Topics Map > Shared Folders
How do I map a drive from my Windows computer to the network?
Direction on how to map a network drive on Windows
Mapping a drive in Windows 10
You can easily create a shortcut to another drive or folder shared on your network by mapping that location. When you map a network drive, it will show up as a new drive under This PC in File Explorer, so you can quickly access the shared files you need, just like you would your local hard drive. Here's how to make that network drive shortcut in Windows 10.
To begin, make sure you are connected to the Science Hall VPN client. More information of how to set up VPN can be found at https://kb.wisc.edu/page.php?id=90370.
1. Open File Explorer and select This PC.
2. Click the Map network drive button in the ribbon menu at the top, then select "Map network drive." (This is under the Computer tab, which should open automatically when you go to This PC, as above.)
3. The Map Network Drive box will appear. Choose a drive letter (not one that is used) and paste in the network shared folder you would like to connect to.
In Science Hall there are any number of shared folders on the network, especially on the Discovery file server. Common shared folders on Discovery are:
\\discovery.shc.wisc.edu\Geography
\\Discovery.shc.wisc.edu\Nelson
\\discovery.shc.wisc.edu\Office (Geography Office)
\\discovery.shc.wisc.edu\sco
There are many different shares on many different servers. When asking for access to a network shared folder you’ll be given the exact address to enter into the Folder: window above. If not, please clarify the exact path to map with the SHC Help Desk.
Check the Reconnect at sign-in box if you want to keep the drive mapped persistently.
You MUST check the Connect using different credentials box so you can login with your SHC username and password.
In Science Hall there are any number of shared folders on the network, especially on the Discovery file server. Common shared folders on Discovery are:
\\discovery.shc.wisc.edu\Geography
\\Discovery.shc.wisc.edu\Nelson
\\discovery.shc.wisc.edu\Office (Geography Office)
\\discovery.shc.wisc.edu\sco
There are many different shares on many different servers. When asking for access to a network shared folder you’ll be given the exact address to enter into the Folder: window above. If not, please clarify the exact path to map with the SHC Help Desk.
Check the Reconnect at sign-in box if you want to keep the drive mapped persistently.
You MUST check the Connect using different credentials box so you can login with your SHC username and password.
4. After you click Finish you’ll be asked to sign in. Choose Use a different account and, for the username, use shc\{NetID} as the entire username (so shc\helpdesk for example) and then your SHC password. This is a common tripping point so please make sure to follow the username and password instructions here EXACTLY!
(If you’re curious as to why you need to preface your username with “shc\” it’s because you are logging into Science Hall, and when trying to connect to a shared folder, Windows will try and use your laptop or desktop computer’s username and password by default to sign-in. Our server has no idea who “Bob” is on your laptop so you need to tell the server to look at Science Hall’s network (the SHC\ part), and then specify the username to use (the NetID part following the “shc\”). Then, you’ll be able to sign-in with no problem).
When you're done, you should see the new drive letter under This PC and will be able to access its contents like you would any other folder. If you want to disconnect the network drive, right-click on it and select "Disconnect."
Troubleshooting
Advanced
(If you’re curious as to why you need to preface your username with “shc\” it’s because you are logging into Science Hall, and when trying to connect to a shared folder, Windows will try and use your laptop or desktop computer’s username and password by default to sign-in. Our server has no idea who “Bob” is on your laptop so you need to tell the server to look at Science Hall’s network (the SHC\ part), and then specify the username to use (the NetID part following the “shc\”). Then, you’ll be able to sign-in with no problem).
When you're done, you should see the new drive letter under This PC and will be able to access its contents like you would any other folder. If you want to disconnect the network drive, right-click on it and select "Disconnect."
Troubleshooting
- Make sure you’re connected to VPN! This is the cause of 95% of failures to connect to a server. You MUST be using the Palo Alto Global Protect client and you MUST be connected to the scihall.vpn.wisc.edu portal. See https://helpdesk.shc.wisc.edu/kb/faq.php?cid=1 for details on setting up VPN.
- While the SHC Help Desk will make every effort to support connecting from home we can’t guarantee network stability due to ISP issues, router/modem misconfigurations, DoIT network outages, and other factors.
- If you get an Access Denied error message be sure you are using shc\{NetID} for your ENTIRE username. See step 4. If you are using the correct username and password (same ones you used to establish the VPN connection) then reply to the ticket stating that you do not have access to the shared folder and to have the permissions on the share checked.
Advanced
- To see a list of shares available on a server (you won’t have access to many of them more than likely) you can click on the Start Menu in Windows, type run, press enter, and type in \\{serverName}.shc.wisc.edu to see a list of available shares. You will need to enter your SHC username and password as explained in step 4. If you get an Access Denied error message you don’t have access to any available shares on the server.