HOW TO: Create a Shortcut to a Network Location in Windows XP

This article is a step-by-step guide to creating a connection to a shared resource on another computer.

You can use the Add Network Place Wizard to create a shortcut to a Web site, an FTP site, or another network location.

How to Create a New Network Place

To create a new network place, you must have the necessary permissions to access the network resource. To create a new network place:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Network and Internet Connections.
2. Under See Also, click My Network Places.
3. Click Add a network place. The Add Network Place Wizard starts.
4. Click Next to continue.
5. Click Choose another network location, and then click Next.
6. In the Internet or network address box, type the name of the network share that you want to use, or click Browse to locate the network share that you want.
   
   For example, use one of the following methods (where Servername is the name of the remote server and Sharename is the name of the shared network resource):
   • Type a network address by using the following format:
     \\Servername\Sharename
   • Type an Internet address by using the following format:
     http://Servername/Sharename
   • Type a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site by using the following format:
     ftp://ftp.domain.com
7. Click Next.
8. In the Type a name for this network place box, type the name that you want, and then click Next.
9. Click Finish.

How to Remove a Network Place

To remove a network place:

1. Open My Network Places. To do this:
   1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Network and Internet Connections.
   2. Under See Also, click My Network Places.
2. Right-click the network place that you want to delete, and then click Delete.
3. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes. The connection to the shared network resource is removed. Note that this does not remove the files in the remote folder.

For additional information about creating network connections, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: