Stupid Question No. 1001: WHY map a network drive?

[Umma Gumma]

I've done a lot of searching...on the web...on Microsoft's News Server...and
I can't find the basic answer. WHY WOULD YOU "MAP NETWORK DRIVE"? (Be nice,
I'm a newbee. You don't learn unless you ask, right?)

I have a small home network of two computers. I use Netscan to access a
Windows 98SE box (a very old machine that still whizzes but is incapable of
running the newer programs). I use it for storage and fun stuff. Keeps my XP
cleaner. In Netscan there's an option to "Map Network Drive".... Anxious to
click it just in case it screws up a perfectly good, working connection. But
I can't find the answer to this basic question. Is it speed? Is it access?

 

[Maincat]

I've done a lot of searching...on the web...on Microsoft's News
Server...and I can't find the basic answer. WHY WOULD YOU "MAP NETWORK
DRIVE"? (Be nice, I'm a newbee. You don't learn unless you ask, right?)

I have a small home network of two computers. I use Netscan to access a
Windows 98SE box (a very old machine that still whizzes but is incapable
of running the newer programs). I use it for storage and fun stuff. Keeps
my XP cleaner. In Netscan there's an option to "Map Network Drive"....
Anxious to click it just in case it screws up a perfectly good, working
connection. But I can't find the answer to this basic question. Is it
speed? Is it access?

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/maintain/mapdrive.mspx

 

[Jim]

I've done a lot of searching...on the web...on Microsoft's News
Server...and I can't find the basic answer. WHY WOULD YOU "MAP NETWORK
DRIVE"? (Be nice, I'm a newbee. You don't learn unless you ask, right?)

You do it because you want to access a drive from a computer which is not
the one that
the drive connects to. If you don't want to do that, then you don't map it.
Jim

 

[Steve Winograd [MVP]]

I've done a lot of searching...on the web...on Microsoft's News Server...and
I can't find the basic answer. WHY WOULD YOU "MAP NETWORK DRIVE"? (Be nice,
I'm a newbee. You don't learn unless you ask, right?)

I have a small home network of two computers. I use Netscan to access a
Windows 98SE box (a very old machine that still whizzes but is incapable of
running the newer programs). I use it for storage and fun stuff. Keeps my XP
cleaner. In Netscan there's an option to "Map Network Drive".... Anxious to
click it just in case it screws up a perfectly good, working connection. But
I can't find the answer to this basic question. Is it speed? Is it access?

When you map a network drive, a drive that's actually on a different
computer on the network is assigned a local drive letter. You can
then access it just like a local drive in My Computer, Windows
Explorer, etc.

That's sometimes needed to allow a program that isn't network-aware to
access a folder on the network.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

 

[Jack \(MVP-Networking\).]

Hi
May be this can Help, http://www.ezlan.net/sharing.html#map
Jack (MVP-Networking).

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

I've done a lot of searching...on the web...on Microsoft's News
Server...and I can't find the basic answer. WHY WOULD YOU "MAP
NETWORK DRIVE"? (Be nice, I'm a newbee. You don't learn unless you
ask, right?)
I have a small home network of two computers. I use Netscan to access
a Windows 98SE box (a very old machine that still whizzes but is
incapable of running the newer programs). I use it for storage and
fun stuff. Keeps my XP cleaner. In Netscan there's an option to "Map
Network Drive".... Anxious to click it just in case it screws up a
perfectly good, working connection. But I can't find the answer to
this basic question. Is it speed? Is it access?

You don't necessarily have to map a network drive - you can access a remote
share via \\computer\sharename. But drive letters are often 'cleaner' to
use, even if you don't have software that won't recognize UNC paths - you
can change things around, move shares, etc., and the drive letters can stay
the same for everyone.