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Mapping a Network Drive

Off Campus Access (Mac and PC)

On both Windows and Macs, in the case of laptops that are off-campus, the drive mappings, Login Items, Aliases, etc. will not work until the user is logged in to the VPN. Mac users in particular may want to avoid the "Login Items" method on laptops, using an Alias or the Finder "Connect to Server..." (Cmd-K) option only when on campus or with VPN connected.

*Notes for all cases (Windows/Mac): It is possible for users to only enter "\\ads.case.edu\" (or "smb://ads.case.edu/" on a Mac) and then browse their way through the folder structure to their shares but it is always easier to get there if you know exactly where you are going from the start.

The following steps will help users map a network drive. For assistance, please contact the [U]Tech Service Desk at 216.368.HELP or help.case.edu.

Drive Mapping - Windows 10

  1. Go to the Start menu and begin typing "file explorer". Select the File Explorer app from the list that appears.
  2. Click on This PC from the left side menu
  3. Click on Map network drive from the horizontal top menu
  4. From the Drive dropdown select a drive letter
  5. In the Folder text box enter the full path provided to you by the UTech Storage team
  6. Check the Reconnect at sign-in box, and click the Finish button

NOTE: In previous versions, simply right-clicking on a file share or folder was sufficient to use the "Map network drive" option, but that function does not work for Active Directory DFS shares (anything starting with "\\ads.case.edu\..."). Hence the requirement to start with "Computer" instead of the actual location that was just connected.

Drive Mapping - Mac OS

Does NOT work for Mac OS X 10.6.8 or older.

  1. In the Finder, choose the Go menu, "Connect to Server..." (or hit Cmd-K). In the "Server Address:" box, enter the full path given to you by the UTech Storage team.
  2. For easier access in the future, click the "+" icon to store this path in the Favorite Servers list. Click the "Connect" button.
  3. When prompted for a name and password, enter your CWRU network ID and password (same as Single Sign-On).
  4. There are two easy ways to re-connect to this share in the future: create an Alias or add the share to the Login Items setting for your OS X user account.
  5. To create an Alias for the share click on icon for your share and drag it to the desktop; before releasing the mouse/trackpad button, hold both the "Option" and "Command" keys to force the Finder to make an Alias instead of moving or copying the folder. You should see the cursor turn into a curved arrow.
  6. The resulting alias icon can be left on your desktop or stored in any convenient folder for future use.
  7. To add the share to your Login Items, go to System Preferences, Users & Groups panel. Click the "Login Items" button at the top, then the "+" icon below to add a new Login Item.
  8. You should see a window similar to a "File / Open" window, but with an "Add" button at the bottom. Starting with "ads.case.edu" in the left sidebar, navigate through the folders in order they appear in the path given to you by UTech.
  9. Click the "Add" button after selecting the final folder in the share path.