On the command line, NET USE is used to connect and disconnect from network shares (drives) and to display information about current connections. When the command is used without parameters, a list of all connections for this computer is displayed. On my own behalf, I want to note that the Net use command can also be used when working with Windows 10.
NET USE Command Syntax
To display help for the specified net command, enter the command net help use.
- net use [(devicename|*)] [\\computername\share[\volume]] [(password|*)]] ] username] [(/delete | /persistent:(yes|no))]
- net use [devicename]
- net use , where
- Device_name - sets the name of the resource when connected or the name of the device when disconnected. There are two kinds of device names: names for disk devices (that is, drives with letter designations from D: to Z:) and for printers (respectively, from LPT1: to LPT3:). Entering an asterisk (*) instead of a specific device name will ensure that the device is given the closest available name.
- \\computername\sharename - Specifies the name of the server and share. If the computername parameter contains spaces, the entire computer name from the double backslash (\\) to the end (for example, "\\Computer Name\Share Name") must be enclosed in straight quotation marks ("). The computer name can be as long as 1 to 15 characters.
- \volume - Specifies the NetWare system volume name. To connect to NetWare servers, you must install and run Client for NetWare Networks.
- Password - sets the password required to connect to the share. Type an asterisk (*) to display a password prompt. When entering from the keyboard, the characters of the password are not displayed on the screen.
- /user - Specifies a different username to connect to the share.
- domain name - specifies the name of another domain. Omitting the "domainname" parameter causes the net use command to use the domain name specified at logon.
- Username - Specifies the username to connect to.
- domain_name _with_dot - Specifies the fully qualified domain name in which the user account exists.
- /savecred - saves the entered credentials for future use.
- /smartcard - Specifies whether to read credentials from the smart card for a network connection. If you have more than one smart card, you will be prompted to specify one of them.
- /delete - cancels the specified network connection. If a connection is specified with an asterisk (*), all network connections will be dropped.
- /persistent:(yes|no) - Manages persistent network connections. By default, the last used value is taken. Connections without a device are not permanent. Selecting Yes causes all existing connections to be saved and restored the next time you connect. If you select No, ongoing and subsequent connections are not saved. Existing connections are restored the next time you log on. The /delete switch is used to delete persistent connections.
- /home - connects the user to his home directory.
As you can see, the syntax of the command is quite long, but it should be noted that not all of its parameters are used in practice.
Thus, the NET USE command connects or disconnects a computer from a share. Although the NET USE command has a fairly extensive syntax, not all of its options are used in real life. Let's try to understand the work of this popular team and give real examples that will be useful in our work.
- To display information about current connections, enter the command net use.
- To connect a network drive with the net use command with the drive name Z: from the Public2$ shared directory of the \\Nuclear computer, enter the command - net use z: \\Nuclear\Public2$
- net use delete example. To disconnect from the \\Nuclear\Public2$ directory connected by a network drive with the drive name Z:, use the command - net use z: /delete
- To mount the Backup$ shared folder from the Nuclear computer under the administrator user as if it were connected from the Podryad.local domain, enter - net use d: \\Nuclear\Backup$ /user:Podryad.local\administrator
- In the event that the computer name consists of several words and there are spaces between them, then the entire computer name from the double backslash to the end must be enclosed in straight quotes. For example, to connect to share Share1 on Server 1, the command would be - net use k:\\"Server 1"\Share1
- To restore current connections at the next network logons, regardless of future changes, use the command net use /persistent:yes.
Video - Working with NET USE examples of connecting / disconnecting network drives
Windows 7 is a wise and practical decision on your part. Now I will explain why. Anyone who has organized a local network in his home constantly uses certain data that is on other computers using this very local network.
In order to increase the convenience of your work, you can connect a network drive to your computer. What it is? This is just a network folder, which is connected in such a way that your computer or laptop will see it the same way as its own hard drives. A certain letter is assigned to it, after which you can simply forget that it is actually located on another device.
In order for you to be able to connect a Windows 7 network drive to your computer or laptop, open the standard explorer, which is located in the "Standard" folder. To do this, click the "Start" button, select the "All Programs" section in the menu that appears, where expand the "Accessories" tab. There will be the "Explorer" we need, and run it. When you've done that, look for a menu at the top called "Tools". Open it and select Disk. At this moment, the corresponding window should open, in which we will set the necessary settings with you.
The first thing to do is to select the desired letter in the opened window. Once you do this, your network drive will assign it to itself. I note that you can only select the letter that is not yet used by other devices (hard drives, CD-ROM drive, floppy drives, etc.). After that, you will be required to specify the exact location of the directory. You must specify the desired path to the folder that you want to use as a network drive. This can be done in various ways. For example, you can enter the exact address using the keyboard, and you can also locate this resource by clicking on the "Browse" button. The latter method will be much more convenient and faster.
An important condition: during the implementation of this procedure, the device on which this folder is physically located must be turned on. Otherwise, you will fail, because your computer or laptop simply will not be able to see the required directory.
In the event that you want to connect on behalf of some other user, you will need to check the box next to the field for using other credentials. After that, you will have to fill in all the necessary data for a specific user in the window that will appear in front of you immediately after you confirm your choice using the "Finish" button.
Upon completion of all the above steps, in your window called "Computer", a group called "Network Locations" should be displayed. Your new network folder will be reflected there.
Disconnecting a network drive is done in a similar way. Call the explorer window, through the "Tools" menu, select the function of disabling the network drive. In the window that appears, select the drive that you no longer need and confirm by clicking on "OK".
Many users, when administering their home local network, are faced with the need to connect network drives. If you are also interested in this question, then this article should help you. Here we will talk about how to connect a network drive, as well as correctly open folder access for a network drive.
Step number 1. Open access to the folder (preparation of the first computer).
The first thing to do is share the folder that should be used as a network drive on another computer. This is not difficult to do, but there are a few details to be aware of.
First you need to properly configure the network. To do this, open the "Network and Sharing Center" and click on the link "Change advanced sharing settings" (screenshot below).
In the window that opens, you need to enable "Network discovery".
Also here you need to disable "Sharing with password protection" (if you do not need it).
We will analyze the reasons why a network drive may not be connected and how to fix this problem on the Windows 7/10 operating system.
Share a folder
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Open the folder you plan to use as the new device on your . It will not be difficult to do this, it is just important not to miss a few points.
Correctly configure the local network by logging into the control center and clicking on the link "change advanced options" .
In the window that opens, click "Network Discovery" .
Disable "General access" if you don't need it.
Open access to the directory that should be connected as an application. Right select "Properties" if the network drive is not mapped.
Open a tab "Access" and and select "General access" .
In the new window click "Everything" And "Add" . A list of users will appear in the list "Everything" . The user will have access to the folder.
At the last step, confirm opening access to the folder by clicking on "Ready" . As a result, access to the folder will be opened.
Now you need to move on to connecting the disk on the second computer. Open "My computer" , click "Connecting a new floppy disk" tab "a computer" .
After the Map Network Drive Wizard is launched, the "Device connection" , select the appropriate drive letter and specify the address to access the network folder.
You can choose any drive letter. The folder address should be specified like this: /Computer name/Shared folder name.
For example, you can select drive Z and specify the address as notebook/tmp. If you have forgotten the name of the shared folder, click "Overview" .
Near "Reconnect at login" , check the box next to the item to connect the new application again after rebooting the device.
After all the settings have been made, confirm the action and click "Ready" .
If everything is done correctly, the system will connect the folder as an installed add-on and open a window. It will appear in the window "My computer" .
Ways to map a network drive
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You can connect your device in the following ways. So, you can create an additional service that can handle two functions.
That is, it starts the mount, and after that it starts an additional service that uses this add-on. It must have the following properties:
- It is important that the helper service executes the same commands as the regular service, i.e. start/stop/restart.
- The helper and main services should perform tasks on behalf of the same user so that there are no access rights issues. If the main service is started from LocalSystem, there may be problems with access to various applications.
A more interesting option is also possible. Just use it at your own risk. This will require Sysinternal Suite. So the steps are:
1 Open cmd.exe(on behalf of the administrator);
2 Select the PsExec.exe option. Navigate to the SysinternalsSuite folder and run psexec -I -s cmd.exe . As a result, the user will have nt authority/system rights. This can be checked by typing whoami . The i option is needed because floppy disks cannot be displayed without user interaction.
3 You need to create a permanent connected application that will be used as the SYSTEM account. To do this, type the following command net use z://servername/sharedfolder /persistent:yes
This add-on can be disabled the same way it was created, along with .
If you need to remove it, follow the first and second steps, but in the third step change the command, namely write
Net use z: /delete .
Connecting with Group Policy
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Many people think that the way to create a new application through Group Policy is outdated. However, most system administrators prefer this option.
So, using group policy, you can connect the installed device as follows.
First, launch the Group Policy Console by pressing the Win + R combination. In the window that opens, click "Run" and enter the gpmc.msc command. After that, the user will see the Group Policy Management Console on the screen.
If the network drive is not connected by going to "Group Policy Management Editor" do the following "user configuration-settings-configuration-disk mapping" .
In the right half of the window, right-click "create-associated device" .
Specify its name and check the box next to the option "reconnect" . Then go to the tab "Common parameters" .
In the tab, check the box next to the item "Target element level" and press "targeting" .
Going into "targeting editor" press the button "element creation" and select "security team" .
There, specify the name of the user that you want to connect to the floppy disk you are using. Activate item "Users in a group" .
Many users say that this method is quite difficult.
It is especially difficult for those who do not have sufficient knowledge in the field of Windows architecture. So it is recommended for use by people with a high level of training.
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If necessary, you can easily create a shortcut to any application by matching its position.
Once the user has plugged in the device, it will be displayed in File Explorer, so the required file can be easily accessed as if the user were working with an existing local floppy disk.
You can make a similar shortcut for a new device in the OS as follows:
- With File Explorer open, click "My computer" .
- By clicking "Connect new add-on" , choose "Connection of the application in use" (this option is located near the tab "A computer" , which opens automatically when the user goes to the PC in the specified way).
- After selecting the letter of the floppy disk that you plan to use for network folders, click "Overview" .
- Navigate to the folder for which you want to create shortcuts, click OK after selection.
- Don't forget to confirm your choice and click on "Ready" . The user can choose to be permanently connected to this particular folder during the login process. As a result, it will always be available, and if necessary, you can use a different computer user account to connect to the folder.
After the user has finished with the settings, he should see under the label "New device" . This will give him the ability to access content and other folders on the PC.
If you no longer need a network application and want to disable it, right-click on it and select "Disable" .
Connection methods in Windows XP
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For quick access to shared resources, assign them floppy letters. This way you can make it easier to access.
As a result, in the folder "My computer" a special icon will appear. So you do not need to surf the net to find the information you need from online resources.
The main way to connect a device from "My Network Neighborhood" :
- Click on "Network" on the menu "Start" by choosing the command "Net" , double click on "Windows network" ;
- Double click on the domain you want to open;
- Be sure to double-click the containing the shares you want to mount. The windows will display the shared resources of the device.
- Press "shared resource"
, which you want to connect, right-click, and in the context menu select the command
If necessary, you can map a network drive on Mac OS
Instructions for users who are wondering how to map a network drive to the following. First you need to open Finder.
To open a window "Connecting to Server" , press Command + K . Don't forget to enter the path to the gadget you want to connect to.
Enter the path in the following format: Protocol/Computer name. It is optional to specify the protocol at the beginning. After the user has entered the password, the OS will ask you to specify the required folder for connection.
The network drive will become available after the computer is turned on, if you add it to "Login Items" . Click on the menu, click on "System Setting" .
After selecting the appropriate option, click on "Add" . If nothing is displayed, you need to open Finder by going to settings and pressing Command .
Selecting the tab "General" , check the box next to "Server connection" . As a result, the desired icon will appear on the display.
For active data exchange over a local network, you can use network folders that store various information you need. However, for complete convenience, these folders can be configured as a network drive.
And in this article we will consider connecting a network drive using the example of Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 10 operating systems.
How to map a network drive in windows xp?
So let's start with Windows XP. To add a network drive, go to the "My Computer" section and in the "Tools" menu, click on the "Map Network Drive" tab
You will see the "Map Network Drive" window, where there will be two active editing windows: these are "Disk" and "Folder"
The active editing window "Disk" means that you can select any "unoccupied" letter of the Latin alphabet to designate the disk.
To do this, click on the arrow of the active window and select the drive letter you need
And the active editing window "Folder" means that you must specify which you want to make a network drive. To do this, click on the "Browse" tab and select the location of your folder. It can be either yours or another
This completes the creation of a network drive in Windows XP, and we move on to the next example.
How to map a network drive on windows 7?
When creating a network drive on windows 7, you should first make sure that the network settings are correctly configured. To do this, click on the network connection icon in the lower right corner and select "Network and Sharing Center"
Or click on the "Start" menu, click on "Control Panel" and find the "Network and Sharing Center" tab.
You will see the Network Control Center window, where you will need to go to the "Change advanced sharing settings" tab, having previously looked at which network is being used (in this example, this is "Home").
To do this, check the box "Enable network discovery"
After the manipulations have been done, you can start creating a network drive on windows 7. To do this, go to the "My Computer" section and click the "Map Network Drive" tab.
You should see the "Map network drive" window, where you should select a drive letter and specify the path to your network folder. To do this, first select the disk (by clicking once on the "Disk" tab), and then click the "Browse" button, where select the computer name, as well as the name of the network folder and click "OK"
What is a network drive in windows 10?
And in the third example, we will analyze how to map a network drive in windows 10.
To make a network drive here, first of all, you should check the network settings. To do this, right-click on the network icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar and select "Network and Sharing Center"
You will see the network management window, where you should click on the "Change advanced sharing settings" tab
In the next window, check the box next to the "Enable network discovery" tab (if it is not there) and click on the "Save changes" button
Now you can start connecting a network drive in windows 10.
Go to the "This PC" tab → the "Computer" menu and click on the "Map Network Drive" tab
You will see the "Map Network Drive" window, where you will be prompted to change or leave the letter of the network drive, as well as specify the path to the network folder
net use map network drive
It should be noted that there is another way to map a network drive in the Windows family, namely using a script.
To use the script to map a network drive, you will need the "Net use" command: this command allows you to map a network resource.
Within the framework of this article, we will not give the full syntax of the “Net use” command, limiting ourselves to only a few of them.
To do this, open a text editor (for example, Notepad) and write the command there:
net use z: \\WORK\Users, where the letter "Z" means the letter of the network drive, and \\WORK\Users means the network path of the folder (in your case it should be different). Next, add the inscription: net use /Persistent:Yes, which means to restore the mounted disk on reboot. Then save the text document with the extension "bat"
Now if you click on the file that you saved, then you will automatically connect the network drive
