Secrets of the H Drive revealed !

This page gives instructions on how to:

Restore "lost" H drives when using Windows NT
Create an H drive on the Windows 95 machines in Aaron Burr 116
Find the Windows version of Stata in the Green cluster
Find the Windows version of Stata in Aaron Burr 116

plus ...

Security issues of your new H drive in Aaron Burr 116
Setting up H drives for Remote Access?

This page utilizes information obtained regarding Princeton's "samba server" that I found here. I assume that you already have a working knowledge of the H drive available on the Windows NT system. If not, you should consult The Computer and You, an excellent resource produced by Kieran and Julian.

Note: This page hasn't been updated since Spring 2000 at the latest, and might not be relevant any longer.

-- cbu (09/18/2004)

Restore "lost" H drives when using Windows NT

I don't know why some of the computers in the Green Hall cluster don't find the H drive on occasion. I don't really care, either. I have found a way to restore it, though. On the Windows screen, you should see an icon for "Network Neighborhood". Right click on it, and you should get this screen:

Click on "Map Network Drive". Now you'll get a window like this:

Now select the H drive. Type in the following:

\\smbserve\username

where username is your Windows NT login name. Click on "OK", and you should be set. Life has never been better.

Create an H drive on the Windows 95 machines in Aaron Burr 116

We can also create "H drives" on the computers in 116. They do not have to actually be named "H", by the way. So many letters to choose from.

If you're in 116 right now, bookmark this page, and then (after reading the instructions in this paragraph), close all open files and programs and "log in as a new user". DO NOT use Ctrl-Alt-Delete to do this. Instead, go to the Start menu at the bottom left of the screen, click on "Shut Down", and hit the radio button "Close all programs and log in as a different user". Then hit "OK". You will next get a dialog box asking for your username and password. This is your Windows NT password. You might get another dialog box asking you to retype your password. Do so, and then come back here.

Welcome back.

You're now ready to set up your "samba server" drive. Following the same logic outlined above, right click on the Network Neighborhood icon

Click on "Map Network Drive". Now you'll get a window like this:

Now select any lettered drive below "F" that is open. Type in the following:

\\smbserve\username

where username is your Windows NT login name. You could also check the box for "Reconnect at logon". That way you won't have to do this again, at least for the computer that you're working on.

When you are done, and leaving 116, be sure to go back to

Start\Shut Down\ "Close all programs and logon as a different user"

and leave the dialog box for the next person. If you do not do this, you are leaving the contents of your unix account open to both inspection and manipulation. See the section below on Security issues of your new H drive in Aaron Burr 116.

Find the Windows version of Stata in the Green cluster

For two years now I have heard people complain that CIT does not have Stata on the computers in Green Hall, and I have commiserated. Little did we know that it was there the whole time. Open up "My Computer", and look in the F drive. These are cluster applications available to all. Find the folder called Stata4. Inside you'll find the application Wstata.exe.

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Note: even though the program is there, I can't get it to run -- I get a "general protection fault" application error. I am still waiting for CIT to tell me what's up. I'll update this page when I get more information.

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Find the Windows version of Stata in Aaron Burr 116

We can also have access to this magical F drive in 116. I have set up all three boxes to have F drives on them. If they disappear for some reason, you can easily set them up again. Following the same instructions as above for setting up personal H drives, choose the F drive, and type in the following:

\\clusters\F drive

and be sure to check the "Reconnect at logon" box.

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Note: even though I can't get Wstata.exe to work in the green cluster, it does work in 116. Go figure.

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Security issues of your new H drive in Aaron Burr 116

It is extremely important that you log out of the computers in 116, otherwise the next person who sits down will have access to your account. To log out, DO NOT use Ctrl-Alt-Delete as if it were a Windows NT system, because it isn't -- it's just pretending to be one. Instead, go to

Start\Shut Down\ "Close all programs and log in as a different user"

and leave the dialog box open for the next person.

If you checked the box "Reconnect at logon", then this drive will appear no matter who logs on. If one clicks on your personal drive, they will see the contents of your top directory. They will not, however, have access to any of your files, nor will they be able to trash or add anything to your account. (This has been true all along, by the way, on both the Windows NT and the unix systems. It's yet another good reason to never have a file in your top directory named "My-Advisor-Sucks.txt")

If you do not feel comfortable with even this minimal opportunity for voyeurism, then you should not check the "Reconnect at logon" box. This means that you will have to set up the drive every time you want access to it, but perhaps that isn't such a big deal if you can remember how. Up to you. I have put some minimal information about how to set up the H drive on the dry-erase board in 116.

Setting up H drives for Remote Access?

I don't know if this is possible or not. I have never had (nor do I ever intend to own) a windows pc machine in my home. I am curious, though, if it is possible. Please let me know if you get it to work, and I'll post the instructions here. You probably want to check out the samba server page, paying attention to the note at the top about Novell networking...