Using UNC paths on Windows Server

Sometimes mounting shared network folders on a Windows machine becomes a very complex task as it depends on the flavor of Windows operating system in use and also the configurations that have been set up.

Follow this post to mount a shared network folder as a new drive letter on a Windows system.

A better alternative to using drive letters for shared network folders is to use their UNC paths. This also saves the hassle of mounting them. UNC paths can be constructed by using the DNS name or IP address of the network server machine followed by the folder path.

e.g   //nas/zoom/psan  or  //192.168.0.32/zoom/psan

Recommended settings to make the UNC paths work on all Windows machines:

Access the Zoom service which is going to use this path as a local user, say Zoom Preview Service on a Transcoder machine.

  1. Open Run and type services.msc. Click OK.
  2. Right-Click on Zoom Preview Service and select Properties.
  3. Click on the Log On tab.
  4. Change the Log on as to This Account and then specify the local admin username and password.
  5. Restart the service. Close Services window.
  6. Open Windows Explorer.
  7. Type the UNC path and press Enter.
  8. Specify the same admin credentials as used above.
  9. Select Remember my credentials and click OK.

The UNC path is ready to be used now.