Microsoft KB Archive/79840

= Remote Drives Overwrite Local Drives =

Article ID: 79840

Article Last Modified on 10/31/2006



This article was previously published under Q79840



SYMPTOMS
When using the NET USE command to associate a remote block device to a drive letter, if the drive letter is already being used by a local block device (such as a RAM disk, a floppy disk, or a hard disk), the network drive overwrites the local drive. Disconnecting the network drive causes the local drive to return.



CAUSE
When MS-DOS versions 3.0 and 3.1 were current, some MS-DOS versions 1.x/2.x applications still existed. These applications only recognize drives A and B.

Allowing a NET USE of an existing MS-DOS block device drive letter allows you to get one of these very old applications to load, run, and read files off the network by redirecting one or both of drives A and B to a server.

These applications are the reason the MS-DOS ASSIGN utility was written.

This feature also allows you to &quot;transform&quot; a machine with a very small drive C or a machine with only a floppy disk into the equivalent of a diskless workstation by redirecting drives A, B, and C.



STATUS
This is a feature of the MS-DOS redirector (both Microsoft Networks and Microsoft LAN Manager).

Additional query words: 2.00 2.10 2.10a 2.20

Keywords: KB79840

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