Local network shared folder access without using File Explorer?

I was trying to be specific in my post title but I should be a bit more expansive:

I find Windows File Explorer chokes when copying multiple large files to/from my media server on my LAN. The media server is a Mac mini with AFP and SMB enabled so all devices on my LAN may access it (Android phones/tablets, Win10/Win11 PCs, and Macs). The problem is that, on my (fully updated) Win10 desktop (a 10th gen Intel i9 Lenovo which is, in all other respects, quite fast and reliable), managing the media files (videos mostly)—copying—often hangs File Explorer if I attempt to do other things in File Explorer. I do not see such behavior with locally mounted drives.

After mounting the remote server on the Lenovo, I've been successfully using FreeFileSync to do some updates but I'd rather not have to "configure a sync task" every time I want to do management; rather, I'd just prefer to click and drag -or- click and then click a function button (like "copy>").

Will something like DoubleCommander do what I'm looking to do? I'm thinking that if I just leave File Explorer out of this mix, I'd be better off. Do apps like DoubleCommander facilitate mounting the remote volume without having to do it in File Explorer?

Thanks in advance for the sage advice I'll know I'll find here.

Thanks for your assistance. When I write "mount", I'm referring to the network share appearing in some File Explorer (or other app's) window. I come from the Mac world so "mounting" a network share makes the share appear on the Desktop (which I know MS has never figured out how to do). I made a shortcut (lnk file) to the share on the Desktop and, if I click on it and am patient, it does seem to mount in a window (and shows up as a network share in DoubleCommander) so I guess I can then just stick with DC when I want to do maintenance (add/move/delete files) with the share. (I don't see a means of accessing an unmounted network share without using File Explorer's tools but I need to RTFM more.

I had read something about using a symbolic link but if I can do what I need without that complication, so much the better.

I wonder if getting access to an SMB share is possible without even having File Explorer running. Hmmm.

Berton said:

...{snip} In Windows, Mount is used to show an .iso file as a lettered drive in File Explorer.

Ah, yes! In macOS, "mount" was used interchangeably for a CD/DVD, ISO/DMG, network share, an internal/external HD, even a webDAV share. As long as any of those appeared on the desktop, they were considered to be "mounted". In later iterations of macOS, one was given a choice whether such items would appear on the Desktop (which was, IMHO, an incredibly stupid design choice as I did Mac tech support and I can't even total up all the times I would get calls from clients who could find the drives, shares, whatever, that Apple's poor design choice had hidden from them).

But I'm finished with my rant (and that's why I fired Apple 3+ years ago).

So now that we can dispense with the "mounting" nomenclature and use "Map" as Windows users prefer, I'll ask one more question: If one were to use a File Explorer alternative and configure it to launch in place of File Explorer, would there be a means to Map a network share (assuming it had not been mapped before)? When I use the "Map network drive" command in DoubleCommander, what looks to be the standard dialog appears (same one I see when I using File Explorer for this task). Is that an OS-level function that would appear even if File Explorer wasn't running?

Appreciate the input. Thanks.

Unfortunately, neither DoubleCommander nor TotalCommander appear to be able to Map (access) a network share without the assistance of the standard "Map a Drive" dialog from (in my case) Windows 10.

I'm not sure whether the "standard" Map a Drive dialog would appear if File Explorer has been quit; perhaps that's an OS-level function. I'll have to try it and see.

Thanks,
Barry

Did a bit more searching and found that enabling SMB 1.0 (which has, for the most part, been deprecated and discouraged from being used due to security issues) on my client Lenovo permits it to see the "advertised" share. AFP on the Mac always supported network discovery; a share would just "appear" on the network and you'd provide any required credentials to log in. Apple's macOS X added "discovery over IP" so disabling AFP still supported "discovery".

Apparently, SMB 1.0 supports such discovery while later versions do not. Go figure. I hate macOS but dumb-f*&@ Microsoft programmers/managers need to be flogged with sharp sticks.

I did not provide an overview of what/why I'm doing what I'm doing. I have a Serviio media server on my LAN that serves up media to the various ROKU devices I have in addition to any phone/tablet/computers that need to connect to it. The phones/tablets need an IP address to connect (which is saved for later connections) but the computers have had this "discovery" issue that seems, now, to be resolved. The ROKUs know what a Serviio server is (like a Plex or Emby) and the ROKU's Media Player app can see the Serviio server without any config.

So, circling round back to the original post, it appears that enabling SMB 1.0 lets DoubleCommander map/access the drive even without it appearing in File Explorer's sidebar. I'll run some more tests to determine reliability.

Barry