Can't add folder on network share to library

It can be done without reg hacks.....

Just pop into Media Centre and add mapped locations to your libaries. They then show up in the Explorer library view. I guess Media Centre uses indexing fully?!

That description doesn't make any sense to me, sorry mate.

What do you mean "pop into Media Centre" - what do you want to do there? You can't add mapped drives to libraries there...and what does that have to do with Media Centre at all?

I summarize, it is not possible to index UNC shares on Windows 7 64 Bit at this time, right? Otherwise, please post facts rather than more extended talk about other non-relevant issues.

It is a f***ing joke that in the year 2010, on Windows 7 running on an extremely powerful machine, connected to a SAN via Gigabit network, Windows 7 won't let me search my data any longer.

This sucks so badly, the Product Managers should be slapped the whole day. It is unbelievable how much time I wasted for searching a solution for this on the Internet, all you get are the useless libraries that you can't index.

OMG, I can't believe all this.

Don't hack the registry or do some other crazy stuff for this reason. Just take zorn and you will be happy - you don't have to ask why microsoft makes such stupid restrictions, it is like it is ...... may they think they can sell one more expensive win7 pro or whatever edition....

This discussion is running in circles...the same side effects being discussed again and again without any new results.

I am using that Zorn library tool but that does neither help nor is it supposed to in my opinion. It is just a graphical tool to manage your libraries and create shortcuts but is in no way enabling the indexing of UNC drives.

The workaround to create a link to a share and add that to a library does not work for me. It doesn't matter if via Zorn or not, you don't need that tool to do it.

Can we please get to the point here:

Is it possible to index mapped UNC drives without setting them to "make available offline"? If so, how? Please post instructions that everyone can understand and try, do not post mysterious comments about "MediaCentre" or "that it worked for you". That doesn't help anyone.

Facts please, in the moment I am saying that it is NOT possible to index mapped UNC drives as per spec from Microsoft.

I am getting tired of this discussion.

Libraries - Include a Network Folder

A simple workaround is to add the drive through Windows Media Player instead of the library itself.
Open it up and goto the Organise menu > Manage Libraries.
Here you can add any network drive without the hassle of indexing or making available offline.
When you goto the library via explorer it will also show the drive.

Why you can do it here and not through the library itself is something of a mystery.

This was done using an networked Apple Time-Capsule 1TB drive.

...ok it's not indexed but at lest the contents show in the library

Guys, we are not talking about the creation of libraries (everyone knows how to do it by now), we are talking about the indexing of these!!!

I do not understand, i have installed windows search 4.0 and indexed the shared drive, but i am still getting error message! no answer on net from i can see...

I refuse to create a simlink and make available offline and reg hack... all i want to do is install the windows search 4.0 and every computer with windows 7 can just add the share to the damn library!!

@zerofailure: it doesn't work, can't work and won't work. Windows 7 is not able to index UNC drives, unless Microsoft would fix this as part of a Windows Update (which I don't believe will happen).

The workarounds mentioned in this thread do not work and most of the discussion is really off-topic.

To wrap it up: WINDOWS 7 CANNOT INDEX UNC DRIVES / MAPPED NETWORK SHARES

That's the situation.

There are 2 major problems here:

1) Windows Search 4.0 - This DID NOT WORK before Windows 7 (aka NT 6.1).
Why should it suddenly start working on Win7?

2) Windows 7 libraries are fundamentally flawed.

That would seem to be the end of the story until MS fix both these pieces of flawed software.

@Peter: that's all totally wrong. Windows XP WAS able to index UNC drives, I have been using that for years. Read the complete thread please.

Please don't start another generic discussion here, we are over it.

As for libraries, I don't care about them and neither do they relate to this issue nor do they offer any benefits for an indexing solution.