Troubleshooting Network Shares and Mapped Drives (Windows)
My Media runs as a background Windows Service so that it can start automatically when your computer boots, even before anyone has logged in. This is convenient, but it means My Media does not run in the same context as your interactive desktop session — and desktop-level mapped drives (drive letters such as Z: that you have connected in Windows Explorer) are not visible to it.
This page explains how to give My Media access to music stored on a NAS or file server.
Why Mapped Drives Do Not Work Out of the Box
When you map a network drive in Windows Explorer, that mapping exists only within your user's session. Windows Services run in a separate, session-isolated context and have no knowledge of those desktop mappings. If you add a path like Z:\Music as a Watch Folder in My Media, the service will not be able to reach Z: and the folder will show an Error or Folder Not Found status.
How to Add a Network Share in My Media
My Media has its own drive-mapping feature that creates persistent, service-accessible connections to network shares, stored with encrypted credentials.
- Open the My Media web console at
http://localhost:52051. - Navigate to Settings and select the Mapped Drives tab.
- Click Add.
- Enter the following details:
- Drive Letter — the same letter you use on your desktop (e.g.,
Z:). Using the same letter is important if your iTunes library references media on that share, as the iTunes XML file will contain the same drive letter paths. - Network Path — the UNC path to the share (e.g.,
\\nas\music). - Username and Password — the credentials needed to access the share (if required).
- Drive Letter — the same letter you use on your desktop (e.g.,
- Click Save.
My Media stores the credentials securely and recreates the mapped drive connection each time the service starts. You can now add the mapped path (e.g., Z:\Music) as a Watch Folder.
UNC Paths as an Alternative
If you prefer, you can enter the UNC path directly as a Watch Folder path (e.g., \\nas\music\Jazz) without creating a mapped drive first — but only if the share does not require authentication. My Media's service runs under the Local System account, which is not permitted to authenticate to most protected shares. For shares requiring a username and password, always use the Mapped Drives feature.
iTunes Libraries on Network Shares
If your iTunes library is stored on a network share and references tracks by drive letter, it is essential that the drive letter in My Media's mapped drive matches the one used in your iTunes library XML. A mismatch will prevent My Media from locating the actual audio files, and tracks will appear in the library but fail to play.