WebDAV Redirector

WebDAV Redirector is a remote file system over the WebDAV protocol that allows Windows XP client machines and Windows 2003 Servers to connect to your WebDAV publishing directory through the command line. Once connected, all existing Win32 applications (without any modification) can create, modify, and save files on Web shares (IIS virtual directories). The WebDAV Redirector enables you to manipulate files on the Web as though the files exist on a mapped network drive.

Your WebDAV Web site (the site that contains the virtual directory mapped to your WebDAV publishing directory) must be set up exclusively as a WebDAV site. Therefore, you must delete all FrontPage custom headers. If your WebDAV Web site is set up as both a DAV and FrontPage site, IIS defaults to the FrontPage custom header and blocks DAV command-line connections.

Important You must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer to perform the following procedure (or procedures), or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, log on to your computer using an account that is not in the Administrators group, and then use the Run as command to run IIS Manager as an administrator. From the command prompt, type runas /user:administrative_accountname "mmc %systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\iis.msc".

To enable WebDAV Redirector on your Web server

In IIS Manager, expand the local computer, right-click your WebDAV Web site (the site that contains the virtual directory mapped to your WebDAV publishing directory) and click Properties.
Click the HTTP Headers tab.
Remove any headers listed in the Custom HTTP headers list box.
Click Apply.
Click OK.

After you have set up your WebDAV publishing directory, you can connect to that directory through the command prompt using Windows XP clients and Windows 2003 Servers. Once connected, all existing Win32 applications (without any modification) can create, modify, and save files on Web shares (IIS virtual directories).

To enable WebDAV Redirector form the command line

Open a CMD.exe prompt
Type in the following:

net use * http://domain.com/WebDavFolder

The * above just allows the net use command to find the next available drive letter you can specify it if you wish.

If you do not get the above successful message and get this message:

Then this could mean that the WebClient service is not running. On Windows 2003 Server it is disabled. You will need to enable this service and then start the service.
After this you can use the drive letter to perform normal file tasks in any windows application as shown below.