Computing & Information Services

Manually Connecting to Reed Servers using the Registry Patch

These are instructions to manually setup access to Reed's network and servers on your computer using the Registry Patch. These steps are not necessary if you have already installed Reed Windows Printing on your computer. If you get stuck at any point, contact CUS (x7525) for help.

These instructions must be performed with an administrative user account in Windows XP or Windows Vista. 

Installing the Registry Patch

If you have run the Reed Windows Printing installer on your computer before, you already have this registry patch installed on your computer. Hence you can also use the following methods to access Reed's servers besides the shortcuts placed on your Start menu or Desktop by the installer mentioned above. However, if you wish to manually access Reed network servers and printers in place of using the installer mentioned above, you must install the following registry patch. This patch will also enable Automatic Updates on your computer (a requirement for PCs on the Reed network). Below are further instructions for the installation.

  1. Download the Registry Patch to your desktop.
  2. Launch the file SAMBA-AU.REG from your desktop.
  3. Click Yes to add the registry information, then click OK.
  4. Restart your computer.

Once the registry patch has been installed, you can delete the file you downloaded to the Desktop.

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Connecting to Reed Servers

If you have installed the registry patch on your computer, you can use these two methods to connect to Reed servers: using the Windows network address or browsing. We recommend using the Windows network address especially for Vista users, since it is quick and reliable. Both methods are documented below.

Using a Windows network address to access Reed's servers

The only trick to this method is that you have to know the exact Windows network address of the server you wish to access.

  1. From the Start menu, select Run.
    In Vista, from the This is what the Start menu looks like in Vista(Start) menu go to All Programs > Accessories > Run.
  2. In the Run dialog box enter the network address of the server you wish to connect (see below for a list of addresses) and then click OK. For example, enter \\home_server to connect to your Home Server.
  3. A Connect to dialog box opens. In the dialog box type your Reed network username and password and click OK.
  4. In a few moments, a new window opens displaying the contents of the server.  Remember to copy files from the server to your computer before working on them.  Never open files directly off the server!
You can also create desktop shortcuts to Reed's servers.
Windows network addresses for Reed servers
Network Address Server
\\home_server Your Home server
\\courses_server The Courses server
\\griffin_exchang Griffin Exchange (This is not a typo. There is no 'e' in the Windows network address)
\\win_tools Win tools server
\\dorm_print Dorm printers
\\library_print Library printers
\\class_lab_print Public lab printers, e.g B&W IRC printers
\\fac_printers Faculty printers - mostly faculty printers, plus color printers in IRC and Library


 
Adding shortcuts to frequently accessed servers

Follow these steps to make desktop shortcuts to frequently accessed servers:

  1. Connect to the server in which you want to create a shortcut. A window displaying the server's contents opens. The Address bar of the window shows the server's Windows network address.
  2. Click on the icon in the Address bar and drag it to your desktop. A small box with an arrow in it will appear in the corner of the icon you are dragging, indicating that a shortcut will be created when you release the mouse button.
  3. Simply double-click on the desktop shortcut whenever you wan to access that server.

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Browsing to Reed servers

Browsing allows you to find computers and servers on the network when you don't know their exact network address. Below are the most common steps for browsing to Reed's servers. However, depending on your exact Windows setup and your particular connection to Reed's network, you may need to do a bit of extra navigation to find the servers.

XP

Vista

XP

  1. From the Start menu, select My Computer (or double-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop).
  2. Under Other Places (left hand side of the window) click on My Network Places.
  3. Under Network Tasks (left hand side of the window) click on View workgroup computers.
  4. Under Other Places (left hand side of the window) click on Microsoft Windows Network.
  5. In the right hand side of the window double-click on the Servers group. This opens a list of Reed servers available to Windows users.
  6. Double-click on a particular server to access the service associated with it. For instance, double-click on Home_Server to connect to your own home server.

    Servers

  7. In the dialog box, enter your Reed network username and password.
  8. Click OK.

Vista

In Vista simply navigate to the  This is what the Start menu looks like in Vista (Start Menu) and select Network 

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Disconnecting from servers

To disconnect from a server, you can either log off of your computer or restart it. Disconnecting from servers keeps both your computer and personal work more secure.

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Troubleshooting server access

If you're having trouble connecting to Reed's servers, please see our troubleshooting steps below.

Did you follow all the steps?

You must follow the instructions for installing the registry patch. If you skipped a step, go back and try again.

Firewall settings?

Check your firewall settings. Firewalls may have default settings that are so restrictive you cannot access our servers. Common firewall software includes programs such as ZoneAlarm and the built in firewall in Windows XP & Windows Vista.

An easy way to determine whether or not your firewall is causing the trouble is to temporarily disable it. Restart your computer once you've disabled the firewall to insure that the change takes effect. Once you've restarted your computer, see if you can access the servers. If you can, you know your firewall settings are too restrictive. You can then return to your original settings and one by one test the settings to see which one is causing the trouble. Restart between changes to your firewall settings to insure that the changes take effect. If you need help contact CUS.

Take Care! Remember to use caution in adjusting your firewall settings so as not to make your computer vulnerable to attack.

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Printer Setup

For instructions on setting up printers, please visit our printing pages.

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