Mount a network folder to a folder instead of a drive?

[Guest kevinmd88]

Hi all. I am using WinXP Pro SP2 and am wondering if it is possible to map a directory on a network to a local folder. Sort of like the Map Network Drive feature, but that only lets you map to a drive letter, which is not what I want to do. :) On that note, I even tried mapping the network folder to a drive letter and changing the mount in Computer Management, but of course the Disk Management only shows physical drives. :/

In summary, I want the following path:

C:\Folder1\Folder2\Etc\ThisFolder

to point to:

\\somecomputer\NetFolder

Does anyone know of an XP feature that will do this? If not, is there any 3rd party software that will do this?

Thanks in advance :)

[clonk]

If there is any program that will allow this, it would be http://www.rekenwonder.com/linkmagic.htm.

[Guest kevinmd88]

Well it appears to be the right tool only it doesn't work. :/ It says "can't create link" when I try to connect the two locations.

[clonk]

Are you trying to do it directly to the network share? Maybe mount the share as a network drive first, then try to link the folder to the network drive.

[Guest kevinmd88]

  clonk said:

Are you trying to do it directly to the network share? Maybe mount the share as a network drive first, then try to link the folder to the network drive.

Just tried it, and no cigar :/ (Same problem as before)

[Panacik]

Silly question, but are you just trying to create a folder as follows:

On Server

C:\Some_Folder\folder_with_files_I_Need

On Desktop

C:\Some_Folder\Folder_With_Files_I_Need <------Mapped from server

If this is what you want, then cant you just right click in the folder you want to pace the mapped folder and select create shortcut. Then type in the location such as \\Server\Some_Folder\Folder_With_Files_I_Need.

It worked when i tried it just now, or maybe this is not what you are wanting?

  kevinmd88 said:

Hi all. I am using WinXP Pro SP2 and am wondering if it is possible to map a directory on a network to a local folder. Sort of like the Map Network Drive feature, but that only lets you map to a drive letter, which is not what I want to do. :) On that note, I even tried mapping the network folder to a drive letter and changing the mount in Computer Management, but of course the Disk Management only shows physical drives. :/

In summary, I want the following path:

C:\Folder1\Folder2\Etc\ThisFolder

to point to:

\\somecomputer\NetFolder

Does anyone know of an XP feature that will do this? If not, is there any 3rd party software that will do this?

Thanks in advance :)

What you have shown looks like it would apply to what i said. Simply delete the current folder in the Etc folder and instead create a shortcut to \\somecomputer\NetFolder.

[Guest kevinmd88]

That was my first try as far as getting this done, but I need Windows and programs to actually see it as a folder, not a shortcut. So that programs/users/Windows think it's on the drive but it's actually, what I guess would be called a "symlink" to the network folder.

A shortcut is only a shortcut so programs won't be able to access the folder on the drive as if they were using the network.

[Robgig1088]

Thats something called a symlink (symbolic link). Unix-based systems have support for this, however XP requires a 3rd party application to do it. I've used it before and it worked relatively well. Google for it i guess..

[Panacik]

  kevinmd88 said:

That was my first try as far as getting this done, but I need Windows and programs to actually see it as a folder, not a shortcut. So that programs/users/Windows think it's on the drive but it's actually, what I guess would be called a "symlink" to the network folder.

A shortcut is only a shortcut so programs won't be able to access the folder on the drive as if they were using the network.

If your just worried that users will see its a shortcut, then just use tweak UI to remove the arrow on shortcuts?

[IT Dude]

  kevinmd88 said:

Hi all. I am using WinXP Pro SP2 and am wondering if it is possible to map a directory on a network to a local folder. Sort of like the Map Network Drive feature, but that only lets you map to a drive letter, which is not what I want to do. :) On that note, I even tried mapping the network folder to a drive letter and changing the mount in Computer Management, but of course the Disk Management only shows physical drives. :/

In summary, I want the following path:

C:\Folder1\Folder2\Etc\ThisFolder

to point to:

\\somecomputer\NetFolder

Does anyone know of an XP feature that will do this? If not, is there any 3rd party software that will do this?

Thanks in advance :)

We have done what you are asking for on our network here. We change the path on My Documents folder on XP-SP2 from local disk to a location on the server. First, a login script runs that maps a letter to a folder on the server. Then based on that letter, we remove the default under properties on My Documents and change it to "U:\". Since the user already has a mapped drive called "P:\\server-name\user name" the user has access to that drive by simply putting "U:\". In your case, you might want to share the drive/folder first and give proper rights to the user/s.

[Angel Blue01]

XP does allow you to mount shares and folders to folders that would show up in My Computer. I just dont remember how.

[Guest kevinmd88]

Well it's not just users, I also need programs to recognize it as an actual folder instead of a shortcut. I may be wrong, but if I put a shortcut called "IamAShortcut" and point it to a folder on the D: drive, and in that folder there is a file called "IamAFile.txt," I am fairly sure I can't type "IAmAShortcut\IamAFile.txt" to access that file. . .

The folder I am trying to create unfortunately isn't in the My Documents folder so that doesn't help, but thanks for the tip :)

[Panacik]

  kevinmd88 said:

Well it's not just users, I also need programs to recognize it as an actual folder instead of a shortcut. I may be wrong, but if I put a shortcut called "IamAShortcut" and point it to a folder on the D: drive, and in that folder there is a file called "IamAFile.txt," I am fairly sure I can't type "IAmAShortcut\IamAFile.txt" to access that file. . .

The folder I am trying to create unfortunately isn't in the My Documents folder so that doesn't help, but thanks for the tip :)

No you couldnt access IamAFile.txt by creating a folder shortcut, but creating a shortcut directly to that file?

[Guest kevinmd88]

Well that would mean having to create shortcuts for every file in the directory, not to mention the programs still couldn't use them to access the files because they end in .lnk instead of the proper extension. I need to basically "fool" programs, etc., into thinking the network folder is on the local disk.

[Panacik]

  kevinmd88 said:

Well that would mean having to create shortcuts for every file in the directory, not to mention the programs still couldn't use them to access the files because they end in .lnk instead of the proper extension. I need to basically "fool" programs, etc., into thinking the network folder is on the local disk.

I really dont understand the problem with what i said? You can even turn on syncronisation to make the drive available offline.

I think either you or I am missing or not understanding eachother, because i have what i said working at home and it works flawlessely.

[Guest kevinmd88]

If I just create a shortcut called "ThisFolder" in "C:\Folder1\Folder2\Etc" and point it to "\\somecomputer\NetFolder," and in the NetFolder there is a file called "file.txt" I won't be able to access said file with the path "C:\Folder1\Folder2\Etc\ThisFolder\file.txt" because it's a shortcut not an actual folder. In Windows if you double click the shortcut it will take you to the target directory, but if I use the Start->Run box or if a program tries to access it like that, it won't be able to find the file because the shortcut is not an actual folder on the drive.

Sorry for not being clear before :)

[Panacik]

  kevinmd88 said:

If I just create a shortcut called "ThisFolder" in "C:\Folder1\Folder2\Etc" and point it to "\\somecomputer\NetFolder," and in the NetFolder there is a file called "file.txt" I won't be able to access said file with the path "C:\Folder1\Folder2\Etc\ThisFolder\file.txt" because it's a shortcut not an actual folder. In Windows if you double click the shortcut it will take you to the target directory, but if I use the Start->Run box or if a program tries to access it like that, it won't be able to find the file because the shortcut is not an actual folder on the drive.

Sorry for not being clear before :)

Ah ok, i think i see what your saying.

Then you would type it as follows:

c:\Test\Test\somefile.exe.lnk

That would work, but probably not what you are looking for.

Sorry for getting abrupt, but i really didnt understand what the problem was for you.

[Antaris Veteran]

SysInternals (now Windows SysInternals) have a tool called Junction which allows you to create mount points (symbolic links) through you file system. Windows doesn't actually support this for remote shares, but local folders it works a treat. Junction is a console application, it has no UI.

You can download it from http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysintern...k/Junction.mspx

Usage: junction <junction> <target>

e.g junction C:\Tools\MyFolder C:\Windows\System32.

When you explore C:\Tools\MyFolder, you are actually exploring System32.

Hope that helps.

[Guest kevinmd88]

  antaris said:

SysInternals (now Windows SysInternals) have a tool called Junction which allows you to create mount points (symbolic links) through you file system. Windows doesn't actually support this for remote shares, but local folders it works a treat. Junction is a console application, it has no UI.

You can download it from http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysintern...k/Junction.mspx

Usage: junction <junction> <target>

e.g junction C:\Tools\MyFolder C:\Windows\System32.

When you explore C:\Tools\MyFolder, you are actually exploring System32.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the tip, I actually tried junction yesterday and found out it doesn't have that functionality for network folders. :)

I think it's time I gave up on this, it doesn't appear that it can be done. If it could I'm sure I would have found a solution by now, or someone here would know something - for sure before I would. :) Thanks to all that tried to help me, it's much appreciated.

[DKAngel]

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...889&sd=tech ???

[Guest kevinmd88]

I've tried that, unfortunately doesn't work with networks. Thanks though

[c.grz]

Mind me asking, why you need a network drive setup in this fashion?

[Guest kevinmd88]

Basically I want to be able to play the same save-game folder for my computer game on both my computers.

[MarlboroNeo]

Have you tried mounting the network forder as a local Drive:

Then use juntion to "juntion" the local drive to the folder you want.

\\Network folder\ -> Drive x:

juntion x -> c: \whatever\juntion folder\

[Guest kevinmd88]

  MarlboroNeo said:

Have you tried mounting the network forder as a local Drive:

Then use juntion to "juntion" the local drive to the folder you want.

\\Network folder\ -> Drive x:

juntion x -> c: \whatever\juntion folder\

Actually yes. . . it appears that any and all programs I've found/tried only work on physical volumes, not virtual drives as I think they're called. It didn't work in Disk Management or with any of the programs I've tried.

Never mind this thread, I gave up on this already :) Thanks for all the help though.

If a mod could close this thread?