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Hi
I am trying to access my "My Network Places" through cmd window. Is that possible?
So far, when I do the listing using the "dir" command, "My Network Places" is not showing up anywhere. I can get to it using the mouse and gui.
Thanks,

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by JorgeM

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Short answer: "My Network Places" is a shell/virtual folder (a shell namespace), not a real filesystem folder, so dir won't list it. That explains what saw in Explorer but not at the cmd prompt. was on the right track — use the network/SMB commands instead of expecting a physical folder.

Useful command-line actions (examples):

net view                      # list discovered computers
net view \\SERVERNAME         # list shares on a server
net use Z: \\SERVERNAME\Share # map a share to a drive letter
pushd \\SERVERNAME\Share     # temporarily map UNC to a drive and switch to it
dir \\SERVERNAME\Share\Path  # list files directly on a UNC path
start \\SERVERNAME\Share     # open that share in Explorer

Notes and quick troubleshooting:

  • If net view returns nothing, check File and Printer Sharing, firewall rules, network/workgroup names and that NetBIOS name resolution (or appropriate name resolution method) is working. On older Windows (2000/XP) the Computer Browser service also affects the browse list.
  • Mapping a drive (net use) is the most reliable way to work with a network location from scripts. Use credentials when needed: net use Z: \\server\share /user:DOMAIN\user.
  • For richer scripting on modern systems, PowerShell works well: Get-ChildItem \\server\share or use SMB-specific cmdlets where available.

If the goal is to automate access to the resources you see in My Network Places, map the underlying UNC paths (with net use or pushd) and operate against those mapped drives or UNC paths from the command line.

Member Avatar for JorgeM

No, there is no command for that. However, try using the "NET VIEW" command. You can use it to display discovered nodes within your workgroup.

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