XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Why does "net use/ftpuse" sometimes mount the result as a drive,
but yet, in other cases, "net use" doesn't result in a drive?

Example 1: Android WebDav server.
When I "net use" the WebDav share, it results in the Android
file system mounted as a drive letter on Windows.
NET USE [devicename | *] [\\computername\sharename[\volume] [password | *]] [/USER:[domainname\]username] [/USER:[dotted domain name\]username] [/USER:[username@dotted domain name] [/SMARTCARD] [/SAVECRED] [/REQUIREINTEGRITY] [/REQUIREPRIVACY] [/
WRITETHROUGH] [/TRANSPORT:{protocolname}]] [[/DELETE] | [/PERSISTENT:{YES | NO}]]


Example 2: Android FTP server.
The Windows FTPUse command also results in the Android file
file system mounted as a drive letter on Windows.
FTPUSE <driveletter>: <ftpserver> [/USER:<username> <password>] [/PORT:<port>]

<https://www.ferrobackup.com/map-ftp-as-disk.html> <https://www.wintips.org/map-ftp-to-local-drive-letter-windows/> <https://github.com/jokerby/ftpusegui>

Example 3: iOS SMB server.
The Windows "net use" command certainly maps the network drive.
You can copy files both ways over the LAN using the command line.
But it doesn't result in a drive letter on Windows?

Why not?

Why does "net use" on a WebDav share result in a drive letter,
while the same command on an SMB share doesn't result in a drive letter?

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XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Fri, 4/18/2025 9:57 PM, Marion wrote:

Why does "net use/ftpuse" sometimes mount the result as a drive,
but yet, in other cases, "net use" doesn't result in a drive?

Example 1: Android WebDav server.
When I "net use" the WebDav share, it results in the Android
file system mounted as a drive letter on Windows.
NET USE [devicename | *] [\\computername\sharename[\volume] [password | *]] [/USER:[domainname\]username] [/USER:[dotted domain name\]username] [/USER:[username@dotted domain name] [/SMARTCARD] [/SAVECRED] [/REQUIREINTEGRITY] [/REQUIREPRIVACY] [/

WRITETHROUGH] [/TRANSPORT:{protocolname}]] [[/DELETE] | [/PERSISTENT:{YES | NO}]]

Example 2: Android FTP server.
The Windows FTPUse command also results in the Android file
file system mounted as a drive letter on Windows.
FTPUSE <driveletter>: <ftpserver> [/USER:<username> <password>] [/PORT:<port>]

<https://www.ferrobackup.com/map-ftp-as-disk.html> <https://www.wintips.org/map-ftp-to-local-drive-letter-windows/> <https://github.com/jokerby/ftpusegui>

Example 3: iOS SMB server.
The Windows "net use" command certainly maps the network drive.
You can copy files both ways over the LAN using the command line.
But it doesn't result in a drive letter on Windows?

Why not?

Why does "net use" on a WebDav share result in a drive letter,
while the same command on an SMB share doesn't result in a drive letter?

This seems to have WebDAV as a drive letter.

https://help.dreamhost.com/hc/en-us/articles/216473357-Accessing-WebDAV-with-Windows

And if you use Macrium Rescue CD, it has the same kind of dialog as the
dialog on the previous web page, making \\wallace\whared show up as Z: .

Paul

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XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Paul wrote:

This seems to have WebDAV as a drive letter.

https://help.dreamhost.com/hc/en-us/articles/216473357-Accessing-WebDAV- with-Windows

The windows webdav client is now deprecated, and I regard that as a good
thing, it is capable of going wrong in many and varied ways, after
working reliably for weeks/months then you "fix" it and it works again
for months, then breaks in a different way ... though my experience was
all with sharepoint/IIS as the webDAV server.

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XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Sat, 19 Apr 2025 14:22:51 +0100, Andy Burns wrote :

This seems to have WebDAV as a drive letter.

https://help.dreamhost.com/hc/en-us/articles/216473357-Accessing-WebDAV- >> with-Windows

The windows webdav client is now deprecated, and I regard that as a good thing, it is capable of going wrong in many and varied ways, after
working reliably for weeks/months then you "fix" it and it works again
for months, then breaks in a different way ... though my experience was
all with sharepoint/IIS as the webDAV server.

Without having to repeat that I'm not a networking expert, my empirical
tests have shown that adding a WebDAV server on Android works wonders with respect to creating a drive letter that Windows' file explorer GUI sees.

Notice "net use drive:" on Windows with an Android WebDAV server results in
a Windows drive letter which works both in file explorers & command lines.
<https://i.postimg.cc/sxzR0Pg8/webdav01.jpg> WebDav has no sd permission
<https://i.postimg.cc/X7FS61HD/webdav02.jpg> X-plore has no permission
<https://i.postimg.cc/BvmRBrbt/webdav03.jpg> File Manager has permission
<https://i.postimg.cc/3xCsd4HX/webdav04.jpg> My Files has permission
<https://i.postimg.cc/Njm6ZXsc/webdav05.jpg> Permissions are the same
<https://i.postimg.cc/BvJdKWzt/webdav06.jpg> Both sdcards mounted
<https://i.postimg.cc/cJLK1wt0/webdav07.jpg> Mount the entire filesystem
<https://i.postimg.cc/qv6HJ7GN/webdav08.jpg> Each sdcard is a drive letter
<https://i.postimg.cc/D0qMxTMB/webdav09.jpg> FOSS general purpose solution
<https://i.postimg.cc/wM4Z45pN/webdav10.jpg> Free Android WebDAV servers
<https://i.postimg.cc/BQyRxCN9/webdav11.jpg> Mount sdcards read & write
<https://i.postimg.cc/yYWwgGmy/webdav12.jpg> As Windows drive letters
<https://i.postimg.cc/QtbR1GY0/webdav13.jpg> Over Wi-Fi on your home LAN
<https://i.postimg.cc/JhjpnRgh/webdav14.jpg> Mirroring Android on Windows
<https://i.postimg.cc/gcKXV6F7/webdav16.jpg> A third free WebDAV server

Yet when I use the same command with an SMB server on iOS, there is only a drive letter in the Windows command line, but none in the file explorers.
<https://i.postimg.cc/rp6r6Y24/LANDRIVE-01.jpg> Incessant Apple nag screen
<https://i.postimg.cc/RFd6HS61/LANDRIVE-02.jpg> Two shares by default
<https://i.postimg.cc/fykLSxhZ/LANDRIVE-03.jpg> Activate the SMB server
<https://i.postimg.cc/CKPdhvWJ/LANDRIVE-04.jpg> User is Anonymous
<https://i.postimg.cc/tRV7bNDt/LANDRIVE-05.jpg> iOS is now sharing
<https://i.postimg.cc/c4RHg1pv/LANDRIVE-06.jpg> net use X: \\iOS\share
<https://i.postimg.cc/d0xtPhyx/LANDRIVE-07.jpg> Allow iOS DCIM access
<https://i.postimg.cc/B6F3rMsj/LANDRIVE-08.jpg> Command-line access only
<https://i.postimg.cc/HsYGzpJc/LANDRIVE-09.jpg> Copy from iOS to WinPC
<https://i.postimg.cc/pdNq0Z0G/LANDRIVE-10.jpg> Copy from WinPC to iOS

Hence, my empirical observation is Android WebDav servers impart a special magic to the Windows "net use drive:" command that iOS SMB servers don't.

But why?

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