Rob S wrote:
Quick Windows tip: rather than mapping a local network drive, try
subst, which is faster (operates directly at the filesystem level - no
SMB generation and parsing, no transfers through the loopback
interface), cleaner, and safer (no unnecessarily-shared directory).
You can make the subst command an autorun entry in the Registry so it
takes effect every time you reboot.
More info please! subst??
Can provide a more detailed step by step method for this - it may help
others, like myself, who are not that "computer jargon" literate.
Cheers
Rob S
subst (short for "substitute") is an old DOS command that is still
supported. It allows you to assign a local drive letter to a directory.
In Ye Olde Days, I think the main use was to shorten path names,
because the Windows environment was too tiny to allow long paths. So
(assuming you did not have an actual drive mapped to X:), you could use
X: as shorthand for C:\this\that\the\other\thing.
Suppose that I have an urge to use LyX on files located in "My
Documents\Assorted Junk" (note the spaces). I can execute the command
subst X: "C:\Documents and Settings\my.login\My Documents\Assorted Junk"
and thereafter direct LyX to files in the X: root folder. LyX can also
access files in subdirectories, *provided* the subdirectory does not
contain any spaces. Thus LyX sees "My Documents\Assorted
Junk\file1.lyx" as X:\file1.lyx and "My Documents\Assorted
Junk\exams\test1.lyx" as X:\exams\test1.lyx, but good luck with "My
Documents\Assorted Junk\last night.lyx" or "My Documents\Assorted
Junk\Weird Stuff\file3.lyx".
To undo the substitution, just issue subst X: /d at a command prompt.
Michael's correct that the substitution could be set up in the registry
to be run automatically, but registry hacking is pretty intimidating to
novices (and rightly so). A perhaps easier solution is to add it to the
Startup folder. The steps for Win XP (should be basically the same in
Win 2K) are as follows:
1. Right-click the Start button, click Open, double-click Programs and
then Startup.
2. Right-click on an empty part of the folder and select New -> Shortcut.
3. Where it asks for the location of the item, type "cmd" (no quotes)
and click Next.
4. Rename the shortcut to something mnemonic, such as "Substitute X for
My Docs" (or "Play with Fire"). Click Finish.
5. Right-click the new icon in the Startup folder and click Properties.
In the target text box, *after* cmd.exe, add the following:
/C subst X: "C:\Documents and Settings\myid\My Documents"
(using whatever *unused* drive letter you like in lieu of X, changing
myid to your log-in id, and extending the path as desired.
6. Test it by double-clicking the shortcut. A command window should
open and immediately close again. Now see if you can navigate to X: in
Windows Explorer, or from a command prompt, or in LyX.
-- Paul
