On August 20, 2022, HMS IT performed maintenance on the networked home folder infrastructure, which has impacted access to some users' files. These files are often referred to as home.files and are sometimes mounted as the M: drive in Windows.

If you are experiencing issues, contact HMS IT or if you would like to make the necessary changes yourself, follow these steps:

1. Disconnect your current HOME folder

• Open a new File Explorer window and select THIS PC
• Under Network Locations, you will see your HOME folder
• Right-click on the HOME and select Disconnect.

2. Reboot your computer, log back in and connect to the HMS Network

• If on Quad, use HMS Secure Wireless or the HMS Wired network.
• If you are off campus or on a non-HMS network, connect to Pulse Secure VPN.

3. Reconnect to your HOME folder with new location information

• Open a new file explorer window and select THIS PC again
• Select the computer tab and select map network drive
• In the box that opens, choose M for the drive letter
• In the FOLDER box, type in this path \\home.files.med.harvard.edu\home\Your HMS_ ID (eg: acb123)
• Check off Reconnect at sign-in and Connect using Different Credentials.
• Enter your HMS account ID Credentials MED/YOUR_HMS ID and password (check off remember my credentials)

For more details on mapping a drive, visit our knowledge articles:

• Connect to an HMS file server from Windows
• Mapping a drive on a Mac computer 

Important note:

• Documents previously located in \home may now be in \home\HMS_account_ID\Documents\MY_DOCUMENTS.
• Shortcuts and quick access items linked to your home folder may no longer work. These shortcuts will need to be removed and recreated as needed.