Managing Files, Folders, and Search Methods
My Network Places replaces the Network Neighborhood feature that you used in both Windows 98 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0. In the My Network Places window, you can double-click Computers Near Me to quickly access files and folders on other computers in your workgroup or double-click Entire Network to search more widely.
The Add Network Place wizard, also available in My Network Places, guides users through connecting to a shared folder, a Web folder (not a Web site), or an FTP site. Users can specify alternate credentials for automatic access to Web folders and FTP sites. Users can provide friendly names for shortcuts that display in My Network Places. Network resources can be added to the Favorites menu.
When you open a document on a network resource, a folder shortcut is automatically created in My Network Places.
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Note
Mapped network drives do not appear in My Network Places.
Group Policy Settings That Affect My Network Places
You can use a Group Policy setting or a combination of Group Policy settings to control the functioning of the My Network Places folder. For example, with Group Policy on a Windows 2000 Server, an administrator can specify the connections that are displayed in a user's My Network Places folder. For more information about using Group Policy with Windows 2000 Server, see Group Policy and Introduction to Desktop Management in the Distributed Systems Guide .
Table 9.2 and Table 9.3 list some of the Group Policy settings that affect My Network Places and provide a brief description of each. Before you change a Group Policy setting, you should be familiar with using Group Policy and MMC snap-ins. To make changes to these settings, you must log on as a member of the Administrators group. You can find the Group Policy settings that Table 9.2 lists by using the Group Policy MMC snap-in and then following this path:
Local Computer Policy\User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Desktop.
Table 9.2 Group Policy Settings That Affect My Network Places and Desktop Icons
Group Policy Setting |
Description |
|---|---|
Hide My Network Places icon on desktop |
Removes the My Network Places icon from the desktop. This Group Policy setting only affects the desktop icon. It does not prevent users from connecting to the network or browsing for shared computers on the network. |
Do not add shares from recently opened documents to My Network Places |
Prevents a connection from being saved if it was established by opening files on remote shares. |
Hide all icons on Desktop |
Removes all icons and shortcuts, including My Network Places, from the desktop. |
You can find the Group Policy settings that Table 9.3 lists by using the Group Policy MMC snap-in and then following this path:
User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Explorer.
Table 9.3 Group Policy Settings That Affect My Network Places
Group Policy Setting |
Description |
|---|---|
No Computers Near Me in My Network Places |
Removes computers in the user's workgroup from lists of network resources. |
No Entire Network in My Network Places |
Removes all computers outside the user's workgroup from lists of network resources. |
Remove Map Network Drive and Disconnect Network Drive |
Prevents using My Network Places to connect to other computers or to close existing connections. |
For additional information about Group Policy settings, including a more complete description of each setting, follow the preceding paths to the Group Policy setting, right-click the Group Policy setting, click Properties , and then click the Explain tab, or refer to the Group Policy Reference on the Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit companion CD.