Adding Nonindexed Remote Locations to a Library

Users can also add nonindexed remote locations, such as shared folders, on file servers running older versions of Windows. To do this, you must make the shared folder available for offline use. This adds the contents of the folder to the Offline Files cache on the local system so that it can be indexed by the local indexer. Windows then automatically keeps the local and remote copies of the folder in sync.

To add a nonindexed shared folder on a remote computer to the Documents library on your system, follow these steps:

1. On the Start menu, in the Search box, type \\computername and press Enter, where computername is the name of the remote computer. This will open Windows Explorer and display any shared folders on the remote computer.
2. Right-click the shared folder you want to add to your library and select Always Available Offline. A green sync icon will be added to the shared folder icon when synchronization is complete between the shared folder on the remote system and the Offline Files cache on the local system.
3. Follow the steps in the previous section to add the remote location to your library. When you are done, the remote location should appear in the list of library locations on the library's properties sheet.

A nonindexed shared folder on a remote computer is added to the Documents library after making it available for offline use.