive. Figure 3-24. Choose the way mapped drives are managed when you log on. Warning: If you change the selection for managing network connections during logon, you have to restart the computer. Of course, you almost always have to restart a Windows 98 computer whenever you make configuration changes. Upgrade to Windows XP to avoid this annoyance. FAILED AUTOMATIC RECONNECTIONS IN WINDOWS XPThe Annoyance:When I log on to my computer, Windows XP displays a balloon over the notification area of the task bar telling me that a mapped drive failed to reconnect to its share on a remote computer. It also says to click the balloon to see which mapped drives are connected and which are not. But before I can click the balloon, it disappears. How can I tell which mapped drives are connected? The Fix:The balloon quickly disappears to make room for another Windows XP balloon that says "Stay Current With Automatic Updates" (a balloon that doesn't disappear quickly). The original balloon is unimportant because clicking it merely opens My Computer, which you can do for yourself. My Computer displays mapped drives that aren't currently connected to the shares they represent with a red X on the icon (see the bottom icon in Figure 3-25). Figure 3-25. A mapped drive that failed to connect with its remote share displays a red X on its icon. When the computer that holds the share linked to the mapped drive becomes available, double-click the mapped drive icon to open the share and reestablish the connection. The red X goes away.
FAILED AUTOMATIC RECONNECTIONS IN WINDOWS 2000The Annoyance:When I log on to my Windows 2000 computer and a mapped drive isn't reconnected, how am I supposed to know? I don't see any error message during logon or after logon is completed. The Fix:For some reason, Windows 2000 refuses to share information about its failures. You can learn which mapped drives were successfully reconnected and which were not by opening My Computer. A mapped drive with a red X on its icon is not available. When the computer that holds the share linked to the mapped drive becomes available, double-click the mapped drive icon to open the share and reestablish the connection. The red X goes away. FAILED AUTOMATIC RECONNECTIONS IN WINDOWS 98SEThe Annoyance:When I log on to my Windows 98SE computer, I sometimes see a message telling me a mapped drive isn't connected. It also asks whether I want to reconnect the next time I log on. What should I say? The Fix:Say Yes. If you say No, the mapped drive is deleted from your system forever (well, until you go through the steps required to map the drive again). Windows 98SE offers you this option in case the mapped drive is linked to a share that you've removed. Of course, if you have removed the shared resource, you should say No to save yourself the trouble of removing (disconnecting) the mapped drive from your system. Windows 98SE provides the most logical, most helpful, and least annoying method of dealing with failed reconnections of mapped drives. Why did Microsoft abandon this method with later versions of Windows? DISCONNECT MEANS DELETE THE MAPPED DRIVE LETTERThe Annoyance:I have a mapped drive to a remote computer out for repair. I decided to disconnect the mapped drive while the remote computer was unavailable (a week or more) because I didn't want to worry about reconnection error messages whenever I logged on. I figured I'd just be able to reconnect when the remote computer came back on the network. Imagine my surprise when I selected the Disconnect command and the mapped drive disappeared. The Fix:This is another one of those annoying situations in which we learn the hard way that Microsoft invents its own meanings for words. Microsoft should have named the command "Delete Mapped Drive" because, as your experience indicates, people who don't work in Redmond don't generally think of "disconnect" as a synonym for "delete." Of course, you're deleting the mapping rather than the shared resource, so you can continue to access the share from My Network Places, Network Neighborhood, Windows Explorer, or My Computer. CAN'T MAP A NETWORK SHORTCUTThe Annoyance:I decided to map a drive to one of the network shortcuts I use frequently, but the command Map Network Drive isn't available when I right-click the icon. What happened? The Fix:You can't map a drive from a shortcut. Although this seems annoying, the reason for the restriction is actually quite logicalyou have no guarantee that the shortcut is linked to a real live shared resource. As I pointed out in a previous annoyance, Windows doesn't monitor the health of network shortcuts. They can remain in the network window long after the original shared resource has been removed or renamed (which is the real annoyance). MAP SHARED PARENT FOLDERSThe Annoyance:I use one computer on the network more often than the others. I keep my private files in a subfolder named Larry, which is under a shared folder named OfficeFiles. To maintain my privacy I don't share the subfolder, but when I'm working on another computer I need to get to the files. I tried to map a drive to the subfolder (a temporary mapping), but the mapped drive command isn't available when I right-click the icon. The Fix:When you use the Windows graphical interface, you can't map a drive to a folder that hasn't been explicitly shared. You have to map the shared parent folder, and then move to the subfolder. But wait, don't give up yet. You can map subfolders if you perform the task from the command line (see "Map Subfolders of Shared Folders"). Tip: A good method for keeping the contents of a folder private is to configure the folder as a hidden share. Only those users who know of its existence can get to it (so don't tell anyone). Read Chapter 4 to learn about this nifty trick. PREVENT THE SHARE FROM OPENING WHEN YOU MAP A DRIVEThe Annoyance:When I create a mapped drive, a window opens and displays the contents of the shared folder I just mapped. This is really annoying. The Fix:I hate that! To prevent this time-wasting exercise, hold the Shift key while you click Finish. USE THE COMMAND LINE TO MAP A DRIVEThe Annoyance:I want to map several folders on multiple remote computers, but winding my way through the maze of windows is annoying. It would be nice to be able to do this quickly. I'll bet there's a command I could use. The Fix:Good guessthere is. And good thinking, too. As a rule of thumb, almost any task you ever have to perform on a computer can be accomplished more quickly at the command line. Well, that's my rule of thumb, because I'm a command-line junkie. The magic is in the net use command. At the command line, enter net use driveletter: \\ComputerName\ShareName.
For example, let's assume the following:
Enter net use g: \\bedroom1\fambudget. The system displays the message "The command completed successfully." Drive G now appears in My Computer and Windows Explorer. MAP SUBFOLDERS OF SHARED FOLDERSThe Annoyance:Sometimes I want to map a subfolder of a shared folder or a folder of a shared drive. I can access the folder in My Network Places by opening the share and then opening the folder. But when I open the share and right-click the subfolder, the command for creating a mapped drive doesn't exist. The Fix:You can map a drive to an unshared folder only under the following circumstances:
The command is net use driveletter: \\ComputerName\ShareName\FolderName. If any of the names contain spaces, enter quotation marks before the double slash and at the end of the command. For example, on my corporate network I have a computer named Workstation-10. The computer contains a folder named Client Kit for QB2004, which has the sharename ClientKit2004. A subfolder named Importing Report Templates exists, but it isn't shared. When I'm working on the files in that subfolder, I map a drive on the computer I'm currently using. As you can see in Figure 3-26, as long as I use the right format and remember the quotation marks, it's easy to create the mapped drive. Figure 3-26. Use the command line to map a drive for an unshared subfolder of a shared folder. Tip: The format required for a command is called its syntax. DETERMINE THE AVAILABLE DRIVE LETTERSThe Annoyance:When I work in My Network Neighborhood, the system tells me the next available drive letter, but not all the other available choices. If I want to use a drive letter of my own choosing, I have to use the drop-down list of mapped drives to see what's free. It's annoying to have to go through the steps to map a drive using the graphical windows just so that I can see what drive letters are available. The Fix:You can find out which drive letters are currently being used for mapped drives right from the command line. Enter net use to see a list of current mapped drives (see Figure 3-27). Figure 3-27. Enter "net use" without any parameters to see the current mapped drives. Tip: You can also see the drive letters currently in use for mapped drives in Windows Explorer or My Computer. LET THE COMPUTER PICK THE DRIVE LETTER FOR A MAPPED DRIVEThe Annoyance:When I use Windows' graphical interface to map a drive, the computer automatically picks the next available drive letter. If I'm mapping drives from the command line, I have to keep entering net use to remind myself of the next available drive letter. The Fix:No, you don't, because you can let the computer automatically select the next drive letter. To accomplish this, use an asterisk (*) in the command instead of specifying a drive letter. Don't put a colon after the asterisk. As you can see in Figure 3-28, the system picks the next available drive letter and tells you what it is. Is this cool, or what? Figure 3-28. Let the computer find the next available drive letter when you're mapping a drive. PERMANENT VERSUS TEMPORARY MAPPED DRIVESThe Annoyance:I mapped a drive at the command line yesterday, but when I logged on today, I couldn't find it. Are mapped drives not reconnected at logon when you create them at the command line? The Fix:Mapping a drive at the command line works exactly like mapping a drive in Windows. In this case, you've run into the situation where the computer remembers the current state of the Reconnect at Logon feature discussed earlier in the chapter (see "Automatically Reconnect a Mapped Drive"). When you're working in the Windows interface, you can see whether the Reconnect at Logon option (which makes the mapped drive permanent if you choose it) is the current selection by noting whether the box is checked. At the command line, you can determine the same thing from the system's response when you enter net use. After you type the command, one of the following lines of text appears:
The command line works in the same manner as the graphical window, and lets you decide whether you want to reconnect to the mapped drive you're creating. Of course, you don't have a checkbox when you use the command line; instead, you have the persistent parameter, which lets you specify Yes or No. To make the mapping permanent, enter net use driveletter: \\ComputerName\ShareName /persistent:yes. Enter /persistent:no to make the mapping temporary. MANIPULATE FILES BETWEEN LOCAL AND MAPPED DRIVESThe Annoyance:It's a real pain to move or copy files between computers. I have to navigate my way through the network windows to get to the right folder, and then open the local folders sending or receiving the files. Once both windows are open, I can copy files between them. Isn't there an easier way? The Fix:If you map drives to the folders on the remote computer, everything you need is available in Windows Explorer. The mapped drive is listed in the left pane of the Explorer window along with all the folders on your local hard drive. Tip: In Windows XP and 2000, you can open My Computer and click the Folders icon on the toolbar to create two panes, which makes My Computer look and act like Windows Explorer. OTHER USERS DON'T HAVE THE MAPPED DRIVESThe Annoyance:For two of the computers on our network, I created mappings to folders on a third computer. Those folders contain files that everyone uses. However, when anyone other than me logs on to those two computers, the mapped drives aren't there. What happened? The Fix:Mapped drives, along with many other configuration settings, are user settings, not computer settings. This is why the reconnection option is worded "Reconnect at Logon" instead of "Reconnect at Startup." Your computer joins the network when it finishes booting, but your username doesn't log on until you complete the logon routine. Each user has to create his own mapped drives. |
EAN: 2147483647
Pages: 90