How to Map a Network Drive to your Computer

Note: The following example was done on a Windows computer which was logged in as a domain authenticated user. If the computer you are using is not a member of the domain, or you are using a local user account, you will be prompted for a domain, username, and password. Mac OS X users may perform a similar task using the Connect to Server utility which can be accessed by Apple(Command)-K.

1. Open "My Computer" or a Windows Explorer Window.

2. Click on "Tools" and then "Map Network Drive".

3. Choose a drive letter (I used W:) and supply the path to your webfiles. If your website has been accessible using a tilde directory (http://www.utm.edu/~username), you should enter "\\websvr\staff\username" in the folder entry box. Alternatively, you could use the browse features to find your webspace (UTM,WEBSVR,STAFF,USERNAME). If you wish for the drive to appear each time you boot your computer, make sure "Reconnect at Logon" is selected. Click Finish. If you are not authenticated against the domain already, you will be prompted for your username, password, and domain here.

4. The following screenshot shows what "My Computer" will resemble after you have mapped the drive. The new drive is highlighted in orange here.

5. You may now treat your webspace as a local drive. You may edit files directly, or setup software such as Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft Frontpage to manage the site. You can find directions on Dreamweaver here.