Accessing Network Resources Without Mapping a Drive or Port

This article describes how to use Universal Naming Convention (UNC) names with Network Neighborhood to access network resources without mapping a drive or port.

You can access a file on a shared network resource by entering the file's location in UNC format, or by browsing Network Neighborhood.

To specify a file using UNC format, use the following syntax:

For example, to access a file named Report.xls in the Current\Month folder on a share named Documents on a computer named Sales, you would use the following syntax:

You can also use UNC names with NetWare servers. The NetWare syntax

translates to the following UNC name:

If you know a file's UNC name, you can use the following steps to open it:

1. In the program you are currently running, click Open on the File menu.
2. In the Open box, type the file's UNC name.

To open a file whose UNC name you do not know, follow these steps:

1. In the program you are currently running, click Open on the File menu.
2. In the Look In box, click Network Neighborhood.
3. Double-click the computer you want to access. If the computer is out- side your work group, double-click Entire Network and then double- click the appropriate workgroup. Then, double-click the computer you want to access.
4. Double-click the folder you want to access, and then double-click the file.