WD: Workgroup Templates Show UNC Path Not Drive Letter Path

ID: Q178405

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you specify the Workgroup templates file location in Microsoft Word using a path similar to the following:

E:\<ShareName>
where <ShareName> is the name of the share, the path actually stored is a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path for that file location (similar to the following):
\\ServerName\ShareName


CAUSE

By design, when you save a document or change a setting to a network location specified using a mapped logical drive letter, Microsoft Word converts the path from one containing a logical drive letter to a UNC-style path.


WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods appropriate for your situation:

Method 1: Use the DontUseUNC Switch

Microsoft Word 97 SR-1 allows you to use drive letter mappings and disable Universal Naming Convention (UNC) by using the "DontUseUNC" registry switch.

For additional information about using the DontUseUNC switch, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q171406 WD97: How to Disable the Use of UNC
For additional information about obtaining Service Release 1 (SR-1), click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q172527 WD97: How to Obtain Word 97 for Windows Service Release 1

Method 2: Modify the Workgroup Templates Path

To display and use a path with a logical drive letter and not the UNC file location for Workgroup templates, follow these steps:
  1. Double-click a blank area of the Microsoft Office Shortcut toolbar to display the Customize dialog box (or right-click the shortcut bar and click Customize on the shortcut menu).


  2. Click to select the Settings tab.


  3. Click to select Workgroup Templates, and click Modify.


  4. Type the path using a logical drive letter for the templates in Setting (Word 7.0, Office 7.0) or Folder name (Word 97).


  5. Click OK.


The path is displayed as the following:
E:\\ShareName
The path with the drive letter appears on the File Locations tab of the Options dialog box (on the Tools menu, click Options) in Microsoft Word. However, if you modify the path on the File Locations tab in Word, the path reverts to UNC.

NOTE: When a logical drive letter is used in the path, the network share must be mapped to that logical drive letter at all times for Word to be able to use the path. This is why the default method is UNC, which enables Word to find a network location without having to map a drive.


STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Word 2000.

Additional query words: 


Keywords          : 
Version           : WINDOWS:7.0,7.0a,97
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: August 9, 1999