Connecting to a SMB drive using Windows XP Professional

1. Connect to the Internet, if you aren't already connected. Connect WiscVPN (very important for off campus connections). (Open WiscVPN and click Connect. It will prompt you for your NetID (your email id))

2. Go to My Computer

3. On the Top Toolbar, Open Tools. On this menu, click Map Network Drive. A screen that looks like this will appear.

4. You need to choose a drive letter from the letters of the alphabet not already chosen by your system. In this example, I am choosing Z:

5. In the folder area, you need to type in your share information. This is how you identify your server and your share on that server. There are many different ways to do this. I've listed some of them below....

NOTE: Sometimes I'll provide a "path" name here. This is where I mean to have it used. Also, due to a problem with our servers, it may be better to use the IP number instead of the DNS name for these items. See common IP numbers for our servers in the "troubleshooting" section below.

Generally, you will need to type your server name followed by "home" or your user name, whatever that may be. Note that the slashes lean left. This is very important. Right leaning slashes will not work. Make sure "Reconnect at Logon" is checked.

6. Once the folder area is filled in, click Finish. If all went well, you should be prompted to enter your user name and password. Once you do that successfully, you should see a new window appear that shows you the contents of your server share.

TROUBLESHOOTING:

If you still can't connect, you can try to redo the "folder" information. Sometimes, I can get a more successful connection if I use the IP number for the server in question rather than the "friendly" name. The table below shows you what I mean....

You would still need to use the homes or your user name after the IP number like so.....\\144.92.165.66\home

Or, if you are getting continual prompts for your user name and password, this often indicates a user name and password error or a permissions error. You should contact the person who provided you with the user name and password to see if it could be reset.

Additionally, if WiscVPN is not installed correctly, you may be denied because you might look (to the server) like you are trying to break into it, instead of obtain access to your designated share. If that is the case, you may want to make sure you have WiscVPN installed correctly. You can also contact the server administrator and they can verify (from the logs of your attempts to "break in") exactly who the server thought was trying to connect and why they were denying access.

Sometimes, your computer does not have the "same" username as the username you have on your server share. If you are experiencing problems connecting when you hit the Finish button, try instead clicking on the link "Connect using a different user name". This will present a window that looks like this....

This will allow you to type in your username and password provided to you by the server administrator. This may work better in making a connection than just clicking Finish. After you click OK, you may still need to click Finish to proceed.

AND FINALLY A WORD ABOUT YOUR PASSWORD:

Your password has been chosen because it does not resemble any dictionary word and is very unlikely to be "cracked" by anybody who is attempting to access your server share without your permission. "Hackers" often like to try to guess passwords by running them against dictionary databases. While your password may be difficult to remember, please take care not to lose it, tape it on a post-it on your monitor, or change it to something else without first talking to the server administrator. Security is important not only for your items but for others who use the server as well.

Please send questions about these instructions to: Sara Ziemendorf, sara@lss.wisc.edu (608) 263-5002.