Double-click the Print Center.

Chapter 13 ✦ Accessing the Network

6. Click OK. 7. Close the My Account dialog box.

Logging off the network You might log off the network for several reasons. If you are on a clientserver network, you might log off the network if you don’t need to access any network resources or if the server is down. You also can log off if you’re sharing your computer and want to give someone else time on the network. If you’re on a workgroup network, you may not have a reason to log off. However, you can log off if you want to log back on as someone else. For example, you might share your computer with someone else. You log off so the other person can log on and therefore access his or her network resources. If you don’t share your computer with someone else, you don’t need to log off in a workgroup situation, unless you’re having trouble connecting to a resource. Sometimes logging off and then back on again cleans up connections and makes it easier to get to a resource. When you shut down your computer, you’re automatically logged off and your resources are no longer available. To log off of the network in Windows, follow these steps:

1. Save all open files and close all programs. You must follow this step before logging off

so that you don’t lose any data. 2. Choose Start ➪ Log Off your username. 3. Windows displays the Log Off Windows dialog box, which asks if you’re sure you want to log off. 4. Click Yes to log off or No to cancel the dialog box and return to the desktop. 5. Windows displays the Enter Network Password dialog box. You or the new user should enter a username and password to log back on to the network. To log off a Mac, follow these steps:

1. Click the Apple menu. 2. Click Log Out. A confirmation dialog box appears.

3. Click Log Out.

Mapping Drives Mapping drives is a method of reconnecting to a network drive and folder as a shortcut. You assign a drive letter — such as J, K, L, M, N, or some other drive not currently in use — to rep- resent the path to the resource. Mapping drives to frequently used folders on other computers on the network saves your users time. You should teach them how to map drives so they can create their own network connections whenever they need them. For example, suppose that you store files on Sue’s computer in the C:\Netshares folder. Each time you want to access that folder, you must double-click Sue’s computer and then double- click the Netshares folder. If you map a drive to the Netshares folder and call the drive map K, Small Business Tip Part III ✦ Working with Networked Computers for example, all you have to do is double-click K in the My Computer or Windows Explorer window and you skip directly to the Netshares folder. Chapter 13 ✦ Accessing the Network Mapping a drive in Windows You can map a drive quickly and easily without opening the Network Neighborhood or My Computer window. You also can open the Network Neighborhood, My Computer, or Windows Explorer and map a drive by using the File menu. The computer to which you are mapping must be turned on. If the computer isn’t on, Windows sometimes prompts you to connect through dial-up networking. If you choose not to connect via your modem, Windows reports an error in the mapping procedure. For quick and easy drive mapping, follow these steps. Windows 98, 2000, and XP are similar in their methods. 1. On the Windows desktop, right-click the My Computer or Network Neighborhood icon. 2. Click Map Network Drive. The Map Network Drive dialog box in Windows 98 appears, as shown in Figure 13-12. Figure 13-12: Mapping a network drive in Windows 98 Figure 13-13 shows the Map Network Drive dialog box in Windows XP Professional. Figure 13-13: Mapping a network drive in XP

3. In the Drive drop-down list box, choose a drive letter to represent the folder you’re

going to map. Only available drive letters appear; you don’t see drive letters already used for hard drives, CD-ROM drives, tape drives, and so on. Part III ✦ Working with Networked Computers

4. In the folder’s Path text box, enter the path to the folder. Alternatively, you can click

the down arrow to display a list of recently accessed computers and folders, as shown in Figure 13-14. In XP, you can also browse to the network folder to which you want to connect. Figure 13-14: If you’ve recently accessed the folder, find it in the drop-down list.

5. Click the check box beside Reconnect at Logon if you want the mapped drive to con-

nect automatically when you log on to the network. If you use quick logon, the mapped drive won’t automatically be reconnected at logon, but you can easily connect when you want see the section “Accessing and disconnecting a mapped drive,” which fol- lows shortly.

6. Click OK or Finish.

If the folder to which you are mapping a drive has a password assigned to it, the Enter Network Password dialog box appears. The first time you connect to the drive, you can save the password in your password list by clicking the Save This Password in Your Pass- word List check box. Mapping a drive on a Macintosh On the Macintosh, mapping a drive is a little different on each operating system. Using Mac OS X, you follow these steps to map a drive: 1. Click Go ➪ Connect to Server. The Connect to Server dialog box appears. 2. In the At drop-down list, choose the computer’s address or the server name you want to view, as shown in Figure 13-15. 3. In the window pane, double-click the computer to which you want to connect. 4. Select the folder you want to map. Click Add to Favorites.

5. Click Connect.

Chapter 13 ✦ Accessing the Network Figure 13-15: Locate the server containing the folder you want. To view the mapped, or favorite, folder on the Mac, select Go ➪ Favorites, and choose the folder you want to open. Accessing and disconnecting a mapped drive You easily can access a mapped drive from the My Computer window. You also can discon- nect a mapped drive when you have finished using the folder, for example. Also, if a computer to which you mapped a drive isn’t turned on when you log on to the net- work, you can choose to reconnect the drive the next time you log on or to disconnect the mapped drive. Accessing a mapped drive To access a folder on a mapped drive, follow these steps:

1. On the desktop, double-click My Computer. The My Computer window appears, as

shown in Figure 13-16. The figure was taken in Windows XP, but the window looks simi- lar in Windows 98. Alternatively, you can access the mapped drive in the Windows Explorer or Network Neighborhood. See Chapter 14 for more information about these programs.

2. Double-click the mapped drive to display the contents of the mapped folder, as shown

in Figure 13-17. Tip Part III ✦ Working with Networked Computers Figure 13-16: Access a mapped drive seen in the figure under Network Drives through the My Computer window. Figure 13-17: Quickly attach to the mapped folder.