Share Files Easier Than Ever Before With Network Drives.
It seems that in the last 10 years, more phrases have developed to define various computer related items, than we are able to remember. But the truth is, computer technology is moving at such an alarming rate we are struggling to find a name for everything. Take Bluetooth for example, who on earth thought of that?
Well, one term that you are most likely familiar with if your work with computers, is network drives. In businesses and schools they are now as common as PC's themselves but they are starting to make an appearance in the home as well. You will probably have noticed that if your look on your PC, (usually the 'My computer' tab or icon) that there are different drives properties attached to them. The most common setup will have A: Floppy Disk, C:Hard Drive, D: CD ROM. You know that your CD Rom is where your CD's go and your hard drive is where the bulk of your information is stored but as far as your computer is concerned, each of these is known as a drive. Network drives are no exception to the rule.
A network drive is slightly different however. It is a place on your computer that can be accessed by other machines on the same network, thereby, allowing all these machines access to the same data. Now you can see why it is so popular in schools and businesses. Now, a network drive can simply be a partition, (a section) on your existing hard drive that is seperated for this use. For instance it may be called F:. In this case, Although there is only one hard drive in your PC, your computer will virtually split it into 2. This will mean that other users on the network can access the files on your F: but they will not be able to get hold of perhaps more personal information on you C: .
Network drives can also be entirely seperate hard-drives that reside either inside your PC, or for larger networks, will sit completely stand-alone but will be accessable by all the computers attached to the network. They work in the same way as described above but are generally more secure, and are also used when a much larger amount of space is needed to store data, or if there are many computers attached to the network. If you are looking to use a netwrok drive in your home or business then what better place to start than the internet? Not only will you find absolutely everything you need to get set up, but you will also find detailed instructions of how to do it, and help is never more than a few clicks away.
|
