1. UNC Paths
Before diving too
deep into methods for accessing network resources, let's take some time
to delve into a topic that will help you navigate network resources more
easily — UNC paths.
UNC stands for Universal Naming Convention. A UNC path is expressed in the form:
\\MachineName\PathName
where MachineName is the name of the computer and PathName
is a folder path on that computer. For example, assume that your
network includes a computer named SNOOPY that you use as a file server.
On that computer is a folder that you have shared as SharedDocs. Within
that SharedDocs folder is a subfolder named Contracts. The UNC path to
the Contracts folder would be \\SNOOPY\SharedDocs\Contracts. Note that
the UNC path is not case-sensitive.
A UNC path makes it easy
to navigate the network, particularly when you know the path name
already. Using a UNC path is often quicker than navigating to the
Network folder, then to a remote computer, and drilling down through its
shared folders. Instead, you can open the Computer folder, click in the
address bar, and simply type the UNC path to the remote share that you
want to use.
Another point to
understand is that you can specify the IP address of the remote computer
in place of the computer name in the UNC path. So, assuming that our
trusty computer named SNOOPY has the IP address 192.168.0.5, the UNC
path to the Contracts folder would be
\\192.168.0.5\SharedDocs\Contracts.
Now that you're up to speed on UNC paths, let's take a look at how to access network resources.
2. Accessing Remote Resources
Every Windows 7 computer
on which you've enabled network sharing and discovery should show up in
every computer's Network folder. The same is true of any Windows Vista
and XP computers in the network that have at least one shared resource
(such as the built-in Shared Documents folder). To open the Network
folder on a Windows 7 computer, use whichever technique is most
convenient:
Click the Start button and choose Network.
Press 
, type net, click Network and Sharing Center, and then click the icon for the network in the network map.
If you're already in a Windows Explorer folder, click Network in the Folders list.
|
The Network icon does not
appear on the Start menu by default. Right-click the taskbar and choose
Properties, then click the Start Menu tab, click Customize, select
Network, and click OK.
|
|
The first time you open the
Network folder on a computer, it might take a few seconds for it to
discover other computers in the network. But within a few seconds you
should see an icon for each computer in the network as in the example
shown in Figure 1. Notice how each computer is also accessible from the Folders list after expanding the Network category in that list.
Each computer's icon is like a
folder in that when you open it, you see shared resources from that
computer. That includes a folder icon for each shared folder and printer
icons for any shared printers connected to that computer.
If you use the Network
folder often, you'll want to make sure it's easy to find its icon. To
put a Network icon on your desktop, right-click the desktop and choose
Personalize. In the left column, click Change Desktop Icons. Select the
Network check box (and the check boxes of any other icons you want) and
click OK.
To add Network to your Favorite
Links in Windows Explorer, open a folder and make sure you can see the
Navigation pane. Open the Folders list, and then drag the Network icon
in the Folders list into the Favorites Bar.
|
Any time you're in
Windows Explorer, clicking the leftmost arrow in the address bar usually
provides a quick link to the Network folder.
|
|
