Share Spaces

PLEASE NOTE: The changes to server spaces described on this page take effect on July 7th, 2008 after the installation of a new network storage system. If you are having problems with your server share before July 7th, please call the Help Desk at 336-316-2525 for assistance.

Guilford College offers share spaces for faculty, staff and students to store and share files. Information stored on share spaces is backed up every night.

Information about different share spaces

How to connect to your share space

Guilford College Windows computer

Guilford College Apple computer

Personal Windows computer

Personal Macintosh computer

How to re-map a network drive for Windows users

How to make a folder shortcut on your desktop

How to re-sync with your share space after disconnecting

 

Information about different share spaces

There are 5 major share spaces on campus: Users, Classes, Departments, Orgs_Comms, and Resources. The table below lists what is stored in each area.

Types of folders	New Location	Windows Drive Letter	Who has access to this drive
Personal User Folders for Faculty, Staff, and Students	\\GCStore\Users	H:	All users
Classes and academic software	\\GCStore\Classes	I:	All Users - Students, Faculty, and Staff with access to specific folders on the drive
Staff and academic departments	\\GCStore\Departments	J:	Staff and Faculty with access to specific folders on the drive
Student organizations and academic/administrative committees	\\GCStore\Orgs_Comms	K:	All Users - Students, Faculty, and Staff with access to specific folders on the drive
Campus-wide resources	\\GCStore\Resources	L:	All Users - Students, Faculty, and Staff with access to specific folders on the drive

 

Connecting to your Share Space -- Guilford Windows Computer

Guilford computers running Windows will have your share spaces mapped automatically when you log-in. This includes computers for faculty and staff on campus, as well as computer labs. You can see the share spaces listed under Start --> My Computer --> Network Drives. All of the share spaces that you have access to will be listed there, similar to this:

Connecting to your Share Space -- Guilford Macintosh Computer

Guilford Macintosh computers will have your personal share space mapped automatically when you log in. You can see your personal share folder on your dock when you log in, like this:

To connect to share spaces other than your personal share space, you'll need to connect to the server to do so. To connect to another share space:

1. Go to the Finder.
2. From the menu along the top of the Finder, select Go, and then Connect to Server
   
3. In the server address window, type smb://gcstore
   
4. A window will appear asking you which of the share spaces you want to connect to -- select the share space you would like, and click OK to connect. If prompted, type your username and password.
   

1. A Finder window will appear when you are connected to the new server.

Connecting to your Share Space -- Personal Windows Computer

To connect to your share space from a personal computer running Windows, you'll need to make sure that your computer is connected to the Guilford network, either by being on-campus, or using VPN from home.

Once you've connected to the Guilford network, to connect to a share space:

1. Click on Start, and then Run.
2. In the Open box, type \\gcstore and click OK to connect.
   
3. If prompted, type in your username and password, like this: GUILFORD\myusername as the username, and your password in the password field.
4. The gcstore window will open and show you the different areas you have access to. If you want to get to your personal share space, select Users, and then locate the folder with your username to access your files.

Connecting to your Share Space -- Personal Macintosh Computer

First off, you'll need to make sure that your computer is connected to the Guilford network, either by being on-campus, or using VPN from home.

Once you've connected to the Guilford network, to connect to a share space:

1. Go to the Finder.
2. From the menu along the top of the Finder, select Go, and then Connect to Server.
   
3. In the server address window, type smb://gcstore
   
4. A window will appear asking you which of the share spaces you want to connect to -- select the share space you would like, and click OK to connect. When prompted, type your username and password.
   
5. A Finder window will appear when you are connected to the new server.

How to re-map a network drive for Windows users

If you had a drive that had been manually mapped to a folder before the move, it is likely that that mapping is broken, and you will need to redo it. To do so:

1. If you have not done so already, delete the mapping that is not working. To do so, go to your Start Menu, and select My Computer. Under Network Drives, find the drive that is not working, right-click, and select "Disconnect." You should see the drive mapping disappear.
2. To make a new drive mapping, go back to your Start Menu, and right-click on My Computer. Select "Map Network Drive" from the drop-down list.
   
3. Under Drive Letter, select the drive letter that you wish to use for the mapped drive. If a letter is already being used, you will see a drive listed next to it -- you want to pick a letter that is not currently being used.
   
4. Under folder, type the path of the folder that you want to map to the drive letter. Remember that folder paths have changed; information on new locations for those folders is here. You may want to open another window, navigate to the new folder path, and then copy and paste the folder path into the "Map Network Drive" window.
   
5. Click "Finish" to map the drive. A window will open showing the new drive contents.

How to make a folder shortcut on your Windows desktop

If you previously had shortcuts to share space folders on your desktop, those shortcuts will need to be recreated to point to the folder(s) at the new locations, listed above. To create a shortcut to a folder:

1. If you have not done so already, drag your shortcut that is no longer working to the Recycle bin.
2. Navigate to the folder that you wish to create a shortcut to. Remember that the folder's location has changed. A list of where folders are now is here and instructions on how to navigate to the new folder location are here.
3. Right-click on the folder you wish to make a shortcut to, and select "Create Shortcut." Windows will give you a message that says "Windows cannot create a shortcut here. Do you want the shortcut to be placed on the desktop instead?" Click "Yes." The shortcut will then appear on your desktop.
   

How to re-sync to your share space after disconnecting (important for Windows users)

One of the valuable features of share spaces at Guilford is that they allow you to keep copies of your work on your local computer and on the share. That way, if anything ever happens to your computer, you have another copy to work from.

Sometimes, depending on how you are connected to the network, you need to connect to your share space and synchronize your work on your local computer to the server. You'll know that you need to do this if you get messages saying that "gcstore is unavailable" or messages telling you that your computer cannot connect to the server. This usually occurs when you have been using your computer away from the Guilford network.

To re-synchronize:

1. Click the computer icon in the taskbar by the clock.
2. It should tell you whether or not it is available for reconnect. If it is available, choose to reconnect.
3. Choose OK for any question, unless it is says "Resolve File Conflicts." If you get the message "Resolve File Conflicts," it means there is a difference between the copy of the file on your local computer and the copy stored in your share space. If you know which one is the right version for the file, select the copy you wish to keep. If you're not sure which version is the one you should keep, select "Keep Both Copies." Make sure to check afterwards, figure out which copy is correct, and delete the other to avoid confusion.

For Mac users, your computer will automatically re-synchronize copies of your files the next time you are on the Guilford network.