Setting up file sharing, mapping network drives and creating shortcuts

At this point, your network hardware should be set up, Accounting Plus should be installed on each of the computers on your network, and your company’s data file should be located on one of the computers on the network. In the steps below, we’re going to walk you through the process of making the Accounting Plus data file accessible to all computers on the network.

Be sure you follow the steps below in the order they’re presented:

  1. Setting up file sharing
  2. Mapping network drives
  3. Creating shortcuts to your Accounting Plus data file

Setting up file sharing

Before all the computers on the network can begin making entries into your company’s Accounting Plus data file, you need to be sure that all the computers can access the file. To do this, you need to designate the folder on the computer in which your data file is stored as a shared folder. This process, known as “setting up file sharing,” needs to occur only on the machine in which your data file is stored.

For instructions on setting up file sharing on a computer using Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows 2000 Me see Setting up file sharing in Windows 95/98/2000 Me. For information about setting up file sharing in Windows 2000 Professional, see Setting up file sharing in Windows 2000 Professional. For instructions on setting up file sharing in Windows NT 4.0 see Setting up file sharing in Windows NT 4.0.

Setting up file sharing in Windows 95/98/2000 Me

Follow these steps to set up file sharing on a computer running Windows 95, 98 or 2000 Me. Remember: You need to follow this procedure only on the computer on which your Accounting Plus data file is located.

  1. From the Start menu, choose Settings, then choose Control Panel. When the Control Panel window appears, double-click Network to open the Network Control Panel.
  2. Click the Identification tab. In the Computer name field, enter the name you'd like to use to identify this computer on the network. If necessary, you can also enter the workgroup in which the computer exists. (If you’re unsure whether your network uses workgroups, consult the person who assembled your network.) If you want, you can also enter a brief description of the computer.
  3. Next, click the Configuration tab, then click the button labeled File and Print Sharing. The File and Print Sharing window appears.
  4. Mark the box titled I want to be able to give others access to my files.
  5. Click the OK button in the File and Print Sharing window, then click the OK button in the Network Control Panel. Close the Control Panel window, as well. At this point, Windows might display a message that asks you to restart your computer. If you see this message, click Yes to restart the computer.
  6. From the Start menu, choose Programs, then choose Windows Explorer. When the Explorer window appears, click once on the Accounting Plus folder to select it, then choose Properties from the File menu. The Properties window for the folder you selected appears.
  7. In the Properties window, click the Sharing tab, then click the Shared As button. Leave the Share Name field exactly as it is (if the folder's name is PLUS10, this field should display PLUS10 in the Share Name field).
  8. The next step depends upon the type of network you've got set up.

If the Properties window has three buttons below the words Access Type, choose either Full (if you want users to access this folder without entering a password) or Depends on Password (if you want to require that users enter a password before they access this folder). If you choose Depends on Password, enter a password in the Full Access Password field.

If the Properties window has a box with the words Name and Access Rights above it, click the Add button below the box. The Add Users window appears. In this window, click either the Full Access button or the Custom button to display the text The world in the appropriate box. If you click the Custom button and then click the OK button, you'll be allowed to choose the amount of access you want each user to have; be sure you choose, at the least, Read Files and Write to Files.

  1. That’s it! The data file’s folder is shared. Close any windows that are still open by clicking their OK button.

In the next procedure, you'll visit each computer on the network and map a network drive to the folder you just shared. See Mapping network drives for more information.

Setting up file sharing in Windows 2000 Professional

The file and printer sharing component is automatically installed and enabled in Windows 2000 Professional. Follow the steps below to share your Accounting Plus folder with other people on your network. Remember: You need to follow this procedure only on the computer on which your Accounting Plus data file is located.

  1. From the Start menu, choose Programs, then choose Windows Explorer. When the Explorer window appears, click once on the Accounting Plus folder to select it, then choose Properties from the File menu.
  2. In the Properties window, click the Sharing tab. Click the Share this folder button. Leave the Share Name field exactly as it is (if the folder's name is PLUS10, this field should display PLUS10 in the Share Name field).
  3. Next, click the Permissions button to open the Permissions window for the folder.
  4. Review the list of users who currently have access to the Accounting Plus folder. If you wish to change the settings in any way, do so at this time. (If you want everyone on your network to be able to access the folder, be sure that the Everyone and Full Control options are selected.)
  5. That's it! The data file's folder is shared. Close any windows that are still open by clicking their OK button.

In the next procedure, you'll visit each computer on the network and map a network drive to the folder you just shared. Go to Mapping network drives on page 1744 to begin.

Setting up file sharing in Windows NT 4.0

When you create a folder in Windows NT, the folder usually becomes shared automatically. You are designated as the owner of that folder on the network, which means that you can control who can access the folder. The process of allowing access to a folder in Windows NT is known as setting permissions. You'll want to set permissions for your Accounting Plus folder as soon as possible, especially if you don't want specific people on your network accessing your company's financial data.

If you don't have much knowledge about permissions in Windows NT, we strongly recommend that you ask your network administrator or an MYOB Certified Consultant for help.

Follow these steps to review the permissions on a computer running Windows NT 4.0. Remember: You need to follow this procedure only on the computer on which your Accounting Plus data file is located.

  1. From the Start menu, choose Settings, then choose Control Panel. When the Control Panel window appears, double-click Network to open the Network Control Panel.
  2. Click the Identification tab. In the Computer name field, enter the name you'd like to use to identify this computer on the network. If necessary, you can also enter the workgroup or domain in which the computer exists. (If you're unsure whether your network uses workgroups, consult the person who assembled your network.) If you want, you might also be able to enter a brief description of the computer. When you’re finished, click OK to close the Network Control Panel.
  3. From the Start menu, choose Programs, then choose Windows NT Explorer. When the Explorer window appears, click once on the Accounting Plus folder to select it, then choose Properties from the File menu.
  4. Although folders are usually shared automatically when they're created in Windows NT, it doesn't hurt to check. In the Properties window, click the Sharing tab. If the Not Shared button is marked, click the Shared As button. Leave the Share Name field exactly as it is (if the folder's name is PLUS10, this field should display PLUS10 in the Share Name field).
  5. Next, click the Security tab.
  6. Click the Permissions button.
  7. Review the list of users who currently have access to the Accounting Plus folder. If you wish to change the settings in any way, do so at this time. (If you want everyone on your network to be able to access the folder, be sure that EVERYONE or Full Control is entered or selected in the appropriate list.)
  8. That’s it! The data file’s folder is shared. Close any windows that are still open by clicking their OK button.

In the next procedure, you’ll visit each computer on the network and map a network drive to the folder you just shared. Go to the following section, Mapping network drives, to begin.

Mapping network drives

After file sharing is set up on the computer on which your Accounting Plus data file resides, you need to set up each of the other computers on the network so they’re able to access the shared folder. This process is usually known as mapping, and it needs to occur only on the computers that are not storing your Accounting Plus data file.

Follow the steps below on all of your network's Windows computers that are not storing your Accounting Plus data file. (These instructions apply to all versions of Windows.)

  1. From the Start menu, choose Programs, then choose Windows Explorer (or Windows NT Explorer, if you’re using Windows NT). When the Explorer window appears, choose Map Network Drive from the Tools menu. The Map Network Drive window appears.
  2. From the Drive list, choose the drive letter you want to assign to the folder on the computer that's storing your Accounting Plus data file. The drive letter that appears automatically in the list is the first available letter.
Note: Every computer doesn’t need to be assigned the same network drive letter
If each computer on your network uses a different drive letter to map to the computer on which your Accounting Plus data file is stored, that's OK. The drive letter is used only for identification purposes on each computer.
  1. In the Path field (or the Folder field, if you’re using Windows 2000 Professional), enter the pathname for the computer and the Accounting Plus folder to which you want to map. To do this, enter two backward slashes (\\) followed by the computer name, another backward slash, and the name of the folder. For example, if the Accounting Plus data file is stored in a folder called PLUS10 on a computer named COMPUTER, you'd enter \\COMPUTER\PLUS10 in the Path field.
  2. Mark the box labeled Reconnect at Logon to ensure that this computer is always mapped to the Accounting Plus folder.
  3. Click OK or Finish to close the Map Network Drive window. If you've set up a password for the folder, a message will appear, asking you to enter the password. Make your entry and click OK.

That’s it! This computer is now mapped to the folder containing your Accounting Plus data file. Look at the left pane of the Windows Explorer window; you'll notice that the new drive letter has been mapped to the Accounting Plus folder. Remember to perform these steps for each of the computers that need to access the data file.

In the next procedure, we’ll make it easy for each computer on your network to access your data file. Continue on to Creating shortcuts to your Accounting Plus data file to begin.

Setting up file sharing, mapping network drives and creating shortcuts

Putting it all together

Creating shortcuts to your Accounting Plus data file

Each time you start Accounting Plus on a computer that isn’t storing your Accounting Plus data file, you’ll click a button labeled Open an Existing Accounting Plus Data File so you can work with your company’s data. Once you click this button, the Open dialog box appears, requesting that you locate your Accounting Plus data file on the network. The process of using this dialog box to locate the data file on the network can be a bit tedious, especially if the data file is nested several folders deep into the host computer.

Fortunately, all versions of Windows allow you to set up a shortcut to your data file, which makes the process of navigating to the data file a little simpler. When you use a shortcut to the data file, the data file will open automatically, and Accounting Plus’ Sign-on window will appear—allowing you to avoid the process of locating the file.

The process of setting up a shortcut is the same for all versions of Windows. Here's how you do it:

  1. Close or minimize enough windows so the desktop is visible on your computer screen.
  2. Point the mouse pointer on an empty area of the desktop and click the right mouse button once. A “floating” menu appears; choose New>Shortcut from the menu. The first window of the Create Shortcut wizard appears.
  3. In the Command line field (or the Type the location of the item field in Windows 2000 Professional), enter the location of the Accounting Plus program (not the data file) on the computer you’re currently using. You may want to use the Browse button to quickly and accurately enter this location. When you're finished with this step, click the Next button.
  4. In the next window of the Create Shortcut wizard, enter a descriptive name for the shortcut in the Select a name for the shortcut field. When you're finished with this step, click the Finish button. After a couple moments, the new shortcut will appear on your desktop; it should look like the Accounting Plus icon.
  5. Click the right mouse button once on the new shortcut. Another “floating” menu appears; choose Properties from the bottom of the menu. The Properties window for the shortcut appears.
  6. Click the Shortcut tab in the Properties window. In the Target field, notice that the location of the Accounting Plus program on the computer you're currently using is displayed. To use this shortcut to open your specific data file, position the cursor to the right of the text that appears in the Target field—but don’t remove the text that appears in the Target field. Next, use the SPACEBAR to enter a space after the existing text in the Target field; after that, enter the name of your company's data file (don't forget to type the data file's .PLS extension). For example, if your Accounting Plus program is stored in C:\PLUS10 and your company's data file is named COMPANY.PLS, the entire contents of the Target field should be:

C:\PLUS10 COMPANY.PLS

(Don't worry if the data file is stored on another computer. Your entry in the Target field should be the same.)

  1. In the Start in field, enter the drive letter, computer name and folder name of the computer on which your Accounting Plus data file is stored. For example, if the data file is stored in a folder named PLUS10 on a computer named HOST that’s been mapped as the “E:” drive, enter E:\\HOST\PLUS10 in the Start in field. Keep in mind that you must enter two backslashes (\\) after the drive name and only one backslash after the computer's name.

Very important! Remember that each computer on the network might be using a different drive letter to map to the computer that’s storing your Accounting Plus data file. When you perform this procedure on each of your computers, remember to use the proper mapped drive letter for the computer whose shortcut you're setting up.

When you're finished with this step, click OK to close the Properties window.

  1. To test the shortcut, double-click it. The Accounting Plus program on the computer you're using should start, open the data file located on the host computer and display Accounting Plus's Sign-on window.

That’s it! Remember to use the shortcut from now on to open your data file quickly.

Now that you’ve reached this point, your network is set up and ready to go.