Some client computers have problems using the explorer view in Sharepoint. There are several symptoms users are complaining about:
- I can't open explorer view and an error diplays 'cannot access path <path>'
- I have to log on contineously and when I click 'cancel' the document library works fine
- I don't have to log on, but I can't drag and drop documents
It's time for an overview.These symptoms are often heard in newsgroups and from customers. Due to different Windows and Office versions, the solutions to these problems differ. Basically, your computer uses WebDAV to connect to the explorer view in SharePoint. When this is disabled or not supported, explorer view is not working. Also security settings could cause the problem.
I have to log on contineously
If you have Windows XP with Service Pack 2, you'll have a problem when the Sharepoint Server you have access to has Basic Authentication on in IIS. SP2 Disables WebDAV which is needed for the explorer view. Also mappings to a document library will fail. It's a security setting which causes these problems and it causes a logon prompt contineously. Prepare: it's hacking time! What you have to do is open the registry and add a DWORD key into your registry to enable the basic authentication. For detailed description, see the knowledgebase article 841215.
Explorer View doesn't work at all
When this problems occurs, you'll probably have the 'WebClient' service not running on the client computer. Open the 'control panel', and open 'Administrative Tools'. Open 'Services' and look for the 'WebClient' service. If this one is stopped or disables, enable it and start it. This will probably fix the problem.
It's still not working!
Here are some tips that might be helpfull:
- Add the Sharepoint site to 'Trusted Sites' in internet explorer (Tools > Internet Options > Security). This might be the solution for other problems too :)
- Allow WebDAV in IIS on the Server (Administrative Tools > Internet Information Services 6 > Web Server Extentions, allow WebDAV).
To be honest, I'm still facing some problems solving problems with explorer view, so this posting might be updated in the future. Please let met know if you have other problems and solutions using explorer view.