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Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries 

Microsoft Sharepoint technology is allows us to interface with its content via WebDav.

The Sharepoint File System is a proprietary web folder (WebDAV) implementation that is served through IIS 6.0.

WebDAV RFC 2518 (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2518.txt) defines WebDAV as a set of methods, headers, and content-types ancillary to HTTP/1.1 for the management of resource properties, creation and management of resource collections, namespace manipulation, and resource locking (collision avoidance). Read more on WebDAV at http://www.webdav.org.

The general way that you normally interface with a WebDav enabled server is via My Network Places 

  • Open Windows Exploer

  • Select "My Network Places" on the left pane under "Other Places"

  • Click on "Add a Network Place"

  • The "Add Network Place" wizard will then start, click on Next

  • Select "Choose another network location" and click next

  • Type in your path to your document library such as "http://www.mywebserver.com/Shared Documents" and click next

  • Give it a name and click next

  • Click finish

Your Network Place will then be displayed in an explorer window. This window however does use the full path that you specified as the location/address in Explorer ( \\www.mywebsite.com\Shared Documents ). Wouldn't it be nicer to map it to a drive letter such as X: so that any application can save directly into the Sharepoint document library?

Well you can if you follow these steps instead.

From Windows Explorer

  • Open Windows Explorer

  • Select Tools / Map Network Drive

  • Select your drive letter

  • Under Folder : enter your url to your document library such as "http://www.mywebserver.com/Shared Documents"

  • If you want to connect as a specific user click "Connect using a different name" and enter the other user credentials.

  • Click on Finish

From a CMD.EXE Prompt

  • Start a command prompt  (type cmd.exe into the Start-Run option)
  • Type in the following:

    net use x: "http://www.mywebserver.com/Shared Documents" /user:DOMAIN\LOGIN PASSWORD
     
  • You will now have a drive letter mapped to the Shared Documents folder.

Note: You will need to enable the WebClient service if it is not running already on Windows XP

posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 2:06 PM | Filed Under [ Windows Windows Sharepoint Services ]

Comments


# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries

Gravatar
Chris,
I have tried all of these methods and I cant select the folder.
The message I get is "the network path cannot be found"
I checked that WebClient service is running
I am using Windows XP Pro in a networked environment
I have admin priveleges on my PC

Any ideas?
Thanks
John Wells
Posted by John Wells on 7/1/2008 8:05 AM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries

Gravatar
Same issue as John Wells. I am trying to connect from a Windows 2003 Server to a Sharepoint server also on Windows 2003. Both servers on the same domain...can ping just fine...can establish a network place..just can't map a network drive. getting the network path was not found error
Posted by Kevin Smolkowicz on 8/8/2008 3:59 AM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries


I have discovered that if you have the sharepoint folder mapped as a network location you are not able to map it as a network drive as you cannot mapp to the same location in 2 different ways at the same time - ie a network web folder and drive letter. This may be specific to my environment?
Posted by toxic110 on 9/17/2008 11:15 PM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries


I can map a network drive to my current SharePoint 2003 portal site. However, I am not able to map to a MOSS 2007 site.

Does anyone know why this should be?

WebClient service is running on the MOSS 2007 server.

Any help greatly appreciated.
Posted by Kevin on 9/26/2008 1:44 AM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries


I believe WebDAV only works on port 80. So if your Sharepoint is using another port, WebDAV will not work.
Posted by Andy on 10/30/2008 11:56 AM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries


solution for mapping a webdav drive from windows 2003 to sharepoint is to start the web client service on the server (disabled by default)
Posted by Hany on 12/12/2008 10:38 AM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries


It isn't an issue with the port, Our share point is using port 80 and it isn't working either. I would appreciate a solution to this problem. It's annoying because i am using sync toy to sync another folder with a sharpeoint folder and its the sharepoint side thats giving me all the problems.
Posted by Tweedledum on 1/12/2009 11:44 PM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries


Hey this might help you all, it hasnt helped me yet but i am still discounting possibilities

http://stemrc.aihec.org/SharePoint%20Tips%20and%20Tricks/Creating%20a%20Windows%20Drive%20Mapping%20for%20a%20SharePoint%20Document%20Library.pdf
Posted by Tweedledum on 1/12/2009 11:55 PM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries

Gravatar
has anyone tried mapping a drive via UNC name?
\\<server name>\shared documents ** yes there is a space between shared and documents **

seems to work just fine for our setup.
Posted by speedymoto on 2/26/2009 4:25 PM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries

Gravatar
Sharepoint server has a different port number . i try to mapped network drive it not working..
Posted by cdillibabu on 3/13/2009 2:13 AM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries

Gravatar
I'm having the same exact issues as John Wells and a few other posters with regards to the mapping process. I tried it in 2 different environments i.e. XP and Windows Server 2003 (WebClient enabled) and in both environment, I encountered "network path could not be found". I was able to map the same exact address using the regular WebDAV in My Network Places.

Any help or comments is much appreciated.
Posted by Adam on 4/7/2009 8:43 AM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries


Same issues as John Wells - anybody?????
Posted by Rob on 5/9/2009 7:01 AM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries

Gravatar
I have followed all the recommendations here, but still having the message "The network path xxxx could not be found.", is that a bug or an issue in my configuration?

Sharepoint 2007, running in Windows Server 2003, WebClient service wasn't running but I have activated it, I have tried even in the same sarver where SP is running and it doesn't work.

Could anybody resolve the issue?

THanks in advance,

JL
Posted by JL on 6/11/2009 9:58 AM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries


I made this work fine on a virtual server. I started the Web Client service on my server, then mapped a drive from a MSTSC session running on the same machine.

I mapped a drive the following location http://Portal@FQDN/sites/sales/Shared Documents with no quotes around the location.

Posted by Neil on 6/15/2009 10:12 PM

# re: Mapping drive letters to SharePoint document libraries

Gravatar
This are the both requirements:

1. If you have the sharepoint folder mapped as a network location you are not able to map it as a network drive as you cannot mapp to the same location in 2 different ways at the same time.

2. Avtivate the Webclient Service an set it to autostart

This works...!
Posted by Achim Krah on 11/18/2009 3:27 PM

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