How to save the password for a mapped network drive?

I have a map drive created from Tools > Map network drive.

The drive is mapped to a different machine's shared folder. So each time I switch off the machine, it asks for the password when I open the drive.

Is there a way to save this password?

Solution 1:

Map the drive using this syntax at the command prompt:

net use X: \\Hostname\Share /savecred /p:yes

It will then prompt for a username and password, which will be saved and will not prompt even after a reboot.

You can also add the credentials by opening Start → Run → control userpasswords2 → Advanced → Manage Passwords.

This feature exists on Windows XP and later.

Solution 2:

Stephen Jennings has the correct answer but I have found that there are quite a few XP computers that still do not save the password to the network drive after a reboot (as Ravisha and user65130 may have found out). The only solution I have found on those XP computers is to put this in a batch file:

net use X: \\Hostname\Share password /savecred /p:yes

or

net use X: \\Hostname\Share /user:machinename\username password /savecred /p:yes

Put the batch file in the Startup folder and then on every reboot the mapped drive is reconnected. The bad thing about this method is that the password is being saved as plaintext in a file.

Solution 3:

First, if you're in a domain environment, you would give the correct NTFS permissions to the share and setup a login script. I like using net use

net use z: \\server\sharename

If you're in a workground environment, if you create the same user name and password on the shared machine as you're logging in at the client you can do the same thing.

If something like that isn't available you can specify the user name and password with the script.

net use z: \\server\sharename /user:machinename\username Password

I make it a little harder for the average user to know the permissions and set it as an exe with this tool.

http://download.cnet.com/Bat-To-Exe-Converter/3000-2069_4-10555897.html

Solution 4:

@echo off
echo --------------------------delete map drive all------------------------
net use * /delete /yes
echo ------------------create drive --------------------------------
net use m: \172.16.0.136\Source /user:aleg\masr masr2006*
net use n: \172.16.0.136\scanner_bat_test /user:alwq\4288044 masr2006*    
echo ---------------------------------------------------    
EXIT