Sharing and Mapping a Network Drive in Windows 7

This guideline shows a typical Windows 7 Professional configuration on a domain network and may not
accurately describe your network. If you have problems following it, please consult a competent network
technician.

Note: This guideline

• assumes your network is already established.
• doesn’t cover with all possible network configuration issues, such as
o mapping a network that includes other operating systems
o setting or adjusting security for necessary network access

Contents:
I) Enable Printer and File Sharing. Do this on the server.
II) Share the Drive. Do this on the server.
III) Map the Network Drive. Do this on each workstation from which you want to map to a shared
drive.

I) Enable Printer and File Sharing. Do this on the server.

Confirm that you have enabled file and printer sharing on your network card.

A) Go to Start and click Control Panel. Select Network and Sharing Center.

The Network and Sharing Center window opens.

B) On the left side panel, select Change Adapter Settings. The Network Connections
window opens.

C) Locate your network in the window. It may appear as “Local Area Connection” if your
network is wired, or it may appear as “Wireless Network Connection” if the network is
wireless. Right click the network that you are using and select Properties from the drop list.

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Your network connection’s properties appear in the Connection Properties window.

D) Select File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks, and then click OK to return to the
Network Connections window.

E) Click the browser back button and return to the Network and Sharing Center window. On the
left side panel, select Change Advanced Sharing Settings to open the Change sharing
options for different network profiles window. For the network you are using, select these
options:
1) Turn on network discovery,
2) Turn on file and printer sharing, and
3) Turn off password protected sharing if that option is available.

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Click Save Changes to return to the Network and Sharing Center window and then exit back
to your desktop.

II) Share the Drive. Do this on the server.

A) Open Computer to display the drives, right click the drive you intend to share and select
Share With > Advanced Sharing from the drop list.
B) The drive’s Properties window opens to the Sharing tab. Click Advanced Sharing....

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C) The Advanced Sharing window opens.

1) Select Share this folder (the term “folder” includes a “drive”). In the Share name field,
type in a share name for the drive. This name will appear on the network. Use a
description that makes it easy to recognize. Select the maximum number of
simultaneous users unless you have a specific reason to limit the number of
simultaneous users on the shared drive. If you have questions about the system
demands imposed by unlimited simultaneous use, consult an IT professional.
2) Click Permissions.

3) The Permissions window opens. Set permissions as follows:

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(a) If Everyone is listed in the Group or user names panel, select it and skip the next
step.

(b) If Everyone is not listed, click Add.... The Select Users, Computers, or Groups
window opens. With Users, Groups, or Built-in Security Principals displayed in
the top panel, type “Everyone” in the lower panel, and then click OK to return to the
Permissions window.

Note: Your network may have other selections available, depending on how the
network is set up and the security established. If you select other users or groups,
make sure that persons using your workstations are included. Workstation users
must have full rights to the shared server drive.

4) On the Permissions window, for Everyone (or another selection you determine is
appropriate), check the Allow box for Full Control and then click OK, returning to the
Advanced Sharing window. Click OK again, returning to the Properties window.

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D) On the Properties window, confirm that the drive is shared. Write down the Network Path.
You will need that to identify the server when you map the shared drive from the
workstations. Click Apply if it is enabled, and then click OK to exit the Properties window.

E) Open Computer to view the list of drives. The drive should appear with a graphic that
indicates it is shared. The graphic displays regardless of whether your drives are displayed
as icons or a list. This confirmation completes sharing.

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III) Map the Network Drive. Do this on each workstation from which you want to map to a
shared drive.

A) Open COMPUTER to display the drives. On the toolbar, click Map network drive (if this
button is not visible, click the double right arrow at the end of the toolbar to display more
choices).

B) The Map Network Drive window opens. See the example below.
1) From the Drive drop list, select a drive letter for the connection if one is not displayed.
For ease of maintenance, select the same network drive letter on each workstation if you
can. Below, the drive letter is Z is displayed, which is the next available letter for network
mappings. Other choices are available from the drop list. If the drive letter is already in
use, then select the next available drive letter (in this event, be aware that the network
drive letter varies among your workstations, although the shared name of the drive will
remain the same).
2) Browse for the shared drive or folder on which Drake is installed. It must be located on a
server or computer to which you have access. Click the drive to select it, and click OK to
complete the selection. In the example below:
(a) “Drake on Server” is the shared drive name that we assigned when we shared the C
drive on our server and made it available on the network. It is located on the
computer identified when we shared the drive.
(b) Note that the term “folder” used on the Map Network Drive window means either a
drive or a folder.

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3) Return to the previous window, Map Network Drive. Click Finish to map the drive.

C) Open Computer again and confirm that a new network drive is available at this workstation
with the letter you assigned. The shared name and the selected network drive letter should
both be visible. Double click the new network drive and confirm that you can access it. If so,
you have completed mapping for that workstation. When Drake is installed on the network
drive, you can configure an NW Client or peer-to-peer network setup on the workstation.