Mapping a network folder as a local drive

If your computer is part of a local area network and you use files that are stored in folders on another networked computer, you will find it helpful to map a drive letter to that network folder so that you can access it directly from the Computer window. When you map a drive, Windows lists the network folder as a drive in the Network Location section of various Internet Explorer windows (such as Computer, Documents, and so on) as well as in the Computer section of the Navigation pane of various application program's Open dialog boxes (Word, Excel, and so forth). This setup makes it very quick and easy to locate the folder and access its various files (especially if you set it up so that Windows automatically maps the drive each time you start the computer).

To be able to map a network folder to a local drive, the folder must be shared and you must have network permission to access it on the other computer.

To map a network folder to a drive letter on your computer, follow these steps:

1. Open the Computer window by choosing Start → Computer.
2. Click the Map Network Drive button on the toolbar to open the Map Network Drive dialog box.
3. Select an unused drive letter for the network folder in the Drive dropdown list.
4. In the Folder text box, enter the network share pathname (following the \\server\share example shown beneath the Folder text box), either by clicking the drop-down button to the immediate right of the text box and selecting its previously entered pathname from the list, or by clicking the Browse button and locating the shared network folder in the Browse For Folder dialog box. When you're done, click OK.
5. (Optional) If you want Windows to re-create this network drive by mapping the network folder to the same drive letter each time you start the computer, select the Reconnect at Logon check box. Also, if you don't have permission to create the network (as an administrator), select the Connect Using Different Credentials check box and then enter the username and password of one of the administrators on your network (assuming you know his username and have access to his password) in the Windows Security dialog box that appears before you click OK.
6. Click the Finish button.

When you click Finish, Windows creates the network drive and automatically opens it in Windows Explorer. After that, you can access any of the folder's subfolders and files by simply opening the network drive in the Computer window.

Remember Note that Windows 7 indicates a mapped network drive by automatically assigning it to the Network Location category in the Computer window.