Using Shared Drives
From Luke Jackson
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Contents |
Introduction
If you are connected to the local network at one of offices you are able to connect to a shared drive.
Using shares from other locations is a feature which should be used only when needed as they will be a lot slower than local shares. If you are noticing a significant performance degradation, simply Disconnect the Shared Drive.
Map Shared Drive
Windows XP
- Open My Computer and click on the Tools Sub-Menu from the Menu bar.
- Select Map Network Drive...
- A box should appear prompting you for login credentials and desired resource.
- Drive: This is automatically configured by the operating system and should not need to be modified.
- Folder: This is the desired location you wish to access and should be in the form specified below:
\\<Server>\<Share>
Once you have found the correct URI paste it into the Folder box and click Finish.
- You should now be prompted for a Username and Password this should be the same password you use to log into your computer (If you are a part of the Windows Domain) otherwise please see IT to have a Domain account created for you. Click Ok and the Share should then be mapped and accessible from the My Computer window.
Linux
To mount windows shares in Linux, the SMB client must be installed on the Linux workstation. Connectivity to share can be achieved several ways. The easiest it using KDE Konqueror or Nautilus to connect to the share. Both GUI interfaces have a Location tool bar. Inputting the following will permit a prompt for login SMB://servername/share/path
If the destination server is in a MS Windows Domain, then the user id must be entered in the following syntax. domainname\userid
This will permit the correct user credentials.
Other methods for mounting remote shares in a GUI are SMB4K. Which provides a GUI that supports CIFS mounting. http://freshmeat.net/projects/smb4k/
Other options would be to modify the /etc/mtab file to mount with smbfs or cifs.
Mac OS X
Open Finder and from the Go menu select Connect to Server... (Apple + K)
A windows should appear prompting you for the server address:
smb://server/share
To save the URI as a favorite click on the plus sign to the right of the text field. Click Connect and it will initiate communications with the server. You may be prompted to authenticate depending on the servers configuration.
Disconnect Shared Drive
Windows XP
- Open My Computer and click on the Tools Sub-Menu from the Menu bar.
- Select Disconnect Network Drive...
- A new window should appear which displays the current mapped drives.
- Simply highlight (By Clicking Once) on the desired drive to be disconnected and click OK.
Linux
Mac OS X
Open Finder and simply click on the Eject icon to the right of the share.
Sharing a Drive or Folder
Windows XP
Remove Simple File-sharing Double click on My computer to launch File Explorer. From the menu bar choose Tools >> Folder Options. This will launch the Folder Options window, click once on the View tab, from the list below locate Use simple file sharing (Recommended) and Un-check this box and click OK to apply the changes.
Create Share
- Double click on My computer to launch File Explorer.
- Right click on the folder or drive you wish to share and choose Sharing and Security.
- From the Properties window click on the New Share button. This will launch the New Share window. Here you should configure the following:
- Share name
- Comment
- Permissions (For Guest / No Password Shares ensure the Everyone group has the level of access you desire)
- User Limit
Click OK to apply the changes on all windows.
Mac OS X
Linux
Configure Guest / No Password Share
Windows XP
The following 3 steps will configure a share in Windows XP Professional without a password using the built-in Guest account.
- Step 1: Right click on My Computer and choose Manage. Choose Local Users and Groups from the left navigation bar. Double click Users in the main frame. Find the Guest account in the list, right click and choose Properties. Un-check the check box Account is Disabled. Click OK to apply the changes. Close all open windows and proceed to Step 2.
- Step 2: Double click on My computer to launch File Explorer. From the menu bar choose Tools >> Folder Options. This will launch the Folder Options window, click once on the View tab, from the list below locate Use simple file sharing (Recommended) and Un-check this box and click OK to apply the changes. Close all open windows and proceed to Step 3.
- Step 3: Click Start >> Control Panel, choose Administrative Tools, choose Local Security Policy. From the left navigation bar choose Local Policies, now from the main frame choose User Rights Assignment. Double click on the policy Deny access to this computer from the network, Select Guest from the window and click Remove. Click OK to apply the changes. Close all open windows and reboot your computer.
Follow the instructions for creating a regular share and attempt to map this share from another computer without issuing credentials. Windows will automatically map the connection to the guest account.
Note: Please remember when creating shares the Guest account will inherit the privileges from the Everyone group.
Tags: 3 step no password share, passwordless share, guest share, windows xp pro share