Connecting to Shared Resources on a Windows Network

You have several options available for connecting your PC to shared network resources. These options include the following:

• Type in a Universal Naming Convention (UNC), in most cases it's the same as the PC name, from the Start|Run dialog box in the format \\servername\sharename.
  Ex1: \\mbp-molecool.wustl.edu\lab_name
  Ex2: \\128.252.181.xyz\share_name

• Navigate to the share from the My Network Places window.

• Employ the net use command from a command prompt window.

If you want to connect to a shared folder named "samples" that resides on a Windows computer named SALES7, click Start|Run, type "\\SALES7\samples", and click OK. At this point, you are connected to that shared resource, provided that you possess the proper user ID, password, and security permissions needed to access the shared folder.

Connecting to Network Resources with the My Network Places Window

You can connect to a network share from My Network Places. To use the My Network Places window, perform the following steps:

1. Click Start|My Network Places.

2. In the right-hand Network Tasks section, click the Add A Network Place link, which reveals the Add Network Place Wizard.

3. Click Next, click Choose Another Network Location, and then click Next again.

4. Enter the Internet Or Network Address, or click Browse to locate the network share by viewing the available network resources. You can connect to one of the following types of resources:

   • A shared folder using the following syntax: \\server\share

   • A Web folder using the following syntax: http://webserver/share

   • An FTP site using the following syntax: ftp://ftp.domain.name

5. Click Next to enter a name for the network place or accept the default name.

6. Click Next again to view a summary of the Network Place that you are adding.

7. Click Finish to establish the connection to the shared folder, provided that you have the proper permissions. A list of network resources to which you have already connected is then displayed within the My Network Places window.

For Command-Line Junkies: The Net Use Commands

You also have the option of connecting to network shares via the Net Use command. For help with the various options and syntax of the Net Use command, type "net use /?" at the command prompt. To connect to a remote resource from the command line, follow these steps:

1. Open a command prompt window (click Start|All Programs|Accessories|Command Prompt, or click Start|Run, type CMD, and click OK).

2. At the command prompt, type "net use X: \\servername\sharename" and press Enter, where X: is a drive letter that you designate (for example, net use M: \\sales7\samples). If you possess the appropriate permissions for that network share, you should see the message The Command Completed Successfully displayed in your command prompt window.