network pathnames affected by drive mapping.

[LilaDuncan]

I have a 3 computer, WinXP network. Laptop;PC1;PC2
I save and open files to and from various directories on all of these
computers. On each computer, I have the drives of the other PCs mapped
for access across the network.

So, if I'm working on my docked laptop and save a file to a hard drive
on PC1, it will save to the mapped drive letter unique to the laptop.

Example:
T:\FileLib\007.Education.Rota1.txt

I then save this pathname by copy/paste to my organiser files for
record keeping and ease of future access. This is fine as long as I
then use the link to this saved file from my laptop, but if I try to
use this file path from any of the other computers, it's invalid.

Sometimes, a file will be automatically saved using a network path
which can be used and understood by all the computers on the network.

Example:
\\PC1\Archive (E)\FileLib\007.Education.Rota1.txt

Please can anyone tell me if it's possible for me to get all my files
to save with this more universally useable pathname structure by
default?

 

[Trooper]

In order for your "Link" to work for whichever host you are on in the
LAN, the drive mapped must have the same drive letter.
Example:
PC1: Mapped letter "M" = \\PC1\Archive (E)\FileLib\
PC2: Mapped letter "M" = \\PC1\Archive (E)\FileLib\
PC3: Mapped letter "M" = \\PC1\Archive (E)\FileLib\

Yes. You must map PC1's Network share to itself in order for the link
path to be found.

 

[LilaDuncan]

Thanks Trooper, I'll try to make all the mapped drive letters the same
on each computer as you suggest, though this is difficult because some
drives are labeled C,D and E in their own locality. It would be useful
though, to know how to invoke the alternative network pathnames in save
and open dialog boxes.

 

[LilaDuncan]

Maybe the only way I'm going to get the filing system to use the
absolute rather than the relative paths used by the drive mapping is to
turn off drive mapping completely. Can anyone else comment on this?
Lila

 

[Trooper]

Leave C,D,E drives alone on each machine.
You need to map the drives that are manually shared only.

Example:
Each computer has three drives; C,D,E.
PC1 has no shared drive.
PC2 has one shared drive (D)
PC3 has one shared drive (E)

PC1 needs to map M: to \\PC2\(D)'s Share name and N: to \\PC3\(E)'s
Share name
PC2 needs to map M: to \\PC2\(D)'s Share name and N: to \\PC3\(E)'s
Share name
PC3 needs to map M: to \\PC2\(D)'s Share name and N: to \\PC3\(E)'s
Share name

Follow me so far?
It is much easier to have one machine as storage and the others map to
it, than to have each machine mapping each others shares.

 

[LilaDuncan]

You're great Trooper! My system is a little more complicated in terms
of number and location of drives but I do understand the principal of
what you describe. I'm going to do it. This just means I'll have to go
further back into the scheme of things than I originally wanted to but
it's all in a good cause.
Lila