Tired of having to browse long directory addresses? There is a way you can follow to map a drive letter to a directory address. That way, you don't have to spend a lot of time accessing frequently opened folders. For example, you could map a long directory address such as D:\Documents\Via\Vallen to the drive letter “X”.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Using Command Prompt
Step 1. Open a Command Prompt window
In Windows Vista or Windows 7, open Command Prompt as a normal user, not as an administrator. The reason will be explained later.
Step 2. Use the SUBST command to map the desired folder to a drive letter
For example: SUBST X: "D:\Documents\Via\Vallen".
Step 3. Open a new Windows Explorer window to open it
You can see the drive letter you just created (eg “X”). With that drive, you can access the mapped folder directly.
Step 4. Type in SUBST X:
/D to remove the previously created drive letter mapping.
Step 5. All mapped drive letters will be deleted or reset when you restart the computer
To map folders automatically when the computer starts up, enter the SUBST command into a batch file, then save the file in the “Autostart” folder in the “Start” menu. More advanced users can take advantage of the Task Scheduler feature of Windows, but how to use it is not discussed in this article.
Step 6. Execute the SUBST command through the command generator account
This mapping is only created for users who initially set the SUBST command. If you are logged into the “Via” account and open Command Prompt as “Administrator” to run the SUBST command, the “Via” account will not be able to see the mapped drive letters. This happened because the mapping was created for the “Administrator” account, and not “Via”. Therefore, you need to open Command Prompt as a normal user on Windows Vista and Windows 7. When using the Task Scheduler feature, again make sure the command is run for the regular user account.
Method 2 of 2: Via “My Computer” Button (Graphic Method on Windows)
Step 1. Open “My Computer” from the computer desktop
Step 2. Click “Map Network Drive” on the “Tools” menu
Step 3. Select the drive letter you want to map with the desired folder in the “Drive” column
You can rename this mapped drive to any name after it.
