Mapping a Network Drive Using net use

Mapping a network drive allows you to assign a local drive letter (like R:) to a shared folder on another computer or server on your network. This enables easy access to shared resources such as project files, analysis reports, or configuration data.

Example Command

net use R: \\e98euc\bts_analysis

How It Works

• net use — The Windows command to connect, remove, or list shared drives or printers.
• R: — The local drive letter you want to assign to the shared resource.
• \\e98euc\bts_analysis — The UNC (Universal Naming Convention) path of the shared folder.

Behind the Scenes

When you run the command:

net use R: \\e98euc\bts_analysis

This happens:

1. Windows reaches out to the server e98euc over the SMB protocol (usually port 445).
2. It checks that the folder bts_analysis is shared and accessible.
3. It assigns the shared folder to the drive letter R: on your machine.
4. Now you can access it like any local drive: via File Explorer or R:\ in CMD/PowerShell.

Authentication

If the share requires credentials, you can specify them:

net use R: \\e98euc\bts_analysis /user:DOMAIN\username yourpassword

Persistent Mapping

To automatically reconnect this drive after restart:

net use R: \\e98euc\bts_analysis /persistent:yes

To remove it:

net use R: /delete

Use Cases

• Centralizing shared documents and data files
• Running scripts that reference shared data paths
• Automated access from Python, PSSE, Excel, etc.

For questions or automation ideas, feel free to reach out.