Web Folders / Web disk / WebDAV problems on Windows 7
If you’re using Windows 7 and you encounter problems in using web folders or web disks (or more technically known as Windows Web Client or WEBDAV) how do you fix it?
Ever since the launch of Windows 7, I’ve been asked this question several times. Many people have already reported to me that they’re experiencing connection and setup problems for web folders or web disks (also called web client or WebDAV) .
I personally have Windows 7 64-bit in one of my PCs and I’m also having problems using web folders. Whenever I try to setup a web folder by “adding a network location” or “map a network drive” through My Computer, I’m given an error saying that either “The folder you entered does not appear to be valid. Please choose another” or “Windows cannot access… Check the spelling of the name. Otherwise, there might be…”. These errors appear whether I’m using SSL or non-SSL.
Your problem on Web folders or the WebDAV client in Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit may be a little different, but I’m guessing that what you’re experiencing falls under these two main categories:
1. Connection to a web folder or web disk cannot be established.
Whenever you try to setup a web folder or web disk (whether it is through “add a network location”, “map a network drive”, through the “net use” command, or any other method), it fails.
2. You can establish or setup a web folder but can only view contents.
Here, you can setup a web folder but you can only browse the root folder. When you try to open a folder or transfer a file to it, you won’t be able to.
What to do
This problem on web folders was also present on Windows Vista but it was easily resolved when Microsoft released a hotfix for it – Software Update for Web Folders (KB907306). I thought Windows 7 won’t encounter this kind of issue, but I guess it was just expecting too much.
To cut the long story short, I’ve tried to resolve the Web Folder problem of Windows 7 myself and have also sought help from other people as well. I’ve tried several solutions some of which are: using the update above, modifying registry settings (by modifying how the web client accepts Basic Authentication or by adding the “AuthForwardServerList” registry key), or by using different “net use” commands – all to no avail.
So to be able to setup or use web folders in Windows 7, we would be using a web folder or web client software until Microsoft fixes the problem.
BitKinex Web folder software
I’ve tested several free web folder software and found BitKinex to be the best so far. First of all is it’s completely free – it was once paid software but is now freeware. It’s very easy to use and work both for Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit. Bitkinex can be downloaded from their official website bitkinex.com or from download.com.
You can also just drag and drop files from your PC to the BitKinex window to copy files to your server or online storage (similar to windows explorer drag and drop functionality).
 |
| Just drag and drop files to the middle pane window (once you’ve chosen the correct folder on the left pane explorer window) to copy files to your server or online storage. |
Setting up the web folder or WebDAV connection in BitKinex is easy as well. Once you’ve finished installation, it will automatically direct you to its network setup wizard – which would help you configure the application so it can have access to the Internet.
Once network setup is complete, it would ask you if you want to configure a WebDAV or FTP connection next. I suggest you DON’T click “yes” as it will direct you to another configuration wizard which doesn’t really properly configure the connection.
You could manually set-up a WebDAV or web folder connection in the BitKinex window by right-clicking Http/WebDAV then choosing New then Http/WebDAV.
You would then need to type a name for the connection. Once you’ve specified a name and pressed the “Enter” key, a new window would appear for you to specify the connection details.
After this, just double-click the newly created connection to connect to your server or online storage and start using WebDAV or web folders in Windows 7!
Do you know of another freeware which can use WebDAV in Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit? Please don’t hesitate to post it below so we can all check it out. I’ll also be updating this article (if in case Microsoft releases a fix for WebDAV or web folders) so be sure to check back to the site or subscribe to the feed or email updates. It’s free!
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Netdrive (only 32 bit), Webdrive (both 32 and 64 bit) achieve the functionality
Thanks for the suggestion J but Netdrive as you say only works for 32-bit and Webdrive unfortunately is NOT free.
You make a big deal about Netdrive being 32 bit only but fail to mention that BitKinex is as well.
Netdrive is 32-bit and I can’t install it in a 64-bit system.
BitKinex is 32-bit and I CAN install and use it in a 64-bit system.
Unfortunately, BitKinex refuses to open. It keeps telling me to install an emailclient, even though I have Thunderbird installed and configured as the standard email client (mailto: from Open office works fine).
That’s odd as it doesn’t do that to me. Does it tell you to install an email client during installation or after? Have you tried reinstalling?
It did accur to me too but i just ignored that and continued and it works fine.
maybe u try it that way
Thanks for the great article. For me, Bitkinetix is the first one to work on Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit – and I have tried almost everything else, including Webdrive, Anyclient and many others.
I think it is a policy at MS that they don’t want to fix WebDav. Perhaps it has to do with that WebDav is “foreign” to the MS server architecture? This is just a guess though.
same story here, Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit – I’ve tested a lot of clients, the only working is Bitkinex
anyone got it working without a client yet?
I don’t think it works perfectly without a client yet (with the exception of a few cases – one reader suggested the use of the “net use” command, but it would only work when you don’t need to specify a port. But still even if you don’t need to specify a port, it’s not 100% working. See our thread of replies here -http://www.techiechips.com/web-folders-web-disk-webdav-problems-on-windows-7/comment-page-1/#comment-1603)
I’ll update this article once this is resolved and we don’t need a client anymore.
superb, thank you! Headache solved!!! would have thought that cPanel could have releases a W7 script by now or that W7 WebDisk would work properly :S
Glad I helped. Hope someday, we won’t need a client anymore.
Instead of going through the GUI it said you should go to a command prompt and type in a command simlar to this one:
net use * https://mywebdav.testserver.com/testfolder
It prompted me for a username and password and then mapped the drive.
I was able to access my files this way. Hope it works for you.
Yes it’s been reported that the method you’ve mentioned works in some cases. However, if you need to specify a port to map it (ex. port 8080), this won’t work. That’s why I mentioned above that even if we use the net use command, most people cannot establish a connection.
For CPanel users, this won’t work as they need to specify a specific port to connect to their Web Folder.
Still can’t work for me on W7 Ult 64
Get the message
Method PROPFIND is not defined in RFC 2068 and is not supported by the Servlet API
when trying to double click on the link.
The WebDav is apache and the URL is:
http://localhost:8080/B1iXcellerator/exec/dummy/
solution:
http://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/9042-network-location-hosted-sharepoint-webdav-issue.html
Thanks mecane but unfortunately, that doesn’t work for cPanel webdisk. As pointed in the link you’ve shown, it is for SharePoint server and is for Windows 7 32-bit.
Th fix is :
go to registry
\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlset\services\WebClient\Parameters\BasicAuthLevel
and change the value to 2
Enjoy!
You will ned to open up services, and restart the WebClient service
thanks for the setup , i was going nuts, works great( so far lol )
Dude you rock, thanks man.
Sweet fix for a major pain in the rear!
THANKS!
I’ve also tried this but to no avail. I also restarted Webclient service so as to see if it would work but it still didn’t. It asks for the username and password, and even when you’ve entered it correctly, it would ask you again. After several tries, it would still give the error that the folder does not exist.
Note that the solution must work with Windows 7 64-bit as well.
Hi, I am using Win 7 Ultimate. This works for me. Thank you very much. It save me much time.
works for me.. thanks. Hashim
That worked! Thank you. Saved a lot of time.
That worked very well! THANKS!
Your King I hate adding on 3rd party apps to cover up a problem.
I have it working without a client on an Apache based webdav server on Windows 7 64 bit clients. There are multiple steps but the biggest issue was the webdav server was using “Basic” Authentication instead of “Digest”. Windows 7 does not support this configuration.
For instructions: http://shon.org/blog/2010/03/04/howto-fix-windows-7-64bit-webdav/
Hi Shon!
Thanks for the comment and idea! Nice post by the way.
If that indeed is true, then I guess all is lost for those who don’t have their own servers and are just using/paying for web hosting services. This may hold true if you can configure your webdav server to use other authentication methods.
Your other solution in the post was already suggested by one of the people here but unfortunately does not work.
Ige, I’d press your web host to configure Digest based Authentication. It’s a very simple configuration change and it technically is a more secure solution.
If enough folks complain and publicize the fact that basic is incompatible with Windows 7 you should see the web hosts making the change.
Good luck!
-Shon
Hi Shon,
I want to connect using webdav client from Win7 (32/64 bit).
My webdav server is running on linux. I want to know that if i change server to use Digest Authentication, Do i need to change only apache conf file or it requires some code level support also? like changing the authentication mechanism inside the code?
Other things are: If i change server configuration to use Digest Authentication in place of Basic, Will it impact other clients..Like Mac/Win Vista clients connecting through webdav client?
Actually my server supports same functionality using browser also, If server is changed to accept Digest Authentication, then how browsers are going to comply with that ?
It would be great if you help with answers for all my concerns.
thanks in advance.
Thanks for the suggestion Shon! I do hope that Microsoft is the one who pushes for this though. I mean, can’t Microsoft inform us that they’re using Digest Authentication now? So that all of us (including webhosts) can adjust? Just my two cents.
Anyways, I’ll make sure to ask this to my webhosting provider the next time I talk to them.
Hi, with BitKinex no problems under Win7 x64. It would be nice if i could use the classical network connection, but i didn’t make it work…
Anyone did it under Win7?
I have connected to WebDAV (MarkLogic with Basic authentication enabled) without a third party client on Win7 Professional 64bit. I used http://shon.org/blog/2010/03/04/howto-fix-windows-7-64bit-webdav/ and http://support.microsoft.com/kb/841215 instructions. I set BasicAuthLevel=2 and restarted WebClient services.
But only I don’t know maybe Microsoft fixed it in one of its updates. My computer is updated automatically.
That’s great for you then. Are you using CPanel on your webhost? Is your server Linux? Or is it Windows based? Are you the one maintaining the webserver?
I’m using Total Commander (www.ghisler.com) with WebDAV plugin.
Thank you Rony, this is cool.
I’ve been using Total Commander for ages but never came across this plugin!
This sure have saved me the hassle of using other programs.
man- i tried >everything< to get my webdisk available through win7 explorer and to no avail. none. hours and hours of banging my head against a brick wall. thanks bill gates.
anyway bitkinex worked, took me about 30 seconds so thank you sooooo much
hmm this sounds like spam
No worry – luckily your comment wasn’t filtered as spam.
I’m glad my article was of help.
I’m very new to CPanel and this has been very frustrating!
I have installed BitKinex, but I am unsure what to use as my server address. Would it be my website address or something to do with the hosting service? I use Green Geeks, if that helps.
Thanks
Your webhost provider should be able to provide you with that information. It would be a security risk if we put it in public information such as this comment board. I don’t want your site to be compromised.
Hey,
I downloaded BitKinex and all is working, but is there anyway to make it appear in my network panel in windows?
I’m afraid not. It’s a separate program so it wont appear in the network panel or y network places.
I have this problem, but my webdav don’t have any file or folder. there is a servlet in my webdav and data will be load from database according to url.
therefore doc files are accessible only from browser (IE). but when user click a link, office opened but without any data. please help me
Finally got web folders working for both Vista and W7! Cause of the problem is that Vista and W7 is not giving a warning for “Self-signed root certificates” and just gives an error like “that there is a problem with the folder …”
The web folder server, I used to test this, is using https and digest for authentication. I don’t think Vista and W7 will work with lower security.
To get it working, just add the Root Certificate of the server into Windows, as follows:
1) You should first get the server certificate on your computer. I got the certificate directly from the server administrator in CER format. It is also possible to download it with for example Firefox. I guess instructions could be found on the net.
2) Import it in Windows: start Certmanager: in “cmd” type certmgr.msc
3) Select on the left “Trusted Root Certification Authorities”
4) In the menu “Actions” -> “All Tasks” select “Import” and then “Next”
5) Browse for the location of certificate file you saved earlier on your computer and click “Open”.
6) You will get a few more warning messages. Just say to go through with it until the certificate is accepted.
After this I had no problems to connect to the web folders.
Hi Alain,
This is a new method and I would have to try this. I’m just a little preoccupied with other commitments right now but I’ll make sure to test this.
Thanks for posting it!
Didn’t work for me
Did the MS hotifx for Webfolders and then went to CACert and got a certificate for my server. Successfully installed this certificate into my Windows and then setup the web folders but still get the “The folder you entered does not appear to be valid.” error message.
Guess I’ll stick to BitKinex till the guys at Cpanel get this sorted out.
I’m also awaiting this fix like you are. I’ll post it here immediately if a fix is already available.
I’ve been breaking my head for a while over this, too — and thought that BitKinex was just what I needed, but it doesn’t work for me! Doesn’t allow me to enter “http” with the server name, and so my authentication does not go through. Am I missing something obvious?? I’d appreciate any pointers.
You don’t need to enter http.
Just enter your website followed by a colon and then the port you use. (see screenshots above)
If you use http with it, select “None” in the Security option. If you use https, select “SSL”.
Hope that helps.
Hey everyone, I’ve been keeping up with this forum to try and figure this webdav thing out. So far I’m using Anyclient because it works with HTTPS and windows 7 64 bit edition. Hope someone figures out a way to use windows 7 instead of a client!
Thanks
This is pretty cool! Only thing I can’t figure out is how to map a network drive to it. If I can map a network drive to the WebDAV then I’ll be in!
Any ideas??
Once again .. bought a broken operating system that won’t be fixed.
Netdrive works now! I’m successfully using it with Windows 7 Enterprise 64 bit. The only hitch I encountered was that the first time I tried to run it the Netdrive service died, and I had to open Services and restart it. While I was in there I set it to automatic and everything’s still working after a reboot.
I just tried web folders now (as I always check it) but it still isnt working.
Well here is a “left field” method.
I have a virtual machine mounted for an XP app that won’t run on Windows 7. So I setup webfolders in my VM – XP and it works great!
Yes that’s great if your Windows 7 is the Ultimate Edition or Professional Edition as it has the Windows XP mode you mentioned.
I got BitKinex working within 3 minutes of installation… Follow the instructions above carefully and you shouldn’t go wrong…
Andy
—
Steve Jobs: “Windows 7 was MY idea”.
Thanks for the confirmation Andy. And I like your signature by the way!
After several frustrating weeks battling with Webdav and Win 7, both 32 and 64 bit, I was rescued by Bitkinex.
However I wonder if anyone has had any problems with files failing to actually lock on the server although Bitkinex shows the file as locked.
LAN users opening a file cause it to show as locked or read only for other LAN users (good) but when a BitKinex remote user opens a file for editing (or copy)the file is then marked as locked in Bitkinex window but is not in fact locked on the server (bad). I have made multiple changes to various Lock configuration options within Bitkinex with no luck. Can anyone think of where I might be going wrong?
Also has anyone found a dedicated Bitkinex forum yet?
Thanks for a great article lge
A lot of thanks man!
I tried BitKinex with my Google Docs account. Uploading of a “doc” fiel worked great. However, when I try to upload a “jpg” for example, it does not work. It tries a few times and then shows me an error message. When I upload a “docx” file it uploads the file, but I cannot open it in Word when I download it again. Word tells me that the content of the files is not correct.
It should be possible to upload any kind of file to Google Docs, but so far I was only able to use “doc” files. Does anyone have an idea what the problem might be?
I found if you uninstall “any” Windows Live Essentials” installation “Live ID” etc then authentication works no problem. I confirmed this with a co-worker. However, I get errors trying to save/upload/delete files.
Hey guys I just found that NetDrive works beautifully with windows 7 ultimate 64 bit. No need to launch app it mounts drive when computer starts. Great for coding projects and such. Came across this site that compares all of them:
http://technical.bestgrid.org/index.php/Review_of_Windows_webDAV_clients
Ok so bomb to that response I just turned my computer on this morning and it won’t show the drive anymore. It keeps giving me the error:
Login failed. Please check the internet connection.
Lame!
Very weird so I am looking into it. The reason why I want desktop access is to use netbeans or any other project oriented software.
Ok I am a space cadet DUH!!!! What I did I changed the configuration for it…. So it works now…
Site IP or URL includes the port number for the webfolders port and use port 21.
But I also figured out how to get my webfolders mounted to hard drive as well. I have Bluehost and they have ftp option to connect to site folders so I just did this:
Manual connection instructions
1. From the desktop, click on Start and then Network.
2. Then, click organize->layout->menu-bar.
3. Then, click on tools->Map Network Drive.
3. From that screen, click Connect to a Web site that you can use to store your documents and pictures, and then click Next.
4. Click Choose a custom network location, and then click Next.
5. Enter the following in the Internet or network address field:
ftp://yoursite.com
then it went through all the regular stuff.
So basically I have Netdrive and Windows 7 to browse my folders on my server that is hosted by Bluehost.
Same thing I did, brother.
Boy have I tested ALL solutions to no avail.
BitKinetix shure worked though, but it works just as good as a FTP-client since I have FTP-access to all my WebDAV folders…
Webdrive worked, as I want it to work, eg. functioning properly and mapping my drives as expected. It also works on Win 7 Ultimate x64.
Instead of using web disk, you can access your storage via ftp connect. For using this, write ftp://username\40domain.com:password@domain.com in this case, we write \40 instead of @. Because system can not recieve double @. With this process, you can simply access your storage.
I’ve use this site name for about 3 yrs, I’m with a new web server nearly a year now and my site is strictly a hobby. I can’t access my site via the interne since last week according to the message that appears on screen there is no index file and it states that the transfered file must be exact because they are case sensitive. Well I’ve changed that file and the rest of the files more than 10 times. Now if I type in my web address and add a subpage title and then click on return home on tha subpage the index is found and opens up, any idea what my problem is. I’m using Win XP and MS Front Page 3.
Thank you
Dennis Beauregard
dennisbeau@rogers.com
Is this an add or is there really someone recommending this software? If you are a real person I need some help understanding this program. The help file is completely useless.
I too have had headaches over this one for a looooong time. After reading this and the comments, I tried the following registry changes in registry
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters]
“UseBasicAuth”=”1″
“BasicAuthLevel”=”2″
I cannot connect via the map network drive box, but through command line, I was able to connect to http://www.host.com/dav on one computer and http://www.host.com:80/dav on another computer. Both of them are running Windows 7 SP 1.
Adding
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Common\Internet]
“UseBasicAuth”=”1″
“BasicAuthLevel”=”2″
made it possible for me to also open documents in Office 2010.
try easy and free netdrive for home user.
My computer sucks ass. My web folders were working for a while. now the folders expand in my menu but it never displays the contents of the folders. Unreliable again. My netbook would make a better frisbee.
Couldn’t connect to sharepoint webdav folders from win2008 server, but after changing BasicAuthLevel from 1 to 2 in registry and a reboot, i made it.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters]
“BasicAuthLevel”=”2″
sorry, spoke too soon. I can finally connect but web folders are all empty. very weird
*Please ignore the last 2 comments*
I changed to the following reg keys in my windows 2008 server and restarted webclient service before i connected to the sharepoint webdav folder.
I can finally see the files, but some middle level folders are empty.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters]
“UseBasicAuth”=”1″
“BasicAuthLevel”=”2″
Thanks, man. BitKinex totally worked for me. You’re the best.
Installing a CA certificate as suggested by alainw solved it for me under Windows 7 64bit, I can connect and have no problems at all…
Egge
Sounds like you got it working using alainw’s method…
However… can anyone explain to me how to go about getting the CA certificate???
I am using the built in WebDAV server on my Westnet/iiNet BoB modem… and have no idea about these certificates…
When I connect using my web browser and enter my username & password… I can view the contents of the folder on the webserver… and down the bottom of the webpage it has “lighttpd/1.4.20″
I am assuming, that is the protocol or type of webserver?
However… I am still no closer to understanding what i need to do with the certificate or how I obtain it…
Sorry … bit of a noob to WebDAV… have read so many pages now and still no closer to understanding how to get it working…
At the moment, I try to add a network place in Windows Explorer and sometimes it asks for my user/pass… three times then tells me the folder isn’t valid… which is BS… because it works in Firefox when i browse to that addres…
Any help would be appreciated!
Cheers
Hmm works perfect here with the default dav settings of windows. No need of extra tools… Works in 32 or 64 bit.
Thank you very much for this article.
I was searching for hours to get a solution like this.
In Windows 7 “webfolders” starts to work though “add a network location” in the “Computer” folder. I can type the network address but the Domain is wrong (it’s my default work domain instead of the host of the web folders location). Can anyone help?
Cheers
Thanks