How to use WebFolders in Older Windows Versions

Topics:

Download: How to Map a WebFolder (secure)

Download: How to Map a Logical Drive Letter (not secure)
 

SIMPLE SHORTCUT METHOD
Here is a simple way to Download or Upload multiple files/folders using a WebFolder mapping to your account, and directly open/edit/save files in Microsoft Windows:

1. Login to your account using INTERNET EXPLORER (this method does not work in Firefox)

2. On the main Upload screen, do you see the Upload button? Right below that, look for "WebFolder Shortcut (secure): A shortcut on your Desktop...." Just click there on the icon or on the blue link "Click here and Save to Desktop".

3. Choose "Open" to immediately open the account in a window - from this window you can copy and paste, drag/drop, and do most everything you can do with a local drive.

Power Tip:   Choose "Save" instead of Open after clicking this link, then save the link as a shortcut on your desktop, for quick easy access in the future.


4. To download multiple files, simply select them from the window, right-click, and choose COPY. Then go to your "My Computer" folders and locate the destination where you want the files, right-click and choose PASTE.

Power Tip:   From within your applications, if you have not already connected to FilesAnywhere you can still do this entirely within your application's Open/SaveAs dialog, using the shortcut. 
For example, you open Microsoft Excel, create a new sheet, and now you want to save it directly to your FilesAnywhere account: In the SaveAs dialog, change to your Desktop (or wherever you saved the Shortcut mentioned in the Power Tip above) then simply double-click on the Shortcut icon.  You will be prompted for the username and password, then all of your FilesAnywhere folders will appear, and you can save the file directly there.

 

PERMANENT FOLDER MAPPING

 Download: How to Map a WebFolder  (downloadable version of the following instructions)

Here is a simple way to Download or Upload multiple files/folders using a WebFolder mapping to your account, and directly open/edit/save files in Microsoft Windows.  The difference between this and the shortcut method above is that this mapping is saved permanently under your "My Network Places" folder in Windows.  So you can access it directly anytime you need to from within your application.

1. Open the Windows File Explorer
 Power Tip:   Right-click your Start button and choose “Explore”; or... double-click “My Computer” on your Desktop; or... hold the Windows Key and tap the 'E' key on your keyboard.

2. Choose “Map Network Drive…” from the Tools menu:

3. Click “Sign up for online storage or connect to a network server” at the bottom:

4.  Click “Next >” on the network place Wizard:

5.  Highlight “Choose another network location” then click “Next >” again:

6.  Input “https://webfolder.filesanywhere.com/username” as shown below, substituting your actual username (login id) where it says “username”.

7.  Enter your username in the format “username@filesanywhere.com” as shown below, substituting your actual username where it says “username”.  Enter your password all in lowercase (no uppercase letters at all)  Check “Remember my password”, then click OK.  If you are using XP Home Edition, you won’t have the option to store the password.

8.  Click “Next >” (you can change the name to anything, this is only how it will appear)

9.  Click Finish:

10.  Your FilesAnywhere account will now be directly accessible, shown under the “My Network Places” folder as shown here:

11.  You can also directly access files in your FilesAnywhere account from within your application, whenever your choose File Open or File Save As, as shown here:
 


 Reducing Password Prompts

Being prompted repeatedly for your username and password can be a good thing.  This is for your security.  However, you can take a few steps to reduce this prompting. 

First of all, you will want to check the box to "Remember my password" to store the password the first time you enter it.

 

The following steps may prevent Windows from prompting for the password whenever you open the WebFolder mapping.  However, you may still be prompted for the username and password.
 
Example: Microsoft Office documents use a separate security layer that causes a network login confirmation box to appear when opening documents over an SSL connection.

 

In these situations, if the correct username is shown in the dialog box, simply click the OK button to proceed with the login using the saved password.

 


Add the Web Folder to Internet Trusted Sites
 

1.  Open Internet Explorer
 

2.  Click the Tools menu, then Internet Options…

 

3.  Click the Security tab, then click “Trusted Sites”, then click “Sites…”:

 

4.  Type “https://webfolder.filesanywhere.com” then click the Add button:

 

Then click OK.  Then OK again to exit from the Internet Options.

 

 

 

How to Map a Network Drive
Letter to your Account (not secure)

 This maps a logical drive letter to your FilesAnywhere folders (ex: “F:\” drive).

 
Please note that the only way to map a logical drive letter is to do so using the HTTP form of WebDAV, not as an encrypted HTTPS mapping.  Also, the password and username are sent "in the clear", due to a requirement in Windows to use Basic Authentication. This also requires a Registry change to bypass default Windows security measures preventing Basic Authentication. 

Basic authentication: Basic authentication encodes user name and password data before transmitting it over the network. Note that encoding is not the same as encryption. Also known as plaintext authentication.


For these reasons, we strongly recommend using the WebFolder mapping above, which allows all of the same capabilities as using a physical driver letter, but without the security risks.  

  

Please click the following link to download the instructions on how to map a persistent drive letter:



Download: How to Map a Logical Drive Letter (not secure)

 

 

 

Troubleshooting
If you are having difficulty connecting to a web folder, please follow these simple troubleshooting steps to solve the problem:

Enable the WebClient service

  • Right-click on My Computer from the Desktop or in File Explorer and click "Manage"
  • Expand the last category called "Services and Applications"
  • Click the item labeled "Services"
  • Maximize the window to see the right window panel in full view
  • Locate the service named "WebClient" (alphabetical by name)
  • Verify the status is "Started".
    If not, right-click on this service and select "Start" (if disabled, then open the properties of this service and Enable the service, then Start it)
  • Close the Manage Computer window
  • Follow the steps at the top of this page to retry the WebFolder connection

Check your Internet connection

It may seem obvious, but confirm that going to www.FilesAnywhere.com opens the login page for our main site.  Especially you wireless users!  If you are not connected, check your network connection and restart your computer to reset your connection or seek help from your ISP if needed.

Run Windows Update and Office Update

Make sure you are using Service Pack 2 if you have Windows XP, and run the Windows Update to ensure you have the most current system updates.  Several known issues with early versions of WebDAV in Windows caused problems with folder mapping, resolved by these Windows updates.  Run Windows Update

Likewise, Office updates may be required in some cases, for earlier versions of Office, to open and save files directly using the WebFolder connection.  Run Office Update

You may also benefit by installing an important Web Folders Update from Microsoft.
 

FilesAnywhere Support

For further assistance, please call our toll-free support line.  We are her to help!  Support is always free and we can get WebFolders working for you right away.
Users of Windows2000
  • From the Desktop, right-click on "My Network Places" then select "Map Network Drive"
    •  
  • Click on "Web Folder or FTP Site"
  • For the "location of the Network Place" enter the Webfolder Address mentioned above in light blue.
  • Enter your account name and password
  • Provide a name for the Network Place or accept the default
  • You will see the name you gave under the "My Network Places"
  • You can now Copy/Paste or Drag/Drop files into and out of this new directory structure
  • If you want to map a physical drive in windows 2000 then you will have to purchase a 3 party software called "WEBDRIVE". This costs $39.95 per Client. You can download a trial version at
    http://www.southrivertech.com/download/index.html
Users of WindowsNT
  • From the desktop, right-click on "Network Neighborhood" then select "Map Network Drive"
  • Click on "Web Folder or FTP Site"
  • For the "location of the Network Place" enter the Webfolder Address mentioned above in light blue (under the Windows XP instructions).
  • Enter your account name and password
  • Provide a name for the Network Place or accept the default
  • You will see the name you gave under the "Network Neighborhood"
  • You can now Copy/Paste or Drag/Drop files into and out of this new directory structure
Users of Windows95/98/ME
To install Web Folders while you install Internet Explorer 5, choose the Customize option, and then select Web Folders under Web Authoring Components. If Internet Explorer 5 is already installed, you can add Web Folders by following these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click Microsoft Internet Explorer 5, and then click Add/Remove.
4. Click Add a component to Internet Explorer, and then click OK.
5. Under Web Authoring Components, click to select the Web Folders check box.
6. Click Next, and then follow the instructions to complete the installation of Web Folders.

How to Create Web Folders
To create a Web Folder, use one of the following methods.

Method 1
1. In Internet Explorer, click Open on the File menu.
2. In the Open box, type http://webfolder.filesanywhere.com/YOURUSERNAME, where YOURUSERNAME is your FilesAnywhere account login name (username).
3. Click to select the Open As Web Folder check box, and then click OK.

Method 2
1. In My Computer, double-click Web Folders, and then double-click Add Web Folder.
2. In the Type The Location To Add box, type http://server_name/folder_name, where server_name is the name of the appropriate server, and folder_name is the name of the appropriate folder, and then click Next.
3. Type a descriptive name for your Web Folder shortcut, and then click Finish.

You will see the name you gave under the "Web Folders". You can now Copy/Paste or Drag/Drop files into and out of this new directory structure.

WebDrive Third-Party Software
 WebDrive (South River Technologies) provides a local cache for files listed on your remote drive. This can speed up connections and result in improved performance in many cases, over traditional mapped drive letters. The username and password is also stored in the software, so you will not be prompted repeatedly.

This software is recommended particularly for operating systems earlier than Windows XP and Windows 2003.  This software is also recommended if you need to map a network drive letter (logical drive) with HTTPS encryption security - WebDrive supports this with their redirector.

You can test out the WebDrive software using their time-limited free trial.  More information is provided in this document:  WebDrive Instructions.doc

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