If you are using plugins or software that always uses fully-qualified filenames on Windows, then you may already be aware of the problems involved in moving files between computers. References to a file worked fine on one system, but suddenly don't work on another, because referenced files don't have the same name.

ResPower has introduced a standard filesystem that is easily reproduced from one location to another. By creating a drive mapped to "Y:\", and placing your files in a special folder on Y:\, you can use software that stores fully-qualified file names in such a way that you can create the same drive letter on virtually any Windows computer and avoid referencing issues.

There are 2 options available under Windows for creating a Y-Drive.

• "Virtual" Y-Drive
• "Real" Y-Drive

Please Note: You cannot simply use a network share to create a Y-Drive. Some software, like 3dStudio, will convert file names on remote drives to their "UNC" equivalents. For example, if your Y-Drive is mapped to the "Max" share on the "Super" file server, 3dStudio will convert the file name "Y:\example.jpg" to "\\Super\Max\example.jpg".

"Virtual" Y-Drive

With this option, you take a folder on your hard disk and ask the Windows operating system to present it as if it were another hard disk. To do this, download and install the ResPower Virtual Y-Drive.

"Real" Y-Drive

With this option, you actually add another hard drive, and map it into your Windows filesystem as drive "Y". Advanced Users: you could also use a partition on an existing hard drive. It makes no difference. The main concern is that you have "Y:" in your filesystem, and that it is not mapped in as a network drive.

Instructions for Changing a Drive's Letter

1. Open Computer Management
   • Windows 2000: Go to Start->Settings->Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Computer Management
   • Windows XP: Go to Start->Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Computer Management
2. Select Storage->Disk Management
3. Right-Click on the drive letter you would like to change
4. Select "Change Drive Letter and Paths"
5. Select the current drive letter
6. Click Edit (Windows 2000), or Change (Windows XP)
7. In the pull-down list labeled "Assign a drive letter," select "Y"
8. Click Ok
9. Windows will warn you that some programs may no longer run. This is safe so long as no programs are installed on the drive.

In the root of your Y:\ drive, be sure to create a folder with the same name as your ResPower User Name. This folder corresponds to the root of your FTP space at ResPower. All of your scenes, textures, etc., should be inside of a folder inside the one entitled "source", which corresponds to the "/source" folder on your FTP space. Here are some example filenames and their FTP equivalents:

File Name on Y: drive	Equivalent File on FTP
Y:\testuser\vraystuff\irradiance.vrmap	/vraystuff/irradiance.vrmap
Y:\testuser\source\irradiance.vrmap	/source/irradiance.vrmap
Y:\testuser\source\maps\irradiance.vrmap	/source/maps/irradiance.vrmap

If you adhere to these guidelines and synchronize your Y:\user\source with your ftp://www.respower.com/source/ folders, fully-qualified references should not be a problem.