Mapped Drive for CrashPlan as Windows Service

I have a massive file server (Harrier), and this is where I like to store massive files. I have another server (Ridley) that actually does things. One of the side effects of this setup is that I use networked shares and mapped drives a great deal.

I started using CrashPlan as a backup solution for my friends, but I wanted to store their files on Harrier while running the CrashPlan service on Ridley. As explained here, CrashPlan doesn’t support mapped drives, so I had to hack around it a bit. I found this workaround on the CrashPlan web site, and it worked with some fiddling and caveats. Here’s a summation of my experience using Windows XP SP3:

1. Create a batch file (text file, but with extension bat instead of txt). Mine looked like this:

   net use B: \\Harrier\Backup /USER:Ridley\Tremelune password

   Note: Both Harrier and Ridley have a user Tremelune with the same password.

2. Create a Windows task. The task should run the batch file and it should be Run as the user system or NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM with no password. It may ask you for one, just hit OK. Don’t let it tell you how to live your life.

Now, the PDF said to have it do all this at logon…That never quite worked for me. I needed to run the task manually (and check to see if it mounted properly). You may or may not need to restart the CrashPlan Backup Service (Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Services).

Now when you browse for directories, you should see the mounted share in the CrashPlan interface. I have the mounting task scheduled to run every day in case I reboot the machine and forget to mount it manually.