EasyLink uses a technology called Web Folders in order to allow users to see the shared folders which are held on the college network. With the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft made significant changes to the web folder system, meaning that EasyLink no longer functions as expected. Vista's new system, Network Location Links, must be used instead.

This page offers step-by-step instructions for creating these links and making other configuration changes in order to access the EasyLink folders.

Stage 1 - Configuring Internet Explorer
1. If you have not already done so, install the Web Folders update referred to in the Accessing EasyLink Using Internet Explorer 7 page

2. Open Internet Explorer

3. Click on Tools, then Internet Options

4. Select the Advanced tab, and scroll down to Security near the bottom of the list

5. Untick both the Check for server certificate revocation and Do not save encrypted pages to disk boxes
(highlighted below), then click OK.

6. Close Internet Explorer and re-open it.

Stage 2 - Creating a Network Location Link
1. Click the Vista Button and then click on Computer

2. Right-click any where in the white space in the right-hand pane

3. Choose Add a Network Location

4. Click Next and then Next again

5. In the Internet or network address box (pictured below) enter the web address of the desired folder, as listed below:

Home Directory / My Documents folder:

Students - https://folders.stmcollege.org.uk/easylink/wf.stm-sr-002.s/Leaving-xxxx/s0nnnn/

- Where xxxx is the year in which you will leave the college, e.g. 2009 if you are currently in Year 11 and s0nnnn is your ‘s' number - the username that you use to log onto the college network.

Teaching Staff -  https://folders.stmcollege.org.uk/easylink/wf.stm-sr-001.t/username

- Where ‘username' is the username you use to log onto the college network.

Shared Documents:
https://folders.stmcollege.org.uk/easylink/rf/sd/

Staff Documents:
https://folders.stmcollege.org.uk/easylink/rf/st/

6. Click Next

7. Enter your username (your ‘s' number) and password, prefixing your username with stmcnet\, tick the Remember my password box (as pictured below) and then click OK

8. Enter a name for the location; e.g. My College Files

9. Click Next and then Finish

10. Repeat steps 2-9 as necessary for any other folders which you require, e.g. Shared Documents

11. At the end of this, you will have 3 folders listed in the Network Locations section of My Computer (similar to the picture below)

Browsing Using Network Locations
It is not possible to double-click Network Location folders; instead you must right-click on them and select Explore (as pictured below)

Transferring Files From School to Home
Rather than opening files over the Internet, it is advisable to copy them to your home computer and work on them there - attempting to work on them online could result in difficulties saving your changes. This can be done by copying and pasting the file or folder in question to your hard disk, or by opening it and immediately selecting File and Save As....

Transferring Files From Home to School
When you have finished editing a file which you downloaded, or created a new file, it is necessary to upload that file back to the college network so that you can access updated version on your return to college. You cannot save directly to the network location (even though it is listed in the Save As... dialog box); instead you must first save it to your hard disk and then copy-and-paste it to the college network.